TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIES. 43 



All conversation was suspended. The music and quiet were 

 in perfect harmony with the scene around us. The most 

 hardened men among us were touched and soothed. 

 Women and children wandered aimlessly over the carpet of 

 buffalo bunch-grass, drinking in the sweet melody. Some 

 of our men saw smoke curling through the air, and reported 

 two Indian camps not far off. We put out a double guard 

 for the night and rested securely. Our route, as far as we 

 could see, now lay over a fertile country, covered with veg- 

 etation. 



We soon found out that things were not as they had 

 looked from a distance ; here and there were barren tracts. 

 While passing through a small district, covered with scrub 

 oak, four white-tail deer (cervus Virginianus) came bound- 

 ing through the bushes. Several shots were sent after them. 

 All was excitement. They came closer and closer until they 

 were within two hundred yards, when I drew my 45-60 

 Winchester, took aim at a large buck and missed him entire- 

 ly. I made a second trial and broke his hind leg. Down 

 he came, but gathered himself up again and went hobbling 

 off into a ravine, dense with oak. A young man followed 

 and shot him through the head. We had a good supper of 

 venison and lingered over it for about two hours. We spent 

 the remainder of the evening having a good, social time, 

 visiting and becoming better acquainted with one another. 



We made the acquaintance of all the ladies : Mrs. Mar- 

 ble and her daughters, Ella and Mollie ; Mrs. Reed, who kept 

 the homesick and discouraged ones roaring with laughter 

 in spite of themselves ; anyone determined to have the 

 blues had to shun her society ; Mrs. Nickelson, who was 

 braving frontier life with her husband ; Mrs. Chamberlain 

 and her little daughter, who was a great pet with all ; Mrs. 

 Burnstein, who was in company with her husband, and Mrs. 



