Four of the men immediately saddled the fleetest of the remaining horses and instantly gave chase.  After a quick run they came up with the savages and immediately gave them battle.  A sharp skirmish ensued in which one of the warriors was killed, when the remainder fled, leaving the property once more in the hands of its rightful owners.  The men however did not come off entirely safe.  One of them received a very severe wound; which, eventually, gave him considerable difficulty; but from the effects of which he finally recovered.

Kit and his companions in the mean time, in order to reach their destination, found it necessary, unless they should take a long and circuitous route, to cross one of those lofty peaks for which the Rocky Mountains are so famous.  The ascent was however commenced and successfully accomplished; but, not without labor and an occasional resting-place being sought for breathing their animals.  In due time, they reached the desired stream; but, the beaver signs did not appear.  Finding their errand had proved entirely useless, they started to return into camp.  Experience had taught them that the longest way round was, in this case, the quickest way home.  Taking therefore a circuitous route, they avoided recrossing the lofty mountain peak already alluded to.  As they were riding carelessly homeward, beguiling the time with anecdote and remark upon their future prospects, the scenery around them, with an occasional sight at some kind of game, what should appear ahead of them but four Indian warriors, remarkably well mounted, painted and decked with feathers, showing, conclusively, that they were out upon the war-path.  As soon as Kit and his companions saw the warriors, and without one word as to their proper and best action being interchanged, they simultaneously put spurs to their horses and dashed at the Indians in order quickly to bring them within range of their rifles.  The pace became a hot one; but, as suddenly as the charge had been commenced, so suddenly the trappers found that they had, this time “caught a Tartar;” for, as they dashed on, sixty warriors, fully armed and splendidly mounted, came into view from beneath a hill where they were awaiting in ambush.

There was but one course for the trappers to take and that was to run the gauntlet, which they did in gallant style, although twenty yards would have frequently measured the distance between them and the hostile savages.  The bullets from the rifles of the Indians flew about their ears thick and fast, for a heavy fire was opened upon them, as they passed, and incessantly kept up until they were out of their reach.  The trappers did not return a shot.  It would not have been according to their custom.  There is no one thing Simon-pure trappers consider to be a greater folly than firing their rifles on such an occasion as is here described.  There is nothing they so much dread as being left on foot with an empty gun and no time to load, when perhaps a single shot might