10 LIFE SKETCHES OF A JAYHAWKER 



saw thousands at one time, all with their massive heads pointing to the 

 north and feeding as they passed along. They didn't seem wild, and it was 

 no trouble to get in range with them when we wished to. Some of the boya 

 shot them down for the sake of the sport. It seemed wrong to me and sin- 

 ful, but in after years they were slaughtered by the thousands just for their 

 hides. But a few years elapsed before the buffalo became practically extinct 

 on the plains, and only here and there in the fastnesses of the mountains 

 could be seen a small number. 



There were many different classes of wolves to be seen on the prai- 

 ries: the common prairie wolf, the gray, the black and another, a large long- 

 legged wolf, the latter being found always near the herds of buffalo and was 

 a constant terror to the calves. While the herds were travelling the cows 

 and calves always kept the center with the bulls on the outside, affording 

 protection against the Buffalo Rangers, as these wolves were called. These 

 wolves were ferocious, and a band of them would attack men, if hungry. 



On one occasion some of the boys were out and away from the train, 

 when a hard rain storm overtook them at night fall. They sought shelter 

 under a bank seven to eight feet in height, all loaded with the choicest of 

 buffalo meat, the tongues and the hump. In a short time they were attacked 

 by a band of these Buffalo Rangers (wolves). They would have surrounded 

 the boys had it not been for the bank on one side, as it was they attacked 

 from every side and came so close the boys had to poke them away with 

 their guns. There were five boys, and they fought the wolves all night long, 

 as shooting them had no effect at all, and when daylight came and the 

 wolves sneaked away. They had left the imprint of their teeth in the gun 

 barrels that could be seen very distinctly. The boys were glad enough to 

 get back to camp and good and hungry after their night's fight. 



We did not lack for amusements; we had some very good musicians in 

 our company and almost every night we had a dance around the camp fire. 

 To avoid confusion one-half wore handkerchiefs on their heads, so there was 

 no trouble telling the girls from the boys, for out of the fifty wagons that 

 started there was not a single woman in the crowd. During the emigration 

 of forty-nine, I think the average of women was about one in five hundred, 

 so our chances for being bachelors was pretty good for a number of years. 

 I know I roamed about for twenty years before I found my mate, and have 

 never regretted the waiting. 



The cholera was bad that year. We passed trains every day laying by 

 on account of cholera. Many died along the Platte River. I had it myself 

 after passing Fort Larima, but we lost only one night and a half a day on 

 my account, though the slightest jolt of the wagon created intense suffer- 

 ing, but I had started for California, and I was bound to come through. I 

 am satisfied that there were many people who died with fever as well as 

 with cholera, for, once attacked death seemed certain. 



Many amusing incidents happened every day hardly worth recording. 

 In the evenings, many times friendly Indians came into camp numbering 

 thirty or forty. Sometimes they brought things to trade, and then again 

 they begged for food. Indians seem to be hungry at all times. One evening, 

 while the Indians were in camp, a man with false teeth went up to them 

 smiling a most pleasing smile and showing his beautiful white teeth. He 

 would turn around, grin at them again, this time showing his gums. He 



