THE PERSONNEL OF THE PACK TRAIN. 



ii 



in the course of the summer, and at least 

 290 of that distance was over the most in- 

 famous trails that could be found on the 

 earth. As I have before intimated, we had 

 down timber, criscrossed and piled in 

 every shape that Satan could ever invent. 

 We had rocks scrambled and jumbled in 

 every way an earthquake, or a volcano, or 

 any possible shaking up of the earth could 

 ever place them. We had muskeags with 

 bottoms 3 feet below the surface, and oth- 



little good trail there was, and only 

 fell with me once. Not once did he 

 make a misstep, and no matter how steep 

 the hill, if I saw fit to ride up or down he 

 always landed me at the top or the bottom, 

 as the case might be, right end up with 

 care. He fell with me just once, but I do 

 not blame him for that. We were crossing 

 a big bog through which ran a brook, about 

 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Old Surefoot 

 went in all right, and would have gone out 



OLD SUREFOOT. 



ers without bottom. We forded creeks 

 running white over big boulders, and rivers 

 of innumerable channels, that ran through 

 serpentine ways over beds of quicksand. 

 We climbed hills that were so straight up 

 they leaned back, and we descended others 

 that were a little more than straight down. 

 Of course, I always dismount and lead my 

 horse up and down the steep places, and 

 over as many of the other bad places as 

 possible, but in some cases you must ride 

 or stay where you are. Old Surefoot took 

 me over all such bad spots and over what 



properly on the other side if he had had a 

 decent show ; but when he undertook to 

 mount the opposite bank one foot went 

 through the overhanging sod clear up to 

 his breast, and his hind foot being in the 

 middle of the creek, deep in the mud, the 

 situation was a little too much for him 

 and he took a header. Any horse would 

 have done likewise in his place. If I had 

 been carrying a big man I would have 

 dumped him in the creek, too. 



Old Surefoot was as strong as an ox, 

 yet as kind and as gentle as a kitten. I 



