MY FIRST ENCAMPMENT. 179 



English foxhounds, flying over the easy undulations of 

 the grassy and unlimited plains. 



Arousing myself from such contemplations as these just 

 narrated, I then, for the first time in my life, had to inspect 

 the preparations for the encampment for the night, to 

 learn, in case of hostile or thievish difficulties, the weak 

 points of my position, and to endeavour to remedy them 

 by the best means within my power. Then, indeed, I 

 learned that which I have since read in Captain Marcy's 

 book, how small a force mine was, supposing every man 

 to do his duty, if in presence of hostile Indians, or thieves 

 of any sort, to protect a camp from nocturnal invasion. 

 My three waggons could not make a " crall," or fence, 

 around my mules and horses, nor afford any protection to 

 my party, while, at the same time, in order to obtain grass 

 enough for grazing throughout the night, spots had to be 

 selected for the various animals at such distance from 

 each other that the tenant of the one picket-rope could not 

 cross nor get entangled with the picket-rope of the other, 

 nor reach the feed of corn in ear which was set down to 

 each as the night's allowance. I at once saw that unless 

 the sentinel on duty kept the most vigilant watch, any 

 thief or thieves could crawl through the grass, and steal 

 to and take up the furthest picket-pins, and lead off the 

 animals that had been so tethered. 



The first order given was to hang a mule-bell around 

 my docile little pony's neck, and to tether him as much 

 in the centre of the rest of the animal pickets as their 

 position would allow. The next was, to be sure and 

 drive the picket-pins most firmly into the ground, to 

 husband space as much as possible, and to keep the 

 camp to leeward of the animals, so as to have the chance 



