14 



A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



with clubs or boot-toes and extricate us, otherwise they would 

 give the dogs aid with their guns in helping the intruders off. 

 This seemed like queer doing to me, but they were natural to 

 my comrade from the "dark and bloody ground," and under 

 his tuition I soon grew familiar with them. We at last found 

 the agent we were after, but on learning there was more or less 

 of perjury connected with the business, although we were as- 



A Country Call in Kansas in 1858. 



sured that custom sanctioned and semi-legalized it, Ave resolved 

 to touch not the unclean thing, although "there was money 

 in i-t." 



Hearing there were ox-drivers wanted at Kansas City, to 

 take a train to Santa Fe, a place I had a desire to 

 visit, I lugged my trunk down to the steamboat wharf, 

 for I was always my own porter, and when the next 



