IN THE FAR WEST. 141 



thereafter. The master of the hounds announced his intention 

 to a few neighbours of having a grand coyote hunt one day, 

 and asked them to be participators therein ; and they promptly 

 returned an affirmative answer by coming personally the night 

 before the meet. As there were not accommodations in the 

 house for all, it was decided that some should sleep on the hay 

 in the stable, and, with true Western contempt of idle luxu- 

 riousness, they all concluded to go there ; and that matter being 

 settled in a minute, the next was to decide at what hour in the 

 morning we should start. Various hours were specified, but 

 the matter was finally determined by a veteran, who was 

 known as "an old settler," and therefore conspicuously 

 important, when he said, with true Western politeness : 

 " Gentlemen, I guess you all know more about coyotes than 

 I do, but if you'll take my good-for-nothin' advice, you'll go 

 out as airly in the mornin' as you can, for coyotes are like the 

 men that make money in the States they stay awake all 

 night athinking how they'll beat other critters, and then 

 they're up the first thing in the mornin' atryin' to carry out 

 all their nasty plans I beg your parding, young gals, for 

 sayin' ( nasty/ but that's my opinion o' coyotes ; for I think 

 they're only thievin' Injun dogs that can't be civilized. Now, 

 if we get out in the mornin' we'll be sure to take em on the 

 hop; and if we do, you'll have peltries enough (addressing the 

 M. H.) to make up for the day's loss ; and if we don't see 'em, 

 why, we'll come home airly." Therms and cons of this state- 

 ment were discussed fully, and it was finally decided that we 

 should be up at daylight, and be on the coyote ground, three 

 miles away, by four o'clock. The evening was spent in telling 

 stories of hunting experiences about all sorts of wild game, 

 and I learned more on that occasion about the natural history 

 of Western animals than I did out of all the learned works I 

 had ever read. The intervals between the tales were filled up 

 with music on the "pi-anor," as the "fust settler" called it 

 by the young ladies of the house charming 1 , independent, sell- 

 reliant and domestic young ladies, who would do honour to any 

 drawing-room in their ease, obliging behaviour, and in their 

 good looks ; but I fear they would not pass muster in their 



