n a good meal, I could have gone without food
until the following day. I felt sure that my friends would come to
search for me, but it might be long before I should be discovered, and
the pain I suffered warned me of the importance of getting into camp as
soon as possible.

My rifle was loaded, and I fired it off two or three times, hoping that
the sound might be heard. I listened eagerly expecting a reply. A
perfect silence, however, reigned over the vast plain. At length I
became seriously anxious about my safety. I was still convinced that I
was riding towards the west, and I pushed on. From the feeling in my
legs, I fancied they must have swelled to twice their natural size, but
on looking down they appeared as usual. The pain caused my spirits to
sink, and all sorts of gloomy thoughts passed through my mind. Again
and again I looked round. At length I saw in the far distance, an
object moving over the plain, which I at once conjectured was a
horseman, though I could only distinguish the upper part of his body. I
turned my horse's head towards him, and raised my rifle in the air,
hoping that he might perceive it. As I got nearer, I saw, by the plume
on his head, that he was an Indian, and I naturally concluded that he
was either Yellow Wolf or one of his braves, or perhaps one of our own
people. I was somewhat surprised, however, when instead of coming on
directly towards me, he turned to the right, and began to move on at a
gallop over the ground. I then perceived that his headdress was
different to that of my friends, and that he carried a long shield and
spear, as well as a bow and arrows. I had just reached a slight knoll,
on which I pulled up that I might the more carefully survey the
stranger. An attentive look at him convinced me that he was a
Coomanche, one of the same people who had before attacked us, so that I
knew I must treat him as an enemy rather than a friend. Should I let
him get near me, I felt pretty sure that, if he was a Coomanche, he
would play me some treacherous trick. I therefore unslung my rifle, and
in a loud voice shouted to him to keep his distance.

He heard me clearly enough, but instead of stopping galloping towards
me, he threw himself on the side of his horse, and, before I could cover
him with my rifle, I saw the head of an arrow projecting over his
saddle. To avoid it by retreating was impossible, so, bringing my rifle
up to my shoulder, I gave a sudden jerk to