d with
them, his quick eye detected the approach of a party of Snake Indians
from a neighbouring wood. They were covering themselves with their
shields, and were evidently bent on an attack. Francois and his men
loaded their guns and waited until the Indians were well within range.
Then they took aim and fired. The Snakes knew little or nothing about
firearms, and when one or two of their number fell before this volley,
they fled in disorder.

There was still danger of an attack by a larger band of the enemy, and
the Frenchmen remained on guard where they were until nightfall. Then,
under cover of darkness, they attempted to follow the trail of the
Bows. But the ground was so dry and hard at that season of the year
that they found it impossible to pick up the trail of their friends.
For two days they wandered about. Skill or good fortune, however,
aided them, and at last they arrived at the camp of the Bows, tired and
half starved. The chief had been anxious at the disappearance of his
white guests, and was overjoyed at their safe return. It is almost
needless to say that the panic-stricken warriors {87} had found their
camp just as they had left it; no one had heard or seen anything of the
Snakes; and the warriors were forced to submit to the jeers of the
squaws for their failure to come even within sight of the enemy.

Pierre, Francois, and their two men accompanied the Bows for some days
on their homeward journey. They found, however, that the Bows were
travelling away from the course which they wished to follow, and so
decided to leave them and to turn towards the Missouri river. The
chief of the Bows seemed to feel genuine regret at bidding farewell to
his French guests, and he made them promise to return and pay him
another visit in the following spring, after they had seen their father
at Fort La Reine. On the long journey to this point the three
Frenchmen now set out across the limitless frozen prairie.

About the middle of March they came upon a party of strange Indians
known as the People of the Little Cherry. They were returning from
their winter's hunting, and were then only two days' journey from their
village on the banks of the Missouri. Like all the other tribes, the
People of the Little Cherry received the Frenchmen with perfect
friendliness. The party lingered with these Indians in their {88}
village until the beginning of April, and Francois spent most of his
time learning their langu