IN THE OLD WEST 189 



dexterity, to take advantage of the best line of 

 country to follow — avoiding the gullies and 

 canons and broken ground, which would other- 

 wise have impeded his advance. This tact ap- 

 peared instinctive, for he looked neither right nor 

 left, whilst continuing a course as straight as 

 possible at the foot of the mountains. In select- 

 ing a camping-site he displayed equal skill : wood, 

 water, and gi'ass began to fill his thoughts towards 

 sundown ; and when these three requisites for a 

 camping-ground presented themselves, old Bill 

 sprang from his saddle, unpacked his animals in 

 a twinkling and hobbled them, struck fire and ig- 

 nited a few chips (leaving the rest to pack in the 

 wood), lit his pipe, and enjoyed himself. 



On one occasion, when passing through the 

 valley, they had come upon a band of fine buffalo 

 cows, and, shortly after camping, two of the party 

 rode in with a good supply of fat fleece. One of 

 the party was a " greenhorn " on his first hunt, 

 fresh from a fort on Platte, and as yet uniniti- 

 ated in the mysteries of mountain cooking. Bill, 

 lazily smoking his pipe, called to him, as he hap- 

 pened to be nearest, to butcher off a piece of meat 

 and put it in his pot. Markhead seized the fleece, 

 and commenced innocently carving off a huge 

 ration, when a gasping roar from the old trapper 

 caused him to drop his knife. " Ti-ya," growled 

 Bill, " do 'ee hyar, now, you darned greenhorn, do 

 'ee spile fat cow like that whar you was raised.'^ 



