1 6 Sport and Life. 



exasperated by this habit, but the boy soon showed me that he 

 meant not what his manner implied. 



A ludicrous interview to which a half-starved "cattle-boss," 

 who had lost himself and who happened to stray into the vicinity 

 of our camp, subjected me, after partaking of our hospitality, shows 

 that "Thank you" is, according to the laconic and not over polite 

 manners of the West, a superfluous form. The meal over, I 

 happened to be left alone with the now good-humouredly satiated 

 "cow-puncher." "Say, mister," he began, " aint you the boss as 

 runs this outfit?" To my affirmative answer he replied, "Well, 

 say, that's kinder strange. Why, I'll be darned if you wasn't the 

 only cuss who said thank ye when the grub pile was trundled over 

 to yer side." I told him that I hadn't got over that habit yet ; to 

 which he naively replied, "Them's bad habits of civi-ly-sashon. 

 Out here them tony chin-music don't pan worth a cent." 



Henry was full of western repartee. An acquaintance once 

 remonstrated with him in quite undeservedly severe words for some 

 defective cooking. Being no particular favourite among the men, 

 the boy answered him " right smartly," " Wa'al," he said, " I was 

 born for a cook, but the devil stole the pattern and ran off with it. 

 I kinder reckon he must have loaned it to you." There was no 

 more fault-finding. 



In the days I am speaking about, an invasion of " Indian 

 Country," such as was the one we had passed through, by such 

 a small party had about it a zest-giving spice of risk. Only the 

 year before while travelling, in much the same manner, through 

 country even less remote from civilisation, the Indians inhabiting 

 it had suddenly gone on the war-path without our knowing any- 

 thing about it till it was almost too late, and we were compelled 

 to "git out," with a band of Utes hovering round us for several 

 days, whose bullets on one occasion came much too close to be 

 comfortable, while one of them ended the career of a personal 

 friend who had hunted with me but a week or two before. 



The country we were now in was claimed by the peaceful 

 Soshones, whose fine old chief, the celebrated " Washakie " the 



