THE SIOUX. 



303 



McKay took no further notice of the strange visitor than 

 to mention that he saw it and thought it was a wolf ; 

 but before we retired to our tents at 2 a.m. we noticed 

 another figure, which he declared to be an Indian, appear 

 near the same spot. Two of the party cautiously ap- 

 proached the foot of the hill, but before they reached it the 

 figure crouched and slowly retired. The horses were 

 gathered near the carts and a watch set, but daylight 

 dawned without the re-appearance of the object of our 

 suspicion. In the morning we endeavoured to discover 

 tracks at the spot where it had appeared, but the hill 

 being composed of gravel, the soil had received no im- 

 pression which our most sharp-sighted half-breeds could 

 detect. Having verified our observations on Polaris by a 

 solar observation at noon, we started for a new camping- 

 ground about twelve miles up Eed Deer's Head Eiver, 

 where we proposed to take in a supply of wood for fuel, 

 before crossing the great prairie to Fort Ellice. On our 

 way thither the old hunter who had joined us at Prairie 

 Portage said he smelt fire ; we all strained our olfactories 

 to the utmost, but without detecting any odour which 

 might be supposed to proceed from a burning substance ; 

 nevertheless the old hunter persisted in the statement that 

 he had " smelt it." We camped at sunset close to the 

 river, and while at supper some of the party distinctly 

 heard the distant neigh of a horse ; this of itself would 

 have been considered sufficient warning, but when taken 

 in connexion with the appearance of the object on the 

 hill in the rear of our camp the night before, it was held 

 to be conclusive evidence that we were watched by the 

 Sioux, and that an attempt would be made in the night to 

 steal our horses. 



Our camp fires were put out immediately, the carts were 

 placed close together, and a watch organized ; the half- 



