Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/54

 his feet, with the exception of myself, who, ns the reader knows, was lost in the mazes of a troublesome dream, and had actually converted the screeches of the savages into cries from Lilian, and the report of fire arms into the fatal shot from the pistol of one I had looked upon as a rival. Each of th trappers had hurriedly sought his tree, while the Irishman, though a good deal bewildered, had had presence of mind and good sense enough to imitate their example. - Huntly of course could not leave me to perish, and had paused to rouse me in the manner shown.

By this time all had become silent as the grave. Our camp fire was still burn ing brightly, and bv its lio-ht we could trace

OO^*' * ^ O

a large circle round it; but not an object, save our animals some of which, particu larly the mules, snuffed and snorted, and appeared very restless was seen to stir. One would suppose, to have gazed around him in that waftn, still night, that not a creature more dangerous than the fire-fly and musquito was at hand, to disturb the now seemingly deep and solemn solitude of the place. In this way some two or three minutes passed, during which you could have heard the fall of a leaf, when suddenly the stillness was broken by the report of a rifle within twenty feet of me, and was succeeded by a yell of agony some thirty paces distant in another direction, while an Indian, whom I had not before observed, staggered forward, and fell with in the circle lighted by the fire.

Now it was, as if the whole wilderness were full of demons, that the most terrific yells resounded on all sides, and some fif teen or twenty savages, naked all but the breech-clout, hideously painted, were seen dodinn<>- among the scattering trees, making

O o o t O ^ ' O

toward us, and discharging their muskets

O O

and bows at random. A bullet striking the stock of my rifle just above where my hand grasped it, splintering it, and sending some of the pieces into my face, maddened me not a little; and I vowed revenge upon the first savage I could lay eyes on.

"Give the skunks h 1!" shouted a roice; and ere the words were fairly ut tered, some three or four rifles belched forth tncir deadly contents, and three more savages rolled howling in the dust.

At this moment I discovered a powerfuj Indian making toward me, not ten feet distant, his basilisk eyes fairly shining like two coals of tire; and raising my rifle quick as lightning to my face, without pausing even to sight it, I lodged- the con tents in his body. He staggered back, partly turned to fly, reeled, and then with a howl of rage fell to the earth a corpse.

The Indians of the Far West, of the present day, are not the Indians of former times, whose wigwams once rose where now stand our cities and hamlets, and whose daring in war, when led by a Phil lip, a Pontiac, or a Tecumseh, could only be excelled by their cunning and ferocity. No! far from it. The present tribes have degenerated wonderfully. They axe, take them as a whole, a dirty, cowardly, despi cable set, without one noble trait, and not worth the powder it takes to kill them. They will attack you, it is true; but then they must treble you in numbers; and if they fail in killing or completely overpow ering you at the onset, ten to one but they will beat a hasty retreat, and leave you master of the field.

Of such dastardly wretches was com posed the party which had assailed us. Although vastly superior to us in num bers, they now seemed completely thun derstruck at the result of an attack, which, doubtless, they had counted on as certain victory. Five of their party had already bitten the dust, and yet not one of us had been touched. Notwithstanding this, even had they possessed one half the cour age and daring of their eastern forefathers, they might to all appearance have annihi lated us. But no! they dared not longer fight for victory. Like frightened pol troons, as they were, they wavered for a !a "break" for our animals, with the in tention of seizing and making oft" with them, and thus leaving us to foot our long jour ney. But even in this they failed, through their own cowardice; foi* comprehending their intent, the trappers, with yells as sar- age as their own, sprang from their trees, and rushing toward them, they instantly abandoned their design, and again most ingloriously fled.
 * moment, and then, as their last hope, made

Two of our party, however, Fiery Ned and Rash Will, were far from being satisfied