134 ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



cooked food always on hand. Hunting and trapping were 

 lucrative employments. Meat, skins and furs found ready 

 sale, and outfits were made up daily for a sojourn in different 

 parts, in quest of game. 



It was here I met Hiram Steward the second time, after 

 I quit the stageline. I found the old man making up his 

 packs, getting ready to start the next day. I was seized with 

 the desire to accompany him, but, not wishing to push my 

 company upon so famous a hunter, I managed by strategy 

 to get an invitation. A hunter prizes a good, strong knife, 

 so I went to work and made him one, with a blade eight 

 inches long, and a long buckhorn handle, finely polished. 

 The old fellow was delighted with it, and offered to go in 

 partners with me on the hunt. It was a good offer, as he 

 was furnishing meat for Hoskins & McGirl. I helped him,, 

 and the packs were all ready by noon. 



After dinner, we gave our guns a good cleaning, and 

 then went into the yard to shoot at a target. Steward never 

 indulged in this sport, but liked to watch others. I was very 

 lucky and beat the champion shot of the Crow tribe, which 

 pleased the old man. He had looked at my Winchester 

 with contempt, calling it an old popgun. His weapon was 

 an old Sharp's rifle, of the first issue. For my trip I bor- 

 rowed a buckskin buffalo pony, which had a great reputa- 

 tion as a runner. The evening was spent by most of the 

 company in shuffling pasteboards, while I cornered a Crow 

 and had him give me a lesson in his language. 



Morning dawned. The sun rose bright and warm as 

 on a summer day. We were soon upon the road, with four 

 pack-mules, which we proposed to bring back laden with 

 meat. We traveled down the river until we struck Razor 

 Creek, which we followed into the Bull mountains. The 

 antelopes seemed anxious to inspect our caravan and make 



