the tent, and, coming
upon Crusoe in the rear, snapped at his tail sharply, and then fled
shrieking with terror and surprise, no doubt, at its own temerity.

Crusoe did not bark; he seldom barked; he usually either said nothing,
or gave utterance to a prolonged roar of indignation of the most
terrible character with barks, as it were, mingled through it. It
somewhat resembled that peculiar and well-known species of thunder, the
prolonged roll of which is marked at short intervals in its course by
cannon-like cracks. It was a continuous, but, so to speak, _knotted_
roar.

On receiving the snap, Crusoe gave forth _the_ roar with a majesty and
power that scattered the pugnacious front rank of the enemy to the
winds. Those that still remained, half stupefied, he leaped over with a
huge bound and alighted, fangs first, on the back of the big dog. There
was one hideous yell, a muffled scramble of an instant's duration, and
the big dog lay dead upon the plain!

It was an awful thing to do; but Crusoe evidently felt that the peculiar
circumstances of the case required that an example should be made--and
to say truth, all things considered, we cannot blame him. The news must
have been carried at once through the canine portion of the camp, for
Crusoe was never interfered with again after that.

Dick witnessed this little incident; but he observed that the Indian
chief cared not a straw about it, and as his dog returned quietly and
sat down in its old place, he took no notice of it either, but continued
to listen to the explanations which Joe gave to the chief, of the desire
of the Pale-faces to be friends with the Red-men.

Joe's eloquence would have done little for him on this occasion had his
hands been empty; but he followed it up by opening one of his packs, and
displaying the glittering contents before the equally glittering eyes of
the chief and his squaws.

"These," said Joe, "are the gifts that the great chief of the Pale-faces
sends to the great chief of the Pawnees, and he bids me say that there
are many more things in his stores which will be traded for skins with
the Red-men, when they visit him; and he also says that if the Pawnees
will not steal horses any more from the Pale-faces they shall receive
gifts of knives, and guns, and powder and blankets every year."

"_Wah_!" grunted the chief; "it is good. The great chief is wise. We
will smoke the pipe of peace."

The things that afforded so much sat