Crazy Snake knew, too, that this old trapper was the friend and pard of the wonderful Long Hair, so feared by all the Western Indians. When he had determined the direction that Nomad would take, Crazy Snake slipped away with several of his best warriors, and hastened to put himself and them in front of the trapper, in an endeavor to ambush him. Nomad, however, turned around, as if he smelled the trap that was laid for him; and, after jogging along a short distance, disappeared from sight of the Blackfeet. He had struck a trail that excited his curiosity. It was the plain trail of a white man, and the white man seemed to be wounded, or suffering. The tracks wavered here and there. “Got an Injun arrer in him, I’m guessin’,” was Nomad’s opinion. “’Tain’t Buffler’s trail, ner Pawnee’s; and I dunno who it kin be. But whoever he aire, he aire white; and I’ll see what’s the meanin’ of it.” The trail was fresh and plain, and he followed it rapidly. It did not take him long to come in sight of a small hut half hidden under a projecting ledge. The door was open, and the wavering trail led through the grass straight up to it. “Some fool miner’s camped down hyar, and didn’t know thet ther cussed Blackfeet aire threatenin’ all white men’s ha’r!” was Nomad’s conclusion, as he left the trail, dismounted, and then approached the house carefully from the rear, looking into the hut through the one small rear window. A man lay on the floor by the door, seeming to have fallen there through sheer weakness. Nomad immediately went around to the door. “Hello!” he said, stepping within. “Got some Injun lead in ye?” His tone changed to astonishment. “Bill Givens!” he cried. “Waugh! Ole pard, what’s ther meanin’ o’ this?” The meaning of it was that Bill Givens, an old acquaintance of Nomad’s, was ill of measles, and in a dangerous condition. He had got home, and tried to get into the house and on his bed, but had fallen on the floor. Nomad knew what the trouble was as soon as he looked in Givens’ splotched and fevered face; but he had no fear of measles; and, picking Givens up, he put him on the narrow bed, and then tried to do something for him to make him comfortable. “Been ground-hoggin’ out hyar by yerself, eh? Tryin’ ter git some of the yaller gold thet everybody ’lows these hyar hills aire sloppin’ over with, eh? Waugh! You’d ought to ’a’ got out o’ this ’fore ther measles hit ye, fer ther Blackfeet aire thick as flies round hyar, and aire likely ter make trouble.” He was puzzled as to what he should do. When he had worked over Givens a while, and had poured some hot water down his throat, water heated in the tiny fireplace, Givens came, in a measure, to himself. He knew that Blackfeet were around in that locality, and now, seeing and recognizing his old trapper pard, he begged Nomad to take him down to the town, or at least away from the cabin so surrounded by Indian perils.