266 GROUSE-SHOOTING. 



CHAPTER XX. 



I intend to go up the "Wichita and Red Rivers. Grouse-shooting. Creasing 

 a horse. Poor settlers. A money-lending parson. Danger of Mexican 

 cooks. Henrietta in 1874. A norther. Rough cowboys. Lose my 

 horse. Return towards Henrietta. Indians about. A suspicious horse- 

 man. Reach Henrietta. The settlement raided by Black Kettle. The 

 settlers cowed. A preacher. The preacher and I put up in the same 

 room. The first night he scores ; the second I do. Life of a cowboy. A 

 new class of cowboy. A gentleman cowboy. A good shooting-ground. 

 I shoot a puma. A lucky sportsman. 



HEARING from my friend F , who was then living in 



Texas, that the game had very much increased since I was 

 there last, I started for Denison in 1874 for a trip on the 

 Wichita and Red Rivers, intending to remain out until 

 Christmas. On the way there, going by St. Louis, Sedalia, 

 and Sherman, I stopped at Parsons and had two days' capital 

 grouse-shooting, they at all events being much more numerous 

 than I had ever seen them in those parts. It is very curious 

 with reference to these birds, that you can very seldom find 

 them in uncultivated portions of the West, but as soon as 

 settlers come and plant crops the grouse appear at once and 

 get more and more plentiful. I have found a few, when after 



