d 'a sent some other,
an' not kum himself; that's what he'd 'a done."

This was all probable enough; and with the knowledge which the
scalp-hunters possessed of the Navajo character, they one and all
believed it to be so.

"I'm sartin they'll kum back," continued Rube; "that ur, his half o' the
tribe, anyways; but it'll be three days clur, an' well up till another,
afore they drinks Peenyun water."

"But they would strike our trail the day after."

"If we were green fools enough to let 'em, they wud."

"How can we prevent that?" asked Seguin.

"Easy as fallin' off a log."

"How? how?" inquired several at once.

"By puttin' them on another scent, do 'ee see?"

"Yes! but in what way can we effect that?" inquired Seguin.

"Why, cap, yur tumble has surely dumfoundered ye. I wud think less o'
these other dummies not seein' at a glimp how we kin do it."

"I confess, Rube," replied Seguin, with a smile, "I do not perceive how
we can mislead them."

"Wal, then," continued the trapper, with a chuckle of satisfaction at
his own superior prairie-craft, "this child's a-gwyne to tell 'ee how
'ee kin put them on a different track."

"Hooraw for you, old hoss!"

"'Ee see a quiver on that Injun's back?"

"Ay, ay!" cried several voices.

"It's full o' arrows, or pretty near it, I reckin."

"It is. Well?"

"Wal, then, let some o' us ride the Injun's mustang: any other critter
thet's got the same track 'll do; away down the 'Pash trail, an' stick
them things pointin' south'art; an' if the Navagh don't travel that a
way till they comes up with the 'Pashes, 'ee may have this child's har
for a plug o' the wust Kaintucky terbaccer."

"Viva!"

"He's right, he's right!"

"Hooraw for old Rube!" and various exclamations, were uttered by the
hunters.

"'Tain't needcessary for them to know why he shud 'a tuk that track.
They'll know his arrows; that's enuf. By the time they gits back, with
their fingers in thur meat-traps, we'll hev start enough to carry us to
Hackensack."

"Ay, that we will, by gollies!"

"The band," continued Rube, "needn't come to the Peenyun spring no
howsomever. They kin cross the war-trail higher up to to'rst the Heely,
an' meet us on t'other side o' the mountain, whur thur's a grist o'
game, both cattle an' buffler. A plenty o' both on the ole mission
lands, I'll be boun'. We'd hev to go thur anyways. Thur's no hopes o'
meetin' the buffler this side, arter the splurry them Injuns has g