220 Life of a Fossil Hunter 



ter from the Honorable Robert T. Lincoln, a son of 

 our martyred President, I started out on the twelfth 

 of March for Fort Sill, on a pony hired from a 

 livery stable. I was assured that.it was only sixty 

 miles to the Fort, and that the pony could easily take 

 me there in a day, but I soon found that he was just 

 off grass, and weak and thin. I also discovered, 

 after night had overtaken me, that I had been put on 

 the wrong cattle trail. I reached a house in the 

 evening, that of a school-teacher, who, because of 

 his having had some education and possessing the 

 ability to talk intelligently, was known in that region 

 as " Windy " Turner, in distinction from " Bull " 

 Turner, a cowman. I found him to be a gentleman. 

 The next morning he gave me directions as to 

 how to reach the old trail that led to the Fort. I 

 was to go to Wagoner's cattle camp, where the trail 

 crossed Beaver Creek, and spend the night there. I 

 traveled nearly all day, and reached the ranch build- 

 ing, the only house I had seen since I left the school- 

 teacher's, only to find the camp deserted. Not a 

 man nor a cow was in sight. As I had had no 

 lunch, I was very hungry, and this being my first 

 visit to this region, I did not know where to turn for 

 food and shelter. At last, however, I saw a horse- 

 man coming toward me from the northeast, and 

 rode to meet him. He was a cowboy. I inquired 

 where Wagoner had gone, and learned that he had 



