Undoubtedly this must have made me a very undesirable person to
contend with in a fight. Luckily for me, I have never been afflicted
with a quarrelsome or vindictive mind. This is not a boastful or
frivolous assertion, but is uttered in the spirit of thankfulness to
the allwise Creator of Heaven and earth.

Looking around, I beheld a sight which cheered me mightily. There, a
few yards ahead of my wagon, was a great hole in the ground, made by
badgers; or it may have been the palace of a king of prairie dogs.
Quickly I drove my team forward, right over it. Then, pretending to
be rearranging my cargo, I took out the end gate of my wagon and
covered the hole with it. Next, I wet some gunny sacks and placed
them on the ground under the board. Now, thought I, here is my chance
for an honorable retreat if anything should go wrong. I intended to
close up the hole behind me with the wet sacks, taking the risk of
snake bites in preference to the tender mercies of the Indians. As
these ground lairs take a turn a few feet down and are connected with
various underground passages and have several outlets, I had a fair
prospect to escape should the Indians discover my whereabouts, for
they could neither burn nor smoke me out, and were not likely to take
the time to reduce my fort by starvation. It took me but a very short
time to make my preparations, and I did it unnoticed by my
companions, who seemed fully preoccupied with their own troubles.

A horseman galloped up to our division, a great, swarthy,
fierce-looking man, bearded like the pard. This man did not act like
a scared person. One glance at the frightened faces of his countrymen
sufficed to enlighten and also to enrage him.

"Senores," he said, "I perceive you are anxious and ready for a