ertainly not been made by a war-party;
but if the track do not show the trace of lodge-poles, it will be
equally certain that a war or hunting party has passed that way, and if
it is not desired to come in conflict with them, their direction may be
avoided. Mustangs or wild horses, when moving from place to place,
leave a trail which is sometimes difficult to distinguish from that
made by a mounted party of Indians, especially if the mustangs do not
stop to graze. This may be determined by following upon the trail until
some dung is found, and if this should lie in a single pile, it is a
sure indication that a herd of mustangs has passed, as they always stop
to relieve themselves, while a party of Indians would keep their horses
in motion, and the ordure would be scattered along the road. If the
trail pass through woodland, the mustangs will occasionally go under
the limbs of trees too low to admit the passage of a man on horseback.

An Indian, on coming to a trail, will generally tell at a glance its
age, by what particular tribe it was made, the number of the party, and
many other things connected with it astounding to the uninitiated.

I remember, upon one occasion, as I was riding with a Delaware upon the
prairies, we crossed the trail of a large party of Indians traveling
with lodges. The tracks appeared to me quite fresh, and I remarked to
the Indian that we must be near the party. "Oh no," said he, "the trail
was made two days before, in the morning," at the same time pointing
with his finger to where the sun would be at about 8 o'clock. Then,
seeing that my curiosity was excited to know by what means he arrived
at this conclusion, he called my attention to the fact that there had
been no dew for the last two nights, but that on the previous morning
it had been heavy. He then pointed out to me some spears of grass that
had been pressed down into the earth by the horses' hoofs, upon which
the sand still adhered, having dried on, thus clearly showing that the
grass was wet when the tracks were made.

At another time, as I was traveling with the same Indian, I discovered
upon the ground what I took to be a bear-track, with a distinctly-marked
impression of the heel and all the toes. I immediately called the
Indian's attention to it, at the same time flattering myself that I had
made quite an important discovery, which had escaped his observation.
The fellow remarked with a smile, "Oh no, captain, may be so he not