206 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



summit of u broad eminence, Big Bill's eyes were gladdened by the 

 sight of some distant objects moving upon the horizon, and he at 

 once redoubled his speed. 



The stranger, innocent of suspicion, trotted leisurely forward, 

 whistling, and driving his newly acquired animals with professional 

 composure, without condescending to look back, as he felt certain 

 of security, having left his hospitable friend of the preceding night 

 with nothing better than his own legs for locomotion. 



In the meantime, Big Bill was coming up at a gallop ; he was 

 boiling with indignation at the treacherous conduct of his uninvited 

 guest ; and being fully alive to the manners and customs of the 

 West, he placed his Sharp rifle upon full-cock to be in readiness 

 for an explanation. 



A few minutes sufficed to shorten the distance to 100 yards, 

 when the astonished horse-stealer was surprised by the sound of 

 hoofs upon the stony soil, and, turning round, he was almost 

 immediately confronted with the threatening figure of Big Bill. 

 The dialogue which ensued has not been historically described ; 

 there was none of the bombast that generally preceded the combats 

 of Grecian heroes ; but it appears that the horse-stealer's right hand 

 instinctively grasped the handle of his revolver, not unseen by the 

 vigilant eyes of Big Bill, who with praiseworthy decision sent 

 a bullet through his adversary's chest from the already prepared 

 Sharp '450 ; leaving the lifeless body where it fell, he not only 

 recovered all his stolen animals, but also possessed himself of the 

 horse and saddle which only recently belonged to the prairie 

 horse-stealer without a name. 



The gigantic Swede returned to his solitary camp, well satisfied 

 with his morning's work, as he had gained instead of lost, and 

 he had saved the State of Wyoming the expense and trouble of 

 hanging a man for a crime which is supposed to deserve no mercy, 

 that of "horse-stealing." 



Of course this instance of determination and extreme vigilance 

 gained for Big Bill the admiration of the extremely limited number 

 of people who would be called " the public " in the outlying portions 

 of Wyoming ; but although contented with himself, Big Bill was 

 always suspicious of a solitary stranger, as he had an undefined 

 idea that some relative of the defunct horse-stealer might draw a 

 trigger upon him unawares. It was this redoubtable Big Bill who 

 now confided to me that he had been running away from some 

 monster grizzly bear only on the preceding day. He pointed out 

 the spot, as nearly as possible, from where we stood during his 

 narrative. "There," he said, "do you see that low rocky cliff on 



