84 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



to bank against, and I allow you all will have to beat the game 

 a whole lot to win out." 



The writer has already made mention of Mr. Petrie and 

 his hounds. He needs no further introduction than to say 

 he is the general manager of the Union Stock Yards at Denver, 

 and Mr. Steepleton, familiarly known as "Steeplechase Char- 

 ley," is Mr. Petrie's ranch foreman. Steepleton had come on 

 to Denver with a lot of fat cattle from Mr. Petrie's own herd. 

 The year on the ranch had been most successful, and Mr. 

 Petrie, wanting an excuse to keep liis foreman with him for a 

 few days, hit upon this coyote hunt as the means of killing 

 two birds with one stone; i. e. — to give the writer, who was a 

 tenderfoot at ranch life, and his old cattleman, a bit of sport 

 that would galvanise the former, and give the latter something 

 to tell the boys about when he returned to the ranch. Mr. 

 Petrie didn't say all this, but putting two and two together, 

 that's about the way it ciphered out. 



The foreman's dissertation on the unlucky 13 was passed 

 by Mr. Petrie in silence. Mr. Petrie, however, looked much 

 as if he was making a mental resolve to cram that super- 

 stitious notion down the old cattleman's throat when the 

 proper time came. 



Finally the hounds were carefully put aboard the baggage 

 car, and we looked for a place in the smoker, as best suited 

 to pass away the night from 9 p. m., to one o'clock the next 

 morning, at which hour we were to land at Kit Carson. Mr. 

 Petrie and his foreman talked cattle straight away, and cross 

 ways, and sideways and backwards. Then they went over 

 the ranch both cornerways and square, then more cattle, and 

 ranch and cattle together. The writer went to sleep, and 

 when he woke they were at it still. It was very evident that 

 although Mr. Petrie was fond of his business at the stock 

 yards, his heart was on the ranch where, as he said, he had 

 spent the happiest days of liis life. His o^vn ranch was in 



