38 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



resolute to the verge of recklessness. On anything 

 like even terms they very greatly overmatched the 

 Indians by whom they were surrounded, and with 

 whom they waged constant and ferocious war. In 

 the government expeditions against the plains tribes 

 they were of absolutely invaluable assistance as 

 scouts. They rarely had regular wives or white 

 children, and there are none to take their places, now 

 that the greater part of them have gone. For the 

 men who carry on hunting as a business where 

 it is perfectly safe have all the vices of their proto- 

 types, but, not having to face the dangers that be- 

 set the latter, so neither need nor possess the stern, 

 rough virtues that were required in order to meet 

 and overcome them. The ranks of the skin-hunters 

 and meat-hunters contain some good men; but as 

 a rule they are a most unlovely race of beings, not 

 excelling even in the pursuit which they follow be- 

 cause they are too shiftless to do anything else; 

 and the sooner they vanish the better. 



A word as to weapons and hunting dress. When 

 I first came to the plains I had a heavy Sharps rifle, 

 45 1 20, shooting an ounce and a quarter of lead, 

 and a 5O-calibre double-barreled English express. 

 Both of these, especially the latter, had a vicious re- 

 coil; the former was very clumsy; and above all 

 they were neither of them repeaters; for a repeater 

 or magazine gun is as much superior to a single or 

 double-barreled breech-loader as the latter is to a 

 muzzle-loader. I threw them both aside: and have 

 instead a 40 90 Sharps for very long range work ; 



