BACK TO THE BUFFALO RANGE 



While in the settlements we indulged in such 

 luxuries as milk, butter, eggs, and so forth, when- 

 ever they were to be bought, and we killed plenty 

 of prairie-chickens with our shotgun. 



These prairie-chickens were very numerous in 

 the Kansas settlements, occurring in such multi- 

 tudes that they were pests to the farmers, eating 

 great quantities of grain. They haunted the set- 

 tled country or grain-producing parts but were 

 seldom found far out on the plains, though while 

 in the service I saw a few as far west as the Big 

 Bend of the Arkansas. 



In the army the Sibley tent was calculated to 

 hold twelve to sixteen men — crowded pretty close 

 together — but in our Sibley, with only the three 

 occupants, there was room for stove, mess-chest, 

 camp-stools, or anything else we might bring 

 inside. Found always made his bed under the 

 wagon, where he could keep watch over the ani- 

 mals and act as general camp guard. 



In order to favor our team we made two drives 

 a day, stopping for an hour or so at noon to turn 

 the animals out on the grass, while we made cof- 

 fee and ate some cold meat and bread. On our 

 afternoon drive, as night approached, we selected 

 a convenient place and camped, turning out the 

 team — except the flea-bitten gray mare, which 

 we always picketed as an anchor to the rest. 

 After supper, sprawled on our beds in the tent, 

 we talked and spun yarns. 



39 



