e at
us--discharging in rapid succession the guns which they had loaded.

We soon perceived that we had little to fear from this sort of attack.
Unless by some stray bullet, there was not much danger of their hitting
us. Their clumsy _manege_ of the fire-weapon was evident enough. It
added to the probability, that the chief had been in earnest about our
giving instructions to his warriors. Still was there some degree of
danger. The guns they had got hold of were large ones--most of them old
muskets of heavy calibre--that cast their ounces of lead to a long
distance. We heard their bullets pattering against the rocks, and one
or two of them had passed whistling over our heads. It was just
possible to get hit; and, to avoid such an accident, we crouched behind
our parapet, as closely as if we had been screening ourselves from the
most expert marksmen. For a long time we did not return their fire.
O'Tigg was desirous of trying another shot with his piece, but I forbade
it. Warned by what they had witnessed, the Indians had retired beyond
even the range of the Serjeant's fusil.

Two parties of savages now separate from the main body; and, taking
opposite directions, go sweeping at full gallop round the butte. We
divine their object. They have discovered the position of our animals:
the intention is to _stampede_ them. We perceive the importance of
preventing this. If we can but keep our animals out of the hands of the
savages until darkness come down, then may there be some prospect of our
escaping by flight. True, it is only a faint hope. There are many
contingencies by which the design may be defeated, but there are also
circumstances to favour it; and to yield without a struggle, would only
be to deliver ourselves into the hands of an unpitying foe. The last
words uttered by the Arapaho chief have warned us that death will be
preferable to captivity.

We are sustained by another remembrance. We know that we are not the
first white men who have been thus surrounded, and who afterwards
contrived to escape. Many a small band of brave trappers have sustained
the attack of a whole Indian tribe; and though half of their number may
have fallen, the others lived to relate the perilous adventure. The
life of a determined man is difficult to take. A desperate sortie often
proves the safest defence; and three or four resolute arms will cut a
loophole of escape through a host of enemies. Some such thoughts,
fl