ves merry with the stolen liqnor. Seeing that
they were discovered, to save his life, Golpin's companion immediately
peached, and related the whole of the transaction. Of course the
assassin was executed.

CHAPTER XXVI.

At that time, the Pawnee Picts, themselves an offset of the Shoshones
and Comanches, and speaking the same language--tribe residing upon the
northern shores of the Red River, and who had always been at peace with
their ancestors, had committed some depredations upon the northern
territory of the Comanches.

The chiefs, as usual, waited several moons for reparation to be offered
by the offenders, but as none came, it was feared that the Picts had
been influenced by the American agents to forget their long friendship,
and commence hostilities with them. It was, therefore, resolved that we
should enter the war path, and obtain by force that justice which
friendship could no longer command.

The road which we had to travel, to arrive at the town of the Pawnee
Picts, was rough and uneven, running over hills and intersected by deep
gullies. Bad as it was, and faint and tired as were our horses, in ten
days we reached a small prairie, within six miles of the river, on the
other side of which lay the principal village of the Pawnee Picts.

The heavens now became suddenly overcast, and a thunder-storm soon
rendered it impossible for even our best warriors to see their way. A
halt was consequently ordered; and, not withstanding a tremendous rain,
we slept soundly till morn, when a drove of horses, numbering some
hundreds, was discovered some distance to our left. In all appearance
they were tame animals, and many thought they could see the Pawnee
warriors riding them. Four of us immediately started to reconnoitre, and
we made our preparations for attack; as we gradually approached there
appeared to be no little commotion among the herd, which we now plainly
perceived to be horses without any riders.

When we first noticed them, we discerned two or three white spots, which
Gabriel and I mistook for flags; a nearer view convinced us that they
were young colts.

We continued our route. The sun had scarcely risen when we arrived on
the shore of the river, which was lined with hundreds of canoes, each
carrying green branches at their bows and white flags at their sterns.
Shortly afterwards, several chiefs passed over to our side, and invited
all our principal chiefs to come over to the village and talk