196 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



ing myself. They had just completed the work in Webster 

 and Franklin counties, south of the Platte, and had moved 

 the outfit across the country to Valley county where we were 

 now in camp as already stated. We had been at this camp 

 about a week, and one day more would finish the work in 

 that neighborhood. As I was the only one of the company 

 acquainted with the country, Mr. Livingston put it upon me 

 to select the place for the next camp, and for each succeed- 

 ing camp, and to guide the outfit as it was moved from 

 place to place. They had worked all summer in a country 

 where deer were scarce, and where there were no elk, and 

 antelope were hard to get, consequently they had had no game 

 excepting one wild turkey that one of the men killed in the 

 timber on the Republican river, and an occasional mess of 

 prairie chickens. They all began to talk venison to me as 

 soon as I joined the company, and as I struck out early in 

 the morning on horseback to look up the location for a new 

 camp, Mr. Livingston wished I might bring home a deer 

 when I came back in the evening. 



Our next work would be in Greeley county, and the 

 camp would have to be located on the head of Wallace creek, 

 as far up the creek as water could be found. It was about 

 fifteen miles in a direct line to the place where the next 

 camp would be located, but as it was extremely hilly and 

 rough part of the way, it would be necessary to travel about 

 twenty miles with the wagons in moving camp. The country 

 was new and unsettled all the way, and as it was a good 

 place for black tail deer and elk, I felt pretty sure of being 

 able to comply with Mr. Livingston's wish. I was riding 

 Flora the best and most trusty riding animal I ever owned. 

 Anywhere, I could jump off her back, throw the reins down 

 over her head, and she would go to feeding at once, and 

 wait for my return. If the bridle rein was left over the 

 horn of the saddle, she would follow behind like a dog. She 

 was not afraid of game ,and would carry any kind upon 



