During the last two days a steady thaw had been
rapidly melting away the snow, so that it appeared only here and
there in the landscape in dazzling patches. At the distance of about
half-a-mile from where they halted to breathe the horses before
commencing the descent into this vale, several thin wreaths of smoke
were seen rising above the trees.
"Is that your camp?" inquired Cameron, riding up to the Indian
runners, who stood in a group in front, looking as fresh after their
twenty miles' run as though they had only had a short walk.
To this they answered in the affirmative, adding that there were about
two hundred Peigans there.
It might have been thought that thirty men would have hesitated to
venture to attack so large a number as two hundred; but it had always
been found in the experience of Indian life that a few resolute white
men well armed were more than a match for ten times their number of
Indians. And this arose not so much from the superior strength or
agility of the Whites over their red foes, as from that bull-dog
courage and utter recklessness of their lives in combat--qualities
which the crafty savage can neither imitate nor understand.
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