One of the girls cried, “Oh Mr. Bridger, we didn’t tell you any such thing.”

Jim answered, “Oh, excuse me, girls.  I thought you were going to have something good for supper, so of course all I could think of was dog.”

We had a fine supper, and as fried liver was a new dish to Jim and me, we ate heartily of that, and we thought it was beyond the ordinary.  It seems to me now in thinking of those days that people had better appetites then for hearty food than they have now; at least it is so in my case.  The reason may be that we lived in the open air both day and night, and the air of that western climate was so pure and clear and free from all the different scents that impregnate it now.  The amount of food that each person ate at that time would surprise the people of today.

After supper Jim told the girls that they would not get any music to dance to tonight, so they had just as well turn in and have a good night’s sleep.

CHAPTER V

The next morning we had an early breakfast and were on our journey in good season.  Nothing of interest occurred to us until we reached where the city of Reno now stands, which is in the western part of what is now the state of Nevada.

We were about to go into camp on the bank of the Truckee river when I looked off to the north and saw a band of Indians, and they were heading directly for the train.

They were probably a mile away from us when I saw them.  I reported to Jim at once, and he was not long in corralling the train, and he made the largest display of scalps that I had ever seen then or ever have since.  It looked as if every wagon had a scalp hanging on it.

Apparently the Indians did not notice the decorations on the wagons until they were within three or four hundred yards of them, and the sight seemed to take them by surprise.

[Illustration:  Fishing with the girls.]

All at once the whole band stopped, and of all the actions ever an Indian performed that band did it.  Jim said, “Will, do you think you can reach them with your rifle?”

I answered that I thought not at that distance, but I said, “My men and I will get nearer to them and give them a scare anyway.”

I called my scouts to follow me out to a little bunch of timber, and we all fired at them at once.  Whether we hit any Indians or not I never knew, for they wheeled their horses and fled, and if any of them were killed or wounded the others did not leave them, and we saw no more of that band, but they left three horses laying on the ground, which showed us that our bullets had done a little execution.

We now settled into camp for the night.  Jim told the emigrants as it was Saturday evening we would lay over here until Monday morning, and he told them that all who liked to have a good time fishing could enjoy themselves to their hearts’ content, for this stream was full of Mountain Trout, and he added, “They are beauties.”