No man's life was safe for an hour, whether he hunted, looked up strayed stock, went to the spring for water, or tilled the fields.

If two men were together, one always watched while the other worked, ate, or drank; and they sat down back to back, or, if there were several, in a ring, facing outwards, like a covey of quail.

The Indians were especially fond of stealing the horses; the whites pursued them in bands, and occasionally pitched battles were fought, with loss on both sides, and apparently as often resulting in the favor of one party as of the other.

The most expert Indian fighters naturally became the leaders, being made colonels and captains of the local militia.

The position and influence of the officers depended largely on their individual prowess; they were the actual, not titular, leaders of their men.