s of the sun were
casting long grotesque shadows of the tall-branched plants of the cactus
family that stood up, some like great fleshy leaves, rudely stuck one
upon the other, and some like strangely rugged and prickly fluted
columns, a body of Indians, about a hundred strong, rode over the plain
towards the rocks where Dr Lascelles and his little party were
encamped.

The appearance of the Indians denoted that they were on the war-path.
Each wore a rude tiara of feathers around his head, beneath which hung
wild his long black hair; and saving their fringed and ornamented
leggings, the men rode for the most part naked, and with their breasts
and arms painted in a coarse and extravagant style. Some had a rude
representation of a Death's head and bones in the centre of the chest;
others were streaked and spotted; while again others wore a livery of a
curiously mottled fashion, that seemed to resemble the markings of a
tortoise, but was intended to imitate the changing aspect of a snake.

All were fully armed, some carrying rifles, others bows and arrows,
while a few bore spears, from the top of whose shafts below the blades
hung tufts of feathers. Saddles they had none, but each sturdy,
well-built Indian pony was girt with its rider's blanket or buffalo
robe, folded into a pad, and secured tightly with a broad band of raw
hide. Bits and bridles too, of the regular fashion, were wanting, the
swift pony having a halter of horse-hair hitched round its lower jaw,
this being sufficient to enable the rider to guide the docile little
animal where he pleased; while for tethering purposes, during a halt,
there was a stout long peg, and the rider's plaited hide lariat or
lasso, ready for a variety of uses in the time of need.

The rugged nature of the ground separated the party of Indians from the
Doctor's little camp, so that the approach of the war party was quite
unobserved, and apparently, from their movements, they were equally
unaware of the presence of a camp of the hated whites so near at hand.

They were very quiet, riding slowly and in regular order, as if moved by
one impulse; and when the foremost men halted, all drew rein by some
tolerably verdant patches of the plain, blankets and robes were
unstrapped, the horses allowed to graze, and in an incredibly short time
the band had half a dozen fires burning of wood that had been hastily
collected, and they were ravenously devouring the strips of dried
buffalo meat