other, rubbing
it against the cheek of Deerfoot. If the latter sulked too long,
Whirlwind would show his impatience by flirting his head against that
of the youth, whirling about, kicking up his heels and galloping off.
No words could have said more plainly:

"I don't care. Pout all you want to. I shan't coax you any more. I
haven't much opinion of you anyway."

And then Deerfoot had to make peace with his offended majesty. But the
stallion never held off long, and George and Victor laughed at the
antics of the couple.

The halt of which I have spoken was made one afternoon, near the
southern end of the Laramie range. No more favorable spot could have
been selected, for the grass was abundant and of the best quality. A
stream of considerable size issued from the mountains and flowing
northeast joined the North Platte, a hundred miles away, and there was
enough timber to yield all the fuel needed. The horses were unsaddled
and unbridled, the pack removed from the back of Zigzag and the three
owners were at liberty to do whatever they chose to pass away the
hours. It was so late that they stayed in camp till morning, when it
was decided to set off on a hunt, Deerfoot going by himself, while the
brothers, as usual, kept company.

There had hardly been a day since parting from Lewis and Clark that our
friends had not seen Indians or signs of them. Sometimes it was the
smoke of their camp fires in the distance, and then they caught sight
of a band of horsemen, who might number three or four or five times as
many warriors. It was the rule of Deerfoot to avoid coming in contact
with these wanderers, so long as he could do so without rousing their
suspicion by his actions. While in a general way the strangers could be
counted upon as friendly, they contained a ratio of lawless if not
desperate characters, who were liable to be tempted by the hope of
plunder. Whirlwind was quite sure to attract envious eyes. Moreover,
the party was now in a region which was visited, more or less, by
trappers and hunters in the employ of fur companies, or who operated
independently. The majority of these men were rough and reckless of the
rights of others. They had little faith in the Golden Rule where
Indians were concerned, and affrays between them and the native
inhabitants were numerous. Many a white man who went into the mountains
never came out again. He fell a victim to his own wrongdoing and
received the fate he had invited so long.