EARLY DAY STORIES. 225 



hunting trips to western Wheeler and eastern Garfield coun- 

 ties in the early eighties with poor success; once getting 

 nothing at all, and only three white tail deer each of the other 

 two times, with not a sign of elk in a country where a few 

 years before they were so numerous. 



As I look back over the past forty-eight years, there is 

 nothing else that brings such a feeling of regret— even more 

 than regret — a feeling akin to sadness, as the total disap- 

 pearance of the elk, the antelope and the deer, and the thin- 

 ning out almost to extinction of the prairie chickens, the 

 plover, the curlew and the wild geese. 



In the fall of 1878 Mr. D. E. Beckwith and myself had 

 made arrangements to kill a load of game, if we could, for 

 the Columbus market, and had made a preliminary scouting 

 trip, as told in a previous chapter, for the purpose of locat- 

 ing a good place for the coming hunt. My youngest son, 

 DeWitt C. Leach, commonly known as Deede Leach, and 

 Mr. Beckwith's second son, Roy, were to go with us. Deede 

 and Roy were known as the twins, since as it happened, they 

 were both born on the same day. They were great chums, 

 and, if permitted, were always together. It was to be their 

 first regular hunting trip, and judging from remarks they 

 still are in the habit of making, it has so far been the most 

 important event of their lives. When we were about ready 

 to start Mr. Beckwith sent word that owing to sickness in 

 his family, he would have to delay starting, but for us to 

 go on, and he and Roy would join us as soon as his folks 

 were better. 



It was well along in November when the start was made 

 but the weather was mild, and there had been but very Httle 

 snow. We took along our little tepee, made of an old rag 

 carpet for a tent, plenty of oats and a pair of blankets for the 

 horses, and provisions for ourselves for a two weeks' trip. 

 Of course we expected to be well suppHed with venison after 



