Echo of hoof on beaten ground Rung on the desert air, Ringing a tune of gladsome sound To miner, watching there; A paying lead, at last, he'd found-- The vein a "man of hair." An instant more, and at the ford A savage chief appeared; The miner saw his goodly hoard, And tore his own good beard. (You'll always find an ox is gored When sheep are to be sheared.) [Illustration: Dog Town--The Happy Family at Home.] [Illustration: _BUREAU OF ILLUSTRATION_ "You've riled that Brook"--An old Fable modernized.] And these the words the miner said: "You've spoilt my drink, old fellow; You've riled the brook, my brother red, And, by your cheek so yellow, To-night above your sandy bed The prairie gale shall bellow. "No relatives of mine are dead, At least by Injun cunnin', But many other hearts have bled, And many eyes are runnin'; For blood and tears alike are shed, When _you_ go out a gunnin'. "Some slumbrin' peaceful, first they knew, They heard your horrid din-- Women as well as men you slew, You bloody son of sin; I mourn 'em all, revenge 'em too, Through Adam they were kin." This having said, the miner smart, Drew bead upon the red man: They're fond of beads--it touched his heart, And Lo, behold, a dead man; Upon Life's stage he'd played his part, A gory sort of head man! Two packs of goods lay on the ground; Quoth miner, "Lawful spoil! My lucky star at last has found As good as gold and oil; I kinder felt that fate was bound To bless my honest toil. "Such heathen have no lawful heirs-- I'll be the Probate Judge, For though they kinder go in pairs, Their love is all a fudge; I'll 'ministrate on what he wears, And leave his squaw my grudge." CHAPTER VII. GRIPE'S VIEWS OF INDIAN CHARACTER--THE DELAWARES' THE ISHMAELITES OF THE PLAINS--THE TERRITORY OF THE "LONG HORNS"--TEXANS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS--MUSHROOM ROCK--A VALUABLE DISCOVERY--FOOTPRINTS IN THE ROCK--THE PRIMEVAL PAUL AND VIRGINIA. We noticed many fine rivers rolling from the northward into the Kaw, which stream we found was known by that name only after receiving the Republican, at Junction City. Above that point, under the name of the Smoky Hill, it stretches far out across the plains, and into the eastern portion of Colorado. Along its desolate banks we afterward saw the sun rise and set upon many a weary and many a gorgeous day. All the large tributaries of the Kansas river, consisting of the Big Blue, Republican, Solomon, and Saline, came in on our right. Upon our left, toward the South, only small creeks joined waters with the Kaw, the pitch of the great "divides" there being towards the Arkansas and its feeders, the Cottonwood and Neosho.