Part 10 (1/2)

CHAPTER XV

A GREAT CAPTAIN

The band of Nez Perces had done very well thus far, and so had the band of white miners, but there had been one other band of travellers which had accoood coineered the stampede of the Nez Perce ponies had continued to hold his position as captain He could out-kick and out-bray any otherhirass to be had, next day after the escape, and there was yet a little water in the pools rapidly drying away, but there was nothing anywhere to tee On he went, and on went the rest after him, and the reason why the warriors could not find his trail was because he did not leave any He obeyed the strong instinct of all large animals, and some smaller ones, to ”follow a beaten path and keep in a travelled road” He struck the well- from it

Multitudes of men have a precisely similar instinct, and keep in any particular path in life mainly because they are in it; they stick all the closer if they can see anybody else doing the sa That hat the wicked old ined that the squad or rather string of bisons ahead of hi and what for At all events he led his band closely behind them, and they plodded on in a way that carried them ahead quite rapidly It carried theh it, mule, ponies and all, and there was no one to tell them of what had happened there before or as about to occur

So that is pretty sure to coreat bodies reel and fall, and the wolves and buzzards are fed But for such things the wolves would all die, and they have an unerring judg bison They never attack a healthy bull or cow unless they are in great force and the ani plain to better pasture had been going on for some time, and the coyotes had followed it as a matter of course The very day that the oldfor all the water they could hold, there should have been a painter on the great ledge which was followed by the trail in the edy there worth sketching

Herd after herd of bisons had gone along that ledge road in cluht there now, at the curve of the projecting rock, stood one who could go no farther A frags told what had made him lame in the first place, and the rown lamer and lamer until all he could do was to turn his back to the rock and stand at bay

Mile afterthe poor old beast had contended with the ene around him; they had assailed hiether crippled hily, and his deep, sonorous belloas thick with pain and fury The watching coyotes sat down or walked around, barking, yelping, howling, snapping their teeth like castanets, sure of a feast to corier or bolder than the rest, ht hi over and over, and his last yelp went doith hiain, and his bloodshot eyes grew filly to and fro He gave a great lurch forward as his faintness grew upon him, and in an instant he seemed to be all but covered olves They attacked every square foot of hi, tearing, and the bison's ti life for one last, blinded rush His instinct was to ”charge” and he e The trail at that point afterwards but barely passed the wagon-wheels, and there was no room to spare for the bison's last effort It bore hie, and half a dozen of clinging coyotes went doith hi feet the hunters and the hunted-down bison fell together, to be dashed to pieces upon the rocks at the botto wolves, but it did not express pity or horror Only for a moment did they seem to be in doubt as to as best to be done After that it was a wolf-race as to which should first get back to the point at which they could safely clamber and tumble to the bottom of the pass Their feast had been provided for them, and they ate every part of it, buffalo meat and wolf meat alike, with the help of so entered the canon to disturb the, and it led therassy valley

The wicked oldof all this No coyotes annoyed him or his command, but not a mouthful to eat did they find until they caht of these, hinting of human presence, they halted briefly and then sheered away so as not to approach too nearly so very unpleasant a suggestion The bisons had led theot the credit of it Also, there was a fair degree of justification of the instinct concerning beaten paths New ones may be better, and somebody must hunt them up all the while, but the old roads will do very well for most people until the new ones are fairly mapped out Christopher Coluot his

It was a matter of course that the runaways should feel their way farther and farther down the valley, and all sorts of happiness seemed to be before them Grass, water, nice weather, notherow fat, and to think well of the world they lived in

The wicked old ained neither name nor fame by it He looked sidewise more slyly, whisked his ropy tail hbors ained was a vacation; no work to do for anybody but themselves, but inter only a few months ahead and with a certainty that wolves, buzzards, coyotes, cougars, grislies, frost, snow-storms, and all the other unknown possibilities of theoff for a season

CHAPTER XVI

VISITING

Two Arroas treated to an excellent breakfast theafter his capture He also sahite ar he wanted for the first ti, and a very brilliant pair of eyes were drinking in its reedily

Rifles, pistols, and all that sort of thing were fa Nez Perce, but he sa patterns of theained tremendous notions of the wealth and skill of the pale-faces who could make such weapons

”Father,” said Sile, ”I wish he could read He's a bright fellow”

”Show hi you have with a picture in it”

There was no fear that Two Arroould try to run away after that process began The printed matter of any sort did not convey to hi whatever The pictures were another thing, and Sile had provided hiave up the sullen pride that refused to be astonished, and Sile began to understand ”sign language” At all events he nearly twisted himself out of shape in an effort to explain to his captive the nature of shi+ps, cannon, caines He felt as if he were a sort of e Parks hiiven hiencies a feeeks before

”Ugh! pawnee!” said Two Arrows

”I told you so,” exclaierrytypes of every tribe there is, he'd naot a mount ready for him”