36 Life of a Fossil Hunter 



to graze, until they were exhausted. They were 

 then easily driven into the ravine and roped ; after 

 which they were picketed on the prairie and soon 

 became tame. These wild horses were swift trav- 

 elers, and the most graceful of all the wild animals 

 of the West, being distinguished for the beauty of 

 their flowing manes and tails. 



There was constant danger from Indians, and in 

 order that we might escape as much as possible the 

 eagle eye of some scout who might be passing 

 through the country, our tent and wagon-sheet were 

 of brown duck. This blended with the dry, brown 

 buffalo grass, as we traveled from canyon to canyon, 

 and could not be distinguished very far even by the 

 trained eye of an Indian. 



I never carried my rifle with me. I left it in camp 

 or in the wagon, for I soon decided that I could not 

 hunt Indians and fossils at the same time, and I was 

 there for fossils. 



I had no unpleasant experiences with Indians, 

 however, although I came very near it once. It 

 was one day late in June, when we were about three 

 miles north of Monument Rocks. A gentle rain 

 early in the morning had taken the glare from the 

 chalk cliffs, and as this is a circumstance favorable 

 to the discovery of fossils, I shouldered my pick and 

 started down the canyon, eagerly scanning the rocks 

 on either side. 





