, remitting for a few seconds the use of his teeth
in order to exercise his tongue,--"ha! Joe, but it don't like _me_!
What, give up a hunter's life and become a farmer? I should think not!"

"Bon!" ejaculated Henri, but whether the remark had reference to the
grasshopper soup or the sentiment, we cannot tell.

"Well," continued Joe, commencing to devour a large buffalo steak with a
hunter's appetite, "ye'll please yourselves, lads, as to that; but, as I
wos sayin', we've got a powerful lot o' furs, an' a big pack o' odds and
ends for the Injuns we chance to meet with by the way, an' powder and
lead to last us a twelve-month, besides five good horses to carry us an'
our packs over the plains; so if it's agreeable to you, I mean to make a
bee-line for the Mustang Valley. We're pretty sure to meet with
Blackfeet on the way, and if we do we'll try to make peace between them
an' the Snakes. I 'xpect it'll be pretty well on for six weeks afore we
git to home, so we'll start to-morrow."

"Dat is fat vill do ver' vell," said Henri; "vill you please donnez me
one petit morsel of steak."

"I'm ready for anything, Joe," cried Dick, "you are leader. Just point
the way, and I'll answer for two o' us followin' ye--eh! won't we,
Crusoe?"

"We will," remarked the dog quietly.

"How comes it," inquired Dick, "that these Indians don't care for our
tobacco?"

"They like their own better, I s'pose," answered Joe; "most all the
western Injuns do. They make it o' the dried leaves o' the shumack and
the inner bark o' the red-willow, chopped very small an' mixed together.
They call this stuff _Kinnekinnik_, but they like to mix about a fourth
o' our tobacco with it, so Pee-eye-em tells me, an' he's a good judge;
the amount that red-skinned mortal smokes _is_ oncommon."

"What are they doin' yonder?" inquired Dick, pointing to a group of men
who had been feasting for some time past in front of a tent within sight
of our trio.

"Goin' to sing, I think," replied Joe.

As he spoke, six young warriors were seen to work their bodies about in
a very remarkable way, and give utterance to still more remarkable
sounds, which gradually increased until the singers burst out into that
terrific yell, or war-whoop, for which American savages have long been
famous. Its effect would save been appalling to unaccustomed ears.
Then they allowed their voices to die away in soft, plaintive tones,
while their action corresponded thereto. Suddenl