FIRST TRIP TO MEXICO 177 



was a buckskin horse called Buck. One morning 

 when Walter rounded up the horses, Buck 

 seemed to be a pretty sick animal. Hi discov- 

 ered he had been bitten by some poisonous fly, 

 which he called a bott-fly, and thought there was 

 not much hope for him. That night Buck kept 

 wandering right into camp and would walk up 

 to the fire and almost into it if we did not drive 

 him off. Finally he wandered aimlessly down 

 the canon, and the next afternoon, after follow- 

 ing his tracks for several miles, we found where 

 Buck had lain down and died in an open spot 

 near the river. It was nearly full moon that 

 night and I thought I would like to try my luck 

 watching the carcass for a few hours in the hope 

 of bagging some night prowler, -prefer ably a lion. 

 After eating a few biscuits and dried deer meat 

 which we had with us, I hid myself in some brush 

 about twenty yards from the dead horse. Hi 

 took my horse about half a mile up the canon 

 and waited. He was to return upon hearing a 

 shot, which would mean that I had either ob- 

 tained my shot or was a signal that I was tired 

 of my lonesome watch. 



The last faint blush of sunset had melted into 

 dusk and the hush of night was not long in creep- 

 ing over the weird scene, and wrapping every- 



