DISCHARGE BROWN. 121 



not hit in the right place. I remember on one occasion putting 

 sixteen no. 12 balls from a shot gun into one, and then having 

 to wait a long time for him to die, as my ammunition was 

 exhausted. 



I had been out one day with Fox after antelope, and had had 

 good sport, having killed three, when on returning to camp we 

 found it deserted, everything having disappeared. It was too 

 late to hunt for it that night, as it was very dark ; so having 

 nothing but simple saddle-blankets by way of bedding, we 

 made a large fire, and sat by it nearly all night, and started 

 on the waggon-trail very early in the morning, and found our 

 camp pitched on a hill, about four miles away, the top of which 

 was fortified with boxes and sacks of flour, &c. 



On inquiring what it meant, the men told us that a large 

 band of Indians had passed by the day before, going along a 

 ridge not more than a mile from camp, fortunately without 

 seeing it, and that, as the band came from the direction in 

 which we had gone in the morning, they gave us up as lost, 

 and packed up everything, moving to where we found them, 

 and meaning, if we did not return early in the morning, to go 

 back to the settlement. There was a stormy scene, which 

 ended in my discharging Brown, of whom everyone was heartily 

 tired, giving him the broken-winded horse to ride into Sibley, 

 where he was to leave him for us. He was always talking of 

 what he would do when there was no danger, and did nothing 

 but counsel flight when it came. We returned to our last 

 camp as soon as Brown was gone, and the following morning 

 the buffalo were close to us, a small band coming almost up to 

 the tent. They were not more than thirty yards from it, when 

 one of us happened to go out, which frightened them. 



