184 BUFFALO LAND. 



Our party left Hays the second time with quite an 

 acquisition. On the eve of starting we had been ap- 

 proached by an artist, who begged permission to ac- 

 company us. We assented on the instant. An artist 

 was, of all others, the thing we needed. How in- 

 teresting it would be to have the thrilling incidents 

 of the coming months sketched by our artist on the 

 spot. "Daub" was a fine-looking fellow, with peaked 

 hat, peaked beard, and peaked mustache ; in short, 

 was of the genuine artist cut, of the kind that are 

 always sitting around on the stones in romantic places 

 and getting married to heiresses. 



During the day we saw many varieties of the cac- 

 tus, some of them very beautiful. As we had no regu- 

 lar botanist with our expedition, Mr. Colon developed 

 a taste in that direction, and secured and deposited 

 several fine specimens which were carefully laid away 

 in Shamus' wagon. It was not long before that ex- 

 cellent Irishman gave a prolonged howl, the cause of 

 which he did not vouchsafe to tell us, but as we saw 

 him cautiously rubbing his pantaloons we surmised 

 that he had rolled or sat down upon a choice variety. 

 The remainder of the plants he must, with still 

 greater caution, have dropped overboard, as none 

 could subsequently be found for boxing. If the truth 

 must be said, I was not at all sorry for it. I had 

 lent a hand in obtaining an unusually large cactus, 

 but the loan was returned in such damaged condition 

 that I lost all interest at once. The minute needles 

 which nature has scattered over these plants will 

 pierce a glove readily, and burrow in the flesh like 



