OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK 



The dead buffalo only lasted for three nights' 

 baiting, by which time I had taken nearly fifty 

 pelts, some big gray wolves but mostly coyotes and 

 little yellow foxes. We killed no more buffalo for 

 wolf baits until the more important work was done. 



Our haymakers were now making a good show- 

 ing, bringing in and stacking a load at noon and 

 another at night, and in a week we had stacked 

 as much hay as we should need. 



While doing duty as camp guard, I had put in 

 all my spare time throwing dirt out of our stable 

 dugout and had the excavation about completed. 

 While Jack and I were doing a little trimming up 

 inside and cutting a doorway through the wall of 

 dirt on the side next the ravine, Tom had gone 

 into the timber and cut and split a lot of poles 

 and slabs to support the roof of dirt. 



First putting a small log, twenty-four feet long, 

 on the brink of each side of the excavation, to 

 serve as "plates" to rest the roof timbers on, we 

 then laid twelve-foot slabs and poles across from 

 side to side, as closely as they would fit, covering 

 the larger crevices with brush. 



*'Now," said Tom, stepping back to take an 

 observation of our work when we had reached 

 this point, '^ef we had buffalo-skins enough to 

 cover it, to keep the fine dirt from sifting through, 

 we'd be ready to go to throwing the dirt on an' 

 soon have the horses' stable finished up so's we 

 could go to work on our own quarters." 



143 



