ped away the
snow, spread some branches on the ground, and, wrapping himself in his
blanket, went to sleep with his feet presented towards the fire.

Two hours were allowed for rest; then they were awakened, and in a few
minutes were off again by the grey light of dawn. In this way they
travelled two nights and a day. At the end of that time they came
suddenly on a small party of nine Indians who were seated on the ground
with their snow-shoes and blankets by their sides. They had evidently
been taken by surprise, but they made no attempt to escape, knowing that
it was useless. Each sat still with his bow and arrows between his legs
on the ground ready for instant use.

As soon as Cameron spoke, however, in their own language they felt
relieved and began to talk.

"Where do you come from, and what are you doing here?" asked the trader.

"We have come to trade with the white men," one of them replied, "and to
hunt. We have come from the Missouri. Our country is far away."

"Do Peigans hunt with _war-arrows_?" asked Cameron, pointing to their
weapons.

This question seemed to perplex them, for they saw that their
interrogator knew the difference between a war and a hunting arrow--the
former being barbed in order to render its extraction from the wound
difficult, while the head of the latter is round and can be drawn out of
game that has been killed, and used again.

"And do Peigans," continued Cameron, "come from a far country to trade
with the white men _with nothing_?"

Again the Indians were silent, for they had not an article of trade
about them.

Cameron now felt convinced that this party of Peigans, into whose hands
Joe Blunt and Henri had fallen, were nothing else than a war-party, and
that the men now before him were a scouting-party sent out from them,
probably to spy out his own camp, on the trail of which they had fallen,
so he said to them--

"The Peigans are not wise men, they tell lies to the traders. I will
tell you that you are a war-party, and that you are only a few warriors
sent out to spy the traders' camp. You have also two _Pale-face_
prisoners in your camp. You cannot deceive me. It is useless to try.
Now, conduct me to your camp. My object is not war; it is peace. I
will speak with your chiefs about trading with the white men, and we
will smoke the pipe of peace. Are my words good?"

Despite their proverbial control of muscle, these Indians could not
conceal their astonis