dred Peigans there.

It might have been thought that thirty men would have hesitated to
venture to attack so large a number as two hundred; but it had always
been found in the experience of Indian life that a few resolute white
men well armed were more than a match for ten times their number of
Indians. And this arose not so much from the superior strength or
agility of the Whites over their red foes, as from that bull-dog
courage and utter recklessness of their lives in combat--qualities
which the crafty savage can neither imitate nor understand. The
information was received with perfect indifference by most of the
trappers, and with contemptuous laughter by some; for a large number
of Cameron's men were wild, evil-disposed fellows, who would have as
gladly taken the life of an Indian as that of a buffalo.

Just as the word was given to resume the march, Dick Varley rode up to
Cameron and said in a somewhat anxious tone,--

"D'ye obsarve, sir, that one o' the Redskins has gone off ahead o' his
comrades?"

"I see that, Master Dick; and it was a mistake of mine not to have
stopped him, but he was gone too far before I observed it, and I
thought it better to appear unconcerned. We must push on, though, and
give him as short time as possible to talk with his comrades in the
camp."

The trappers pressed forward accordingly at a gallop, and were soon in
front of the clump of trees amongst which the Peigans were encamped.
Their approach had evidently spread great alarm among them, for there
was a good deal of bustle and running to and fro; but by the time the
trappers had dismounted and advanced in a body on foot, the savages
had resumed their usual quiet dignity of appearance, and were seated
calmly round their fires with their bows and arrows beside them. There
were no tents, no women or children, and the general aspect of the men
showed Cameron conclusively that his surmise about their being a war
party was correct.

A council was immediately called. The trappers ranged themselves on
one side of the council fire and the Indians on the other. Meanwhile,
our friend Crusoe had been displaying considerable irritability
against the Indians, and he would certainly have attacked the whole
two hundred single-handed if he had not been ordered by his master to
lie still; but never in his life before had Crusoe obeyed with such a
bad grace. He bristled and whined in a low tremulous tone, and looked
imploringly at Dick as if f