RUSTLINGS IN THE ROCKIES. 



CHAPTER I. 



RUSTLINGS IN THE ROCKIES. 



CLARK'S FORK MR. ALLEN FRONTIER YARNS ROGERS DIDN'T WANT 

 TO BE KILLED IJY A BUFFALO " WHY DIDN'T YOU CATCH THE BULL 

 BY THE TAIL?" HIRAM STEWART'S NARROW ESCAPE TWENTY 

 YEARS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND NEVER SO NEAR DEATH. 



AFTER a pleasant journey of eighteen hours over the Chi- 

 cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad from Milwaukee to St. 

 Paul, and another of forty-eight hours over the Northern 

 Pacific from St. Paul, we arrived on the first day of Septem- 

 ber at the famous town of Billings, Montana, at that time the 

 temporary terminus of the Northern Pacific road, I at once 

 sought the quarters of my old friend Major Bell, of the yth 

 Cavalry, who was camped near the station, but was sadly dis- 

 appointed to learn that he was under orders to go to Bozeman 

 in a few days, and could not therefore join me in a hunt. 

 He had given four of his men permission, however, to start 

 the next morning for a five days' hunt in the Pryors Mountain 

 country, thirty-five miles distant, and kindly offered me a 

 mount if I desired to go with them ; but as this would not be 

 as long a trip as I wanted to make, I decided to decline his 

 offer and go with some friends who had gone out with me. 

 On the following day, therefore, I met them in Coulson, two 

 miles from Billings, and we arranged for a three weeks' trip 



into the mountains toward the head of Clark's Fork. 



9 



