Part 6 (1/2)

I do notequivalent I thanked him for the compliment, which I e strongly advisedmade the offer, I felt I should lose credit with the Redskins should I draw back We were to proceed with three e of our steeds as we drew near the eneo forward on foot

”We may have to run for our lives should we be discovered,” said Yellow Wolf, as we rode along; ”and unless you can depend upon your legs, it will be wise to remain with the horses”

I replied thatan eneht of it, and that I felt sure I could run as fast as he could We accordingly continued on until we came upon the trail which the scout had discovered Yellow Wolf now proceeded reatest ith he announced his belief that we had got near the Cooe of the three Indians, and then continued in the direction ere before going on foot I observed that Yellow Wolf's eye ranged over the ground on either side, as well as ahead As I thought of the distance we had coan to repent somewhat of the task I had undertaken; however, I trusted to the sagacity of my companion, that we should not be detected, and that we should be able to retreat as we had advanced Yellow Wolf led, and his brave followed, I bringing up the rear My coround, listened for any sounds whichthe Cooht, but now they bent down, taking advantage of any cover which offered

At length they stopped and whispered together, and Yellow Wolf told ain he and his con tothe top of a bank, covered by bushes of wild roses I saw the out their necks, so as to obtain a view beyond I crept after theuish in the plain below a considerable band of warriors, so wood, or preparing provisions, while their horses ranged round near at hand

It would have been a fine opportunity to take them by surprise, for a mounted party could have swept down upon them before they had time to catch their horses I have no doubt the Yellow Wolf thought the sa, but neither he nor his co my curiosity, I crept back as cautiously as I had advanced; and the two Indians, who had surveyed the camp to their satisfaction, came after me We at once commenced a retreat in the sa quite as careful to conceal ourselves

Their great object was to escape detection, so that their eneht not be aware that the position of their caht continue as unprepared for the reception of a foe as they appeared to be at present

Not until we regained our horses, did the Yellow Wolf speak As we galloped along on our return, he told me that the Coomanches would remain at their present camp for a couple of days, and would then proceed to the north-west in the hopes of co in that direction How he knew this is more than I can say I asked him whether he intended to attack the Coomanches

He replied that he reed to follow hi in the hopes of catching his foes off their guard He inquired whether I and ive an ansithout consulting them; that we had come to the country, not to ht only ere attacked This answer did not appear particularly to please him I said, however, that should he and his people be attacked, ould no doubt fulfil our pro theht only when they are obliged; that is the reason why red o down and they live”

Great exciteht, and without loss of time a council was held I told my friends what Yellow Wolf had said, but they decided at once not to assist hih to do inin quarrels not our own,” observed Are

We waited with come anxiety, therefore, the result of our friends'

deliberations At last Yellow Wolf came to our camp and announced that his braves were unani the Cooht so as to surprise them just before daybreak He invited us to acco up, ratitude for the treatment Charley and I had received from the ”Flower of the Prairies,” and our affection for hi that we must decline to cut the throats of a number of people e had no quarrel

The chief, who took our refusal very good-hu the ca his absence This request we could not well refuse, and we had therefore to agree to await his return, dick telling him that we hoped he would come back victorious

This matter settled, he and his braves immediately set out; while we kept a strict watch on the caht be attacked during the absence of the warriors whose departure their cunning eneh there were two or three alarms caused by a pack of coyotes which approached the ca been seen We had still many hours to wait the result of the battle

It was not until near the evening that a band of horseht be friends or they ht be ene their arht if necessary As the horsemen drew nearer, the Indians uttered loud cries of satisfaction, for they were discovered to be their friends Still they came on slowly It appeared to me that their numbers were di a couple of scalps at the end of his spear Other braves followed, several of the up close to the caratulations of their friends

The old an to inquire for the relatives ere no longer a bravely” On hearing this, loud wails arose from those who had lost husbands, brothers, and sons

It was some time before we could learn from Yellow Wolf what had happened He had been entirely successful in surprising the Cooht desperately andhis eneht showed the number of slain on the other side Another day was lost, while our savage friends blackened their faces and mourned for the dead, after which they danced their hideous scalp-dance I was thankful that they had returned without prisoners; for I am certain they would have put theh we ainst so barbarous a custo back one of their people desperately wounded, with two arrows and a bullet through his body It see It was, however, evident to us that he was dying; but his friends thought that he ht be recovered by the efforts of one of their medicine-men, whose vocation we had not before discovered The patient was laid on the ground half-stripped, while the tribe sat round in a circle Presently, froure I ever beheld e wolf-skin cloak covered his back; on his head he wore athe head of a wolf double the ordinary size Dried frogs and fish and snakes hung down fro concealed by skins In one hand he carried a spear, orna up it, and in the other a sort of ta-skins

He advanced,wild yells acco the circle, he approached his patient He then began to dance round hi; so him from side to side

I watched the poor sufferer, who endured the fearful pain to which he was put without a groan, gazing at the hideous figure, the last sight he was destined to behold on earth; for in a short time his jaw fell, his eyes became fixed, and he was dead Still the conjurer, utterly unconscious of this, went on with his perfor on the body and perceiving what had occurred, he turned round and darted into his tent The Indians did not appear to be very much surprised, but I suppose fancied that they had done their best for their friend, and that their medicine-man had done all that he could do to save the life of the brave

As Charley was now sufficiently recovered to e proposed that we should recoly Our new friends, however, were not so easily to be shaken off, and when they discovered our intentions, they made preparations to accoes They were of a conical for poles about twenty-five feet long This was first erected, when round it were stretched a nuether and perfectly water-proof The point where the ends of the poles protruded was left open to allow the smoke to escape On one side was the entrance closed by a door, also of buffalo hide The fire was made in the centre, immediately under the aperture In cold weather the Indians slept on buffalo rugs, with their feet towards the fire, and these rugs were rolled up during the day and placed at the back of the lodge

The woes We watched the poor creatures taking the them on bars near the lower ends of the poles, which trailed on the ground, the upper ends being secured half on each side of the horses

The young squaws and children wereon foot often with loads on their backs

Besides horses, our friends had a nu loads on ses, and very hard work they s of a smaller species which were reserved for food when buffalo meat was not to be obtained