"Where do you suppose he has come from, and what does he want?"
Reynolds asked.

His companion's only reply was to bring his rifle to his shoulder and
fire two shots in rapid succession across the valley toward the
horseman, neither of which took effect. The Indian quickly unslung his
rifle, fired one shot in return, and immediately vanished into the
forest.

"Is that the best you can do?" Reynolds asked. "You should have let me
have a crack at him."

"Me aim's unsartin to-day," was the reply. "I don't allus miss like
that."

"But why did you shoot, anyway? The Indian was doing us no harm."

"He was skulkin' around, though, an' I jist gave him a hint to move
along."

"So you didn't intend to shoot him?"

"Oh, no. It was merely a hint, as I told ye."

"A queer hint, I should say," and Reynolds laughed. "Manners of the
wilderness, I suppose?"

"Sure. We don't stand on ceremony up here. We're a bluff bunch, an'
if we don't like a feller's company we tell him so without beatin'