hey were troubled also, once or twice, by
cockchafers and locusts, which annoyed them, not indeed by biting, but
by flying blindly against their faces, and often narrowly missed hitting
them in the eyes. Once particularly they were so bad, that Henri in his
wrath opened his lips to pronounce a malediction on the whole race, when
a cockchafer flew straight into his mouth, and, to use his own forcible
expression, "nearly knocked him off de hoss." But these were minor
evils, and scarcely cost the hunters a thought.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

WANDERINGS ON THE PRAIRIE--A WAR-PARTY--CHASED BY INDIANS--A BOLD LEAP
FOR LIFE.

For many days the three hunters wandered over the trackless prairie in
search of a village of the Sioux Indians, but failed to find one, for
the Indians were in the habit of shifting their ground, and following
the buffalo. Several times they saw small isolated bands of Indians,
but these they carefully avoided, fearing they might turn out to be
war-parties, and if they fell into their hands the white men could not
expect civil treatment, whatever nation the Indians might belong to.

During the greater portion of this time they met with numerous herds of
buffalo and deer, and were well supplied with food, but they had to cook
it during the day, being afraid to light a fire at night while Indians
were prowling about.

One night they halted near the bed of a stream which was almost dry.
They had travelled a day and a night without water, and both men and
horses were almost choking, so that when they saw the trees on the
horizon which indicated the presence of a stream, they pushed forward
with almost frantic haste.

"Hope it's not dry," said Joe anxiously as they galloped up to it. "No,
there's water, lads," and they dashed forward to a pool that had not yet
been dried up. They drank long and eagerly before they noticed that the
pool was strongly impregnated with salt. Many streams in those parts of
the prairies are quite salt, but fortunately this one was not utterly
undrinkable, though it was very unpalatable.

"We'll make it better, lads," said Joe, digging a deep hole in the sand
with his hands, a little below the pool. In a short time the water
filtered through, and though not rendered fresh, it was, nevertheless,
much improved.

"We may light a fire to-night, d'ye think?" inquired Dick; "we've not
seed Injuns for some days."

"Pr'aps 'twould be better not," said Joe, "but I daresay we're