served us the same trick. I took the liberty to ram my heel
through the whisky keg (we have kept a small one for

emergencies) and put it empty under his head for a pillow.'
There were plenty of days and nights to match these, but

there were worse in store for us.
One evening, travelling along the North Platte river, before

reaching Laramie, we overtook a Mormon family on their way to
Salt Lake city. They had a light covered wagon with hardly

anything in it but a small supply of flour and bacon. It was
drawn by four oxen and two cows. Four milch cows were

driven. The man's name was Blazzard - a Yorkshireman from
the Wolds, whose speech was that of Learoyd. He had only his

wife and a very pretty daughter of sixteen or seventeen with
him. We asked him how he became a Mormon. He answered:

'From conviction,' and entreated us to be baptized in the
true faith at his hands. The offer was tempting, for the

pretty little milkmaid might have become one of one's wives
on the spot. In truth the sweet nymph urged conversion more

persuasively than her papa - though with what views who shall
say? The old farmer's acquaintance with the Bible was

remarkable. He quoted it at every sentence, and was eloquent
upon the subject of the meaning and the origin of the word

'Bible.' He assured us the name was given to the Holy Book
from the circumstance of its contents having passed a synod

of prophets, just as an Act of Parliament passes the House of
Commons - BY BILL. Hence its title. It was this historical

fact that guaranteed the authenticity of the sacred volume.
There are various reasons for believing - this is one of

them.
The next day, being Sunday, was spent in sleep. In the

afternoon I helped the Yorkshire lassie to herd her cattle,
which had strayed a long distance amongst the rank herbage by

the banks of the Platte. The heat was intense, well over 120
in the sun; and the mosquitos rose in clouds at every step in

the wet grass. It was an easy job for me, on my little grey,
to gallop after the cows and drive them home, (it would have

been a wearisome one for her,) and she was very grateful, and
played Dorothea to my Hermann. None of our party wore any

upper clothing except a flannel shirt; I had cut off the
sleeves of mine at the elbow. This was better for rough

work, but the broiling sun had raised big blisters on my arms
and throat which were very painful. When we got back to

camp, Dorothea laved the burns for me with cool milk. Ah!
she was very pretty; and, what 'blackguard' Heine, as

Carlyle dubs him, would have called 'naive schmutzig.' When
we parted next morning I thought with a sigh that before the

autumn was over, she would be in the seraglio of Mr. Brigham
Young; who, Artemus Ward used to say, was 'the most married

man he ever knew.'
CHAPTER XXI

SPORT had been the final cause of my trip to America - sport
and the love of adventure. As the bison - buffalo, as they

are called - are now extinct, except in preserved districts,
a few words about them as they then were may interest game

hunters of the present day.
No description could convey an adequateconception of the

numbers in which they congregated. The admirable
illustrations in Catlin's great work on the North American

Indians, afford the best idea to those who have never seen
the wonderful sight itself. The districts they frequented

were vast sandy uplands sparsely covered with the tufty
buffalo or gramma grass. These regions were always within

reach of the water-courses; to which morning and evening the
herds descended by paths, after the manner of sheep or cattle

in a pasture. Never shall I forget the first time I
witnessed the extraordinary event of the evening drink.

Seeing the black masses galloping down towards the river, by
the banks of which our party were travelling, we halted some

hundred yards short of the tracks. To have been caught
amongst the animals would have been destruction; for, do what

they would to get out of one's way, the weight of the
thousands pushing on would have crushed anything that impeded

them. On the occasion I refer to we approached to within
safe distance, and fired into them till the ammunition in our

pouches was expended.
As examples of our sporting exploits, three days taken almost

at random will suffice. The season was so far advanced that,
unless we were to winter at Fort Laramie, it was necessary to

keep going. It was therefore agreed that whoever left the
line of march - that is, the vicinity of the North Platte -

for the purpose of hunting should take his chance of catching
up the rest of the party, who were to push on as speedily as

possible. On two of the days which I am about to record this
rule nearly brought me into trouble. I quote from my

journal:
'Left camp to hunt by self. Got a shot at some deer lying in

long grass on banks of a stream. While stalking, I could
hardly see or breathe for mosquitos; they were in my eyes,

nose, and mouth. Steady aim was impossible; and, to my
disgust, I missed the easiest of shots. The neck and flanks

of my little grey are as red as if painted. He is weak from
loss of blood. Fred's head is now so swollen he cannot wear

his hard hat; his eyes are bunged up, and his face is comic
to look at. Several deer and antelopes; but ground too

level, and game too wild to let one near. Hardly caring what
direction I took, followed outskirts of large wood, four or

five miles away from the river. Saw a good many summer
lodges; but knew, by the quantity of game, that the Indians

had deserted them. In the afternoon came suddenly upon deer;
and singling out one of the youngest fawns, tried to run it

down. The country being very rough, I found it hard work to
keep between it and the wood. First, my hat blew off; then a

pistol jumped out of the holster; but I was too near to give
up, - meaning to return for these things afterwards. Two or

three times I ran right over the fawn, which bleated in the
most piteous manner, but always escaped the death-blow from

the grey's hoofs. By degrees we edged nearer to the thicket,
when the fawn darted down the side of a bluff, and was lost

in the long grass and brushwood, I followed at full speed;
but, unable to arrest the impetus of the horse, we dashed

headlong into the thick scrub, and were both thrown with
violence to the ground. I was none the worse; but the poor

beast had badly hurt his shoulder, and for the time was dead
lame.

'For an hour at least I hunted, for my pistol. It was much
more to me than my hat. It was a huge horse pistol, that

threw an ounce ball of exactly the calibre of my double
rifle. I had shot several buffaloes with it, by riding close

to them in a chase; and when in danger of Indians I loaded it
with slugs. At last I found it. It was getting late; and I

didn't rightly know where I was. I made for the low country.
But as we camped last night at least two miles from the

river, on account of the swamps, the difficulty was to find
the tracks. The poor little grey and I hunted for it in

vain. The wet ground was too wet, the dry ground too hard,
to show the tracks in the now imperfect light.

'The situation was a disagreeable one: it might be two or