10 RUSTLINGS IN THE ROCKIES. 



During the time of making preparations for our start we 

 were entertained in a most enjoyable manner by Mr. William 

 Allen and his accomplished wife. 



Mr. Allen is a capital story teller and a fine actor. He is 

 an old timer on the frontier, and in his varied experience has 

 passed through some strange adventures. He gave us some 

 choice selections from these the first evening we were there, 

 which, if they could be reproduced here with all his actions, 

 gestures and points, would furnish fun for the readers of this 

 book for a year to come. I will repeat one or two of them 

 as nearly in substance as possible, but they will lack the unc- 

 tion and action with which he delivered them. 



Some years ago, when living on his ranch ten miles above 

 Coulson, he was subpoenaed to serve on the grand jury which 

 was to meet at Miles City. A neighbor named Wm. Rogers, 

 hearing that he was going to Miles, called on him and requested 

 permission to go with him. Mr. Allen gladly accepted his 

 company, and it was arranged that they should start early the 

 next morning, and go down the river in a skiff. When they 

 got all their traps on board it was discovered that neither of 

 them had provided a gun, Mr. A.'s gun being out of order 

 and Mr. R. having lately sold his. They talked the matter 

 over, and it looked like a risky piece of business to start on a 

 voyage like this of a hundred and fifty miles down the Yel- 

 lowstone river, through a country where they were liable to 

 be jumped by hostile reds, without a gun in the boat. 

 Besides, there was plenty of game along the river, and it 

 would be extremely provoking not to be able to shoot any of 

 it, even though it should walk over them. But what should 

 be done? Neither of them had a firearm of any kind, not 

 even a revolver, that was serviceable, and it would be difficult 

 to borrow one for so long a time, so they decided to do the 

 only thing to be done under the circumstances go unarmed. 



