as big as a five-cent piece, that didn't show some kind of a mark. I
thought I had a pretty hard time in some of my travels, before, but
t'warn't no tetch ter that Comanche village. I was sore for a month after
it."

"Arter they'd got through with their fun, they set me to work and kept me
at it, till I finally got away from 'em; though they treated me well
enough after the first few days. When I got into Phantom Hill, the
officers there told me, that they treated me as they always did all their
prisoners. I had enough to eat, such as it was, and hain't no complaints
to make on that score. They had two Mexican women who were prisoners
there, and old Tabba-ken himself had married one of 'em."

"Do they have any particular ceremonies, when they start on the war-path,
Tom?" asked I.

"I saw one party start out ter fight the Arapahoes; and I see 'em come
back, too," replied Tom.

"One morning I see that a lot of the braves took their bows and arrows,
and placed 'em on the east side of their lodges. They was all ornamented
and fixed, and set where the sun's first rays should fall on 'em. That
night a lot of the squaws commenced going around through the village,
singing their war-songs, and making a great noise. They kept it up for
three nights, so that I couldn't sleep a wink; and I asked one of the
Mexican women what it all meant. She told me, that it was a war-party,
getting ready for an expedition.

"I'd suspected as much, when I see the braves a-cavortin' around so
lively on their horses, and makin' such a fuss as they did.

"She said, that they worshipped the sun, and their weapons was set out
there for the sun to bless, and give them good luck against their
enemies. They kept up these doin's for four or five days, and then they
had a grand war-dance; and the next morning at sunrise (they always start
on an expedition just at sunrise) a party of twenty braves, started off
to the north."

"Do they make the squaws work, like the other Indian tribes, Tom?" asked
Ned.

"Yes! Injuns is Injuns, wherever you find 'em," answered Tom. "The squaws
allers do the hard work, and the men the heavy layin' round and talkin'."

"Oh! be gorra; don't I wish I was a Injin," exclaimed Patsey.

"Well," continued Tom, "after I'd been with 'em a couple of months or so,
they kind er got a notion that I didn't care much about gittin' away, and
didn't keep a very strict watch over me; so, one night, when I see
Carline (that was my ol