who in all probability had camped in the neighbourhood.  As my friend landed, I was beginning to scold him for his imprudence in using his rifle under our present circumstances, when a glance showed me at once he had met with an adventure similar to mine near Santa Fe.  In the canoe lay the skin of a large finely-spotted jaguar, and by it a young cub, playing unconsciously with the scalping-knife, yet reeking in its mother’s blood.

“Could not help it,—­self-defence!” exclaimed he, jumping on shore.  “Now the red devils know where we are, but it is a knowledge that brings them little good.  The lake is ten fathoms in depth, and they will not swim three miles under the muzzles of our rifles.  When they are tired of seeing us fishing, and hearing us laughing, they will go away like disappointed foxes.”

So it proved.  That day we took our rifles and went in the canoe to within eighty yards of the Indians, on the mainland, we fishing for trouts, and inviting them to share in our sport.  They yelled awfully, and abused us not a little, calling us by all the names their rage could find:  squaws, dogs of Pale-faces, cowards, thieves, &c.  At last, however, they retired in the direction of the river, hoping yet to have us in their power; but so little had we to fear, that we determined to pass a few days on the island, that we might repose from our fatigues.

When we decided upon continuing our route, Gabriel and Roche were obliged to leave their saddles and bridles behind, as the canoe was too small for ourselves and luggage.  This was a misfortune which could be easily repaired at the settlement, and till then, saddles, of course, were useless.  We went on merrily from forty-five to fifty miles every day, on the surface of the most transparent and coolest water in the world.  During the night we would land and sleep on the shore.  Game was very plentiful, for at almost every minute we would pass a stag or a bull drinking; sometimes at only twenty yards, distance.

During this trip on the Ogden river, we passed four other magnificent lakes, but not one of them bearing any marks of former civilization, as on the shores of the first one which had sheltered us.  We left the river two hundred and forty miles from where we had commenced our navigation, and, carrying our canoe over a portage of three miles, we launched it again upon one of the tributaries of the Buona Ventura, two hundred miles north-east from the settlement.

The current was now in our favour, and in four days more we landed among my good friends, the Shoshones, who, after our absence of nine months, received us with almost a childish joy.  They had given us up for dead, and suspecting the Crows of having had a hand in our disappearance, they had made an invasion into their territory.

Six days after our arrival our three horses were perceived swimming across the river; the faithful animals had also escaped from our enemies, and found their way back to their masters and their native prairies.