ALL HOUSTON. 245 



Here we met a man named " All Houston," one of the best 

 hunters and best shots at game with a rifle that I ever came 

 across. He was only twenty-seven or eight, but had been all 

 his life in the mountains, and had never done anything but 

 hunt. He had, too, a pony with almost as great a reputation 

 as himself. She was about the size of Polly, and so fast that 

 he had run down elk over rough ground with her. We tried 

 to engage him to go with us, and pass the winter somewhere 

 in the mountains ; but this he refused to do, as he made all the 

 money he wanted by killing antelope and elk and selling the 

 meat at the stage stations. This was a stage that ran between 

 California and Sheyenne. He gave us a good report of game, 

 especially antelope, which then swarmed all along the stage 

 line. There were always some in sight ; and Houston would 

 at any time back himself to kill an average of five a day, and 

 would often get more. He agreed to go on a hunt lor a few 

 days with us, riding his pony, and being armed wiih an 

 " over and under " rifle weighing eighteen pounds, which 

 carried a ball sixty to the pound ; and we got off the following 

 morning, taking it in turns to drive the waggon. Houston 

 knew every foot of the country and acted as guide, and as he 

 was a very quiet young fellow and free from brag, he made a 

 very pleasant companion. 



Willow Springs lay at the foot of the first range of the 

 Rockies a long line of glaciers being visible from it, and the 

 wooded hills which intervened formed a lovely country to hunt 

 in, as they were full of little prairies, surrounded by timber, 

 and with small streams running through them, where at that 

 time you could find game. You very seldom came across a 

 hunter, as most of them were too much afraid of the Indians 



