EARLY DAY STORIES. 53 



a half hour for me, and after traveHng more than half an 

 hour I came to another camp and asked again for Knapp's 

 train, and was told "It is about an hour ahead." The dogs 

 and I went on — there was starlight but no moon — the road 

 was full of loose stones, and I was constantly stubbing my 

 toes, in the dark, the moccasins not affording very satis- 

 factory protection. I was hungry, not having had a mouth- 

 ful since breakfast. I am not sure, but think I must have 

 been getting tired, and am quite sure I was getting mad. 

 I told the dogs it was time to camp, so we turned aside 

 up a little hollow ; I gathered up a big armful of sage brush, 

 of which there was plenty, and soon had a good big fire. 

 The dogs and I curled up by the fire and went to sleep to- 

 gether . The night was cool, and I was in my shirtsleeves, 

 but sage brush was plenty and the fire was replenished many 

 times during the night. The wolves, the big gray kind, were 

 around camp all night, snapping and howling but there was 

 not a particle of danger from them — they were not hungry, 

 for the trail was strewn with dead or dying cattle. The 

 dogs chased them off several times, and seemed to think 

 it was their business to take care of me. What a faithful 

 friend to man is a dog — he never wavers in his affection for, 

 or devotion to his master. Had a man been my companion 

 that night, he might have forsaken me and saved himself 

 if possible, had there been danger, but these dogs would 

 have stayed by me to the last and would have given their 

 lives to save mine. A few days later these dogs went on 

 a hunt and did not return. I was very sorry, for although 

 they were not mine, they were my friends, especially on 

 that night. I got to camp next morning just as they were 

 yoking up the oxen and Mr. Knapp had the pony saddled 

 to start back after me. I got a good rounding up, which 

 of course was merited, but it did not do one bit of good. 

 "The leopard cannot change his spots, nor the Ethiopian 

 his skin." 



