393 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



spot. It would be easy to cut up the deer, and carry the meat 

 that short distance ; this would save them much trouble. 



They were delighted with the idea, and we proceeded to the 

 lower ground together, to select a camping place. During the way, 

 they explained that they were a party bent upon a riding excursion 

 from Cheyenne through the Big Horn range, but they had been 

 most unfortunate in shooting, having seen very little game, and 

 having killed absolutely nothing. This was a curious episode that 

 was equally unexpected, and at the same time satisfactory to all 

 parties. In a short time they had their tents pitched, fires alight, 

 cooking-pots filled, and were thoroughly comfortable, while my 

 hunter Jem and myself rode homewards, well satisfied with the 

 morning's work. 



On the day following, I rode from my camp with the intention 

 of calling upon these American gentlemen, and, as I approached 

 their direction, my attention was attracted by a cloud of smoke 

 rising from the valley in which I had left their party. Presently 

 I was overtaken by Bob Stewart and Big Bill, the skin-hunters, 

 who had observed the signs of a forest fire from a great distance, 

 and had hurried towards the spot, carrying with them a galvanised 

 iron bucket and an axe. We now joined parties and galloped 

 towards the smoke. 



Upon arrival we found the desolate signs of a deserted camp. 

 The large party that I had left on the preceding day were gone, 

 and with great carelessness they had left their fire burning, instead 

 of extinguishing it before departure. The strong wind had blown 

 the sparks into the inflammable mass of dried pine-needles, with 

 which the ground was deeply covered ; this was blazing in various 

 places, having already communicated the fire to several of the 

 dead trees which strewed the surface. 



It was a curious example of inflammable material en masse ; 

 everything seemed prepared for ignition, as though a natural depot 

 of lucifer matches. In more than a dozen different places the 

 ground was on fire over an area of half an acre ; these isolated 

 patches were spreading with great rapidity, and upon arrival at a 

 spruce tree, the flame ran up the bark with surprising avidity, 

 licking up the surface in forked tongues, and, when reaching the 

 branches (if withered), it seized upon the fresh fuel, and flared 

 with horrible vigour. This showed upon a small scale the 

 commencement of a forest fire, which would quickly extend into a 

 terrible conflagration. 



We were fortunately at hand to extinguish the danger in its 

 birth, but we had to work hard for at least a couple of hours 



