22 The Wilderness Hunter 



hunters, who lived on the borders of the wilderness, 

 and followed hunting, not only as a pastime, but 

 also as yielding an important portion of their sub- 

 sistence. The frontier farmers were all hunters. 

 In the Eastern backwoods, and in certain places in 

 the West, as in Oregon, these adventurous tillers of 

 the soil were the poineers among the actual settlers ; 

 in the Rockies their places were taken by the miners, 

 and on the great plains by the ranchmen and cow- 

 boys, the men who lived in the saddle, guarding 

 their branded herds of horses and horned stock, 

 Almost all of the miners and cowboys were obliged 

 on occasions to turn hunters. 



Moreover, the regular army which played so im- 

 portant a part in all the later stages of the winning 

 of the West produced its full share of mighty hunt- 

 ers. The later Indian wars were fought principally 

 by the regulars. The West Point officer and his 

 little company of trained soldiers appeared abreast 

 of the first hardy cattlemen and miners. The 

 ordinary settlers rarely made their appearance until 

 in campaign after campaign, always inconceivably 

 wearing and harassing, and often very bloody in 

 character, the scarred and tattered troops had 

 broken and overthrown the most formidable among 

 the Indian tribes. Faithful, uncomplaining, un- 

 flinching, the soldiers wearing the national uniform 

 lived for many weary years at their lonely little 

 posts, facing unending toil and danger with quiet 



