"They entered the road that we had trampled down in the morning, followed by those who had loaded their guns. We watched them from the platform with anxious expectation, but before they had reached the spot, we could see that, the `stoor' was slowly settling down. It was plain that the struggle had ended. "We still stood waiting in breathless silence, and watching the floating spray that noted their progress through the drift. At length they had reached the scene of the struggle. There was an ominous stillness, that lasted for a moment, and then the Indian's fate was announced in the sad, wild note that came wailing up the valley. It was the dirge of a Shawano warrior! "They had found their brave comrade dead, with his scalping-knife buried in the heart of his terrible antagonist! "It was a costly supper, that bear-meat, but, perhaps, the sacrifice had saved many lives. We would keep the `cimmaron' for to-morrow; next day, the man-root; and the next,--what next? Perhaps--the man! "Fortunately, we were not, driven to this extremity. The frost, had again set in, and the surface of the snow, previously moistened by the sun and rain, soon became caked into ice strong enough to bear us, and upon its firm crust we escaped out of the perilous pass, and gained the warmer region of the plains in safety." CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. THE SWANS OF AMERICA. In our journey we had kept far enough to the north to avoid the difficult route of the Ozark Hills; and we at length encamped upon the Marais de Cygnes, a branch of the Osage River. Beyond this we expected to fall in with the buffalo, and of course we were full of pleasant anticipation. Near the point where we had pitched our camp, the banks of the river were marshy, with here and there small lakes of stagnant water. In these a large number of swans, with wild geese and other aquatic birds, were swimming and feeding. Of course our guns were put in requisition, and we succeeded in killing a brace of swans, with a grey goose (Anser _Canadensis_), and a pair of ducks. The swans were very large ones--of the Trumpeter species--and one of them was cooked for supper. It was in excellent condition, and furnished a meal for the whole of our party! The other swan, with the goose and ducks, were stowed away for another occasion. While "discussing" the flesh of this great and noble bird, we also discussed many of the points in its natural history. "White as a swan" is a simile old as language itself. It would, no doubt, puzzle an Australian, used to look upon those beautiful and stately birds as being of a very different complexion. The simile holds good, however, with the North-American species, all three of which--for there are three of them--are almost snow-white.