human intellect. An old and experienced trapper, when mounting guard upon the camp in darknights
and times of peril, gives heedful attention to all the sounds and signs of the horses. No enemyenters
nor approaches the camp without attracting their notice, and their movements not only give avague
alarm, but it is said, will even indicate to the knowing trapper the very quarter whence the dangerthreatens.
In the daytime, too, while a hunter is engaged on the prairie, cutting up the deer or buffalohe has
slain, he depends upon his faithful horse as a sentinel. The sagacious animal sees and smells allround him, and by his starting and whinnying, gives notice of the approach of strangers. Thereseems
to be a dumb communion and fellowship, a sort of fraternal sympathy between the hunter and hishorse. They mutually rely upon each other for company and protection; and nothing is moredifficult,
it is said, than to surprise an experienced hunter on the prairie while his old and favorite steed isat
his side.
Montero had not long removed his camp from the vicinity of the Crows, and fixed himselfin his new
quarters, when the Blackfeet marauders discovered his cantonment, and began to haunt thevicinity,
He kept up a vigilant watch, however, and foiled every attempt of the enemy, who, at length,seemed
to have given up in despair, and abandoned the neighborhood. The trappers relaxed theirvigilance,
therefore, and one night, after a day of severe labor, no guards were posted, and the whole campwas
soon asleep. Toward midnight, however, the lightest sleepers were roused by the trampling ofhoofs;
and, giving the alarm, the whole party were immediately on their legs and hastened to the pens.
The
bars were down; but no enemy was to he seen or heard, and the horses being all found hard by, itwas
supposed the bars had been left down through negligence. All were once more asleep, when, inabout
an hour there was a second alarm, and it was discovered that several horses were missing. Therest
were mounted, and so spirited a pursuit took place, that eighteen of the number carried off wereregained, and but three remained in possession of the enemy. Traps for wolves, had been setabout
the camp the preceding day. In the morning it was discovered that a Blackfoot was entrapped byone
of them, but had succeeded in dragging it off. His trail was followed for a long distance which hemust have limped alone. At length he appeared to have fallen in with some of his comrades, whohad
relieved him from his painful encumbrance.
These were the leading incidents of Montero's campaign in the Crow country. The unitedparties now
celebrated the 4th of July, in rough hunters' style, with hearty conviviality; after which CaptainBonneville made his final arrangements. Leaving Montero with a brigade of trappers to openanother campaign, he put himself at the head of the residue of his men, and set off on his returnto
civilized life. We shall not detail his journey along the course of the Nebraska, and so, from pointto point of the wilderness, until he and his band reached the frontier settlements on the 22d ofAugust.
Here, according to his own account, his cavalcade might have been taken for a procession oftatterdemalion savages; for the men were ragged almost to nakedness, and had contracted awildness
of aspect during three years of wandering in the wilderness. A few hours in a populous town,however, produced a magical metamorphosis. Hats of the most ample brim and longest nap;coats
with buttons that shone like mirrors, and pantaloons of the most ample plenitude, took place ofthe
well-worn trapper's equipments; and the happy wearers might be seen strolling about in alldirections, scattering their silver like sailors just from a cruise.
The worthy captain, however, seems by no means to have shared the excitement of his men,on
finding himself once more in the thronged resorts of civilized life, but, on the contrary, to havelooked back to the wilderness with regret. "Though the prospect," says he, "of once more tastingthe
