130 TEN DAYS IN MONTANA. 



ticket read, and that was where I wanted to go, so I told the 

 clerk to call me when the lark flew down from his roost. At 

 breakfast the next morning I had the pleasure of meeting 

 Judge Henry Souther, of Erie, Pa. There was only us two 

 at early breakfast, so the Judge introduced himself to me and 

 I introduced myself to him. He asked me where I was going. 

 I said to the end of the track, if not farther. I fired the same 

 question at him, and he said to the end of the track and from 

 there into the buffalo country ; that he was to meet a party of 

 friends at Mandan, just across the river, who had everything 

 cut and dried for a big buffalo hunt. I asked him if there 

 was any chance to get counted into that party, and he said he 

 was only a guest, but thought he could arrange it for me all 

 right. This was more good news. We-got into a box-car and 

 rode up to the ferry, four miles above town. The water in 

 the " Big Muddy " is at a low stage at this season of the year, . 

 and the ferry had great difficulty in making the landings. 

 However, we succeeded in getting over, were switched into 

 the train on the other side, and left Mandan at ten o'clock 

 that morning for the front. At the depot Judge Souther 

 introduced me to Mr. James Bellows, of the firm of Walker, 

 Bellows & Co., railroad contractors, and to Mr. B. J. Van 

 Vleck, their cashier and paymaster, who had made up the 

 party for the buffalo hunt. They received me kindly and 

 gave me a cordial invitation to join their party, which invita- 

 tion I of course eagerly and thankfully accepted. There was 

 another hunting party on board the train bound for the buffalo 

 country. A man from Custer City had been to Bismarck and 

 employed four men at thirty-five dollars a month and board, 

 and they were going out to kill buffaloes for the skins. They 

 declined to tell us where they expected to find the herd, but, 

 as will be seen later on, we found it before they did. They 

 got off the train at Green river. 



