She approached close to her lord and master, and kissed his hand; after which he addressed her in an unknown tongue-Indian, I suppose. Immediately afterwards a horse was led round; both without delay mounted, and disappeared down the street at a pace that would have evoked the displeasure of the guardians of the peace in Rotten Row. I soon found from the inmates of the hotel that the man was a well-known trader and Indian fighter, who had lately returned from the plains, and was fitting out a fresh expedition for the Mexican frontier; that, from the wonderful dangers he had gone through scatheless, and the hazardous adventures he had undertaken and successfully accomplished, the tribes of the plains universally believed that he bore a charmed life, or was under the protection of the evil one, and so called him "Devil's Child."

This man and his squaw were but the types of dozens that I saw, but with this difference, that he was accounted a swell amongst them, and was as superior to the others in trappings and outfit as he was in personal appearance.

As I entered the hotel for supper, I congratulated myself that at last I had arrived in that land of adventure, the description of which I had ever considered the most attractive literature on which I could lay my hands.

Our journey from St Louis had been fatiguing, for the protracted dry weather had converted the prairie roads into a mass of sand, and the last hundred miles traversed was decidedly the worst part of the road. So that in spite of all the attractions that a night view of St Joseph's might have presented, we retired early; not to sleep soundly, for every now and then, the streets

would echo with the shout of some drunken bacchinal, yelling war-whoops or singing patriotic or love songs.

Sunday is almost invariably an off day where the English tongue is spoken. Here we found no exception to the rule; for the bustle and stir that we found in the market place and around the hotel, the rushing to and fro of mules, horses, and waggons, recalled vividly to my memory a horse fair in my now distant native land; and among all this confused crowd were mixed Indians and their squaws-the men only avoiding being run over by movements so indifferent that they seemed to escape as if by accident, while the squaws hopped nimbly from side to side, and laughed the louder the nearer they seemed to danger.

The majority of these children of the soil were in all the glory of war-paint, and when occasionally representatives of hostile tribes would come face to face, the manner in which they would stare with lowered brows and eyes fixed upon each other, told plainly that if the wild prairie had been their meeting place, scalps would have been lost and taken.

I particularly noticed two men-the one an Osage, the other a Pawnee; both men were splendidly built and powerful men, each exceeding six feet in height. As these tribes were on the war-path, both doubtless required to make no little effort to restrain their animosity. There was more than one white man who appeared desirous of encouraging a breach of the peace, and offered freely to go their bottom dollar, or their pile, on the result; but the redmen knew that white men's laws were not to be trifled with, and that if they gave

way to their antipathies, they would incur certain punishment. I have heard it stated here as a fact, and I have no doubt it is at least to some extent true, that an Indian would at any time prefer death to imprisonment, and that when it is necessary to incarcerate them, the confinement, if prolonged for more than two or three weeks, commonly proves fatal.

Among the numerous squaws that crowd the side walks, all engaged in selling specimens of their skill, the young ones are frequently pleasant looking, a few are really good looking; but there is no denying the fact, that they all fearfully want cleaning. The old women are dreadfully ugly; in many instances actually repulsive. This, doubtless, results from the life they lead after marriage, for as soon as they become wedded to a brave, all the heavy labour-either in travelling, bringing home game, or tanning hides-devolves upon them.

An Indian brave will hunt, or go on the war path, but will seldom do more. Even the game that he kills is generally left where it falls, whence one of the squaws is despatched to bring it in.

The Indians of the plains have frequently horses to perform this labour, but if this is not the case, then on the squaw's shoulders the weight of the load is certain to be laid; and if she has children, when she is not staggering under the weight of game, she will commonly be found with the youngest on her back, strapped to a board which is kept in its position by a band of green hide or with, which passes across the mother's forehead, forcing her for the sake of equilibrium to keep incessantly in such a stooping position, that afterwards she finds it difficult to walk erect.

CHAPTER VII.

I FIND EMPLOYMENT.

To the plains-in spite of bowie-knives, six-shooters, and tomahawks,—we had determined to go. There is a fascination about this devil-may-care life that was fairly enchanting to me, and fortunately my companion saw it in the same light.

We got much information on the subject from the barman, a gorgeous swell in low-cut waistcoat, with carefully powdered hair, and with an amount of collar, breast, and cuffs that would stock a draper's shop, not to speak of a diamond-cluster brooch as big as a half-penny. To the authority of such a man, persons of much more pretensions to a knowledge of life must have succumbed.

As my funds had begun to get a little low, and as I saw no prospect of obtaining an immediate addition to them, it had become necessary that I should be doing something as soon as possible. A person who kept a livery-stable and took a fancy to me, from the manner in which I rode an unbroken colt, that had thrown all its late riders, touched me upon the shoulder as I dismounted from this volunteered performance, and wished to know if I should like a job. This was no less than to break horses, and assist him in his bait and salesstable, in return for which twenty-five dollars a month, with bed and board, were offered me. But even this life,

which would be deemed by many exciting enough, did not possess in my eyes the fascination of a journey across the far Western prairies. Thanking my would-be employer, who politely informed me that I might go further and fare worse, I declined his offer, being pledged to Serge.

The most forward train, and therefore the most likely to start first, was that belonging to the person whom I had observed standing in the verandah on the evening of my arrival. We had some hesitation in seeking an interview with him, for his apartments ever appeared crowded, and he himself seemed overwhelmed with business; at length we determined to put a bold face on the matter, sent up our names, and requested a few minutes of his valuable time. Soon after, we were admitted to an apartment filled with fire-arms, ammunition, and cases of such goods as were suitable for the Indian trade. We found him seated in front of a table covered with bills, receipts, and other business-like documents. In a moment, without waiting for us to open the conversation, he requested to be informed what was the object of our visit. was briefly stated; a desire to join his train. "What can you do, youngster?" he said to me. "Drive a team, pack a mule, keep camp, or cook?" Of each of these acquirements, I confessed ignorance.

This

"Then tell me, stranger, what use you would be of to me. Look you here, I am not that sort that want gentlemen bumming about me, eating as much as two ordinary men, and doing nothing for it. No, no; if that's the sort you are, you had better make tracks back east, and go into a dry-goods store. Broadway, with patent leather