rey had dropped, I still desired a word with
him in private.

On further inquiry, I learned that the trappers were on their way to
take part in the campaign. Some barbarous treatment they had
experienced from Mexican soldiers at a frontier post, had rendered both
of them inveterate foes to Mexico; and Rube declared he would never be
contented until he had "plugged a score of the yellur-hided vamints."
The breaking out of the war gave them the opportunity they desired, and
they were now on their way, from a distant part of prairie-land, to take
a hand in it.

The vehemence of their hostility towards the Mexicans somewhat surprised
me--as I knew it was a recent feeling with them--and I inquired more
particularly into the nature of the ill-treatment they had received.
They answered me by giving a detailed account of the affair. It had
occurred at one of the Mexican frontier towns, where, upon a slight
pretext, the trappers had been arrested and flogged, by order of the
commanding officer of the post.

"Yes-s!" said Rube, the words hissing angrily through his teeth; "yes-s,
flogged!--a mountain-man flogged by a cussed monkey of a Mexikin! Ne'er
a mind! ne'er a mind! By the 'tarnal God!--an when I say thet, I swar
it--this niggur don't leave Mexiko till he hes rubbed out a soger for
every lash they gin him--an that's twenty!"

"Hyur's another, old hoss!" cried Garey, with equal earnestness of
manner--"hyur's another that swars the same oath!"

"Yes, Billee, boy! I guess we'll count some in a skrimmage. Thur's two
a'ready! lookee thur, young fellur!"

As Rube said this, he held his rifle close to my eyes, pointing with his
finger to a particular part of the stock. I saw two small notches
freshly cut in the wood. I knew well enough what these notches meant;
they were a registry of the deaths of two Mexicans, who had fallen by
the hand or bullet of the trapper. They had not been the only victims
of that unerring and deadly weapon. On the same piece of wood-work I
could see long rows of similar _souvenirs_, apart from each other, only
differing a little in shape. I knew something of the signification of
these horrible hieroglyphics; I knew they were the history of a life
fearfully spent--a life of red realities.

The sight was far from pleasant. I turned my eyes away, and remained
silent.

"Mark me, young fellur!" continued Rube, who noticed that I was not
gratified by the inspection; "don't mistake Bill Ga