ter.

"Let us spread," said a hunter, "and keep wide over the paraira, till
we've got clar past the Apash trail. They won't notice a single track
hyar and thyar, I reckin."

"Ay, but they will, though," rejoined another. "Do ye think an Injun's
a-goin' to pass a shod horse track 'ithout follerin' it up? No, siree!"

"We kin muffle the hoofs, as far as that goes," suggested the first
speaker.

"Wagh! That ud only make it worse. I tried that dodge once afore, an'
nearly lost my har for it. He's a blind Injun kin be fooled that away.
'Twon't do nohow."

"They're not going to be so partickler when they're on the war-trail, I
warrant ye. I don't see why it shouldn't do well enough."

Most of the hunters agreed with the former speaker. The Indians would
not fail to notice so many muffled tracks, and suspect there was
something in the wind. The idea of "muffling" was therefore abandoned.
What next? The trapper Rube, who up to this time had said nothing, now
drew the attention of all by abruptly exclaiming, "Pish!"

"Well! what have you to say, old hoss?" inquired one of the hunters.

"Thet yur a set o' fools, one and all o' ee. I kud take the full o'
that paraira o' hosses acrosst the 'Pash trail, 'ithout making a sign
that any Injun's a-gwine to foller, particularly an Injun on the
war-beat as them is now."

"How?" asked Seguin.

"I'll tell yur how, cap, ev yur'll tell me what 'ee wants to cross the
trail for."

"Why, to conceal ourselves in the Pinon range; what else?"

"An' how are 'ee gwine to `cacher' in the Peenyun 'ithout water?"

"There is a spring on the side of it, at the foot of the mountain."

"That's true as Scripter. I knows that; but at that very spring the
Injuns 'll cool their lappers as they go down south'ard. How are 'ee
gwine to get at it with this cavayard 'ithout makin' sign? This child
don't see that very clur."

"You are right, Rube. We cannot touch the Pinon spring without leaving
our marks too plainly; and it is the very place where the war-party may
make a halt."

"I sees no confoundered use in the hul on us crossin' the paraira now.
We kan't hunt buffler till they've passed, anyways. So it's this
child's idee that a dozen o' us 'll be enough to `cacher' in the
Peenyun, and watch for the niggurs a-goin' south. A dozen mout do it
safe enough, but not the hul cavayard."

"And would you have the rest to remain here?"

"Not hyur. Let 'em go north'ard from hyur, an