" You seem," said I, at the conclusion of quite a long and hot argu-
ment, in which I defended the received notions of Indian character, —
" you seem, Mr. Downs, to have a poor opinion of red-skin courage."

" That I have, and with good reason too. I don't know what they
might have been once, but I know that rum and civilization have made
them a poor, sneaking, cowardly set. Now off to the west they are a
little better ; but even there, they 're no great shakes. Why, I was out
there with Harrison, in Tecumseh's time, and I know that a deuced sight
of nonsense has been written and talked about the ' lords of the forest '




' ' A Canoe with a single Indian glided alongside. ''



as you call 'em. There was not a scout in the army that valued a single
Indian more nor the snap of his thumb. They can't shoot — can't run —
can't row — can't swim — can't do any thing with a white man, unless it is
to starve longer, and that they have been brought up to. You see I 'm a
small man, and an old man, but if I can't lick, in fair fight, any single
Indian you can pick up between here and the Rocky Mountains, my
name aint Downs, and I aint given to bragging much neither. They are
just like them wolves," and Joe pointed to a lot of lupine attendants,
that, as usual, were howling about at a respectful distance from our camp.
"They are just like them wolves; they 11 hang around just as though



30 KALOOLAH.
