With the beaver that they caught they purchased from Cameron's store powder and shot enough for a long hunting expedition, and a couple of spare horses to carry their packs. They also purchased a large assortment of such goods and trinkets as would prove acceptable to Indians, and supplied themselves with new blankets, and a few pairs of strong moccasins, of which they stood much in need.
Thus they went on from day to day, until symptoms of the approach of winter warned them that it was time to return to the Mustang Valley. About this time an event occurred which totally changed the aspect of affairs in these remote valleys of the Rocky Mountains, and precipitated the departure of our four friends, Dick, Joe, Henri, and Crusoe. This was the sudden arrival of a whole tribe of Indians. As their advent was somewhat remarkable, we shall devote to it the commencement of a new chapter.
_Savage sports--Living cataracts--An alarm--Indians and their doings--The stampede--Charlie again_.
One day Dick Varley was out on a solitary hunting expedition near the rocky gorge where his horse had received temporary burial a week or two before. Crusoe was with him, of course. Dick had tied Charlie to a tree, and was sunning himself on the edge of a cliff, from the top of which he had a fine view of the valley and the rugged precipices that hemmed it in.
Just in front of the spot on which he sat, the precipices on the opposite side of the gorge rose to a considerable height above him, so that their ragged outlines were drawn sharply across the clear sky. Dick was gazing in dreamy silence at the jutting rocks and dark caverns, and speculating on the probable number of bears that dwelt there, when a slight degree of restlessness on the part of Crusoe attracted him.
"What is't, pup?" said he, laying his hand on the dog's broad back.
Crusoe looked the answer, "I don't know, Dick, but it's _something_, you may depend upon it, else I would not have disturbed you."
Dick lifted his rifle from the ground, and laid it in the hollow of his left arm.
"There must be something in the wind," remarked Dick.
As wind is known to be composed of two distinct gases, Crusoe felt perfectly safe in replying "Yes" with his tail. Immediately after he added, "Hallo! did you hear that?" with his ears.