Whirlwind; have mercy on
him."

Hearing his call, the steed ceased his running, wheeled about and
waited for his master to come up. Deerfoot patted him affectionately
and vaulted upon his back, happy as he could be over the triumph of his
matchless animal that was as well pleased as he.

The journey through the Rocky Mountains was accompanied by many
interesting experiences which cannot be dwelt upon. It need hardly be
said that so peerless a hunter as the young Shawanoe never lacked for
food. That region is still a royal one for game, and it was such to a
more marked degree a century ago. Antelope, deer, bison and the famous
Rocky Mountain sheep were often seen, and when Deerfoot felt the need
of the food it was simple sport to obtain it.

One day, while walking in front of Whirlwind, he came upon an enormous
grizzly bear that seemed disposed to dispute their way. The stallion
trembled with fear, but his master soothed him and prepared for a
desperate fight. Deerfoot never killed an animal in wantonness, and,
though he did not doubt that he could overcome this colossal terror, he
preferred to make a detour of the broad pass and leave him undisputed
monarch of the solitude.

But, if the youth showed mercy to animals, he was not so considerate of
reptiles--especially when they crawled the earth. He detested a serpent
with unspeakable disgust, and believed he was doing good work in
reducing, as opportunity presented, the noxious pests. His experience
with the rattlesnake which caused his wrenched ankle did not lessen
this hatred of the species. When, therefore, a warning rattle told him
one afternoon that he had disturbed another of the venomous things
beside the path, his enmity flared up. No fear of the Shawanoe being
caught unawares, as when climbing the wall of the canyon, for he had
slain too many of the reptiles in his distant home not to understand
their nature. Whirlwind, like all of his kind, had a mortal dread of
every species of serpents, and he showed his timidity the moment the
locust-like whirring sounded from the bush at the side of the path the
two were following.

Deerfoot caught sight of the hideous reptile, which was evidently
gliding over the earth when it detected his approach. It instantly
threw itself into coil, and with its flat triangular head upraised and
slowly oscillating back and forth, waited for the intruder to come
within reach of its deadly fangs.

Deerfoot uttered an expression of