274 



RECREATION. 



short stock contemptuously, and 

 tossed it back to her. Next to the 

 rifle, our rings and ear-rings attracted 

 the most attention. We asked for 

 some one and something to convey 

 us to our camp. They said the men 

 had all gone out that morning on a 

 long hunt and taken the ponies with 

 them. 



" Could they not -send some one of 

 the young men we saw, or couldn't 

 they, one of the squaws, go?" 



They shook their heads, " no." We 

 offered the ear-rings. One lazy buck 

 took them, hung one of them in his 

 ears, and handed itba k with a grunt 

 of disgust. Evidently it was not big 

 enough to tempt him. 



" Did they know where our camp 

 was?" They nodded assent. 



What should we do? It was grow- 

 ing late and we were anxious to 

 get back to camp, knowing the anx- 

 iety there would be on our account, 

 when husbands and brothers should 

 return. 



" Would they show us, then, what 

 direction to take?" 



The young buck indicated with a 

 sweep of his hand to the East, and we 

 departed, glad to escape, even to the 

 terrors of the forest. 



Our bleeding feet were, if anything, 

 worse for this short rest, for they 

 were now stiff and numb, and we felt 

 as if we had nothing to stand upon. 

 But we must keep tramping. We 

 had walked about three-quarters of a 

 mile when the rustle of boughs 

 and the sound of soft footfalls ar- 

 rested our attention. Our inexperi- 

 enced ears could not detect the 

 nature of it. 



"A wildcat," whispered one. 

 " A snake," shuddered another. 

 The branches were being parted 

 from behind and a full-plumed In- 

 dian stepped into view. 



The young woman swooned. Our 

 crackswoman, too foot-sore and 

 weary for any new sensation, gazed 

 in a blind, dazed way. The Indian, 

 without displaying any surprise on 

 his part, stood poised on one foot 

 like a winged Mercury. We saw now 

 that the plumes on his head were not 



the feathers of the war-patn, as our 

 bewildered senses at first thought 

 them, but the outspread wings of a 

 wild turkey, strapped to his back. 



"White squaw Traid," he said, re- 

 assuringly. Upon which we ven- 

 tured desperately to ask if he knew 

 where our camp was. He signified 

 that he did ; that he had been there 

 to sell his turkey. We told him, 

 with unconcealed joy, that we would 

 buy his turkey if he would carry it to 

 the camp for us. 



" How much white squaw give?" 



The leader, who had placed her- 

 self in front of the swooning mem- 

 ber, replied : 



"One dollar." 



He shook his head and was put- 

 ting down the other winged foot, 

 when we hastened to ask : 



" How much?" 



" Dollar — half," he said, stoically. 



She had profited by her experience 

 of the morning in trading with the 

 Indian, and after a show of mature 

 deliberation, consented. 



Our crackswoman gladly laid the 

 burden of her rifle upon his should- 

 ers, while we followed him in single 

 file. We learned a valuable lesson 

 in the art of pedestrianism, and that 

 there were some movements not 

 taught by the Delsarte method. 



Fascinated, we watched him as we 

 followed, trying to imitate him, as with 

 step light as that of a fawn he peeled 

 his foot off the ground, and for our 

 astonishment would occasionally, 

 with a sidewise movement, cover up 

 up his footprints. 



He understood English betterthan 

 most of his tribe, being accustomed 

 to trading with the whites, and, as we 

 recounted our recent predicament he 

 addressed us as "Big Fool White 

 Squaw,"" Little Man White Squaw," 

 "Gray Head Big Fool White Squaw," 

 and " Red Nose Fool White Squaw," 

 which titles we acknowledged with 

 more appreciation than we ever did 

 the neatest turned compliment in our 

 lives. 



Our appearance in camp was a 

 sensation to the guide who had been 

 dispensed with. The others, on re- 



