TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIES. 47 



camp, in one of the worst Indian countries along the route. 

 I might be attacked by Indians at any moment, and, tired 

 as were both my horse and myself, we would stand a poor 

 chance of escaping. I started out to rejoin the train. A 

 distance of about five miles brought me into a barren re- 

 gion, covered with sagebrush and alkali. This is one of the 

 peculiarities of a mountainous country here and there a 

 strip of fertile soil, sometimes covered with beautiful flowers, 

 surrounded by barren earth, like an oasis in the desert. 



It required all of my powers of persuasion to induce 

 my horse to struggle through this dense undergrowth. 

 While crossing a little ravine, I saw a large doe standing 

 about one hundred yards off,, on a shelf of rock just above 

 a precipice twenty feet high. I drew my rifle, fired quickly 

 and did not touch a hair. Disgusted with myself, I dis- 

 mounted, threw in another cartridge, drew a hard bead for 

 her heart and shot. She bounded over the ledge and disap- 

 peared. I took a look for Indians, tied Charlie to a tree, 

 and prepared to follow her. There was no way to do this 

 but to climb down a fir-tree, and it was beyond my reach. 

 By placing one end of a small log on the ledge and the other 

 in the forks of the tree I was enabled to make the descent. 

 The doe lay close to the ledge. She had made but one leap, 

 shot through the heart. I lost no time in securing the hams, 

 strapped them to my saddle and pushed on. 



When I reached the first coulee, I found fresh pony 

 tracks. Much distressed in mind, I followed them, for I 

 guessed from their direction,, that savages were following 

 our train, and did not know what might have happened dur- 

 ing my absence. I soon saw a party of the miscreants in 

 camp, on the side of a hill. I took a peep at them through 

 my glasses. While watching their actions there appeared to 

 be, all at once, a great commotion. They started to their 



