EARLY DAY STORIES. 75 



of the ravines and in the valleys, but flowers were not need- 

 ed in this scene. To the north and west the ground sloped 

 gently upward to little low green rolls a quarter of a mile 

 or so away that shut out a distant view in these directions. 

 From the southwest around to the southeast and east the 

 land was at first level, then there were gentle swells and 

 undulations, and finally away to the south at a distance of 

 six or seven miles were the high smooth green hills divid- 

 ing the waters of the Elkhorn from those of Beaver creek. 

 Nearby in the foreground to the southeast was a point of 

 thick timber growing in and along the sides of a ravine that 

 led away to the southeast to Cedar creek, narrow at the near- 

 by point but broadening as it neared the creek, where it 

 joined the strip of woodland that borders the creek and 

 plainly marks its windings for five or six miles. I looked 

 upon the picture before me with admiration, and thought 

 then that I had never seen a more lovely landscape nor a 

 more fertile soil. As I look back upon it after a lapse of 

 more than forty years, I am now sure I was right. But the 

 picture is not yet complete. I sat down upon the mound, 

 and taking out my memorandum book, began to jot down 

 the numbers and description of the adjacent lands. My 

 thought was that almost anything in sight was good enough 

 for a farm for anybody; and such it has proven to be. 

 From that viewpoint, there was no land in any direction 

 of all the thousands of acres in sight, with possibly the ex- 

 ception of a half dozen rough quarter sections, that has not 

 since become fine, valuable and very productive farming 

 land. But to complete the picture; while writing in the 

 memorandum book, I happened to look down at old Cap- 

 tain, the dog, he v/as all atremble and crouched as if in the 

 attitude of making a spring, and looking to the north, there, 

 within thirty steps were five antelope looking upon us with 

 apparent wonder. Probably they had never seen a man 

 nor a dog before, and were curious to know what we were. 



