MY FIRST TRIP TO THE ROCKIES 183 



him in order to find out how much an Indian could 

 eat at a sitting. He finally rolled off the log in a 

 comatose state, and slept where he lay till morning. 



These Indians always asked for whisky, which they 

 did not get from us, also for molasses, or anything 

 sweet, which we occasionally gave them. Their next 

 idea was a horse-deal. Every Indian always had a 

 pony to sell or to exchange. One day we witnessed 

 a pony-race, at which most of the tribe were present. 

 The ponies ran well, under severe chastisement by 

 their riders, who rode bare-backed, with short, un- 

 graceful, but firm seat. 



Our final move of this hunting-trip was to Grand 

 Encampment on the North Platte River, not far from 

 the Colorado border. We parted company with our 

 Indian friends on the best of terms, little thinking 

 that a year or two later they would be out on the 

 war-path. 



Two days' journey took us back to Jack Creek, 

 where I remember getting another fine old bull elk 

 not far from our old camp ; and in another two days 

 we had reached Grand Encampment, on the east side 

 of the main range. We camped at the foot of a steep 

 and rocky canon that penetrated far into the wooded 

 mountains, along the sides of which we hoped to 

 get some big-horn sheep. Tom Bate was fortunate 

 enough to get a fair- sized ram, but it so happened 

 that I came across nothing but ewes, one of which I 

 killed for venison. 



It was now approaching November, and the weather 

 became extremely cold. The thermometer was occa- 

 sionally down to zero at night, and everything in the 

 tent that could freeze was frozen solid by morning. 

 Going to bed meant putting more clothes on, not 



