s, and we concluded to go and see.

"We left our elk where they were, and started in the direction of the
shooting, taking mighty good care not to be surprised ourselves. We
crept carefully on, and a little before sundown seen a camp-fire burning
in the timber quite a smart piece ahead of us. We stopped then, and Ike
Pettet and myself crept on cautiously on our hands and knees through the
brush to learn what the fire meant. In a little while we seen it was an
Ingin camp, and we counted twenty-two warriors seated 'round their fires
a eating as unconcernedly as if we warn't nowhere near 'em. We didn't
feel like tackling so many, so just as we was 'bout to crawl away and
leave 'em in ondisturbed possession of their camp, we heard some parties
talking in English. Then we pricked up our ears and listened mighty
interested I tell you. Looking 'round, we seen the men tied to the trees
and the wood piled against 'em, and then we knowed what was up. We had
to be mighty wary, for if we snapped a twig even, it was all day with us
and the prisoners too; so we dragged ourselves back, and after getting
out of sound of the Ingins, we just got up and lit out mighty lively for
the place we'd left our companions. We met them coming slowly on 'bout
two miles from the Ingin camp, and telling 'em what was up we started to
help the trappers what the devils was agoing to burn. We wasn't half so
long in getting at the camp as Ike and me was in going, and we soon come
within good range for our rifles.

"The Ingins was still unsuspicious, and we spread ourselves in a sort
of half circle so as to kind o' surround them, and at a signal I give,
seven rifles cracked at once, and as many of the Injins was dropped
right in their tracks; a second volley, for the red devils had not got
their senses yet, tumbled seven more corpses upon the pile, and then we
white men jumped in with our knives and clubbed rifles, and there was
a lively scrimmage for a few minutes. The few Ingins what wasn't killed
fought like devils, but as we was getting the best of 'em every second
they turned tail and ran.

"We'd heard the firing of the fight at the cabin just in time; and as
we cut the rawhide strings that bound the fellows to the trees, Ike, who
was a right fine shot and had killed three at one time, said: 'I always
like to get two or three of the red devils in a line before I pull the
trigger; it saves lead.'

"Then we all went back to our camp and made a night o