to camp. They did not dare to light any fires, as they
would inevitably bring the Indians upon them. With nothing but their
saddle-blankets to protect them from the bitter cold, even the safe
and sound members of the party suffered severely. Kit's condition
failed not to arouse the heartfelt sympathy of his friends, for there
was not one among them who would not have readily risked life and limb
to save Kit's. But his condition was most critical; at the least, he
was in a most unenviable condition. His wounds bled profusely,
and, the blood, as it oozed out, froze to the rude dressings. This,
undoubtedly, in the final result, was beneficial to him, as the cold
acted as a partial check upon the hemorrhage. It was, however, none
the less painful to endure. He bore his agonizing sufferings without
a single murmur, exhibiting in patient fortitude and resignation the
same brave spirit and dauntless courage which distinguished him in
every action. Not once did a single complaint escape from his lips.
Had he received this wound within the pales of civilization with its
concomitant constitution, he might never have recovered the use of
his arm. In the pure air, and with a constitution in the best possible
trim, after all danger from hemorrhage had passed, his chances to
recover were favorable; and, finally, resulted in giving him once
more, the full use of his arm.

That night the trappers held a council. It was decided, that, although
the result of the fight had been that they had given the Indians a
sound thrashing, there having been several braves killed while they
had suffered only in one wounded, they were, nevertheless, not then
strong enough to pursue the savages farther. They adopted therefore
the policy of returning to the camp and reporting their progress.

On their arrival, a council was immediately called and their
adventures duly rehearsed. The result was that a second party was
immediately organized comprising thirty men. Under the command of
Bridger, this party followed the trail for some days, but returned to
camp without finding the savages. They, after their late engagement,
had made their way as fast as possible into distant parts. A short
time after this, the weather moderated and it was time for the spring
hunt.

This was now commenced and continued quite active for several weeks on
the Green and Snake Rivers. The success of the trappers was far beyond
their most sanguine expectations. Beaver fur seemed a