ses had been too much for him, and it is sometimes very
nearly the same with young fellows of a different color.

He lost sight of his human game several times, and it was now pretty
dark, but his keen eyes caught the glow of camp-fires at last, and he
knew what that meant. What he did not know was that Yellow Pine and Sile
had ridden a wide circuit across that open and had discovered no sign
of danger.

"Them Indians," said Pine, as they were riding in, "have gone on to the
timber. They can't have the least idee that we're here, on the ground
they passed over. To-morrer we must make another scout, though I sha'n't
be easy till I know jest what kind of neighbors we're to have."

That was common-sense, and so was the extreme care with which the
quadrupeds were gathered and hobbled and "corralled" between the
protecting masses of the ruins. The members of the mining party were
already divided into "watches," taking regular turns, and Sile and a man
named Jonas were in the first watch with Yellow Pine. That gave him a
chance for an unbroken sleep when his work was done. What was also good,
it gave him a rest to get sleepy in, and to let all the steam of his
excitement get away from his head. He ate well, and he felt somewhat
weary afterwards, but there was a queer idea growing in his mind that he
was in the neighborhood of strange Indians, and that nobody could tell
what might turn up.

"Pine," said he, "if I see an Indian shall I kill him?"

"Yell first, and get out of his way, unless he holds out his hand and
says 'How?' But you won't have any chance this night."

CHAPTER XIV

A WRESTLING MATCH

The moon was to come up late that night, and all the first part of it
would be lighted only by stars and camp-fires. The mining party had but
two of these latter burning low, and the Nez Perce band had not any,
after they had done their cooking, but the stars sent down enough light
to make things visible at short distances. The two camps were not over
four miles apart.

The only really wide-awake watchman in one of them was One-eye, and he
patrolled in all directions as if he had an idea that matters must be
less secure in the absence of his wonderful young master. Only one dog
to do the barking for a whole village was something very uncommon in
Indian history, but it was well to have the great duty given to an
entirely competent dog.

The boy whom One-eye considered the greatest personage in all that
valley