e of the tallest
mountain was tipped with gold by the rising sun. About that time the
Hail-Storm, who rode in front gave a low exclamation. Some large animal
leaped up from among the bushes, and an elk, as I thought, his horns
thrown back over his neck, darted past us across the open space, and
bounded like a mad thing away among the adjoining pines. Raymond was
soon out of his saddle, but before he could fire, the animal was full
two hundred yards distant. The ball struck its mark, though much too low
for mortal effect. The elk, however, wheeled in its flight, and ran at
full speed among the trees, nearly at right angles to his former course.
I fired and broke his shoulder; still he moved on, limping down into the
neighboring woody hollow, whither the young Indian followed and killed
him. When we reached the spot we discovered him to be no elk, but a
black-tailed deer, an animal nearly twice the size of the common deer,
and quite unknown to the East. We began to cut him up; the reports of
the rifles had reached the ears of the Indians, and before our task was
finished several of them came to the spot. Leaving the hide of the deer
to the Hail-Storm, we hung as much of the meat as we wanted behind
our saddles, left the rest to the Indians, and resumed our journey.
Meanwhile the village was on its way, and had gone so far that to get in
advance of it was impossible. Therefore we directed our course so as to
strike its line of march at the nearest point. In a short time, through
the dark trunks of the pines, we could see the figures of the Indians
as they passed. Once more we were among them. They were moving with even
more than their usual precipitation, crowded close together in a narrow
pass between rocks and old pine trees. We were on the eastern descent
of the mountain, and soon came to a rough and difficult defile, leading
down a very steep declivity. The whole swarm poured down together,
filling the rocky passageway like some turbulent mountain stream. The
mountains before us were on fire, and had been so for weeks. The view in
front was obscured by a vast dim sea of smoke and vapor, while on either
hand the tall cliffs, bearing aloft their crest of pines, thrust their
heads boldly through it, and the sharp pinnacles and broken ridges of
the mountains beyond them were faintly traceable as through a veil.
The scene in itself was most grand and imposing, but with the savage
multitude, the armed warriors, the naked child