When Bloody Ike awoke at daylight, Price told him of the visit of the Indian.
“Yes, the red sneak has gone after a posse of grunters to capture us. I hope we are taken by a different party than the one which nabbed us before; perhaps then your pretended letter from Sitting Bull would go again,” said Ike.
“No, this White-man-runs-him seems to be awake to the trick, for he said ‘paper lie’ would burn with us.”
“Excuse me! if they are going to talk fire before they take us, I, for one, am not going to be taken easily. The sooner we get out of this part of the country the better. We had better keep to the rocks as much as possible, so the trailers can’t follow us. And another thing we must remember, is to keep well down in the gullies and dark places, where Buffalo Bill’s party can’t see us, if they are on the watch from the heights.”
At mid-forenoon Price was exhausted and unable to stagger any farther. So they descended into a deep cañon where the gloom at that time of day was like evening, and there found a brook and in it sizable grayling.
They had neither hook nor line, but by damming the brook, at a narrow place above, Price and Ike allowed the water to run from a pool below and then picked up a bounteous roast of the little fishes.
The prospects of relief from hunger somewhat cheered these fellows, who were getting a foretaste of torment, even before they had departed the terrestrial sphere.
Both men became quite cheerful as they hastened up the gully in search of material that would acknowledge the influence of fire.
They found some dry-kye and pitchy knots, which promised a fire that would seem friendly and at the same time cook the precious little pile of fishes.
As they made their way back to the spot chosen for a camp ground, and from whence their smoke could not be seen in any direction, they were quite cheerful, and chatted together in low tones, for they had not yet overcome the fear that enemies were lurking near.