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Show 94 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. 1· n h a b.1 tan t s. They carried off every thing that they considered valuable, including most of the robes; and amused themselves by tying up the men left on guard, and soundly whipping them with sticks. We encamped that night upon the bank of the river. Among the emigrants there was an overgrown boy, some eighteen years old, with a head as round and about as large as a pumpkin, and fever-and-ague fits had dyed his face of a corresponding color. He wore an old w bite hat, tied under his chin with a handkerchief: his body was short and stout, but his legs of disproportioned and appalling length. I observed him at sunset, breasting the hill with gjgantic strides, and standing against the sky on the summit, like a colossal pair of tongs. In a moment after, we heard him screaming frantically behind the ridge, and nothing doubting that he was in the clutches of Indians or grizzly bears, some of the party caught up their rifles and ran to the rescue. His outcries, however, proved but an ebullition of joyous excitement; he had chased two little wolf pups to their burrow, and he was on hi8 knees, grubbing away like a dog at the mouth of the hole, to get at them. Before morning he caused more serious disquiet in the camp. .It was his turn to hold the middle-guard·' but no sooner was he called up, than he coolly arranged a pair of saddle-bags under a wagon, laid his head upon them, closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and fell asleep. The guard on our side of the camp, thinking it no part of his duty to look after the cattle of the emigrants, contented himself with watching our own horses and mules; the wolves, he said, were unusually noisy ; but still no mischief was anticipated until the sun rose, and not a hoof or THE BUFFALO. 95 horn was in sight ! The cattle were gone ! While Tom was quietly slumbering, the wolves had driven them away. Then we reaped the fruits of R 's precious plan of tra-velling in company with ernigrants. To leave them in their distress was not to be thought of, and we felt bound to wait until the cattle could be searched for, and, if possible, recovered. But the reader may be curious to know what punishment awaited the faithl ess Tom. By the wholesome law of the prairie, he who falls asleep on guard is condemned to walk all day, leading his horse by the bridle, and we found much fault with our companions for not enforcing such a sentence on the offender. Nevertheless, had he been of our own party, I have no doubt that he would in like manner have escaped scot-free. But the emigrants went farther than mere forbearance : they decreed that since Tom couldn't stand auard without fallinrr 0 0 asleep, he shouldn't stand guard at all, and henceforward his slumbers were unbroken. Establishing such a premium on drowsiness could have no very beneficial effect upon the vigilance of our sentinels; for it is far from agreeable, after riding from sunrise to sunset, to feel your slumbers interrupted by the butt of a rifle nud g1· ng your Sl·d e, an d a s 1e epy voi.C e arowlm. rr . 0 0 In your ear that you must get up, to shiver and freeze for three Weary hours at midnight. 'Buffalo ! buffalo !' It was but a grim old bull, roaming the prairie by himself in misanthropic seclusion · but there might be more behind the hills. Dreading th: monotony and languor of the camp, Shaw and I saddled our horses, buckled our h o1 s t ei. s I. n t h e1. r places, and set out w1. th I-Ienry Chatillon in search of the game. Henry, not intending to take part in the chase, but merely conducting us, carried his rifle ' |