EARLY DAY STORIES. 107 



for the deer, it was decided that Hank should make camp 

 while I tried my luck for a shot. It proved to be easier than 

 was supposed — the deer was reached by crawling on hands 

 and knees under cover of a low knoll, and was killed at a 

 single shot. Camp was made and the deer brought in be- 

 fore dark. This was luck — pure luck. We were traveling 

 up the valley as fast as the team could walk but were not 

 hunting, and we found these two deer without effort on 

 our part. Wood was not to be had at this camp, and fire 

 was made of coarse slough grass, cut with our butcher 

 knives, and twisted into knots or little bundles before burn- 

 ing. 



Next day we crossed what is now the east line of Gar- 

 field county, and made camp in a thick bunch of willows. 

 Signs of deer had become plenty, and there were also elk 

 tracks not very old. We did not unload the wagon, but 

 blanketing the horses and putting them on picket ropes, we 

 ate luncheon and went off north together to prospect for 

 game. There were signs of elk and deer, and we concluded 

 that the right place had been found. About two miles from 

 camp a black-tail buck jumped out from behind a knoll and 

 starting to run was brought to the ground by one shot from 

 my rifle. The buck was dragged to camp by hand, the job 

 being an easy one as the snow here was deeper than it was 

 further down the valley. The camp was made quickly; an 

 old rag carpet stretched over eight little straight poles cut 

 from the timber on my homestead, being used as a substi- 

 tute for a regular tent. Nobody of my acquaintance at that 

 time was rich enough to afford a genuine canvas tent. How- 

 ever, our little tepee was comfortable. An opening was 

 made by turning back the edges of the carpet on one side, 

 and in front of this opening was the fire. We now had 

 everything necessary for a good camp — a comfortable sub- 

 stitute for a tent, good shelter from the winds afforded by 

 the thick brush, water and grass handy, and plenty of dead 



