EARLY DAY STORIES. 187 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Hunting Stories and Habits of Wild Animals — Continued. 



After losing my chances at the elk, as related in the 

 last chapter, I went straight back to camp, and as soon as 

 Dan came in, we struck camp, loaded up and pulled out in 

 a southwest course for Cedar river, about twelve miles away. 

 We did not stop to hunt at all on the way — in fact this was 

 not really a hunting trip as will be hereafter explained, but 

 we did want to get a few deer to take back home to give 

 our families a first feed of venison for the season. 



As has been explained in Chapter XIV, only twice did 

 I ever kill any game for market, my hunting with those two 

 exceptions having been done to get food for the family, and 

 to furnish for a few days each year the most exciting and 

 pleasurable recreation for myself. It is proper also to add 

 that for two seasons, 1872 and 1873, while in the employ of 

 the land department of the B. & M. R. R. Co., I hunted to 

 supply the surveyors' camp with venison. For this I got 

 no extra pay, as I was employed by the railroad company 

 at a certain price per month as surveyor, and most of the 

 game for the camp was killed while about my regular work. 

 A few times however, when the camp was short of meat I 

 was delegated to take a day or two off for the purpose of 

 hunting. 



At the suggestion of Mr. George Clother, proprietor 

 of the Clother House of Columbus, Neb., we — that is, Mr. 

 D. E. Beckwith and myself — were intending later in the 

 season to kill a load of game for the Columbus market. It 

 was too early as yet in the season to kill game for market 

 since the weather should be cold enough to freeze the game 

 quickly, and to keep it frozen until offered for sale. 



