by an effort, he informs us
that supper is ready, and instantly withdraws.

When sunset came, and at that hour the wild and desolate scene would
assume a new aspect, the horses were driven in. They had been grazing
all day in the neighboring meadow, but now they were picketed close
about the camp. As the prairie darkened we sat and conversed around the
fire, until becoming drowsy we spread our saddles on the ground, wrapped
our blankets around us and lay down. We never placed a guard, having
by this time become too indolent; but Henry Chatillon folded his loaded
rifle in the same blanket with himself, observing that he always took it
to bed with him when he camped in that place. Henry was too bold a man
to use such a precaution without good cause. We had a hint now and then
that our situation was none of the safest; several Crow war parties were
known to be in the vicinity, and one of them, that passed here some time
before, had peeled the bark from a neighboring tree, and engraved upon
the white wood certain hieroglyphics, to signify that they had invaded
the territories of their enemies, the Dakota, and set them at defiance.
One morning a thick mist covered the whole country. Shaw and Henry went
out to ride, and soon came back with a startling piece of intelligence;
they had found within rifle-shot of our camp the recent trail of about
thirty horsemen. They could not be whites, and they could not be Dakota,
since we knew no such parties to be in the neighborhood; therefore
they must be Crows. Thanks to that friendly mist, we had escaped a hard
battle; they would inevitably have attacked us and our Indian companions
had they seen our camp. Whatever doubts we might have entertained, were
quite removed a day or two after, by two or three Dakota, who came to us
with an account of having hidden in a ravine on that very morning, from
whence they saw and counted the Crows; they said that they followed
them, carefully keeping out of sight, as they passed up Chugwater; that
here the Crows discovered five dead bodies of Dakota, placed according
to the national custom in trees, and flinging them to the ground, they
held their guns against them and blew them to atoms.

If our camp were not altogether safe, still it was comfortable enough;
at least it was so to Shaw, for I was tormented with illness and vexed
by the delay in the accomplishment of my designs. When a respite in my
disorder gave me some returning strength, I rode out