a new trail, before they
could proceed further, which they succeeded in doing as the evening
shades were setting in; but as it was impossible to follow it in the
dark they reluctantly returned to camp to spend the night. At the first
dawn of light they were again in the saddle, provisioned for a number
of days, as they anticipated a long chase, from the fact that the
fugitives had a long start of them, and they could scarcely hope to
overtake them the first day. But the other pursuers were more sanguine;
they knew not the stratagems of the Indians so well as the trapper.
After five hours' hard riding they came to a spring of water in a deep
glen where the Indians had evidently breakfasted the day before. And
from the quantity of bones around, and the trampled grass, it was
apparent that there was a number of them.

"Some six or eight persons, certainly. I think this time we shall
secure both the missing ones," said Howe.

"We will do as they did, take a lunch, and let our horses feed on this
grass by the spring. Perhaps we shall overtake them very soon if we
rest and then ride hard," replied Mr. Duncan.

"We shall not see them before to-morrow, depend upon it. They travel,
when pursued, like bloodhounds."

Refreshed, and again in the saddle, they went over hill and valley,
forded streams, and crept through narrow defiles, still keeping the
trail, by the aid of the dogs, without much difficulty. About three in
the afternoon, they came to the place where the Indians had encamped
for the night. The pursuers were evidently gaining on the pursued.
Again they rested themselves and horses for awhile and then continued
the pursuit. After two hours rapid riding, while going through a
defile, they came to a spot which gave indications of a struggle having
taken place. Dismounting and examining closely, they found places where
evidently some heavy body had laid and bled profusely. The blade of a
broken scalping knife lay among the leaves, with a broken bow and a
war-club. These the Arapahoes identified as belonging to the Crows.
Searching a thicket of laurel, a little farther on, they found three of
the Crows dead. They had probably been mortally wounded, and crawled
there to die. They had been scalped, perhaps, while still alive, as the
scalp on the crown of the head was gone.

"Tabagauches! Tabagauches!" yelled the Arapahoes, as they discovered a
fragment of a blanket, on which was embroidered, in gay colours, the
crest of