70 IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS* 



examination, we decided it was made with Huffman's .44 

 caliber Kennedy. The pestiferous Crows had burned the 

 valley all over, and we had trouble in finding a spot that had 

 escaped the fire, where our poor animals could graze during 

 the night. 



We at last found a small patch of grass, however, that had 

 escaped the fire by being surrounded with thickets of green 

 hazel-brush, through which the fire would not run, and here 

 we made camp. Just before reaching this place we saw the 

 first bear sign of the trip. This caused our temperature to 

 rise several degrees, for bear was the very game we most de- 

 sired to find. We "hadn't lost no bar," but still we were all 

 loaded for bear, and were anxious to find some. We corraled 

 a covey of prairie-chickens just before going into camp, and 

 got seven of them. We made our camp on the top of a 

 ridge, near a small stream that empties into the river. The 

 weather was clear and beautiful, so we thought it unnecessary 

 to put up a tent. 



While the other boys were getting dinner I took a stroll 

 up the little creek on which we were camped, and saw plenty 

 of bear sign. They had bent or broken down nearly all the 

 choke-cherry and plum trees, and their tracks were numerous 

 at every place where the ground was soft enough to show 

 them. Plums and choke-cherries are abundant all along the 

 river, and the bears are coming down from the mountains 

 now to harvest them. We feasted on the plums all along the 

 trip. When I got back to camp Huffman was singing; 



" Shall we gather at the river, 

 Yes, we shall gather at the river." 



"What shall we gather at the river? " I asked. 



< < Plums, " said he. 



"That will just cost you fellows thirty days in the guard- 



