the moment of excitement that succeeded the capture of the savage, I
had been thinking of other things. It was only when we were about to
part from him that the idea jumped into my mind--that bright idea--that
_he_ could _furnish_ me--the very man.

I turned back to reconnoitre his person.

Dismounting, I scanned him from head to foot. With delight my eyes
rested upon his buckskin-leggings, his bead-embroidered moccasins, his
pendent collar of javali-tusks, his eagle-plumes stained red, and the
ample robe of jaguar-skins that draped his back--all pleased me much.

But that we were bent on an errand of peril, the last-mentioned article
would not have been left there. My followers had eyed it with avidity,
and more than one of them had been desirous of removing it; but the
prospect of proximate peril had damped the ardour for spoil; and the
splendid robe had been permitted to remain, where so gracefully it hung,
upon the shoulders of the savage.

It soon replaced the buffalo robe upon mine; my boots were cast aside,
and my legs encased in the scalp-fringed leggings; my hips were swathed
in the leathern "breech-clout;" and my feet thrust into the foot-gear of
the Comanche, which, by good fortune, fitted to a hair.

There was yet much required to make me an Indian. Comanches upon the
war-trail go naked from the waist upward--the tunic-shirt is only worn
by them, when hunting, or on ordinary occasions. How was I to
counterfeit the copper skin--the bronzed arms and shoulders?--the
mottled breast--the face of red, and white, and black? Paint only could
aid me; and where was paint to be procured? The black we could imitate
with gunpowder, but--

"Wagh!" ejaculated Rube, who was seen holding in his hands a wolf-skin,
prettily trimmed and garnished with quills and beads--the medicine-bag
of the Indian. "Wagh! I thort we'd find the mateeruls in the niggur's
possible-sack--hyur they be!"

Rube had dived his hand to the bottom of the embroidered bag; and, while
speaking, drew it triumphantly forth. Several little leathern packets
appeared between his fingers, which, from their stained outsides,
evidently contained pigments of various colours; whilst a small shining
object in their midst proved, on closer inspection, to be a
looking-glass!

Neither the trappers nor myself were astonished at finding these odd
"notions" in such a place; on the contrary, it was natural we should
have looked for them there. Seldom in