the journey was a depressing experience. To a large extent, this was due 

 to the panic of 1873, a world-wide financial crash, the effects of which 

 still lay heavy on the land and recovery was painfully slow. 



After a day in Chicago, we moved on to Kansas City and then across 

 Kansas to Denver. Only the eastern part of the state had been brought 

 under the plough; the western half was still, for the most part, primitive 

 plain, with herds of buffalo (so-called) still visible from the train, and 

 multitudes of cattle, for this was in the heyday of the cattle ranch. 

 Occasional prong-horned antelope were still to be seen and some of the 

 party tried to shoot them from the baggage car. Shortly after that date 

 began the senseless and unpardonable slaughter of the buffalo and in 

 the course of a very few years they were completely exterminated. The 

 last wild one that I ever expect to see we killed in central Wyoming in 

 1884. This was not wanton butchery, but dire necessity, as we were 

 almost out of food. 



Of Denver, in those far-off days, I don't remember very much, but it 

 was already evident that a thriving and important city was here in the 

 act of arising. The town was straggUng, with many vacant lots; the side- 

 walks were mostly of planks and the streets unpaved, so that blinding 

 dust storms were frequent and violent. As we had to spend some time in 

 Denver, buying horses, wagons, harness, and equipment generally, we 

 camped on a small stream in a grove of cottonwoods on the outskirts of 

 the town. Here, almost at once, the incompetent and inefficient character 

 of our leadership became apparent. 



Dr. Brackett was an extraordinarily good teacher of physics and he 

 had an uncommonly wide acquaintance with other branches of science, 

 but of geology he had merely a book-knowledge and his experience of 

 camp and open-air life was much too limited to fit him for the under- 

 taking on which he was now embarked. As for the General, he made 

 no pretense of having the least acquaintance with any branch of science 

 and he was far too irritable and impatient to haggle successfully with 

 horse-dealers. The result of their combined efforts was such a collection 

 of gaunt Indian ponies, "crowbaits" in Western vernacular, as has sel- 

 dom been brought together, an equine version of Falstaff's ragged regi- 

 ment. In spite of appearances, the crowbaits served us well, some of them 

 for two years. After we had received our mounts, the General made one 

 attempt at a cavalry drill, but the results were so ludicrous that he never 

 tried another. 



At last, we were able to get started on our long southward march and 

 had many difficulties until we learned how to travel. Our Httle rats of 



C60 



