104 TRAPPING IN IOWA 1865-6. 
During one of the Indian summer days of early No- 
vember,I madea journey up one of the creek’s branches, 
hunting after some elk. On looking back towards the 
camp, I saw great, black clouds of smoke encircling the 
cabin on every side. The prairie was on fire and I hasten- 
ed back to save my scant possesions. The pony was tied 
to a picket rope and would be almost helpless. But on 
arriving there he was missing and without looking furth- 
er proceeded at once to save the cabin by extinguishing 
the flames on the inside circle. After this was done, 
Itook up my gun, ammunition and a lunch of corn cake 
and venison and started to hunt up the pony. 
I soon came on a fresh wagon trail and concluded to 
follow it. Noting that the hoofs of a led pony looked 
familiar, and guessing that the occupants were the starters 
of the fire, I redoubled my exertions to come within 
reach of them. 
A full moon shed its silver light along the trail which 
enabled me to follow it for a distance of twenty miles or 
more when the settlement at Peterson wasreached. Here 
Ilearned that the parties I was hunting had passed on 
through that settlement without stopping and were head- 
ing for Buena Vista some twenty miles further on. The 
village was reached about sunrise, it being a distance 
of something over forty miles from the place of starting. 
At this place I found that my game was a minister of 
the gospel andhis twosons. They had been out elk hunt- 
ing and had thought the pony Indian property, and 
therefore legitimate spoil. An apology was all the 
recompense offered by the minister or his sons. 
That particular pony had a past—I was told. First 
