396 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
Not wishing to drive up to the door of his 
private house, we alighted at the log-hut which 
represented the inn. The room was horridly dirty, 
the floor was sanded, and there was a peculiar 
smell of bad drink, and an expression of depravity 
about the establishment. 
The host was a tall man, attired as usual in a 
flannel shirt and trousers, with a belt and revolver. 
He had evidently observed an expression of dis¬ 
gust upon our faces, as he exclaimed, “Well, I 
guess we ain’t fixed up for ladies ; and p’raps it’s 
as well that you came to-day instead of last night, 
if you ain’t fond of shooting affairs. You were 
just looking at that table and thinking the table- 
cover was a bit dirty, weren’t you ? Well, last night 
Dick and Bill got to words over their cards, and 
before Dick could get out his six-shooter, young 
Bill was too quick and resolute, and he put two 
bullets through him just across this table, and he 
fell over it on his face, and never spoke a word. 
It’s a good job too that Dick’s got it at last.” 
This little incident was quite in harmony with 
the appearance of the den. I knew that letters 
had been previously forwarded from San Francisco 
to the Commandant, therefore I strolled towards 
his quarters, to leave my card and letter of intro¬ 
duction. 
Fort Fetterman is not a fort, but merely an 
open station, with a frontier guard of one company 
of troops. I met Colonel Gentry, who was, very 
kindly, on his way towards the inn to meet us on 
