860 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



usual, had on the same shabby old black coat with the 

 same eventful buttons beliind, and as usual he was 

 roasting potatoes in the hot ashes. I made no long 

 preface, and next morning found me hard at work, 

 scraping off the hair with a knife which I had prepared 

 for the purpose. Finding that I had not preserved a 

 sufficiency of brains, I was obliged to go out shooting 

 again, and Hogarth, who lived near, was willing to ac- 

 company me for a few days. 



Just as we were about to start on the following- 



o 



morning, five horsemen drew up before the door. 

 They dismounted, and Hogarth asked them to break- 

 fast, though we had just finished. After breakfast, as 

 they saw that we were ready to start, one of them 

 asked us not to go shooting to-day, but to go with 

 them, as they were on their way to execute an act of 

 justice. The case was this : Some time since had 

 settled on the banks of the little river, a set of men who 

 were found to be rather too fond of horseflesh, without 

 inquiring particularly to whom the horses belonged. 

 They lived scattered over a district of about twenty 

 miles in circumference, and almost conclusive proofs of 

 horse-stealing were brought against two of these people, 

 though the evidence was not strong enough for proceed- 

 ings against them in a court of justice, where they could 

 have an advocate, a being for whom all backwoodsmen 

 entertain a profound respect. Therefore to make short 

 work of the matter, they had decided on taking the law 

 into their own hands. A man of the name of Brogan 

 and my poor Curly were the two victims. 



Hogarth was ready at once. I resolved to go as a 

 spectator, fully resolved to take no part in the pro- 



