bullets. If the
pale-faced chief and his three followers will consent to dwell with the
band of Red-Hand, and teach his warriors the great medicine of the
fire-weapon, their lives shall be spared. The Red-Hand will honour the
young soldier-chief, and the White Eagle of the forest."

"Soldier-chief. White Eagle of the forest! How can he have known--"

"If you resist," continued he, interrupting my reflections, "the
Red-Hand will keep his word. You have no chance of escape. You are but
four, and the Arapaho warriors are numerous as the trees of the Big
Timber. If one of them fall by your fire-weapons, he shall be revenged.
The Red-Hand repeats what he has said: the knives of his braves will
hew the living flesh from your bones. You shall die a hundred deaths,
and the Great Spirit of the Arapahoes will smile at the sacrifice!"

"Be Jaysis, cyaptin!" cried O'Tigg, who, not understanding Spanish, was
ignorant of what had been said, "that ugly owld Indyan wants a bit ov
cowld lid through him. In troth, I b'lave the musket moight raich him.
She belonged to Sargent Johnson, an' was considhered the longest raich
gun about the Fort. What iv I throy her carry on the ridskin? Say the
word, yer honour, an' here goes!"

So astounded was I at the last words of the Arapaho chief, that I paid
no heed to what the Irishman was saying. I had turned towards
Wingrove--not for an explanation: for the young hunter, also ignorant of
the language in which the Indian spoke, was unaware of the allusion that
had been made to him. I had commenced translating the speech; but,
before three words had escaped my lips, the loud bang of a musket
drowned every other sound; and the cloud of sulphureous smoke covering
the whole platform, hindered us from seeing one another! It needed no
explanation. The Irishman had taken my silence for consent: he had
fired! From the thick of the smoke came his exulting shout:

"Hooray! he's down--be my sowl! he's down! I knew the owld musket 'ud
raich him! Hooray!"

The report reverberated from the rocks--mingling its echoes with the
wild vengeful cries that came pealing up from the plain. In an instant,
the smoke was wafted aside; and the painted warriors were once more
visible. The Red-Hand was erect upon his feet, standing by the side of
his horse, and still holding his spear and his shield. The horse was
down--stretched along the turf, and struggling in the throes of death!

"Begorrah! cyap