desperate warrior, are men enough to keep the bank, seeing that show and
not use is all that is needed."

Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances
against this proposal. Glad to know that their rear was to be covered,
even in this imperfect manner, they hastily got their horses in motion,
and soon disappeared on the required route. Some twenty or thirty
minutes succeeded this movement before the Tetons on the opposite shore
seemed inclined to enter on any new enterprise. Mahtoree was distinctly
visible, in the midst of his warriors, issuing his mandates and
betraying his desire for vengeance, by occasionally shaking an arm in
the direction of the fugitives; but no step was taken, which appeared to
threaten any further act of immediate hostility. At length a yell arose
among the savages, which announced the occurrence of some fresh event.
Then Ishmael and his sluggish sons were seen in the distance, and soon
the whole of the united force moved down to the very limits of the
stream. The squatter proceeded to examine the position of his enemies,
with his usual coolness, and, as if to try the power of his rifle, he
sent a bullet among them, with a force sufficient to do execution, even
at the distance at which he stood.

"Now let us depart!" exclaimed Obed, endeavouring to catch a furtive
glimpse of the lead, which he fancied was whizzing at his very ear; "we
have maintained the bank in a gallant manner, for a sufficient length of
time; quite as much military skill is to be displayed in a retreat, as
in an advance."

The old man cast a look behind him, and seeing that the equestrians had
reached the cover of the hill, he made no objections to the proposal.
The remaining horse was given to the Doctor, with instructions to pursue
the course just taken by Middleton and Paul. When the naturalist was
mounted and in full retreat, the trapper and the young Pawnee stole from
the spot in such a manner as to leave their enemies some time in doubt
as to their movements. Instead, however, of proceeding across the plain
towards the hill, a route on which they must have been in open view,
they took a shorter path, covered by the formation of the ground, and
intersected the little water-course at the point where Middleton had
been directed to leave it, and just in season to join his party. The
Doctor had used so much diligence in the retreat, as to have already
overtaken his friends, and of course all the