out for a plump."

"Hah! den ve better look hout for one goot tree to get b'low," suggested
Henri. "Voila!" he added, pointing with his finger towards the plain;
"dere am a lot of wild hosses."

A troop of about thirty wild horses appeared, as he spoke, on the brow
of a ridge, and advanced slowly towards them.

"Hist!" exclaimed Joe, reining up; "hold on, lads. Wild horses! my
rifle to a pop-gun there's wilder men on t'other side o' them."

"What mean you, Joe?" inquired Dick, riding close up.

"D'ye see the little lumps on the shoulder o' each horse?" said Joe.
"Them's Injun's _feet_; an' if we don't want to lose our scalps we'd
better make for the forest."

Joe proved himself to be in earnest by wheeling round and making
straight for the thick woods as fast as his horse could run. The others
followed, driving the pack-horses before them.

The effect of this sudden movement on the so-called "wild horses" was
very remarkable, and to one unacquainted with the habits of the
Camanchee Indians, must have appeared almost supernatural. In the
twinkling of an eye every steed had a rider on its back, and before the
hunters had taken five strides in the direction of the forest, the whole
band were in hot pursuit, yelling like furies.

The manner in which these Indians accomplish this feat is very singular,
and implies great activity and strength of muscle on the part of the
savages.

The Camanchees are low in stature, and usually are rather corpulent. In
their movements on foot they are heavy and ungraceful, and they are, on
the whole, a slovenly and unattractive race of men. But the instant
they mount their horses they seem to be entirely changed, and surprise
the spectator with the ease and elegance of their movements. Their
great and distinctive peculiarity as horsemen is the power they have
acquired of throwing themselves suddenly on either side of their horse's
body, and clinging on in such a way that no part of them is visible from
the other side save the foot by which they cling. In this manner they
approach their enemies at full gallop, and without rising again to the
saddle, discharge their arrows at them over their horses' backs, or even
under their necks.

This apparently magical feat is accomplished by means of a halter of
horsehair, which is passed round under the neck of the horse, and both
ends braided into the mane, on the withers, thus forming a loop which
hangs under the neck and against th