14 TRUE BEAR STORIES.

of means and leisure, these artists, and
were making the trip for the fish, game,
scenery and excitement and everything, in
fact, that was in the adventure. I was
merely their hired guide.

This second morning out, the Indians—
poor slaves, perhaps, from the first, cer-
tainly not warriors with any spirit in them
—began to sulk. They had risen early and
kept hovering together and talking, or,
rather, making signs in the gloomiest sort
of fashion. We had hard work to get them
to do anything at all, and even after break-
fast was ready they packed up without
tasting food.

The air was ugly, for that region—hot,
heavy, and without light or life. It was
what in some parts of South Amexica they
call “earthquake weather.” Even the
horses sulked as we mounted; but the mule
shot ahead through the brush at once, and
this induced the ponies to follow.

The Englishmen thought the Indians
and horses were only tired from the day