ove!" Pitama

rd us, while the Indians gained on them perceptibly. Never before had I felt that I was a giant; but as I sat there in the short grass of the open prairie, I felt as if my body was actually towerin

us to them. The deer will soon turn. Our one chanc

They were now less than four hundred yards away, and although

't, and you see that the Indians are coming for us, str

hould be able to speed them swift and true. Now the deer were less than three hundred yards from us, and I gave u

e deer did turn, suddenly and sharply to the right. The pursuers, turning also, almost a

ad, and holding it askew as if the bullet had stung it, swerved to the right again, directly away from us. The herd

It was a hundred yards or more to the timber. As we neared it, I began to hope that we should get into its shelter unseen. Behind us the hunt

iscovered us. We looked, and saw that they were coming our way as fast as their hors

snowshoes and come on," said Pitamakan

hem up and

es, stuck my toes into the loops, and was starting on without fastening the ankle-thongs, when my

or webbing sagged under our feet. At the edge of the prairie the timber was scattering; but back a short distance there were several dense thickets, and back of

as they loudly disputed over the possession of them. Then, abandoning their horses, they began shoot

ed and fired as fast as possible. The others were doing their best to advance over the crust, and had our plight not been so desperate, I should have laughed to see them. They stepped gingerly, teetering along with

ruse, I hurried on. Then several bullets came so close to me that I could feel the wind from them; one struck a tree which I was passing, and flicked off bits of bark, which

s nothing!"

ever, I saw that his trail was bloody, and I feared the worst, for I well knew that even with a death-wound he would keep on bravely to the very end. The rest of the run to the thicket was like some te

swered, gripping the inner part of his

fear of their bullets. They gave a few last yells as we went into the thicket, and sh

er. Soon they dismounted and began skinning two that they had killed. We removed our snowshoes and sat down on them. Pitamakan let down his legging and washed his wound with snow; the bullet had split open the skin for a length of several inches, but fortunately, had not

not easy to bear. Every few minutes Pitamakan would cry out to his gods to punish the thieves, and my h

ve good bows and can make a drill at any time. Pe

ain? Shall we not need fire of

not likely that those hunters will go home without trying

e at work skinning the other. Soon, however, one man left each group and began cutting willows. Soo

artner. "They are going to make snowshoes and

he felt no pain. By this time the sun was fast weakening the crust; in a short time neither we nor our enemy would be able to travel, a

urns when the snow gets soft. Our chance to escape is to get back t

w its possibilities. Left to my own resources, I should only have

e river; then, when the crust at last broke with us at every step, we took off our snowshoes and floundered down t

untain, and walking to the edge of the timber bordering the river, lo

cried, pointing away south t

The horses of the enemy were picketed out there and quietly grazing, b

e we searched the prairie and the

If one has remained to watch the horses, he must be lying in that little pine grove near them. Let's

across the open ground. Our hearts throbbed with hope, and with fear

assing. There was not more than an acre of the young trees, and they covered a space twice as long as wide, so we were able to see every foot of it as we passed along

way. A flash of heat swept through me; my mouth grew dry. My sense of being perfectly helpless,

we instantly realized that no man was concealed out there ahead of him. Still, Pitamakan was cautious and, in spite of my urgent signs, kept

es. The saddles were all home-made, but better than none. We each selected one and the best of the blankets, and began saddling the two most sturdy and swift-looking of the seven animals. That done, we turned the remainin

furs! Where can

red, pointing to where t

the two packs were, jus

ay to the southwest as fast as possible. Somewhere on the big, timbered mountain behind us, the enemy were worming along on our trail; or,

sual conduct was plain. Here was a broad, hard trail that led, no doubt, directly to the camp which they had come from in the morning. Of course they were willing

big prairie; and at the farther end of this, a couple of miles away, smoke w

kan cried. "Already they may have seen us! Let'

uired hard riding to head them off and turn them back. And then when we did accomplish it, they

y of seven, or some other party, might appear at any moment. The thought that, after our great success of

ng straight on, looking neither to the right nor to the left, and it was soon plain, either that they had seen us and were going to have a look at our outfit, or that they were going to take the trail through the timber, in search, probably, of the missing hunters whose hor

among the trees and underbrush. We had got them no more than a bow-shot away from the trail, when, looki

behind that brush!" my partner called out; and off I

r, we were lost. Presently the two riders entered the timber, and we could see them plainly as they sped a

ted more than once clear off the ground. As I swung and bobbed in the air, I got flashing glimpses of the enemy, of Pitamakan struggling with hi

of sight, and the beat of their horses' hoofs

tray whither they would, rode out into the open and took a course down the prairie that would leave the big camp far to our right. Passing it a little later, we

and dawn that we finally gave out, and, picketing our animals, lay down and slept. But the first peep of the sun roused us. Staggering to our feet, stiff and sore, we sa

e were here," he said, "and over there by the side o

l by the mountain tribes. There were no tracks in it now save those of the wolf and the deer. Dismounting besi

ere we had first taken the animals. We went on all through the afternoon eastward into the mountains. Here the mountains were low, and in the still lower pass

horizon; and at sight of them we both shouted, and Pitamakan gave thanks to his gods. Down at the foot of the mountains we saw a little la

our stream of streams. The sight of it, and of our own people walking here and there outside

boy, hunting horses, met us while we were yet some distance out, gave o

f them, all talking at once and asking a thousand questions, we rode into the great courtyard. There, forem

ding me straight to our quarters; but I would not budge an inch until I had secured my precious pack o

in the great mountains. How the people hung upon my words, how they applauded and cheered! Without doubt those were the proudest mome

h. Tsis-tsak-ki bustled round, and while cooking the supper, managed to get out clean clothes for me, and get ready a tub of water, soap, and towels. Never before had I seen my Uncle Wesley

dventure on the frontier

E

of C

versid

E . MASS

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riber'

ntents has

been retained except in obvious cases of typographical er

isererable

teriffic -

only onl