“It’s my belafe,” he said, “that it does not belong to any of the people of the fort. My idea is that a party of white men have come over the Rocky Mountains by Jasper House, and have stopped here on their way eastward, intending to reach Fort à la Corne, or Fort Pelly, farther south, though I doubt, unless they can procure sleighs, if they will get there this winter.”
“Be that as it may, the powder-flask is a God-send to us,” I said; “and I hope that the owner will not be the worse without it. At all events, let us load your rifle to be ready for any animal which may come across our path.”
We searched about for any other treasure which might have been left behind, but could discover nothing in the immediate neighbourhood of the fire.
It would be useless to stop where we were, so taking it for granted that the fugitives had gone eastward, we continued on at right-angles to their trail.
We had not gone far when, crossing a piece of meadow, where from its exposure the snow had almost disappeared, Pat cried out, “There is something else worth having;” and, darting forward, he lifted up a long lasso composed of buffalo hide. One end had been cut, the other was fixed into the ground by an iron stake with a ring.
“The owner of this must have mounted his horse in a desperate hurry, and cut him free,” he observed. “If the Indians had taken him, they would have carried off the lasso and stake. We shall hear more about this some day; but I only hope the whites got safe off.”
Coiling up the lasso with the stake, Pat hung it over his shoulders.
“If any buffalo are in the neighbourhood, they are likely to visit this meadow,” he observed; “and if we see any, won’t we—” And he made signs of biting away with his teeth so furiously that I could not help laughing at his grimaces.
“Come! that’s right, Masther David. It’s a great thing to keep up one’s spirits, especially on an empty stomach.”
We were proceeding along the edge of a wood which bordered the meadow, when we caught sight of several dark spots. By keeping close under the trees we got still nearer to them, when to our infinite satisfaction we discovered that they were buffaloes.