X PREFACE. 



office of editor of the future record, or rather Grand 

 Scribe of what we were pleased to call our "Log 

 Book." The latter now lies before me, in all its 

 glory of shabby covers and dirty pages. Its soiled 

 fiice is as honorable as that of the laborer who 

 comes from his task in a well harvested field. Out 

 of the sheaves gathered during our journey, I shall 

 try and take such portions as may best supply the 

 mental cravings of the countless thousands who 

 hunger for the life and the lore of the far West. 



I have given the mistakes as well as triumphs of 

 our expedition, and the members of the party will 

 readily recognize their familiar camp names. The 

 disguise will probably be pleasant, as few like to see 

 their failures on public parade, preferring rather to 

 leave these in barracks, and let their successes only 

 appear at review. 



The plains have a face, a people, and a brute 

 creation, peculiarly their ow-n, and to these our 

 party devoted earnest study. The expedition pre- 

 sented a rare opportunity of becoming acquainted 

 wdth the game of the country ; and, in writing the 

 present volume, my aim has been to make it so far 

 a text-book for amateur hunters that they may 

 become at once conversant with the habits of the 

 game, and the best manner of killing it. The time 

 is not far distant, when the plains and the Rocky 



