90 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



stuff that I had left behind. I did not need it and 

 never went back for it. From that time I 

 planned to "go light." 



The cow-camp foreman told me of a rough 

 sand-hill region about twenty miles off to the 

 northeast where I could see a beaver colony. 

 There were other things of interest, too, but 

 beavers out in the plains were enough. Again I 

 travelled. 



A long day's journey landed me in the north- 

 western corner of Nebraska, perhaps somewhere 

 in what now is Box Butte County. A flood of 

 some years before had made a long, narrow island 

 in a little stream and on it were a number of old 

 cottonwood trees. One of these stood on a ten- 

 foot bank. Beneath its flat, spider-web roots 

 a badger and perhaps later coyotes had had a 

 den. As the roots held the earth and would 

 make a good roof I cleared out the loose sand 

 and enlarged this den into a cave. Then I cut a 

 number of sods from the bank near by and 

 closed up part of the opening. In less than a 

 half day I had a shelter that would have made 

 any bandit happy. 



I called the place Kingfisher Camp as a king- 

 fisher had a nest hole in the bank close to my 

 cave. Here I had shelter, wood to burn, and 

 running water. The first night in this camp was 

 rainy the only rain I had while on this trip. 



