544 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



shot a sage-cock with his revolver, and ate it raw. This effort, how. 

 ever, cost him his last cartridge. Through hard work and lack of food 

 his pony presently gave out, and necessitated long and frequent stops 

 for rest. West's feet threatened to freeze, and he cut off the skirts of 

 his overcoat to wrap them with, in place of the gunny sacking, that had 

 been worn to rags. Being afraid to go to sleep at night, he slept by 

 snatches in the warmest part of tbe day, while resting his horse. 



On the 5th day he began to despair of succor, although he still toiled 

 southward through the bad lands toward tlie Yellowstone, where people 

 lived. On the envelopes which contained my letters he kept a diary 

 of his wanderings, which could tell his story when the cowboys would 

 find his body on the spring round-up. 



On the afternoon of the sixth day he found a trail and followed it until 

 nearly night, when he came to Oree's sheep ranch, and found the solitary 

 ranchman at home. The warm-hearted frontiersman gave the starving 

 wanderers, man and horse, such a welcome as they stood in need of. 

 West solemnly declares that in twenty-four hours he ate a whole sheep. 

 After two or three days of rest and feeding both horse and rider were 

 able to go on, and in course of time reached Fort Keogh. 



Without the loss of a single day Colonel Gibson started three teams 

 and an escort up to us, and notwithstanding his terrible experience, 

 West had the pluck to accompany them as guide. His arrival among 

 us once more was like the dead coming to life again. The train reached 

 our camp on the 13th T and on the 15th we pulled out for Miles City, 

 loaded to the wagon-bows with specimens, forage, and camp plunder. 



From our camp down to the HV ranch, at the mouth of Sand Creek, 

 the trail was in a terrible condition. But, thanks to the skill and judg- 

 ment of the train-master, Mr. Ed. Haskins, and his two drivers, who 

 also knew their business well, we got safely and in good time over the 

 dangerous part of our road. Whenever our own tired and overloaded 

 team got stuck in the mud, or gave out, there was always a pair of 

 mules ready to hitch on and help us out. As a train- in aster, Mr. Has- 

 kins was a perfect model, skillful, pushing, good-tempered, and very 

 obliging. 



From the HV ranch to Miles City the trail was in fine condition, and 

 we went in as rapidly as possible, fearing to be caught in the snow- 

 storm which threatened us all the way in. We reached Miles City on 

 December 20, with our collection complete and in fine condition, and 

 the next day a snow-storm set in which lasted until the 25th, and re- 

 sulted in over a foot of snow. The ice running in the Yellowstone 

 stopped all the ferry-boats, and it was with good reason that we con- 

 gratulated ourselves on the successful termination of our hunt at that 

 particular time. Without loss of time Mr. Brown and I packed our 

 collection, which tilled twenty-one large cases, turned in our equipage 

 at Fort Keogh, sold our horses, and started on our homeward journey. 

 In due course of time the collection reached the Museum in good con- 



