OF A RANCHMAN 59 



ing as a business where it is perfectly safe 

 have all the vices of their prototypes, but, 

 not having to face the dangers that beset 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 un- 

 lovely race of beings, not excelling even in 

 the pursuit which they follow because 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, 45 120, shooting an ounce and 

 a quarter of lead, and a 5O-calibre, double- 

 barrelled English express. Both of these, 

 especially the latter, had a vicious recoil ; the 

 former was very clumsy ; and above all they 

 were neither of them repeaters; for a re- 

 peater or magazine gun is as much superior 

 to a single or double-barrelled breech-loader 

 as the latter is to a muzzle-loader. I threw 

 them both aside : and have instead a 40 90 



