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Show 438 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. view. For some days Tete Roug~ had been longing eagerly after a dram of whisky. So, 1' eso I v1ng to I·m prove the . present opportuntty, he mounted his horse James luna h' . ' 5 Is canteen over h1s shoulder, and set forth in search of 1 · ~ r. · . • . . 1IS l il vonte hq uor. Some hou1s passed Without his returnina W th 1 o· e oug1t that he was lost, or perhaps that some stray Indian had d h' • c c snappe 1m up. While the rest fell asleep I remained 011 O'll ·d L . o a1 . ate at night a tremulous voice saluted me from the d 1 " ar mess, and Tete Rouge and James soon became vi ibl d . , a vancmg toward the camp. Tete Rouge was in much agitation and bia with h some important tidings. Sitting down on the shaft of tb: cart,. e told the following story. When he left the camp he had no idea, he said, how late it was. By the time he approached the wagoners it was perfectly dark; and as he saw them all sitting around their fires within the circle of wagons th · . 1 'd b . . • , 11 guns m y th err sides, he thought he might. as well give w arm·n g o f' hI' s approach, m. order to pre-v~ nt a disagreeeble mistake. Raising his voice to the highest plt~h, he screamed out in prolonged accents, ' camp ahoy l' This eccentric salutation produced any thin a but the desired result. I-Iearing u h h 'd 5 s c I eous sounds proceedincr from the outer darkness, the waaon th h - .t . o . o ers oug t ti1at the whole Pawnee nation were about to bre I · d k . . . a { In an ta e th e1r scalps. Up they sprang stanng with terror. Each man snatched his aun · some stood behind 1 he wagons . h 5 ' ' some t rew themselves flat on the around, and in an instant tw t I 0 en .Y coc {ed muskets were levelled full at the llorrified T6te Rouge, who just then began to be visible through the darkness. ' Thar they come,' Crl·",,,'d th e master wagoner, ' fi re, fi re, shoot that feller.' THE SETTLEMENTS. 439 'No, no!' screamed Tete Rouge, in an ecstasy of fright ; 'don't fire, don't ; I'm a friend, I'm an American citizen !' 'You're a friend, be you,' cried a gruff voice from the wagons, 'then what are you yelling out thar for, like a wild Injun. Come along up here if you're a man.' ' Keep your guns p'inted at him,' q.dded the master wagoner, 'may be he's a decoy, like.' Tete Rouge in utter bewilderment made his approach, with the gaping muzzles of the muskets still before his eyes. He succeeded at last in explaining his character and situation, and the Missourians admitted him into camp. He got no whisky; but as he represented himself as a great invalid, and suffering much from coarse fare, they made up a contribution for him of rice, biscuit, and sugar from their own rations. In the morning at breakfast, Tete Rouge once more related this story. We hardly knew how much of it to believe, though after some cross-questioning we failed to discover any flaw in the narrative. Passing by the wagoner's camp, they confirmed Tete Rouge's account in every particular. ' I wouldn't have been in that feller's place,' said one of them, ' for the biggest heap of money in Missouri.' To Tete Rouge's great wrath they expressed a firm conviction that he was crazy. We left them after giving them the advice not to trouble themselves about war-whoops in future, since they would be ~pt to feel an Indian's arrow before they heard his voice. A day or two after, we had an adventure of another sort with a party of wagoners. Henry and I rode forward to hunt. After that day there was no pro b a b1'l I' tY th a t we should meet W.i th buffalo, and we were anxw· us to kI' ll 0 ne ' for the sake of |