“I jumped up and hollered to the other fellers to look out. They came up aside me and stood ready, but it weren’t no use. ’Fore we knowed it, I seed over forty of ’em ’long ’side us. We blazed into ’em and went to usin’ our knives, but I knowed it wouldn’t do. They set up a yell and pitched fur the wagons, while ’bout a dozen went at us. The fust thing I knowed the whole four boys were down and thar ha’r raised, and the women screechin’ murder. It made me desprit, and I reckon I done some tall work that night. Most these beauty spots on my mug come from that scrimmage. I seed a red dart by me with that little gal as was singin’, and cotched a dead red’s gun and let drive at him; but the gun weren’t loaded, and so the devil run off with her. “The oxes war bellerin’, the horses snortin’, and the tomahawks stoppin’ the women’s screams; the redskins war howlin’ and yellin’ like all mad, and as I had got some big cuts and knocks, I ’cluded it best to move quarters. So I made a jump for the stream, took a long dive, and swam for the shore. I come up ’bout whar you’re setting, and I made a heap of tracks ’fore daylight come.” “And did you never hear anything of the children captured upon that night?” “I never seed ’em agin; but I come ’cross a chap at Fort Laramie when I went down agin, what said he’d seen a gal ’mong some the redskins up in these parts, and I’ve thought p’r’aps it mought be one of ’em, and agin it moughtn’t.” “Did you say that all happened out there?” asked Nat, jerking his thumb toward the island mentioned, without turning his face. “I reckon I did.” “Bet there’s a lot of Injins there now!” exclaimed he, turning his head in that direction. “Jist as like as not,” returned Biddon, with a sly look at me. “I’m goin’ to sleep then,” and rolling himself up in his buffalo-blanket, all but his feet, disappeared from view. “It’s ’bout time to snooze, I think,” remarked the trapper, in a lower tone, turning toward me. “I think so, but I suppose there need be no apprehension of molestation from Injins, need there?” Biddon looked at me a moment; then one side of his mouth expanded into a broad grin, and he quietly remarked: “Times are different from what they used to war.” “Biddon,” said I, after a moment’s silence, “before we saw you we camped upon one side of a stream while you were upon the other. Now, I do not suppose you would willfully harm a stranger; but since I have met you, I have a great desire to know why you fired that shot at Nat. You supposed we were Indians, I presume?” A quiet smile illumined the trapper’s swarthy visage; and, after waiting a moment, he answered: