ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN CATTLE LAND. 115 



pitably entertained me. "If," lie remarked, as we 

 parted, " you forget my name, you'll see it written 

 on your saddle." 



Having thus fortunately escaped the necessity of 

 passing the night under the lee of some rock, I felt 

 only too glad to accept Mr. Foote' s invitation to stay, 

 while he impressed upon me that my party was lost, 

 not I. I was informed that higher up were many more 

 claims staked out, and that as yet the gold (for these 

 were placer mines) had not been found in sufficient 

 quantities to pay. A large number of miners had 

 arrived during the last few days, and formed a pretty 

 hard crowd, as it is called out West. After supper 

 the talk round the fire was all of reaching bed rock, 

 of disputed claims, of washing and panning out, of 

 quicksilver, staking out claims, and the prospect of 

 finding the " colour" in the surrounding country. 



Then came a story from Foote of the cow that 

 strayed away from his friend's ranche into the timber 

 six times, and which he was telegraphed for to track 

 each time at ten dollars a time, and which he found 

 the last time caught up and strangled by the rope 

 fastened to her neck. 



One of the miners had on a pair of buckskin pants, 

 which he was wearing and drying at the same time in 

 front of the fire. As they dried, they gradually drew 

 up till he looked as though his knees were bent ready 

 for a spring. " If you're going to jump," shouted 

 Foote, " why in tarnation don't you jump ? " Then a 

 well-known raconteur was sent for from a set of claims 



12 



