THE PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE. 223 



tion of the "United States, for every man who has 

 borne arms, whether in the militia or regulars ; 

 whether he has been a full private or only a camp 

 follower. Yes, I was awake, as wide awake as a pool 

 of water under each arm, each knee, and every pro- 

 tuberant portion of the figure could make me. With 

 an anathema against weather, country, and out-door 

 life, I sprang up, and willingly busied myself in raking 

 together the fragments of what had been a fire ; long 

 and tedious were the efforts to coax a blaze, but at 

 length the reward of patience was vouchsafed, and in 

 spite of the almost insurmountable obstacles a sufficient 

 heat was obtained, by which we could cook the debris 

 of last night's supper, the sole remnants of provisions 

 the larder could boast of. 



At the time to which I allude we were on a branch 

 or small fork that flowed into the Pawnee River from 

 the south. I and my companions had come from the 

 westward, and had experienced as hard a time as it is 

 possible to conceive; we had been about two weeks 

 together, and although I am doubtful of the propriety 

 of picking up strange acquaintances when beyond civi- 

 lisation, those squeamish ideas never enter the heads of 

 western habitues ; a white man is always a friend until 

 he proves himself to be otherwise, and then it is your 

 own look-out that he does not get the upper hand. Wild 



