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PERILS AND PLEASURES 
 
 OP 
 
 A HUNTER'S LIFE; 
 
 OE THE 
 
 ROMANCE OF HUNTING 
 
 BY PEREGHIXE HERNE. 
 
 EVANS & CO., 
 
 677 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 
 
 1858. 
 
Entered, According to the Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by 
 J. W. BRADLEY, 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in an! 
 for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 PRINTED BY KING & BAIRD, 
 
 607 SANSOM STREET. 
 
tsancrof t Library 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 HUNTING, which is the amusement of most of those 
 who pursue it, is a business with many. On the 
 borders of civilization, and in the midst of barba- 
 rous and half-civilized regions, are men whose sole 
 occupation is the chase ; and, with these men, it is 
 not only an occupation, but a delight. They live 
 on the flesh of those quadrupeds and birds which 
 are considered game, and they pursue with a fierce 
 pleasure those beasts of prey which are the terror 
 of the peaceful rustic, and the destroyers of his 
 flocks and herds. The adventures of these genuine 
 hunters are full of thrilling incidents and hair- 
 breadth escapes. They constitute the romance of 
 hunting. 
 
 (v) 
 
VI - PREFACE. 
 
 In the following autobiography of a hunter, the 
 reader will find a specimen of this species of 
 romance. It is not without its moral. It shows 
 what a man is capable of daring and doing, even 
 for the mere love of adventure; and thus fore- 
 shadows what higher things he might dare and do 
 under the potent influence of a higher motive. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 A Bough Bear-faced Introduction. - - - - - 18 
 
 CHAPTEB II. 
 The Prairie Wolf and the Bocky Mountain Sheep. - 18 
 
 CHAPTEB m. 
 A Comrade and Fresh Sports. - - - - - --24 
 
 CHAPTEB IV. 
 Camp on the Little Sand/. Buffalo in abundance. - 81 
 
 CHAPTEB V. 
 Mr. Palliser and his friends. Camp Stories. .... 87 
 
 * 
 
 CHAPTEB VI. 
 Baiting for an Alligator. ------..94 
 
 CHAPTEB VH. 
 
 Mr. Palliser continues his Adventures. ----- 52 
 
 (vii) 
 
Viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Breaking up of the Prairie Camp. Return to the Mountains. 
 
 Antelope. Carcagieu. ----..-67 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Morning among the Rocky Mountains. Encounter with Sho- 
 
 shonees. A .Grizzly Bear. Fight and terrible result. 63 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Fire on the Mountains. Narrow Escape. The Beaver Region. 
 
 Trapping Beaver. -------.70 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Arrival of Joe Blaney. Kill an Arapaho. Start for the Ren- 
 dezvous. ---------- 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Life at the Trapper's Rendezvous. Adventurous engagement 
 
 with an English gentleman. - - - - - - 87 
 
 CHAPTER XTTT. 
 
 A Journey and Hunt through New Mexico. Start for South 
 
 America. ----------92 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Arrival at Rio. Hunting in the Forests of Brazil. - 99 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Buen9S Ayres. Hunting on the Pampas. - - ... 107 
 
 CHATER XVI. 
 
 Life on the Pampas. Return to Buenos Ayres. Set sail for the 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. - - - - - - -- 115 
 
CONTENTS. fe 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope. Start on a Hunting Expedi- 
 tion into the interior of Africa. ------ 122 
 
 CHAPTER XVIH 
 Exciting chase of the Gemsbok. Beauty of Orange River. Chase 
 
 of the Rhinoceros. Chase of an Elephant. - . - 128 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The Roar of the Lion. Still Hunting at the Fountain. The Lion 
 and the Lioness. The Wildebeest. Resume the March. 
 Chase of the Giraffe. Buffaloes. - - - - - 142 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Eland. A Bechuana Kraal. Herds of Wild Elephants. 
 Lions attacked by Bechuanas. Abundance of Game. The 
 Return Trip. Splendid Sport. Fall Sick. Arrival at Gra- 
 hamstown. . .- - - - - . . 165 
 
 CHATER XXI. 
 
 Arrival at Cape Town. Send the trophies to England. Start 
 for Bombay. The Town and the People. Away for the 
 Forests and Jungles. - - - - - - - -179 
 
 CHAPTER XXH. 
 
 The Route. Incidents of the Journey. Varied Scenery. Ar- 
 rival in the Region of the Tiger and the Elephant. Our first 
 Elephant Hunt in India. - - 186 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Domus. Surat. The Nature of the Jungles beyond. A Boa 
 
 Constrictor. A Tiger. A Lion. Terrible Conflict - - 194 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The City of Baroche. The Jungles again. Rhinoceros. Ante- 
 lope. Camp in the Jungle. Alarm. A Lion. Sahtee. Ar- 
 rival at Baroda. - . . - - * - - 205 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Baroda. Continue our Journey northward. A Singular Mode 
 of Hunting the Tiger. The Falcon and the Crows. Boute 
 toCambay. 218 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Cambay. Th% Journey through North Guzerat. The Ichneumon. 
 Adventure with a Cobra di Capello. Elephant Catching. 
 Hunting the Tiger with Elephants. Ahmedabad. Start to 
 Return by water to Bombay. ------ 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Leave Bombay for Suez. Journey through Egypt. Sail from 
 Alexandria for Gibraltar. Journey through Spain. Crossing 
 the Pyrenees. Encounter with a Bear, France. England. 245 
 
 CHAPTER XXVm. 
 
 England. Mr. Barrill's Country Seat. A Hunting Expedition to 
 Tyrol. Our first Chamois Hunt and its Thrilling Incidents. 
 Adventures of Chamois Hunters. Return to England. Pre- 
 pare to Start for America. 260 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 America. The Native Land. Purchase a House in Texas. Jour- 
 ney to Brown's Hole. The Farmer and the Hunter. Con- 
 cluding Picture. 290 
 
 A Pigeon Hunt on the Ohio. 
 A Wild-Hog Hunt in Texas. 
 Hunting the Black-tailed Deer. 
 
PERILS AND PLEASURES 
 
 OF 
 
 A HUNTER'S LIFE, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 A ROUGH, BEAR-FACED INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE grizzly monster glared at me from his rocky perch 
 with 'the eyes of a fury. It was no time for hesitation. 
 I raised my rifle, took a quick aim at the shoulder of the 
 bear, the only part fairly exposed and fired. The 
 next moment there was an awful growl, and my fierce 
 enemy came limping down the pass towards me. I 
 turned and ran toward a small pine that stood by the side 
 of the pass, about a hundred yards from the spot where 
 I had fired. I reached the tree, dropped my rifle, and, 
 with a few rapid jerks, reached the lower limb, just as 
 the bear dashed to the foot. Such was the monster's 
 
 2 (13) 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tremendous strength, that as he clasped the tree I thought 
 he would break its trunk in twain. How he growled and 
 glared ! But I felt comparatively safe ; and with a mali- 
 cious coolness, I pulled out my revolver, and shot ball 
 after ball into the vital parts of the bear, who at length, 
 after 'receiving the ust ball in his side, fell over and 
 yielded his breath. 
 
 "An admirable exploit!" the inexperienced reader 
 would, perchance, exclaim. But as a practised hand with 
 the rifle and revolver, among the crags of the Rocky 
 Mountains, I could not consider it as such. My father 
 old Peregrine Herne may he have reached the happy 
 hunting-grounds ! would have snapped his fingers at the 
 achievement, and I who was ambitious of " treading in 
 the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor" merely 
 judged that I had done pretty well. I was then about 
 twenty-five years of age. Up to my twentieth year I 
 had resided in St. Louis, with my mother, more attentive 
 to books than mountain and prairie sports. My mother 
 died, and I then joined my father, who was the most 
 restless of men in his hunting expeditions in the far 
 west. Five years of such a life had given me the expe- 
 rience necessarv to make a hardy mountaineer and a 
 successful hunter. Having killed many a bear, and 
 made many a narrow escape from death, it couid not be 
 expected that the destruction of the animal mentioned 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 above should be to my mind an admirable exploit, how* 
 ever it may appear to the uninitiated. 
 
 The vanquished bear was of considerable size weigh- 
 ing probably twelve hundred pounds. I had frequently 
 seen them much larger, bears weighing fifteen hundred 
 pounds being common in the Rocky Mountains. The 
 skin, I thought, would be a valuable addition to my pack, 
 and the fat sides promised me good living for several 
 days. Skinning the bear was quickly performed. Ac- 
 cording to the custom of the mountaineers, I cut off one 
 of the hind feet to retain as a trophy ; then secured my 
 steaks hungry as I was, they made my mouth water, 
 as the phrase goes and leaving the carcass to the wolves, 
 descended to the foot of the pass. 
 
 My faithful mules Old Fly grass and Young Oregon 
 were cropping the scanty herbage near a small rivulet that 
 ran at the foot of the rocks. Their packs were lying under 
 a ledge a shady spot where I had resolved to encamp 
 when startled by the bear-sign. It was the afternoon of 
 a June day the sun was very warm, and having jour- 
 neyed about twenty miles since daybreak, I was fatigued 
 enough to en-joy a cool shade, a good meal, and a few 
 whiffs of the pipe. Kindling a fire was a work of some 
 difficulty. Trees were scarce near the Pass. I was at 
 least half an hour in gathering dry twigs, bark, and leaves, 
 nearly the same time was occupied in hunting up a 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 stout limb for what is usually called a "back-log." But 
 the fire was kindled, and with the ramrod of my rifle I 
 spitted the steaks for broiling. The mules were tethered 
 so as to allow them plenty of grazing room, and then my 
 mountain camp was formed. And now while the meat is 
 simmering before the fire, and I am preparing my sea- 
 soning, I can find time to let the reader know where I 
 am, how I got there, and what is my object. 
 
 My camp was within about twenty miles of the Great 
 South Pass, in the Rocky Mountains, at the foot of a 
 narrow rugged path, worn by hunters and war-parties of 
 Indians. At this point, the mountains were neither lofty 
 nor steep, but very rocky and bare. The rivulet of which 
 I have spoken was one of the many which went to form 
 the Sweet Water River. From the foot of the mountain 
 an undulating plain stretched away, covered with a short 
 parched grass. Occasionally a small band of buffaloes, 
 a straggling deer, or some gaunt wolves would appear in 
 the distance, linger awhile, and then hurry out of sight, 
 while prairie-dogs, chameleons, and enormous beetles 
 were constantly to be seen, playing among the grass and 
 sand. From my camp, I 'could see the Wind River 
 Mountains, glittering in mantles of snow, while the Sweet 
 Water Mountain capped in clouds, looked gray and cool, 
 in striking contrast with the plain at its foot. 
 
 So much for my situation. As to the wherefore of my 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 being there, a few words of explanation will suffice. I 
 had been trapping beaver up the Yellow Stone, and hav- 
 ing been forced to leave that region by the bands of 
 Blackfeet, before I had fairly begun to trap, I had come 
 to the mountains, with the hope of making a pack of 
 bear-skins, or at least, of living well upon the meat of the 
 bear and the Rocky Mountain sheep. Thus far I had 
 met with tolerable fortune, having already stowed away 
 in my packs, three bear-skins, four sheep-skins, and about 
 a dozen deer-skins. Still I had much work to perform, 
 to earn my winter's support at the mountaineer rendez- 
 vous, "Brown's Hole." Deprived of my usual stock of 
 beaver, which always brought me a good living price, I 
 knew that it would take many a hunt to supply the defi- 
 ciency. However, my mules were sound, my arms in 
 prime order, and my ammunition was abundant. I had 
 the fullest confidence in my own ability to contend with 
 the dangers and privations of the wilderness, and as I 
 laid myself by the fire on that June night, with the starry 
 sky for a roof, and the howling of the prairie-wolf for my 
 lullaby. I feared neither wild beast nor savage man. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE PRAIRIE WOLF AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN 
 SHEEP. 
 
 I CONTINUED hunting in the neighborhood of the South 
 Pass the region in which game of all kinds was abundant, 
 and where my solitary life was occasionally relieved by a 
 meeting with hunters or emigrants. The only Indians I 
 cared to avoid were the Arapahoes and Blackfeet. Strag- 
 gling parties of those tribes occasionally appeared in close 
 proximity to me, but I always contrived to conceal my- 
 self, so as to escape their notice. Most of the tribes were 
 friendly to the white hunters, and with many of the chiefs 
 I had an acquaintance intimate enough to insure me 
 against attack. I was known among them as a good 
 hunter, and was always sure of a welcome at their lodges. 
 
 My daily expeditions were enlivened with many adven- 
 tures and some occurrences not altogether agreeable. 
 One day I shot a deer, and as I was about to butcher it, 
 (18) 
 
HUNTING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
 
PRAIRIE WOLF AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 19 
 
 another, much fatter, came in sight. Thinking to make 
 property of both animals, I left the dead one on the 
 ground and sprang off in pursuit of the one last seen. 
 After a cautious chase of about a quarter of a mile, I suc- 
 ceeded in getting a fair shot, and dropped the deer. He 
 was a noble fellow, evidently destroyed in his prime. 
 Shouldering him, I hastened back to the spot where I had 
 left the first deer killed. Not a particle was visible ex- 
 cept some hair ; but at a distance of some hundred yards, 
 a dozen coyotes, or prairie-wolves, were feasting on a 
 lump of something which proved to be the remains of my 
 deer. When I dispersed these cowardly gluttons, I found 
 that a handful of hair was all that was left of it. 
 
 The prairie wolf is an animal of wonderful sagacity. 
 It will follow hunters all day, at less than a hundred 
 yards' distance, stopping when they stop, sitting down 
 quietly when game is killed, rushing to devour the offal 
 when the hunter retires. If a deer or antelope is wounded, 
 the wolves immediately pursue it and sometimes pull the 
 animal down in time for the hunter to come up and rescue 
 it from their ravenous clutches. One day I killed a buck 
 which was so poor that I left the carcass on the ground, 
 as unworthy of the trouble of cutting up. Six small 
 prairie-wolves had attended my excursion that day, and 
 before I had left the deer twenty paces, they had com- 
 menced the work of destruction. About fifteen minutes 
 
20 PRAIRIE WOLF AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
 
 afterwards, I looked back, and saw the same wolves fol- 
 lowing me. Thinking it scarcely possible that they had 
 devoured the whole deer in so short a space of time, I re- 
 turned, an I was astonished at finding nothing but a pile 
 of bones and hair. A short time afterwards, I killed a 
 black-tailed deer, and it was also in a wretched condition, 
 I merely took the fleeces, (or the meat from the back and 
 ribs,) and left the rest of the animal untouched. I then 
 walked away, and sitting down quietly on a rock, watched 
 the operation of the wolves. They hurried to the deer 
 as if famished, and commenced tugging, snarling, biting, 
 and swallowing, seemingly at the same time. At the 
 end of five minutes, they withdrew, and nothing remained 
 on the ground but a well-picked skeleton. During the 
 day,, they swallowed three entire deer. The voracity of 
 these animals was always astonishing to me for I could 
 not help wondering where they stowed all they ate. The 
 coyote is not as bold and fierce as the large gray wolf, 
 and man has little reason to dread a flock of them. I 
 frequently chased them from my camp, with no weapon 
 but my ramrod. 
 
 My favorite game, in an epicurean point of view, was the 
 Rocky Mountain sheep, called by the Mexicans, the 
 carnero cimaron. This animal partakes of the nature of 
 both the deer and the goat, resembling the latter in its 
 habits and fondness of lofty crags of the mountains, 
 
PRAIRIE WOLF AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 21 
 
 whence it seldom descends to the valleys. Its color is a 
 brownish dun, with a whitish streak on its hind quarters 
 the tail being tipped with black. The horns of the male 
 are enormous, curved backward, and often three feet in 
 length, with a circumference of twenty inches near the 
 head. The cimaron makes tremendous leaps down preci- 
 pices, invariably alighting on its horns. Their senses are 
 very acute, and sentinels are always on the watch, so 
 that it is difficult to get within rifle-shot of them. I had 
 read of the chamois hunts in the Alps ; but I did not 
 believe that the chase of that swift animal was attended 
 with a great deal more danger and excitement than 
 hunting the cimaron. 
 
 One day, I got within rifle-shot of a cimaron, in a 
 rather singular way. I was leaning against a steep rock, 
 a considerable distance up the mountain, and enjoying a 
 smoke. Happening to scent a peculiar odor, I looked up 
 and was surprised to perceive four cimarons not far above 
 me. I noiselessly grasped my rifle; but the motion, 
 slight as it was, was sufficient to alarm the animals, and 
 with a loud bleat they dashed up the mountain at so rapid 
 a rate that all attempts to get a good shot were vain. 
 When, however, they reached a little plateau about a 
 hundred and fifty yards from where I stood, they sud- 
 denly stopped, and approaching the edge, looked down 
 at me. As soon as I saw them stop, I lifted up my rifle. 
 
22 PKAIRIE WOLF AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
 
 took aim at the side of the cimaron nearest me, and fired. 
 The animal jumped from the rock, and made an effort 
 to follow its flying companions ; but its strength failed, 
 and after some convulsive struggle, sit fell over the rock, 
 down almost to my feet, and laid dead. It was a young 
 and fat cimaron, and that evening, when I camped, ac- 
 cording to custom, under shelter of the rocks, I made a 
 glorious meal of the juicy flesh. 
 
 Hunting the cimaron was to me the most arduous as 
 well as the most exciting of sports. Many a day I fol- 
 lowed a flock of these animals without killing a single 
 one. They led me over paths, where a slight slip of the 
 foot, would have sent me to destruction. I learned to 
 leap with them from crag to crag, and to jump down pre- 
 cipices which at other times I would have cautiously 
 avoided. One day I wounded a young sheep, which I 
 determined to keep and train as a companion. It was a 
 brisk little animal, and as soon as its wound had partly 
 healed, its gambols about my camp became a source of 
 genuine pleasure to me. These animals are quite intelli- 
 gent, and quick to attach themselves to human beings. 
 My young cimaron soon learned to come at my call, and 
 when I stretched myself by the fire to sleep, to huddle 
 beside me. Many a wolf lurked near, in extreme hunger 
 for a taste of Fondle's sweet flesh, but they kept clear 
 of my protecting arm. 
 
PRAIRIE WOLF AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 23 
 
 One night, a famished pack of coyotes made an attack 
 on my little camp in a desperate attempt to get hold of 
 my pet. In an instant I was on my feet, and as Fondle 
 set up a piteous bleating, blazed away at the wolves, and 
 stretched four of them dead. The rest fled with some 
 thing like the speed of the wind. 
 
 The wolves occasionally displayed astonishing audacity. 
 They came within twenty feet of my fire, and I had much 
 difficulty in preventing them from gnawing away the 
 leather ropes by which my mules were tethered One 
 night, they succeeded ; but luckily I awoke just p.bout 
 the time that my mules felt their liberty, and dispersing 
 the wolves by a shot, I once more secured iny 
 near the fire, and stretched myself to repose. 
 
 . 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 
 
 ON A bright day in July> I was sitting near the foot of 
 the Pass mentioned at the commencement of this narra- 
 tive, when an unexpected sight greeted my eyes. Com- 
 ing leisurely along at the foot of the mountains were 
 three mules, two of which were laden with packs, while 
 upon the other rode a hunter, who, on a near approach, I 
 recognised to be an old acquaintance of my father's, called 
 Joe Blaney. He did not immediately recognise me ; but 
 with his rifle thrown over his arm, ready for emergency, 
 he rode up. 
 
 "Wagh, no!" he exclaimed. "Young Peregrine, or 
 I an't Joe Blaney, now," and he quickly dismounted and 
 gave me his hand. After the customary salutations of 
 the rough and ready hunters, I inquired. 
 
 "Where from, Joe?" 
 
 " New Mexican country^ Santa Fe, and there abouts ; 
 been up the Yellow Stone. Blackfeet thicker than beaver 
 (24) 
 
A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 25 
 
 up there, Peregrine. Must go the buffalo, bear, deer, and 
 sheep, instead, now, boy. Buffalo thick on the plains." 
 
 " Let's join, Joe. I'm getting a little tired of the moun- 
 tains, and like yourself have been driven away from the 
 Yellow Stone beaver. Let us camp to night, and in the 
 morning strike across the prairies," said I, and my ser- 
 vices were immediately given to aid Joe in preparing to 
 encamp. 
 
 He had three fine young mules ; his traps were in the 
 best order, and he had abundance of ammunition. The 
 hunter was about forty years of age. His face was sharp 
 and gaunt. His head was always bent forward, giving 
 him the appearance of being hump-backed ; but in stature 
 he was rather above the ordinary height. His twinkling 
 eyes seemed to look on all sides of him at once, so restless 
 were they. His voice was at all times loud, sharp, and 
 ringing. His costume was very much like my own, but 
 rather the worse for wear. It consisted of an old felt 
 hat, hunting-shirt, and leggings of leather, shining with 
 grease mocassins, and heavy Mexican spurs. In the 
 shoulder-belt which sustained his bullet-pouch and, powder- 
 horn, were fastened an awl, with deer-horn handle, a worm 
 for cleaning his rifle, a squat-looking bullet mould, and a 
 little bottle, made from antelope horn, which contained 
 the " medicine," used in baiting the beaver-traps. His 
 rifle looked like one of the best quality and although I 
 
 3 
 
26 A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 
 
 had a strong arm, I doubted my ability to hold that 
 shooting-iron long presented. 
 
 We had a pleasant camp that night. Joe gave me a 
 great deal of information in regard to the condition of 
 things at the trading-posts, and in New Mexico, told 
 stories of his recent hunting expeditions, and showed him- 
 self a cheerful and entertaining companion. When I ex- 
 pressed my perplexity in regard to the disposal of Fondle, 
 during our hunting expeditions on the prairies, Joe in- 
 formed me that the proprietor of "Brown's Hole" sta- 
 tion would pay a good price for a tame cimaron, and I 
 then determined to go to the trouble of taking care of the 
 animal until I went to that rendezvous. The next day 
 we crossed the mountains, and at night encamped at the 
 edge of the prairies, near the head waters of the Colorado. 
 Morning had scarcely streaked the east, when we were 
 abroad in the prairie. Fondle was tied to the girth of my 
 pack mule, Flygrass who evidently felt very uneasy at the 
 proximity of the cimaron, but travelled along very well, 
 every thing considered. Within an hour we were far 
 enough advanced on the prairie to expect to see many 
 buffaloes ; but we saw only a few, and they did not look 
 in a very good condition. They were bulls ; and, as is 
 well known, buffalo bull meat is very rank and tough, 
 from June to September. We knew, however, that 
 these animals were the sentinels of a herd of cows. 
 
A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 27 
 
 and as th'ey fled, we followed, first tethering our pack 
 mules. 
 
 On reaching the summit of a low bluff, we caught 
 sight of a herd of buffaloes, quietly cropping the grass, 
 almost within rifle-shot. I judged there were about five 
 hundred large fat cows in the herd. They discovered us 
 almost as soon as we reached the top of the bluff, a'hd 
 scampered off with a rumbling noise that seemed to make 
 the ground tremble. Each of us singled out a fat ani- 
 mal, which we endeavored to separate from the rest. Joe 
 succeeded in accomplishing this very soon. But I had 
 a long chase and a dangerous struggle, before I could 
 drive my cow from the herd. There is but one spot where 
 a buffalo may be mortally wounded at the first shot. This 
 vulnerable place is a few inches above the brisket, be- 
 hind the shoulder. I took a cautious aim and fired. The 
 buffalo was immediately brought to a stand, and I con- 
 cluded that the shot was a clean one, and that, as the 
 hunters have it, I had " thrown it in its tracks." After 
 the mortal wound is given, it is a great point to keep in 
 the rear of the fierce beast, as, unless it sees its enemy, 
 it will remain still. I was fortunate enough to keep from 
 its view, and while reloading could observe its efforts to 
 remain upright. It braced itself on its legs, swayed from 
 side to side, and stamped impatiently as it felt a grow- 
 ing weakness. It planted its limbs farther apart, but to 
 
28 A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 
 
 no purpose. As the body rolled, its head turned slowlj 
 from side to side, as if seeking for its foe. Gradually 
 the failing limbs refused to support the ponderous car- 
 cass. Suddenly, a convulsive tremor seized it, and, with 
 a fierce gasp, the mighty beast fell upon the plain, stark 
 and stiff. 
 
 In the meantime, Joe had more difficulty in securing 
 his prize. The first shot had failed to reach the vitals, 
 and the buffalo turned fiercely upon the hunter, who im- 
 mediately put spurs to his mule, reloading his rifle as he 
 fled. When a short distance from the herd, the buffalo 
 stopped and seemed disposed to return to his companions. 
 Joe immediately checked his mule, turned, and, as after- 
 wards ascertained, shot the buffalo through the heart. 
 Yet such is the extraordinary tenacity of life in these 
 animals that this mortally wounded cow chased Joe 
 about a quarter of a mile before it fell in the agonies of 
 death. 
 
 Regardless of the remainder of the herd, we now turned 
 our attention to securing the valuable portions of the ani- 
 mals we had killed. Mine was a splendid prize. The 
 depouille, or fleeces, the meat of the back and ribs 
 showed about four inches of solid fat. This, with the 
 short and delicious hump-rib and tender loin, the " bou- 
 dins," the medullary intestine, and the tongue, being 
 secured and wrapped in the hide, the carcass was left to 
 
A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 29 
 
 the wolves, which were not very long in taking the burden 
 from the prairie. Joe's cow was not as fat as the one I 
 killed ; but still, it was a fine animal. 
 
 We had a delicious meal upon the prairie that, day. 
 Strangers to such a mode of life would have been asto- 
 nished at the quantity of food we put beneath our belts 
 The hunters are generally immense eaters, owing to the 
 severity of their exercise and the bracing climate of the 
 mountains and plains. Joe Blaney and myself were no 
 exceptions. When we had concluded our meal, our sup- 
 ply of meat was just about sufficient for another feast and 
 no more. Not a particle of the delicious "boudins," 
 was left. 
 
 Soon after the meal, we packed up and set out to find 
 a good camping ground for the night. The scenery of 
 the prairie over which we were travelling was rather 
 monotonous. Occasionally we came upon a small stream, 
 muddied by the buffaloes, the banks being somewhat ele- 
 vated. But trees were scarce. ' In the course of our 
 march, we shot a black-tailed deer, and two more buffa- 
 loes, which considerably enlarged our prospects of a suc- 
 cessful expedition. Near an inconsiderable stream that 
 emptied into the Colorado, we came upon a small party 
 of Crow Indians. They were hideously daubed with the 
 war-paint. I knew their chief, Little Robber, and in 
 consequence, the meeting was not attended with any un- 
 
 3* 
 
80 A COMRADE AND FRESH SPORTS. 
 
 pleasant circumstances. The chief informed us that he 
 was reconnoitring, as the Crows contemplated an expedi- 
 tion against the Sioux. We gave him what information 
 we could, of the condition of the neighboring tribes, and 
 then passed on. Shortly before dark, we reached a well- 
 wooded bottom, through which flowed a tolerably clear 
 stream, called the Little Sandy, tributary to the Colorado, 
 and there we made our camp, fully satisfied with our 
 day's success. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CAMP ON THE LITTLE SANDY. BUFFALO I!," 
 ABUNDANCE. 
 
 As we resolved to form a permanent camp on the 
 banks of the Little Sandy, some description of the river 
 and the surrounding country may be necessary. The 
 stream was about forty feet wide, but only two or three 
 deep, with a swift current, running over a sandy bed. It 
 was timbered with a growth of low, bushy willows, among 
 which were verdant patches, aifording fine pasture for the 
 mules. Up the stream, at a considerable distance from 
 our camp, were some hills of granite, presenting a bare 
 aspect, while the rest of the country, as far as could be 
 seen in front, -and in the rear to the base of the moun- 
 tains, was undulated and diversified with an alternation 
 of grassy and sandy levels. 
 
 Our camp was formed beneath the shade of the largest 
 
 (31) 
 
32 THE LITTLE SANDY BUFFALO IN ABUNDANCE. 
 
 willows upon the sloping bank. We cleared a space 
 about twenty-five feet square, and around its sides ex- 
 cept that of the stream planted a stout picketing of 
 the strongest willow branches we could find. At each 
 end farthest from the stream, we constructed a rude shed, 
 and made couches of our packs. The fire was kindled in 
 the centre of the camp. It was agreed that our mules 
 and Fondle should be brought within the pickets at night, 
 so that they might be more easily defended against the 
 savages and wolves. 
 
 It was late, and the moon was high in the sky that 
 night before the camp was completed ; so tired were we, 
 that the sun was high above the prairie next morning, 
 before we opened our eyes. Joe was up and moving 
 about for some time before I awoke. His iron frame could 
 bear the brunt of many a day's severe toil. He wanted 
 but little rest, and was so constituted that he could take 
 that any where. Hardy as I was, I could not have 
 attempted to compete with this veteran hunter. 
 
 Our breakfast was quickly dispatched ; for we saw 
 plenty of buffalo not far from camp, and we were " eager 
 for the fray." This day we resolved to try our skill at 
 what is called " still hunting" approaching the buffalo 
 on foot. The head of this animal is so thickly hung with 
 long, shaggy hair, that it is almost precluded from seeing 
 an object directly in its front ; and if the wind be against 
 
THE LITTLE SANDY BUFFALO IN ABUNDANCE. 33 
 
 the hunter, he can approach with caution, a buffalo feed 
 ing on a prairie as level as a floor. Its sense of smell, 
 however, is so acute, that when the hunter is to wind- 
 ward, half a mile distant, it will be seen to snuff the air 
 and satisfy itself of danger. 
 
 "We separated and approached a small band of buffaloes, 
 about three-quarters of a mile from camp, and on the same 
 side of the stream. I crept up the bottom as far as I 
 wished to go, while Joe struck out on the prairie, some- 
 times crawling along the ground, and then running 
 swiftly, but lightly, as the heads of the buffaloes were 
 turned from him. I contrived to get within pistol-shot 
 of the small herd, and then almost lying flat on the 
 ground, took a steady aim, banged away, and almost 
 immediately saw a fat cow totter. About the same time, 
 Joe, who had approached near enough to touch the buf- 
 falo with his rifle-barrel, shot her dead. The rest of the 
 herd scampered away without turning to look at us. The 
 animal shot by me soon fell upon its side, and was dead. 
 Then came the work of butchery, and carrying meat and 
 hides to camp where Joe remained to prepare a secure 
 meat-shed, and make preparations for preserving some 
 of the best portions of the buffalo, while I set out for 
 new game. 
 
 This time I went about a mile from camp before I suc- 
 ceeded in getting within rifle-shot of a buffalo. Two or 
 
34 THE LITTLE SANDY BUFFALO IN ABUNDANCE. 
 
 three times the animals scented my proximity in season 
 to escape ; but at length, I struck a cow in the shoulder. 
 The wound enraged her and she turned quickly to catch 
 sight of her foe. I had much trouble in dodging around 
 to keep in her rear, and reloading my rifle Being once 
 more prepared, I blazed away, and this time made a better 
 shot, doubtless hitting in the lungs. Still, the animal 
 maintained her feet, and turning suddenly around so as 
 to front me, made a rapid charge, so that it was with ex- 
 treme exertion that I kept clear of her threatening horns. 
 At length she checked herself, feeling her weakness, and 
 I coolly gave her the coup de grace. 
 
 One more buffalo, a black-tailed deer, and an elk, were 
 the reward of this day's hunt. The elk I shot as it was 
 standing under the willows, on the banks of the Little 
 Sandy, whither it had come to drink and to escape from 
 the annoyance of the flies. In point of size, this animal 
 ranks next to the buffalo. It is found in all parts of the 
 mountains, and descends not imfrequently far down into 
 the plains, in the vicinity of the larger streams. A full 
 grown elk is as large as a mule, with rather a heavy neck 
 and body, and stout limbs, its feet leaving a track as 
 large as that of a two-year old steer. They are dull, 
 sluggish animals, at least in comparison with others of 
 the deer tribe, and are easily approached and killed. In 
 winter they congregate in large herds, often numbering 
 
THE LITTLE SANDY BUFFALO IN ABUNDANCE. 35 
 
 several hundreds ; and at that season are fond of tra- 
 velling, their tracks through the snow having the appear- 
 ance of a broad beaten road. The elk requires less kill- 
 ing than any other of the deer tribe, (whose tenacity of 
 life is remarkable ;) a shot any where in the fore part of 
 the animal brings it to the ground. A deer, on the con- 
 trary, often runs a considerable distance, strike it where 
 you will. The meat of the elk is strong-flavored, and 
 more like "poor bull" than venison; it is only eatable 
 when the animal is fat and in good condition ; at other 
 times it is strong-tasted and stringy. 
 
 Joe and I shook hands on our prospects that evening, 
 and lived, if not like princes, as deliciously as moun- 
 taineers care to live. We retired to repose at an early 
 hour, with full stomachs and happy hearts, which pro- 
 mised a good night's rest. Suddenly, we heard a noise 
 like distant thunder, but somewhat more steady. The 
 noise gradually increased, and drew near camp. Placing 
 our ears close to the ground, we could distinguish the 
 roaring tramp of buffaloes upon the plain ; and as the 
 moon came from behind a cloud, I saw the prairie was 
 covered by a dark mass which undulated like the waves 
 of the sea. We were in a perilous situation, for when 
 thousands of these animals are pouring over the plain, it 
 is almost impossible to change their course, particularly, 
 at night, the myriads in the rear, pushing on those in 
 
36 THE LITTLE SANDY BUFFALO IN ABUNDANCE. 
 
 front. Even if we were not crushed by the immense tor- 
 rent of animal life, our beasts would be borne away. We 
 shouted and fired our rifles, and happily succeeded in 
 keeping the herd upon one side of our camp. Still, as 
 the buffaloes rushed into the stream, and thundered past 
 us, some of them grazed our pickets, and greatly fright- 
 ened the mules. We had splendid opportunities for kill- 
 ing the game, but we were too glad of our escape to at- 
 tempt to bring a buffalo to the ground. I have seen 
 many wonders of nature, but nothing comparable in gran- 
 deur to the thundering march of such a herd of buffaloes 
 upon the prairies. 
 
 The danger being over, we quieted our animals, and 
 once more stretched ourselves to repose. Fondle was so 
 much alarmed that I had to take the pet to my side, and 
 hug it as if it had been a child, to quell its fright. 
 

 CHAPTER V. 
 MR. PALLISER AND HIS FRIENDS. CAMP STORIES. 
 
 ONE evening after we had actually wearied ourselves 
 in slaughtering buffaloes, we sat by our camp-fire, pre- 
 paring a meal, for which we had a huge appetite. We 
 were in excellent spirits, and in spite of our fatigue, were 
 disposed to " eat, drink, and be merry." At such a time, 
 Joe Blaney usually let off his extra good feeling in long 
 stories of his mountain and prairie experience, and he was 
 just beginning one that was never known to have a ter- 
 mination, when I descried a small party coming across 
 the prairie, in the direction of our camp. The first idea 
 was that they were Indians, and our rifles were quickly 
 prepared for action. But Joe's keen eye soon settled the 
 matter, by making the strangers out to be white hunters, 
 and followed by pack-mules. In a few minutes they were 
 near enough for us to see that the men were four in num- 
 ber. Their mules were heavily burdened with skins and 
 
 4 (37) 
 
38 ME. PALLISER. AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 provisions, and did not seem to be in sound condition. 
 "We waited with patience till the party came to the oppo- 
 site bank of the stream, when a salute was exchanged. 
 
 " How are you friends ?" said the leader of the horse- 
 men, a tall, noble-looking man, handsomely dressed in 
 hunting costume. " This seems to be a good camping- 
 ground. Have you any objections to our stopping along- 
 side for the night ? 
 
 " Of course not," I replied. " In fact we are rathei 
 glad that you -propose to do so, because the Arapahoes 
 are lurking among the mountains. Besides, the more 
 the merrier, this night, for we have heaped up the buffalo 
 to-day." 
 
 "Very well," said the hunter who had accosted s 
 " We will cross a short distance above, picket our animals 
 where that bit of green is, and visit your camp. Come, 
 Bill !" The two last words were addressed to a huntei 
 at his side. 
 
 The party crossed the stream, dismounted, tethered 
 their animals, carried their large packs within our picket- 
 ing, where, when piled up, they helped to form a breast- 
 work, and then brought a quantity of rare meat, biscuit, 
 and brandy, to extend the supper for the, whole party. 
 In the meantime, however, the hunter alluded to as Bill, 
 was left as a guard among the animals, a short distance 
 up the stream. 
 
MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 39 
 
 As soon as we were comfortably seated around the fire, 
 the leader of the party introduced himself as a Mr. John 
 Palliser, an English gentleman, who had traversed the 
 prairies to see their variety of scenery, and enjoy their 
 splendid sports. His companions were citizens of the 
 western states, who accompanied him in the expedition. 
 Two of them I recognised as experienced hunters and 
 trappers on the Missouri. Mr. Palliser .expressed him- 
 self delighted with the exciting nature of life on the 
 plains. He was a lively, talkative companion, and while 
 we were discussing the meal, he told us, in an animated 
 style, phases of his short experience in prairie sport. 
 
 " Of course, said he, " such adventures as those with 
 which I have met are. trifles to such veteran hunters as 
 yourselves. But some of them have been just about as 
 thrilling and perilous as I wish to undergo. My first 
 dashes at buffalo hunting were made near Fort Union, 
 on the Missouri. It was about Christmas time. 
 
 " I started off one day by myself after a large herd of 
 buffalo, about three miles westward of the fort, adopting 
 the novel expedient of carrying with me a white blanket 
 in order to stalk them. I took such a course as not to give 
 the herd my wind, and with the cover afforded by the 
 point, succeeded in getting within a couple of hundred yards 
 of them. I crept forward on my hands and knees, covered 
 by the blanket, which prevented them from distinguishing 
 
40 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. fc 
 
 me amidst the surrounding snow, and enabled me to ap- 
 proach until I came within shot. I continued creeping 
 around them, singling out the best and the fattest of the 
 cows for upwards of an hour, arid it was not until I had 
 laid five of their number low that they smelt a rat, and 
 bolted off unanimiously, shaking their shaggy heads and 
 ploughing up the snow. 
 
 " In two days all the fresh meat I had brought in that 
 evening was gone, and the buffaloes were four or five miles 
 off; taking my friend, the little gray, I stole out with 
 him unperceived, and had a splendid run, flooring a cow, 
 and wounding a bull, which I left for the present, and 
 stretching away at full speed, I pursued after another 
 uncommonly fine fat cow. She gave me an awful chase, 
 turning and doubling immediately. My little horse was 
 sorely at a disadvantage in the snow, and began to show 
 symptoms of distress ; but I could not manage to get a 
 broadside shot. At last making one more push, I got 
 pretty close behind her, and raising myself in my stir- 
 rups, fired down upon her. The effect was grand. She 
 dropped down at the report, the bullet breaking her 
 spine. My little horse unable to stop himself rolled 
 right over her, making a complete sommerset, and send- 
 ing me, gun and all, flying clean over both of them into 
 a snow drift. I leaped up, ran back to my horse, which 
 I caught without onuch difficulty, and was glad to find no 
 
* MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 41 
 
 more hurt than myself. My gun was filled with snow of 
 course, but otherwise uninjured. I certainly was in luck 
 that day, for the guard of the horses at the fort joined 
 me soon afterwards ; he had seen the buffalo, running, 
 and came to my assistance to secure and pack the meat, 
 so that I was enabled to get home and put my gallant 
 little gray quietly into his stable again. 
 
 " You came off lucky in that throw," said Joe. 
 " 'Twartn't much. If you hunt the buffalo you must ex- 
 pect many a tumble, and you can bless yourself if you 
 keep your neck straight. Old Bill Muggin that once 
 hunted hereaway, was tumbled on his head, and he never 
 troubled himself to get up again, no way. But have you 
 done any thing in the mountains, Mister ? there's hunt- 
 ing for a genuine sportsman Running after the big horn 
 cimaron and the grizzlies that's sport. 
 
 " I can boast of having hunted successfully among the 
 mountains," replied Mr. Palliser. "And I have seen 
 that famous monster the grizzly bear. I was hunting 
 far away up the Missouri, in company with a Frenchman, 
 named Boucharville, a lively comrade and a successful 
 hunter. One morning we left our camp for a hunt among 
 the mountains. 
 
 " Pursuing a westerly direction on leaving the camp, 
 we made for a more rocky part of the range where the 
 frowning, overhanging cliffs gave a promise of big horn 
 
 4* 
 
42 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 
 
 on our way. As we went along I got a shot at an antelope 
 (for which I dismounted expressly) and the animal in- 
 stantly dropped, whereupon I remounted, and, not stopping 
 to load, rode up to the spot, and found him a fine old male 
 with large full-grown horns. Boucharville now came up 
 congratulating me upon my having got such a fine speci- 
 men for my collection, and as I sat quietly upon my horse 
 discussing the length of the shot, he dismounted, and drew 
 his knife, for the purpose of skinning the apparently life- 
 less animal, hut before doing so began to sharpen it upon 
 his steel, which hung at the belt of his hunting-frock ; 
 when, to our amazement, the antelope, after one or 
 two convulsive struggles, jumped up and bounded off safe 
 and sound, turning about when a couple of hundred yards 
 off to look back at us, as if in ridicule, and again darting 
 away bade us a final adieu. As soon as we recovered 
 from our surprise we both burst out laughing. I dis- 
 mounted and loaded, and we went on to the cliffs close 
 by. "We rode for some distance upon the base, but see- 
 ing no sheep crossed the ridge, leading the horses after 
 us up the ascent, and over rocks and places over which 
 the poor animals could hardly scramble, accomplishing 
 this with great difficulty. We had hardly commenced our 
 descent on the other side when Boucharville's quick eye 
 perceived under the cliffs, about three hundred feet below, 
 a doe-elk, feeding in a glade, surrounded with thickets of 
 
MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 43 
 
 fruit trees and rose-bushes. With his usual deliberation 
 he drew out and stuck crosswise in the ground his ramrod 
 and loading stick for a rest, and a deliberate shot brought 
 the elk down on her tracks. The spot from which 
 he had fired was so steep that we were obliged to turn 
 back and take a more circuitous course to reach her. 
 Boucharville, who had not loaded, went at that moment 
 to a stream, about thirty paces from where the wapiti lay, 
 saying, " Je vais laver ma carabine;" and I leaving my 
 horse to graze, having taken off his bridle and unrolled 
 his halter, was busy, knife in hand, removing the elk's 
 skin, when Boucharville, who by this time had his rifle 
 barrel in the stream, and was sponging away very dili- 
 gently, suddenly shouted, " Un ours ! un ours !" and at 
 the same instant a she grizzly bear emerged from a cherry 
 thicket charging right at him. Boucharville, dropping 
 his rifle barrel, sprang back into a clump of rose-bushes, 
 when the bear, losing sight of him, stood on her hind 
 legs, and I then saw she had a cub of a good size with 
 her. I at first ran to assist my companion ; but seeing 
 him safe and the bear at fault, I rushed back to the horse 
 to secure him, fearing that were he to smell the bear, he 
 would soon speed his way over the prairies, and be lost 
 to me for ever. Seeing me run, the bear instantly charged 
 after me ; and when, having reached the horse, and rolled 
 the halter a couple of times round my arm, I turned about 
 
14 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 
 
 to face her, she rose on her hind legs. I did not like, 
 however, to venture so long a shot, as I had only a single 
 barrelled rifle in my hand, and paused a moment ; when 
 she altered her intention, turned aside, and followed the 
 direction taken by her cub. I then caught a glimpse of 
 her, as she ran to the left, and fired through the bushes, 
 but only hit her far back in the flank, on which she im- 
 mediately checked her onward course, and wheeling round 
 and round, snapped at her side, tearing at the wound with 
 her teeth and claws, and, fortunately for me, afforded me 
 sufficient time to enable me to load again ; my ball was 
 hardly down, when a shout from Boucharville warned me 
 that the fight was only commencing. " Gardez-vouz, 
 gardez-vouz, Monsieur; elle fonce encore," and on she 
 furiously rushed at me. I had barely time to put on my 
 copper cap, and as she rose on her hind legs, I fired, and 
 eent my bullet through her heart. She doubled up, and 
 rolled from the top to the bottom of the slope, where she 
 expired with a choking growl. Boucharville now joined 
 me, but we did not venture to approach the enemy until 
 I had loaded, and we ascertained that she was safe dead, 
 by pelting sticks and stumps at the carcass. All this 
 time my noble horse stood as firm as a rock ; had he 
 reared or shied, I should have been in a serious scrape. 
 
 I was greatly rejoiced at my good fortune. She proved 
 a fine old bear, measuring seven and a half feet long. We 
 
MR. PALLIRER'S STORY. 45 
 
 immediately set-to and skinnod her, preserving the claws. 
 I then brought up the horse, and laid the skin upon his 
 back; he, strange to say, offering no resistance, nor 
 evincing the slightest fear or objection to carry it." 
 
 " That's a very unusual thing," said I, "for horses in 
 general are terrified at the sight of a bear, and I never 
 saw one that would allow a bear-skin to be thrown over 
 his back. 
 
 " And I have never seen but one," rejoined Mr. Pal- 
 liser. " The horse is a noble animal. You may see him 
 out there among the rest. Mons. Boucharville, who 
 accompanied me in that expedition, was one of those 
 quiet, patient, but indomitable men, who usually triumph 
 
 over all difficulties. 
 
 
 
 " I knew him well," said Joe ; " he used to be in the 
 service of the American Fur Company. A good trapper 
 he was when I saw him up the Yellow Stone." 
 
 "A consummate hunter, too," added Mr. Palliser. 
 " We were at one time hunting on the Missouri, near the 
 mouth of the Yellow Stone. Boucharville had been 
 hunting one morning, and had returned to camp without 
 having had a single shot. We then resolved to take the 
 two best horses, and ride three or four miles along the 
 prairie to a favorite point. 
 
 " This was a very fine wood, about nine miles long, and 
 from four to five deep, interspersed with lovely glades, 
 
46 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 
 
 and beautiful feeding-grass for deer and elk. We con- 
 tinued riding alternately through these and thick willows 
 till, on emerging from a copse of the latter, we came in 
 Bight of a band of some fifteen or twenty wapiti, feeding 
 in a large glade. We immediately fastened up the horses, 
 and crept noiselessly on foot under cover of the brush- 
 wood towards the spot. Arrived at the utmost verge of 
 our friendly shelter, we had the mortification to find that 
 we were too far to -risk a shot, there being fully two hun- 
 dred and thirty yards between us and them. We held a 
 council of war, and after some hesitation, determined to 
 steal back to the horses, ride some way round, and came 
 upon them from a direction at right angles to the one we 
 had just tried, where we could see a clump of rose-bushes, 
 which we fancied considerably nearer to the elk, and which 
 we intended to try and reach by approaching from an 
 easterly instead of a northerly direction, we being then be- 
 tween them and a river. Accordingly we crept back on 
 our hands and knees ; nor did we get up and run towards 
 the horses until we were well out of sight of the wapiti. 
 We then mounted and rode half a mile or so round to the 
 east, when having again tied up the horses, we crawled 
 as before upon our hands and knees, and reached the ex- 
 tremity of the rose-bushes unperceived. Here there was 
 a large tree, behind which I could stand up quite screened 
 from view of the elk, while Boucharville knelt on one 
 
47 
 
 knee at the edge of the cover, a position in which he could 
 shoot very well, for he used to make a rest for his rifle, 
 by sticking his ramrod and loading-stick firmly into the 
 ground across each other ; I, who never could shoot well 
 from a rest, preferred to stand up. We were now about 
 one hundred and fifty yards from the nearest of the band. 
 I chose a fine old stag, while Boucharville, with an eye 
 to superior meat, singled out a doe. We drew up our 
 rifles slowly, and both shots went off together. The smoke 
 hung heavily for a second or two ; when it cleared away, 
 we espied one of the wapiti lying down. The next in- 
 stant down rolled the stag also. We agreed to advance 
 at the same moment lest one or other of the animals 
 should be able to get up and escape. On coming near 
 my stag, he struggled to rise, but unable to gain his feet 
 rolled back again. I looked towards the other, when 
 what was my surprise at witnessing a regular combat be- 
 tween Boucharville and his wounded elk, now transformed 
 into a very formidable antagonist. Springing on her 
 haunches, she was striking furiously at him with her 
 fore^feet ; one hoof missed him, but the other fell on his 
 rifle, which he held up for his protection, and smashing 
 both his ramrod and his loading-stick, beating him down 
 on his knees. Rising a second time, she was about to 
 repeat the attack, when my bullet caught her in the side 
 of the head behind the eye, and with a splendid bound 
 
48 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. 
 
 she fell lifeless on the broad of her back. I had made a 
 quick and necessarily a rather dangerous shot, but I was 
 in luck that day. * Sacre enfant du diable ! ' exclaimed 
 Boucharville, as he half rose from the ground, but looking 
 at nothing till he had satisfied himself that his rifle was 
 uninjured; 'mais qui 1'aurait eru? May foil' conti- 
 nued he, laughing, * j'ai bien echappe, une biche a un 
 cote et une balle a 1'autre !' ' 
 
 The meal being concluded, the guard was changed, and 
 Bill received his share. Mr. Palliser then produced some 
 aqua vitse, which the mountaineers prize so highly and 
 often abuse themselves with deplorably. This served to 
 give new liveliness to the conversation. The fire was 
 heaped up anew. Pipes and tobacco were distributed, and 
 then as the clouds of smoke wreathed above us, we were 
 again entertained by our English friend. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 BAITING FOR AN ALLIGATOR. 
 
 "1 REMEMBER," said Mr. Pallister, "an adventure 
 that occurred in the Arkansas country, near Lake Jeffer- 
 son. I was stopping at the house of a man named Jack- 
 son. One day, while I was seated with him and his fa- 
 mily, a little negro boy came into the room, shouting, 
 * Oh, massa ! terrible big alligator ; him run at me/ 
 When we got him to speak a little more coherently it 
 appeared that he had been bathing in the lake, and that 
 an alligator had suddenly rushed at him, and when the 
 boy, who luckily was not in deep water, had escaped by 
 running to land, the brute had actually pursued him along 
 the shore. We instantly started off in quest of the 
 monster, accompanied by the boy, who came as guide. 
 After carefully exploring the bank and reeds, though un- 
 succesafully, we concealed ourselves in hopes of seeing 
 
 5 (49) 
 
50 BAITING FOR AN ALLIGATOR. 
 
 him rise to the top of the water when he thought the 
 coast was clear ; but, as we waited a long time without 
 any result, we proposed what certainly was a most nefa- 
 rious project, namely, to make the boy strip off his clothes 
 and start him into the water again as a bait for the alli- 
 gator. It was some time before we could get the boy to 
 come round to our view of the matter : his objections to 
 our plan were very strong, and his master's threats failed' 
 completely, as indeed they generally did, for he was the 
 kindest hearted man in the world to his negroes. At last 
 I coaxed him with a bright new dollar. This inducement 
 prevailed over his fears, and the poor boy began to un- 
 dress, his eyes all the while reverting alternately from 
 the water to the dollar, and from the dollar to the water. 
 We told him we did not want him to go in so deep as to 
 be obliged to swim. l By golly, then, me go for dollare ;' 
 and in he walked, but had hardly reached water higher 
 than his knees, when crash went the reeds, and the little 
 fellow cut in towards our place of concealment at an as- 
 tonishing pace, pursued by the alligator. The savage 
 beast, as before, came right out on the bank, where we 
 nailed him with two capital shots through the head that 
 effectually checked his career. He struggled violently, 
 but uselessly, to regain his congenial element, and after 
 two or three furious lashes of his ponderous tail, sullenly 
 expired. The triumph of the boy was complete ; had he, 
 
BAITING FOE AN ALLIGATOR. 51 
 
 like another infant Hercules, strangled the alligator with 
 his own hands, he could not have been more delighted ; 
 he yelled out, * Me so bery glad,' tumbled head over heels, 
 walked on his hands, and exhibited every symptom of 
 negro joy." 
 
 We all laughed heartily at this idea of baiting an alli- 
 gator with a negro boy, and Joe was so tickled that it 
 was some time before he could compose himself to listen 
 to another story. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MR. PALLISER CONTINUES HIS ADVENTURES. 
 
 SHORT as had been Mr. Palliser's experience upon the 
 prairies, he seemed to have met with many stirring adven- 
 tures, and he certainly narrated them with an ease and 
 spirit that I have seldom found equalled. While he was 
 willing to talk, we were well content to listen. 
 
 " One clear, cold morning, in January," continues Mr. 
 Palliser, " I started out to shoot some prairie fowl. These 
 birds were too wild to shoot with shot, so I took my single 
 barrelled rifle, and shot them off the branches of the high 
 trees where they used to sit sunning themselves, taking 
 the lowest first, that his fall might not alarm his compa- 
 nions. I had not long been at this sport when an Indian 
 overtook me, and said in Sioux, ' Ho, my friend, (how 
 coonah,) I saw the track of your long foot in the snow. 
 He wanted me to help him in stalking up three buffalo 
 bulls that were feeding in some willows at a little dis- 
 '52) 
 
A BUFFALO HUNT. 53 
 
 tance. I accordingly started off with him, and when we 
 came within about a third of a mile of the spot, I went 
 carefully round to leeward, and directed the Indian to 
 go and give them his wind by approaching on the other 
 side, as soon as he thought I had reached my intended post, 
 whither I knew they would make in order to pass through 
 to the open plain. So accurately had the Indian calcu- 
 lated time and distance, that I was hardly at my place 
 when a huge bull thundered head-long by me, and received 
 a shot low and close behind the shoulder as he passed. 
 He stumbled on for about ten paces, and lay quietly down. 
 I waited to reload, and on going up found him stone dead. 
 The Indian then joined me, and said that the other two 
 bulls had not gone far, but had taken different directions, 
 so that we agreed that he should pursue one and I the 
 other. 
 
 " I soon came in sight of mine. He was standing a 
 little way off on the open plain, but the skirting willows 
 and brushwood afforded me cover within eighty yards of 
 him, profiting by which I crept up, and taking a delibe- 
 rate aim, fired. The bull gave a convulsive start, moved 
 off a little way, and turned his broadside again to me. I 
 fire again, over a hundred yards this time ; he did not 
 stir. I loaded and fired the third time, whereupon he 
 turned and faced me, as if about to show fight. As I 
 was loading for a fourth shot he tottered forward a step 
 
 5* 
 
54 TOSSED BY A BUFFALO. 
 
 or two, and I though!; he was about to fall, so I waited 
 for a little while, but as he did not come down I deter- 
 mined to go up and finish him. Walking up, therefore, 
 to within thirty paces of him, till I could actually see his 
 rolling eyes, I fired for the fourth time directly at the 
 region of the heart, as I thought, but to my utter amaze- 
 ment up went his tail and down went his head, and with 
 a speed I thought him little capable of, he was upon me 
 in a twinkling. I ran hard for it, but he rapidly over- 
 hauled me, and my situation was becoming any thing but 
 pleasant. Thinking he might, like our own bulls, shut 
 the eyes in making a charge, I swerved suddenly to one 
 side to escape the shock, but to my horror, I failed in 
 dodging him, for he bolted round quicker than I did, and 
 afforded me barely time to protect my stomach with the 
 stock of my rifle, and to turn myself sideways as I sus- 
 tained the charge, in the hope of getting between his 
 horns, he came plump upon me with a shock like an 
 earthquake. My rifle-stock was shivered to pieces by one 
 horn, my clothes torn by the other ; I flew into mid-air, 
 scattering my prairie hens and rabbits, which had hitherto 
 hung dangling by leathern thongs from my belt, in all 
 directions, till, at last, I fell unhurt in the snow, and 
 almost over me fortunately not quite rolled my infu- 
 riated antagonist, and subsided in a snow-drift. I was 
 luckily not the least injured, the force of the blow having 
 
THE WOLF-DOG. 55 
 
 been perfectly deadened by the enormous mass of fur, 
 / 
 
 wool, and hair that clothed his shaggy head-piece. 
 
 " It requires a bold man to stand up against such a 
 charge as that," said Joe, looking doubtfully into the face 
 of Mr. Palliser. " I tried it myself once, but the close 
 approach of the bull's horns so flurried my nerves, that 1 
 just made a clean jump over them on to the back of the 
 beast, and so gained time to put in a stretching shot." 
 
 " I own to a considerable shiver, as the bull approached 
 me," said Mr. Palliser, " but the number of his wounds 
 gave me a little confidence that by activity I could escape 
 the assault. I can say without boasting that I do not 
 easily lose either hope or presence of mind. Since I have 
 been out on these plains, I have been placed in situations 
 calculated at the very least to make a man think seri- 
 ously of his last hour. Last winter I was on my way to 
 Fort Mackenzie, travelling alone. All my hunting effects 
 were placed on a travail, to which was harnessed a large 
 animal half wolf and half dog called Ishmah. He was 
 a faithful servant. 
 
 " Ishmah's relationship to the wolf family was often 
 productive of much inconvenience to me, as he used to 
 run off and engage in play with the young wolves, chasing 
 and being chased by them in turn. At first I was 
 amused at this indication of his wild origin, but subse- 
 quently much annoyed, and on one occasion seriously 
 
56 THE WOLF-DOG'S THICKS. 
 
 alarmed at the result of these gambols. One day, after 
 a long march, I was looking out for a convenient camping- 
 place, when a she-wolf crossed the ice at some distance 
 from where I was standing. In spite of all my exertions 
 and threats, Ishmah immediately gave chase and they con- 
 tinued their gambols, until I attempted to approach them, 
 when, of course, the wolf made off at full speed followed 
 by my dog with his travail behind him, loaded with every 
 thing I then possessed in the world. I followed, shouting 
 after him in vain, until he entirely disappeared from my 
 view, after which I continued running on the tracks, till 
 darkness obliged me to abandon the pursuit, and I found 
 myself a long way from timber, out on the broad prairie, 
 alone on a vast barren waste of snow stretching around 
 me on every side. It was some hours before he returned, 
 when, happily, I found not an article was lost. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BREAKING UP OF THE PRAIRIE CAMP. RETURN TO 
 THE MOUNTAINS. ANTELOPE. CARCAGIEU. 
 
 MR. PALLISER and his friends had been such excellent 
 company, that, when the morning of their departure came, 
 a feeling of genuine regret came over me. But we hunters 
 had been accustomed to many such meetings and tran- 
 sient friendships ; and, after all, this world is but a halt- 
 ing place for humanity. We come, make friends, per- 
 haps enemies, and depart into an unknown eternitr 
 Shortly after a hearty breakfast, we bade our friends fare- 
 well, wished them many a successful hunt, and saw them 
 slowly ride away over the prairie. 
 
 Joe and I now held a council to decide upon our future 
 course. We had secured an abundance of provision, and 
 our packs were of a satisfactory size. Yet it was rather 
 too early to visit a station, and we were still well pro- 
 vided for hunting in the mountains, or trapping beaver. 
 
 (57) 
 
58 BREAKING UP OF THE CAMP. 
 
 After some deliberation, we decided to make a season of 
 it to return to the mountains, proceed northward upor 
 the range, and to look out, at least, for trapping 
 opportunities. 
 
 One whole day was occupied in breaking up camp^ 
 mending and cleaning various articles, and stowing oin 
 valuables into the smallest space. The next morning; 
 at the first peep of day, we struck for the mountains, 
 and at noon reached the foot of the range, near the Big 
 Sandy, a tributary of the Colorado, and within full vie^ 
 of the remarkable isolated hills, called the Two Buttes. 
 Shortly afterwards we encamped on the banks of the 
 stream, and while Joe remained to secure the animals and 
 attend to other necessities of the camp, I set off for a 
 short hunt, on foot. 
 
 After an oblique ascent of about two miles, over ground 
 sometimes sandy and sometimes rocky, I came upon a 
 large grove of pines, on the other side of which I caught 
 sight of a large herd of prong-horned antelopes. Creep- 
 ing noiselessly through the grove, I got within rifle-shot, 
 and just as the beautiful creatures snuffed danger, I blazed 
 away, killing one and sending another away with a limp. 
 
 The antelope, the smallest of the deer tribe, affords 
 the hunter sweet and nutritious meat, when that of nearly 
 every other description of game, from the poorness and 
 scarcity of the grass during the winter, is barely eatabK 
 
THE ANTELOPE. 59 
 
 They are seldom seen now in very large bands on the 
 grand prairies, having been driven from the old pastures 
 bj the Indians and white hunters. The former, by means 
 of " surrounds," an inclosed space, formed in one of the 
 passes used by these animals, very often drive into the 
 toils an entire band of antelopes of several hundreds, when 
 not one escapes slaughter. 
 
 I have said that the antelope is a beautiful animal. 
 The following descriptions, by Dr. Richardson, is perfectly 
 accurate : " The male is furnished with short, black, 
 roundish, tapering horns, arched inwards, turning towards 
 each other, with their points directed backwards, each 
 horn having a single short branchlet projecting from the 
 middle. The winter coat consists of coarse, round, hollow 
 hairs, like those of the moose. The neck, back, and legs 
 are yellowish brown ; the sides are reddish white ; the 
 belly and chest are white, with three white bands across 
 the throat. The hairs on the occiput and back of the 
 neck are long and tipped with black, forming a short, 
 erect mane. There is a black spot behind each cheek, 
 which exhales a strong goat-like odour. The tail is short ; 
 on the rump there is a large spot of pure white. The 
 dimensions of the animal were as follows : from the nose 
 to the root of the tail, four feet ; height of the fore 
 shoulders, three feet ; that of the hind quarter, the. same. 
 Girth, behind the fore legs, three feet ; girth, before the 
 
60 THE ANTELOPE. 
 
 fore legs, two feet ten inches. The female is smaller than 
 the male, having horns, with rather a protuberance than 
 a prong. She is also deficient in the black of the neck." 
 The Indians, particularly the Shoshonees, have a re- 
 markable mode of hunting these animals on the plains, 
 which is well described by Lewis and Clark : " The chief 
 game of the Shoshonees is the antelope, which, when pur- 
 sued, retreats to the open plains, where the horses have 
 full room for the chase. But such is its extraordinary 
 fleetness and wind, that a single horse has no possible 
 chance of outrunning it, or tiring it down; and the 
 hunters are therefore obliged to resort to stratagem. 
 About twenty Indians, mounted on fine horses, armed 
 with bows and arrows, left the camp ; in a short time they 
 descried a herd of ten antelopes ; they immediately sepa- 
 rated into squads of two or three, and formed a scattered 
 circle round the herd, for five or six miles, keeping at a 
 wary distance, so as not to alarm them, till they were 
 perfectly inclosed, and usually selecting some command- 
 ing eminence as a stand. Having gained their positions, 
 a small party rode toward the herd, and with wonderful 
 dexterity the huntsman preserved his seat, and the horse 
 his footing, as he ran at full speed over the hills and 
 down the steep ravines, and along the borders of the pre- 
 cipices. They were soon outstripped by the antelopes, 
 which, on gaining the other extremity of the circle, were 
 
THE CARCAGIEU. 61 
 
 driven back and pursued by the fresh hunters. They 
 turned and flew, rather than ran, in another direction ; 
 but there too they found new enemies. In this way they 
 were alternately pursued, backwards and forwards, till at 
 length, notwithstanding the skill of the hunters, (who 
 were merely armed with bows and arrows,) they all 
 escaped ; and the party, after running for two hours, 
 returned without having caught any thing, and their 
 horses foaming with sweat. This chase, the greater part 
 of which was seen from the camp, formed a beautiful 
 scene, but to the hunters is exceedingly laborious, and so 
 unproductive, even when they are able to worry the ani- 
 mal down and shoot him, that forty or fifty hunters will 
 sometimes be engaged for more than half a day, without 
 obtaining more than two or three antelopes." 
 
 As the herd bounded away from me, with unapproach- 
 able speed, the wounded one, lagged behind, and I was 
 about to give chase, when one of those fierce animals, 
 known by the hunters as the cargagieu, and believed by 
 many of them to bear a " charmed life," sprang from a 
 rock upon the antelope's back, bore it to the ground, and 
 before I could raise my rifle to a fair aim, sprung away 
 up the rocks again, bearing the prey in its teeth. 
 
 Most of the hunters give the cargagieu a wide berth. 
 It is a species of glutton, of a dark color, and possessing 
 astonishing courage, activity, strength, and ferocity. 
 
 6 
 
02 RETURNS TO CAMP. 
 
 "When pressed by hunger, it will not hesitate to attack a 
 man ; and so sudden and furious are its assaults, that 
 they are almost always successful. Even that fierce 
 monster, the grizzly bear, is less dreaded than the car- 
 gagieu. I felt exceedingly glad that the antelope had 
 stood in my place, when this savage of the mountains 
 chose his victim. The skin of these animals are esteemed 
 by the Indians, as "great medicine," and will fetch al- 
 most any price ; while, if a hunter kills one, he boasts of 
 it as a brilliant exploit, sufficient of itself to establish his 
 reputation. 
 
 Shouldering my antelope, which I remarked was in ex- 
 cellent condition, I returned to camp. In the meantime, 
 Joe had been led away by the sight of a black-tailed deer, 
 which he killed, but found in such poor condition, that he 
 merely took the fleece, and left the remainder to the 
 wolves. We made a good meal and retired to repose on 
 our packs, about an hour after dark. We were both anx- 
 ious to get as much sleep as possible, as we knew that 
 when we got into the beaver region, one of us would 
 always be on guard at night, to give the alarm on the 
 Approach of Indians. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MORNING AMONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. EN 
 COUNTER WITH SHOSHONEES. A GRIZZLY BEAR 
 FIGHT AND TERRIBLE RESULT. 
 
 NOWHERE have I enjoyed the beauty of morning as much 
 as among the Rocky Mountains. At sunrise on the day 
 after the last hunt, the air was clear and pure, and, though 
 the summer was at its height, bracing cool. The caps of 
 the mountains, which arose loftily on two sides of our 
 encampment, were covered with shelving snow, while the 
 valley .of the river was glowing and bright. Here and 
 there a rushing stream upon the mountain glimmered in 
 the rays of the sun, while the pines upon its borders 
 stood in contrast, dark and stern. 
 
 After a hearty breakfast, we resumed our journey. 
 The road was delightful. During the morning we crossed 
 many streams, clear and rocky, and some grassy valleys, 
 
 flowers, of various kinds, brilliantly decked the 
 
 (63) 
 
64 THE SHOSHONEE INDIANS. 
 
 green. Among, the shrubs, the most common was the 
 artemisia, or wild sage, which greets the traveller's eyes 
 even upon the sandy plains west of the mountains, remind- 
 ing him, amid the trials of the desert, of the beauties of 
 earth. 
 
 About noon we came upon a party of Shoshonees, or 
 Snake Indians, numbering about thirty, including the 
 Bquaws. The latter were engaged in digging the root 
 called yampah, in the low timbered bottom of a creek. 
 Among the Indians, along the Rocky Mountains, this root 
 is considered the best of food ; while in the United States 
 and in Europe, the seeds are used to flavor soup. Far- 
 ther on in our route, there was a stream, tributary to the 
 great Colorado, along the banks of which this root is so 
 abundant, that the Indians have given it the name of the 
 Yampah river, although the trappers call it the Little 
 Snake. There we arrived in the middle of the afternoon, 
 and found a large party of Shoshonees encamped near 
 the stream, while the squaws were engaged in digging the 
 root. The chiefs were well acquainted with both of us, 
 and had repeatedly solicited us to take some of their 
 squaws for wives, as a decisive sign of our alliance ; but 
 these offers we had both declined, as the Shoshonee wo- 
 jnen were disgusting in appearance and habits. We en- 
 camped near the party, made them some trifling presents, 
 and were as intimate as if we were members of the tribe 
 
THE SHOSHONEE INDIANS. 65 
 
 The Shoshonees, or Snakes, are supposed to be the 
 most numerous tribe of Indians in existence. The Ca- 
 manches of the plains are a branch of this nation ; and 
 although many hundreds of miles now divdde their hunt- 
 ing-grounds, they have a common language, and there is 
 a close analogy between their religious rites and legen- 
 dary tales. The Camanqhes rule supreme on the eastern 
 plains, and the Shoshonees are the dominant power in the 
 country west of the Rocky Mountains, and in the moun- 
 tains themselves. A branch of the latter is the Tlamath 
 Indians, the most warlike of the western tribes ; as, also, 
 are the Yutas, who may be said to connect them with the 
 Camanches. 
 
 The Shoshonee chiefs informed us that beaver was 
 abundant on the streams of the Bayou Salada, or Salt 
 Valley, and at the boiling Springs. We determined to 
 proceed to the latter place, starting the next morning. 
 While in camp, my tame cimaron, Fondle, excited much 
 interest among the Shoshonee squaws and children. They 
 never seemed to grow tired of playing with it, and towards 
 night I was compelled, in consideration for the worried 
 animal, to confine it to our camp. The Indians insisted 
 on our taking full share of their hospitality that night, 
 ard to please them we ate too much of their favorite root, 
 wlmA affected our stomachs. Before we laid down to re- 
 pose we made arrangements for the perfect security of 
 
 6* 
 
66 A GRIZZLY BEAR. 
 
 our animals and packs, and prepared ourselves for a de 
 termined resistance to any thing like robbery. We were 
 nat molested, however, and we enjoyed a tolerable rest. 
 
 About daybreak we were aroused by a loud shout. On 
 inquiry, we learned that an enormous bear had been dis- 
 covered in the vicinity of the camp, and that it had car- 
 ried off a dog belonging to one of the chiefs. A hunting 
 party was immediately organised, under our direction. It 
 was composed of twenty of the best hunters among tb< 
 Shoshonees, and the command was given to Joe Blaney 
 The track was boldly marked, and easily followed. It 
 led us along the bottoms, and then up the mountains a 
 short distance, when it descended a broad and deep ra- 
 vine, where the bushes grew high and thick enough to 
 afford shelter to the largest animal to be found among the 
 mountains. Here Joe commanded a halt, while he ad- 
 vanced .around the brink of the ravine, to reconnoitre. 
 But he could see no trace of the bear. We then con- 
 cluded to descend the ravine cautiously in two parties, 
 one to follow the bear's trail, under Joe's command, and 
 the other to descend from the opposite side of the ravine, 
 under my lead. 
 
 When both columns were "in position," to use a mili- 
 tary phrase, we slowly commenced the descent, amid the 
 thick and gloomy bushes. Near the bottom of the ravine, 
 Joe and I discovered the monster almost at the sama 
 
JOE'S FIGHT WITH THE BEAR. 67 
 
 moment. He was sitting upright, and eating berries 
 from a bush. We fired nearly at the same moment, and 
 both balls took effect, but did not inflict a mortal wound. 
 The monster groaned with pain, jumped aside, and seeing 
 Joe before him, dashed upon him 
 
 "Do yourjbest, men," shouted ..he gallant hunter, as he 
 stood his ground, struck the bear with his clubbed rifle, 
 and discharged his pistol into the animal's body. In an 
 instant, the pistol was knocked from his hand, and he was 
 rolling on the ground in desperate conflict with the fero- 
 cious monster. Most of the Indians ran away. Those 
 who remained were afraid to fire, because they might have 
 hit Joe instead of the bear. With tooth and claw, the 
 flesh was torn from the hunter's face and body, while he, 
 clenching his knife, stabbed his foe many times. Watch- 
 ing a favorable opportunity, I stepped up behind the 
 couple, put my rifle close to the bear's ear, and shot him 
 dead. He fell over, even with his last motion sinking 
 his claws deep into Joe's lacerated body. 
 
 A loud shout was raised by the Indian hunters. They 
 had done positively nothing ; yet they made the most noise 
 in the triumph. My attention was entirely engrossed with 
 poor Joe. He was horribly disfigured, and fainted from 
 torture and loss of blood. I obtained assistance, rais*^ 
 him up, and strove to revive him. The Indians sfcok 
 their heads, and declared that he was dead. However, 
 
*)8 JOB LAID ON HIS COUCH. 
 
 they assisted me to carry him to camp. One party made 
 a sort of litter on which they placed the bear, and followed 
 it to camp. 
 
 Near the camp, the squaws and children came to meet 
 us, and seemed extremely anxious to celebrate a triumph 
 in their savage way. But a sight of the wounded man 
 put a damper on their exulting enthusiasm, and the squaws, 
 with commendable tenderness of feeling, immediately ran 
 to get their little stocks of medicines. One of the chiefs 
 tendered me the use of his lodge, of which I gladly availed 
 myself. Joe was laid on a soft couch of skins, and while 
 I superintended, some of the squaws washed and dressed 
 his wounds, with a skill and delicacy peculiar to these 
 wild daughters of the mountains and plains. 
 
 Before the gentle surgeons had completed their labors, 
 Joe revived, and seeing me near him, tried to smile. " Not 
 gone under yet, Perey, but awful sore," said he, and 
 then, after a pause, during which he writhed in pain, he 
 inquired, " Did you conquer old grizzly, Perey ?" Upon 
 learning that the bear had been killed, and was in camp, 
 he appeared to enjoy much satisfaction. I examined his 
 wounds and found that some of them were severe, none 
 were dangerous. A few weeks under the treatment of 
 the Shoshonee squaws would make all sound again. After 
 a short conference, it was agreed, that Joe should remain 
 with the Shoshonees, until perfectly well, and that his 
 
SHOSHONEE NURSES. 6k 
 
 mules and packs should remain with him ; while 1 pushed 
 forward to the beaver region, and tried my luck at trap- 
 ping. This arrangement was satisfactory to all parties. 
 My stay at the camp could do Joe no good, and it woula 
 only have been a waste of time. 
 
 The Indian women were exceedingly kind and atten- 
 tive to the wounded hunter ; and being better acquainted 
 than myself with the healing art, could cure him without 
 my aid. The only difficulty concerned his animals, which 
 I feared would be neglected, and perhaps stolen. I spoke 
 of them to a chief, and he pledged me his word that they 
 should be as well taken care of as if Joe himself was 
 superintending them. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS. NARROW ESCAPE. 
 THE BEAVER REGION. TRAPPING BEAVER. 
 
 ON the morning after the fight with the bear, I gave 
 some final directions in regard to Joe and his animals, 
 and once more started forth alone. In fording the 
 Yampah river, I came near losing my cimaron. I had 
 taken it on the mule with me, and not being used to such 
 a position, it struggled and broke from me, and fell into 
 deep water. With some difficulty I succeeded in grasping 
 it by the horns, and dragged it along through the water, 
 till young Oregon ascended the opposite bank of the 
 stream, when it was once more permitted to run by the 
 side of old Flygrass. The old mule had become much 
 attached to Fondle, and I was very glad for her sake, as 
 well as my own, that the pet was saved. 
 
 I travelled all the morning over an undulating road, 
 crossing several streams, and " hugging" the base of the 
 (70) 
 
FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS. 71 
 
 mountain range. About noon, I calculated I was full 
 fifteen miles from the Shoshonee camp and my suffering 
 friend, Joe. I then fastened my animals beneath some 
 shady trees on the banks of a little rivulet that sparkled 
 over a sandy bed, made a slight repast of dried buffalo 
 meat, and set off up the mountain, to see what game I 
 could kill, for fresh food. 
 
 The day was very warm, and the chase of two black- 
 tailed deer led me over such rugged ground, and through 
 such difficult thickets, that, when I at length brought one 
 of them to the ground, I was quite tired, and having se- 
 cnred my game to my person, I sat down upon a rock 
 overlooking the prairie bottom, and fell into a doze. 
 
 When I awoke the the sun had already set ; but, 
 although darkness was fast gathering over the mountains, 
 I was surprised to seea bright light flickering against its 
 sides. A glance assured me that the mountain was on 
 fire, and, starting up, I saw at once the danger of my 
 position. The bottom had been fired but a short distance 
 from where I secured my animals. A dense cloud of 
 smoke was hanging over a gorge, and presently, a light air 
 springing up from the east, a mass of flames shot up into 
 the sky and rolled fiercely up the stream, the belt of 
 dry brush on its banks catching fire and burning like 
 timber. The mountain was already invaded by the de- 
 vouring element, and two wings of flame spread out from 
 
f2 FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 the main stream, which, roaring along with speed of a 
 race-horse, licked the mountain-side, extending its long 
 line as it advanced. The dry pines and cedars hissed 
 and cracked, as the flame, reaching them, ran up their 
 trunks and spread among the limbs, while the long wav- 
 ing grass underneath was a sea of fire. From the rapidity 
 with which the fire advanced I feared that it would al- 
 ready have reached my animals, and hurried at once to 
 the spot as fast as I could run, The prairie itself was as 
 yet untouched, but the surrounding ridges were clothed 
 in fire, and the mules, with stretched ropes, were trembling 
 with fear. 
 
 I immediately released the animals, mounted young 
 Oregon, threw the cimaron across the back of old Flygrass, 
 and secured my packs. Fondle struggled and fell from 
 its position between the packs. I could not wait. The 
 fire was rapidly surrounding me, and cutting off my es- 
 cape. Taking hold of the rope attached to Flygrass's 
 bridle, I drove the spurs into young Oregon,- and rode 
 for a broad stream, which was visible full five miles in an 
 oblique direction from my camp, and at a considerable 
 distance from the mountain. In that stream I could pro- 
 ceed till I reached the sandy plain, where tSe fire could 
 have but scanty fuel. The fire was travelling with amaz- 
 ing quickness through the bottom, and it was an exciting 
 race for me to reach the stream, before the fierce blaze 
 
FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS. 73 
 
 began to advance along the bank. However, this 
 achieved Young Oregon plunged into the stream, and 
 waded in, waist-deep. Flygrass, who had broken from 
 my hand during the race, came in ahead of the cimaron, 
 which was slightly singed as the fire reached the bank. 
 I jumped from my horse, drew Fondle into the water, 
 remounted young Oregon, taking my pet in my arms, and 
 leading the old mule, descended the stream to the plain. 
 On each side of me, the ground was a sheet of flame, and 
 the heat and smoke nearly overcame me. It was a struggle 
 for life, however, and at length, I stood upon the prairie, 
 where the herbage was so short, that the fire could take 
 no hold. There I felt safe and took advantage of my 
 situation to view the awful scene around me. 
 
 The mountains themselves being invisible, the air, from 
 the ground where I stood, appeared a mass of fire, and 
 huge crescents of flame danced, as it were, in the very 
 sky, until a mass of timber, blazing at once, exhibited the 
 gloomy back ground of the rocky range. The bottom 
 was like a lake of fire, while above it rolled vast clouds 
 of black smoke. Here and there, antelopes and cimaron 
 appeared, so frightened, that they rushed directly into the 
 jaws of the devouring element, and perished. Some of 
 these animals, partly scorched, scampered away over the 
 plain, followed by flocks of wolves, who narrowly escaping 
 themselves, seemed resolved that the poor antelopes 
 
 7 
 
74 FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 should not enjoy the same exemption from death. My 
 pet cimaron shuddered at the sight of the ravenous wolves, 
 and crept close to my side. 
 
 Following custom in such cases, I drew my animals into 
 as small a space as possible, and then fell to work pulling 
 up the herbage within a circle of about fifty feet in dia- 
 meter. As it was extremely scanty, this was a labor 
 quickly performed. The fire swept far and near. I was 
 completely surrounded by the flames, but succeeded in 
 keeping myself and stock unscorched. When any herbage 
 caught my camp, I quickly trampled it out, and although 
 thus kept rather busy, I rendered myself more secure. 
 From the direction of the wind, I judged that the Sho- 
 shonee encampment would escape the fire. For this, I 
 thanked God, as had the encampment been attacked, Joe 
 would have been abandoned to his fate. 
 
 I was unacquainted with the origin of the fire ; but 
 conjectured that some marauding Indians, perhaps Ara- 
 pahoes, had taken this method of destroying some of their 
 enemies, or stealing their horses and mules, as this is 
 often attempted. Occasionally, however, these tremen- 
 dous fires originate in accident, such as dropping a spark 
 among some dry leaves, or the blowing away of a small 
 coal from a camp-fire which innocent incendiary is left 
 to commence the work of destruction, because unobserved. 
 
 For two days I remained encamped on this island, in 
 
LEAVES THE ISLAND CAMP. 75 
 
 the lake of fire. The flames had then spent their de- 
 structive force around me, as far as I could see. On all 
 sides desolation appeared. The mountains were covered 
 with blackness, while here and there a smoke and a blaze 
 upon them, were still visible. The level bottom was strewn 
 with ashes, among which could be seen, the half-burnt 
 carcasses of wolves and antelopes ; and there, too, a fierce 
 lord of the mountain an enormous grizzly bear, lay, 
 partly consumed by the side of a black -tailed deer. 
 
 On the morning of the third day after encamping on 
 the prairie, I determined to advance northward. I first 
 walked a considerable distance upon the prairie, and as- 
 certained that the mules could travel without scorching 
 their feet then adjusting my packs, and left the " island 
 camp," as I had christened the spot of safety. My ob- 
 ject was to advance as rapidly as possible, in order to 
 reach pasture, as my muleS were beginning to weaken. I 
 believe if they had not obtained food within a short time, 
 they would have failed me entirely. I was fortunate. 
 About the middle of the afternoon, I reached the end of 
 the desolate tract, with all its gloomy horrors. It was 
 on the bank of a clear stream. At this point the wind 
 seemed to have slightly changed the direction of the 
 flames. Upon the other side I saw green grass, and 
 shady trees, and there I was happy to encamp. An an- 
 telope which I had picked out of a small herd near the 
 
76 PIKE'S PEAK. 
 
 foot of the mountains, furnished some luscious meat for 
 my evening meal ; but I could not get within rifle-shot of 
 any other game before dark. 
 
 At dawn the next morning, I resumed my march for 
 the trapping region. Yet I did not reach the famous 
 Bayou Salada until noon the day after that. On the 
 banks of one of the small clear streams which pass through 
 this beautiful valley, I encamped, preparatory to com- 
 mencing trapping operations. A mountaineer's camp is 
 always picturesque. Mine resembled those commonly 
 constructed. I cleared a space about ten feet square, on 
 a gentle slope, about twenty yards from the edge of the 
 stream, and put up a breakwind of skins stretched on poles. 
 On the right of this rude substitute for a tent, I erected 
 4 meat-frame, consisting of two upright poles and a cross- 
 piece, high above the reach of wolves or bears, and on 
 that hung my provisions. A small skin sheltered my 
 ammunition and rifle on one side of my camp, but I had 
 no roof. A pile of wood was ranged on the outside of 
 my camp. 
 
 The Bayou Salada, or the Salt Valley, is remarkable 
 for its wildly beautiful scenery. On all sides it is walled 
 in by lofty and rugged mountains. Pike's Peak, snow- 
 covered, towering above all like a ghostly sentinel. The 
 principal stream is the Fontaine qui Bouille, or Boiling 
 Spring river, which in the valley is not more than forty 
 
THE BEAVER REGION. 77 
 
 feet in width, "Gentle slopes of green, and patches of 
 woodland appear in the vicinity of the dancing, glimmer- 
 ing streams, and contrast boldly with the jutting cliffs 
 and yawning chasms of the mountains. The Indians 
 have fought many a bloody battle for the possession of 
 this splendid hunting and trapping region, but the Yutas 
 have generally succeeded in maintaining it against their 
 foes. I was intimately acquainted with these Indians, 
 and having no fear that they would interrupt my pursuits, 
 I immediately set about preparations for trapping. 
 
 The beaver was once found in every part of North 
 America, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, but has now 
 gradually retired from the encroachment and the perse- 
 cutions of civilized man, and is met with only in the far, 
 Far West, on the tributaries of the great rivers, and the 
 mountain valleys in the great chain of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. On the waters of the Platte and Arkansas they 
 are still numerous, and within the last few years have in- 
 creased considerably in numbers ; but the best trapping- 
 ground now is on the streams running through the Bayou 
 Salada, and the Old 'and New Parks, all of which are 
 elevated mountain valleys. 
 
 The habits of the beaver present quite a study to the 
 naturalist, and they are certainly the most sagaciously 
 instinctive of all quadrupeds. Their dams afford a .lesson 
 to the engineer, their houses a study to the architect of 
 
 7* 
 
78 HABITS OF THE BEAVER. 
 
 comfortable abodes, while their unremitting labor and 
 indefatigable industry are models to be followed by the 
 working man. The lodge of the beaver is generally ex- 
 cavated in the bank of the stream, the entrance being 
 invariably under water ; but not unfrequently, where the 
 banks are flat, they construct lodges in the stream itself, 
 of a conical form, of limbs and branches of trees woven 
 together and cemented with mud. For the purpose of 
 forming dams, for the necessary timber for their lodges, 
 or for the bark which they store for their winter's supply 
 of food, the beaver often fells a tree eight or ten inches 
 in diameter, throwing it, with the skill of an expert woods- 
 man, in any direction he pleases, always selecting a tree 
 above stream, in order that the logs may be carried down 
 with it to their destination. The log is then chopped 
 into small lengths, and pushing them into the water, the 
 beaver steers them to the lodge or dam. These trees are 
 as cleanly cut as they could be by a sharp axe, the goug- 
 ing in furrows made by the animal's strong teeth cutting 
 into the very centre of the trunk, the notch being as 
 smooth as sawed wood. 
 
 With his broad tail, which is twelve or fourteen inches 
 long, and above four in breadth, and covered with a thick 
 scaly skin, the beaver plasters his lodge, thus making it 
 perform all the offices of a hand. They say that, when 
 the beaver's tail becomes dry, the animal dies, but whe- 
 
HABITS OF THE BEAVER. 79 
 
 ther this is the case or not, I have myself seen the beaver 
 return to the water and plunge his tail into the stream, 
 and then resume his labor with renewed vigor ; and I 
 have also seen them, with their bodies on the bank, 
 thumping the water with their tails with a most comical 
 perseverance. 
 
 The female seldom produces more thau three kittens at 
 a birth, but I know an instance where one was killed, with 
 young, having no less than eleven in her. They live to 
 a considerable age, and I once ate the tail of an " old 
 man" beaver whose head was perfectly gray with age, 
 and his beard was of the same venerable hue, notwith- 
 standing which his tail was as tender as a young racoon. 
 The kittens are as playful as their namesakes of the feline 
 race, and it is highly delightful to see an old one with 
 grotesque gravity inciting her young to gambol about her, 
 while she herself is engaged about some household work. 
 
 The work of tracing and trapping the beaver has many 
 curious features. I pursued the usual method, which I 
 had learned from my father than whom a more success- 
 ful trapper never appeared-among the mountains. I fol- 
 lowed 'the stream, on the banks of which I had encamped, 
 keeping a sharp watch for " sign." If I saw a prostrate 
 cotton-wood tree, I examined if it was the work of the 
 beaver whether " thrown" for the purpose of food, or to 
 dam the stream. I also examined the tracks of the bea- 
 
80 BEAVER MEDICINE. 
 
 ver on the mud or the sand under the bank, and if the 
 " sign" was fresh, set the trap in the run of the animal, 
 hiding it under water, and attaching it by a stout chain 
 to a picket driven in the bank, or to a bush or tree. A 
 " float-stick," was then made fast to the trap, by a cord 
 a few feet long, which, if the animal carried aw.ay the trap, 
 floated on the water, and pointed out its position. The 
 trap was baited with the "medicine" which is prepared 
 from the substance called castor, obtained from the glandu- 
 lous pouches of the male animal. The contents of five or 
 BIX castor bags are mixed with a nutmeg, twelve or fifteen 
 cloves, and thirty grains of cinnamon in fine powder, and 
 then the whole is stirred up with as much whiskey as will 
 give it the consistence of mixed mustard. This prepara- 
 tion must be kept closely corked up, and in four or five 
 days, the odor becomes more powerful. As I had often 
 observed, this "medicine," smeared upon the bits, of 
 wood, with which the traps are baited, will attract the 
 beaver from a great distance. Wishing to make a close 
 inspection, the animal puts its legs into the trap, and is 
 caught. 
 
 When I discovered a beaver lodge, I set the trap at 
 the edge of the dam, at the point where the animal passes 
 from deep to shoal water, and always beneath the sur- 
 face. Early in the morning, I mounted young Oregon, 
 and rode out to examine my traps. When successful, I 
 
TRAPPING BEAVER. 81 
 
 took the beaver to cainp skinned them and packed the 
 tails, which are a great dainty, carefully away. I then 
 stretched the skins over hoops, scraped off the flesh and 
 fatty substance, and left them to dry. When dry, I folded 
 them into square sheets, the fur being turned inward ; 
 and about a dozen made a bundle ready for transportation. 
 I had cheering success, both in trapping and hunting, 
 and while my camp was well supplied with meat, I stowed 
 away some beautiful skins. Occasionally I saw Indian 
 sign, and was driven to extreme caution in my expedi- 
 tions through the valley. However, no red men appeared ; 
 and I spent two weeks of successful hunting and exqui- 
 site enjoyment of all the luxuries of a mountain camp. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 ARRIVAL OF JOE BLANEY. KILL AN ARAPAHO. 
 START FOR THE RENDEZVOUS. 
 
 I DID not expect that my friend Joe Blaney could 
 reach me within three weeks. Therefore I was astonished 
 one clear evening to see the well-known mules emerge 
 from a grove on the banks of the stream, a short distance 
 from my camp. Joe was mounted. His thin, gaunt face 
 bpre the marks of his terrible battle, and he looked rather 
 weakly. But he dismounted easily, and as he did so, I 
 gave him three lusty* cheers for a welcome. He seemed 
 to be in very good spirits, for he replied by a loud 
 cock-a-doodle doo. 
 
 "Not gone under yet, Percy, my boy," he exclaimed. 
 
 " Not exactly, but you look a kind of streaked," I re- 
 plied. " However, throw off your packs, while I make 
 camp room, and then we can talk and eat at the same 
 time. There's first-rate pasture for the mules, and they 
 look as if they wanted a taste of that sort of thing. 
 (82) ' 
 
83 
 
 Within a few minutes, I had extended the breakwind, 
 and Joe had stowed his packs within, on the side opposite 
 to that on which mine were piled. The mules were tied 
 to pickets near my own, and Fondle, my pretty pet, played 
 among them as if it recognised old acquaintances. Joe 
 then took a seat beside the fire, and as the meat was 
 simmering, we talked. 
 
 " Well, Joe, now that you are here, and almost ready 
 for another fight, tell me how your wounds are healing, 
 and what has happened to you since I left you in the 
 Shoshonee camp." 
 
 " Just so ; but cook the meat quickly, for I feel wolf- 
 ish," said the gallant hunter. " The Shoshonee squaws 
 were kind to me and no mistake. They attended to me 
 as if I had been their child. Big Tree, the chief, took 
 almost as good care of my mules as if they had been his 
 own ; but he had a great deal of trouble in preventing his 
 young men from stealing skins from my pack. I suppose 
 you saw the fire?" 
 
 " Saw it ? Yes, indeed, and made a narrow escape from 
 it," I replied. 
 
 " Well, for a time we thought the blaze was going to 
 sweep over the Yampah to our camp, and the Shoshonees 
 made all the noises that Indians can make, and you know 
 they are hot slow. But Big tree saw that the fire could 
 not reach the lodges, and, although he let the party pre- 
 
84 A FEAST. 
 
 pare for a run, he kept them on the ground. Late at 
 night, we saw the course of the fire had somewhat 
 changed, and Big Tree then ordered the party to move 
 slowly down the Yampah. Four big braves carried me 
 in a litter. After moving, I guess about a mile, the camp 
 was pitched again, and every body owned that we were 
 safe. I tell you, Perey, I was glad to be put down again, 
 for the shaking of those ugly gashes in my breast didn't 
 feel the most comfortable, no way. Well, I remained in 
 camp for about a week, before I was able to walk about ; 
 and then I frightened the young Shoshonees. After that 
 I gained strength so fast, owing to the natural healthi- 
 ness of my meat, that I started three days ago for the 
 Bayou, intending to travel slowly, and here I got to-night, 
 without any accident. Is the deer done ? Just so. I'll 
 take something like a hunk this time. Help yourself, 
 Perey. How's the beaver, and where's the Injuns ?" 
 
 " Look at the skins. Trapping in the Bayou was never 
 better to my knowledge," I replied. " Indians are about, 
 but whether they are Yutas, Shoshonees, or Arapahoes, 
 I can't say." 
 
 " Let them look out, Old Joe will be in trim for them 
 shortly. But we must make good packs of beaver this 
 time. Smart show that you have already." 
 
 We made a hearty meal, enjoyed the luxury of tho 
 pipe and then stretched ourselves for repose. 
 
KILLS AN ARAPAHO. 85 
 
 The next morning, Joe and I rode out together to ex- 
 amine my traps, and to set some additional ones. He had 
 more traps than I ; but we agreed to make an equal divi- 
 sion of the results of our labor and skill. Within a week 
 afterwards, Joe had recovered his strength and activity. 
 We were as successful as could be expected in trapping 
 the beaver, and lived on the " fat of the valley." Our only 
 cause of uneasiness was the frequent "sign" of Indians, 
 whom we believed to be lurking around in small parties. 
 
 One morning, as I was about to examine a trap near a 
 dam, a considerable distance from camp, I was startled by 
 a sound resembling the fixing of an arrow to a bow-string. 
 I turned quickly, and luckily, for upon the instant, an 
 arrow struck me in the thigh, and I beheld an Arapaho 
 about to repeat the attempt upon my life. Regardless 
 of the wound, I raised my rifle and fired ; and when the 
 smoke cleared away, I saw the savage lying, gathered up 
 in a heap, on the ground. I was at that time a moun- 
 taineer in heart and habit. I lifted up the head, seized 
 the scalp-lock, and in a moment the reeking scalp was 
 tied to my belt a savage trophy. I then turned my 
 attention to my wound. The arrow had pierced the 
 fleshy part of the thigh clean through, and I had to cut 
 off the head before I could remove the weapon. The 
 blood then flowed freely ; but I bound my legging tightly 
 around it, mounted my mule, and rode rapidly back to 
 
 8 
 
86 START FOR THE RENDEZVOUS. 
 
 camp. About an hour afterwards, Joe came in with three 
 beavers. He was a little alarmed at the sight of blood ; 
 but he quickly dressed the wound, and applied himself to 
 rendering my position as comfortable as possible under 
 the circumstances. But with all his attention, my wound 
 was very painful, and it was a whole week before I was 
 able to attend to my traps. 
 
 We continued to trap in the Bayou until the early 
 part of October. We lived well, saw nothing more of the 
 Indians in our neighborhood, and packed away a fine lot 
 of skins. At the time mentioned, we broke up our camp, 
 and started for the trapper's rendezvous known as 
 " Brown's Hole." 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 LIFE AT THE TRAPPERS* RENDEZVOUS ADVENTU- 
 ROUS ENGAGEMENT WITH AN ENGLISH GEN- 
 TLEMAN. * 
 
 " BROWN'S HOLE," is an inclosed valley, on Green river, 
 one of the affluents of the Colorado. It is surrounded with 
 lofty mountains, which cause it to look much smaller that 
 it is in reality. It is well-wooded, and abounds in every 
 variety of game. This valley is a favorite wintering-ground 
 of the mountaineers. Here they bring the results of their 
 toil and endurance. A trading station and a considerable 
 number of shanties, or lodges, make up a little village, 
 which, however, disappears with the snow. 
 
 We arrived at " Brown's Hole" in good time, and in 
 excellent condition. A trader was already there, with 
 an extensive store of powder, lead, tobacco, and ardent 
 spirits, and various other articles in demand among the 
 
 (87) 
 
88 TRADING AT THE RENDEZVOUS. 
 
 mountaineers. Several trapping bands had already ar- 
 rived. Singly, and in bands, numbering from two to ten, 
 the trappers dropped into the rendezvous; some with 
 many pack-loads, others with greater or less quantity, and 
 more than one on foot, having lost his animals and peltry 
 by Indian thieving. Here were soon congregated many 
 mountaineers, whose names are famous in the history of 
 the Far West. Fitzpatrick and Hatcher, and old Bill 
 Williams, well known leaders of the trapping parties, 
 soon arrived with their bands. Sublette came in with his 
 men from Yellow Stone, and many of Wyeth's New En- 
 glanders were there. Chabonard, with his half-breeds, 
 Wah-keitchas all, brought his peltries from the lower 
 country ; and a half-a-dozen Shawnee and Delaware In- 
 dians, with a Mexican from Taos, one Marcelline, a fine 
 strapping fellow, the best trapper and hunter in the moun- 
 tains, and ever first in the fight. Here, too, arrived the 
 " Bourgeois" traders of the "North West Company," with 
 their superior equipments, ready to meet their trappers, 
 and purchase the beaver at an equitable value ; and soon 
 the trade opened, and the encampment assumed a busy 
 appearance. 
 
 The beaver sold well, six dollars being the price paid 
 a pound in goods, but the latter, as usual, were fixed at 
 very exorbitant rates. Joe and I sold our stock of skins 
 for "about a thousand dollars; but the quantity of goods 
 
LIFE AT THE RENDEZVOUS. 89 
 
 received was really worth about half that sum. The 
 cimaron was greatly admired by the trappers, and all 
 praised my skill in training the animal. The principal 
 bidder at the station a shrewd Yankee purchased it 
 for what he called a hundred dollars' worth of powder 
 and lead. I was glad to get rid of Fondle at any price, 
 for although it was a pretty pet, it cost me a great deal 
 of care to attend to it properly. Still, as the trader led 
 the animal away, I could not help a feeling of regret. 
 
 The trade having been completed, the mountaineers 
 plunged into all the dissipation of the station. Drinking, 
 gambling, and rioting, were almost the only occupations 
 of the day. The property so hardly earned was rapidly 
 spent. Men could be seen in all stages of drunkenness 
 from riotous elevation to beastly intoxication. Joe, who 
 had long been accustomed to regard these scenes as thing* 
 of course, and even necessary to a social existence, en- 
 gaged in them, as freely as the rest. I had an aversion 
 for them. The counsels of my mother were constantly 
 in my mind. On this occasion I was saved from the in- 
 fluence of temptation by a circumstance which effected a 
 complete change in my mode of life. 
 
 There was an English sportsman at the station a gen- 
 tlemen of fortune, named Robert Barrill, with whom I 
 managed to scrape an acquaintance. He was very intel- 
 ligent and agreeable, and a daring and successful sports- 
 
 8* 
 
90 MR. BARRILL'S. PROPOSAL. 
 
 man. Having leisure, fortune, and no encumbrances, he 
 had visited America to engage in the exciting and perilous 
 sports of the prairies a kind of life he preferred to that 
 of indolent ease. He expressed himself greatly delighted 
 with hunting on the plains, and narrated a numher of 
 adventures, as we enjoyed a social pipe. He said, how- 
 ever, that the drunken and riotous hehavior of the moun- 
 tain men at the station shocked him. One reason for his 
 singling me out for an especial friend was that I kept 
 aloof from their dissipation, and strove to save something 
 of the profits of my hunting and trapping expeditions. 
 
 I had spent about two weeks at the station, when, one 
 evening, Mr. Barrill came into my lodge, and sat down 
 for a talk. He said he had an important proposal to 
 make. He was greatly pleased with my character, al- 
 though he had known me but a very short time. He had 
 no urgent business to call him back to England, and he 
 designed to try sporting in various parts of the world. 
 He wanted a trusty and experienced companion had 
 ample means to defray the expenses of both and if I 
 would accompany him in his travels and hunting expedi- 
 tions, he would take care that I was well provided in every 
 respect. The novelty of the proposal took me by sur- 
 prise ; but I was rather pleased with the idea. However, 
 I requested a day to consider. I reflected upon my con- 
 dition an able-bodied young hunter, without encum- 
 
JOE'S ADVICE. 91 
 
 brances of any kind. Then I thought of the curious 
 countries, strange people, and, above all, the rare sports, 
 I should see. I could not doubt the truth of what Mr. 
 Barrill informed in regard to his means for in our short 
 acquaintance, he had shown ample proof of his sincerity. 
 Then I sought the advice of Joe Blaney, although the 
 brain of that veteran mountaineer was, during most of 
 the time, lamentably foggy. However, Joe said that if 
 I rejected such an offer, I would deserved to be "chawed 
 up alive by a grizzly." Before the day had elapsed, I 
 was enlisted in the service of a universal sportsman, and 
 had begun preparations for a start from the station. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A JOURNEY AND HUNT THROUGH NEW MEXICO. 
 START FOR SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 MR. BARRILL seemed very much pleased when informed 
 that I had resolved to accompany him in his distant ex- 
 peditions. He immediately gave me several valuable 
 presents among them being a handsome bullet-pouch, a 
 powder-flask, and a finely mounted revolver. My rifle 
 was equal to any to be seen at the station. Mr. Barrill 
 then informed me that he intended to proceed to South 
 America, to try hunting in the forests of Brazil, and upon 
 the vast plains called the Pampas. After much delibe- 
 ration, he had decided to journey through New Mexico, 
 by way of the Rio Grand and the Gulf of Mexico, to New 
 Orleans, where passage could be secured to Rio Janeiro. 
 This arrangement was satisfactory to me. I merely sug- 
 gested that we should take- the vale of Taos, that Para- 
 dise of mountaineers, on our way through New Mexico. 
 (92) , 
 
TRADE WITH THE YUTA INDIANS. 93 
 
 Mr. Barrill had a fine equipment for travelling through 
 the wildernees. He had four excellent mules and one 
 swift horse, elegantly caparisoned. His packs comprised 
 some remarkable trophies, two or three beaver traps, 
 some rare articles of provision, the best of ammunition, 
 and a number of small tools for which use enough may 
 be found far away from the settlements. 
 
 Leaving the station amid the drunken cheers of the 
 mountaineers, we sat out upon our great sporting expedi- 
 tion. We travelled leisurely, keeping a sharp look-out 
 for game. We passed Greenhorn creek without meeting 
 with any remarkable adventure. On Huerfano, or Or- 
 phan creek, so called from an isolated hutte, which stands 
 on a prairie near the stream, we fell in with a party of 
 Yuta Indians. They seemed very friendly, but I advised 
 Mr. Barrill to get out of their way as quickly as possible, 
 as they were likely enough to entertain treacherous de- 
 signs. He traded with them, however, for a few deer 
 skins, for the dressing of which they are justly celebrated. 
 We then pushed forward, and camped under the moun- 
 tain on Oak creek, in a strong position, which the two 
 of us could have maintained against a host. 
 
 At this point is a tolerable pass through the mountains, 
 where a break occurs in a range, whence they gradually 
 decrease in magnitude until they meet the sierras of Mex- 
 ico , which connect the two mighty chains of the Andes 
 
94 PRAIRIE SCENERY. 
 
 and the Rocky Mountains. From the summit of the divid- 
 ing ridge, to the eastward, a view is had of the vast sea of 
 prairie which stretches away from the base of the moun- 
 tains in dreary barrenness, for nearly a thousand miles, 
 until it meets the fertile valley of the great Missouri. 
 Over this boundless expanse, nothing breaks the uninter- 
 rupted solitude of the view. Not a tree or atom of foliage 
 relieves the eye ; for the lines of scattered timber, which 
 belt the streams running from the mountains, are lost in 
 the shadow of their stupendous height, and beyond this 
 nothing is seen but the bare surface of the rolling prairie. 
 In no other part of the chain are the grand characteristics 
 of the Far West more strikingly displayed than from this 
 pass* The mountains here rise, on the eastern side, ab- 
 ruptly from the plain, and the view over the great prairies 
 is not therefore obstructed by intervening ridges. To the 
 westward the eye sweeps over the broken . spurs which 
 stretch from the main range in every direction ; while 
 distant peaks, for the most part snow-covered, are seen at 
 intervals rising isolated above the range. On all sides the 
 scene is wild and dismal. 
 
 Crossing by this pass, we followed the Yuta trail, skirt- 
 ing a pine-covered ridge, in which countless herds of an- 
 telope, tame as sheep, were feeding. Numerous creeks 
 well timbered with oak, pine, and cedar, intersect it, and 
 game of all kinds was there abundant. Mr. Barrill proved 
 
MEET WITH OLD FRIENDS. 95 
 
 himself an excellent shot, and a hunter of unflinching 
 courage. Yet he frankly acknowledged that I could 
 learn him much in regard to the methods of getting within 
 rifle-shot of game. Each day exalted the character of 
 this gentleman in my eyes, and, upon his part, he omitted 
 no opportunity of showing that I had his esteem. His 
 conversation was full of instruction. How could I regret 
 having exchanged such company as that of honest, but 
 narrow-minded, Joe Blaney, for that of Mr. Barrill ? 
 
 On the eleventh day after leaving Orphan creek, we 
 struck the Taos valley settlement on Arroyo Hondo, and 
 pushed on at once to the village of Fernandez, sometimes 
 called Taos. As we dashed through the village, the doors 
 of the adobe houses were thrown open, and numerous 
 dark-eyed beauties appeared, each smoking a cigarito. 
 All replied to our salute, " Adios Americanos !" believing 
 us both to be American mountaineers. I was well known 
 in the valley, having visited it on two or three occasions, 
 in company with a party of mountaineers. We rode to 
 the house of an old mountaineer, who had long been re- 
 cognised as the entertainer of the hunters when they vi- 
 sited the Taos valley, and were somewhat agreeably sur- 
 prised to find two stalwart trappers from the Yellow Stone 
 stopping there. They gave us a hearty welcome, invited us 
 to a fandango, which they had arranged for that evening, 
 and seemed exceedingly desirous of securing our good 
 
96 FIGHT AT A FANDANGO. 
 
 will. Mr. Barrill seldom shunned sociability, and as I 
 happened to know the mountaineers to be honest, true- 
 hearted men, I recommended them to his favor. 
 
 The fandango came off in the great hall of the Alcalde, 
 on the same evening. Mr. Barrill and I were promptly 
 on the spot. My friend enjoyed the scene amazingly, 
 and danced and frolicked with the girls, in a style which 
 none of the hunters, so noted for their "sprees," could 
 equal. On one occasion, a mountaineer, seeing a jealous 
 Mexican interfere with his zealous courtship, knocked him 
 down. Knives were out in an instant, and a bloody 
 affray might have occurred if Mr. Barrill had not inter- 
 fered. He spoke mildly and persuasively, but also with an 
 air of authority, which had its effect. Order was restored 
 and the dancing resumed, and continued till the peep of 
 day, when Mr. Barrill and I returned to the old moun- 
 taineer's house, more fatigued than ever we were after a 
 day's hunt. 
 
 We stopped one day at Taos to rest, and then resumed 
 our journey, intending to follow the course of the Rio 
 Grande to the Gulf of Mexico, more for novelty than for 
 any other purpose. Yet we found that this route was 
 about as dull and monotonous as any tha.t we had ever 
 travelled. We passed through a number of small towns, 
 the inhabitants of which were remarkable for nothing but 
 squalor and treacherous cowardice. Most of the Indians 
 
A NAVAJO CHIEF. 97 
 
 we met on the route were timid and degraded. But we 
 heard that parties of the bold Apaches and Navajos had 
 penetrated but recently to the settlements, and committed 
 many outrages. The Navajos are the most powerful of 
 all the Indian enemies of the New Mexicans. They ai e 
 a handsome, intelligent, daring people, far superior in 
 every respect to the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. 
 
 On arriving at Santa Fe, the capital of the territory, 
 I had an opportunity of seeing a Navajo chief, who had 
 been captured by a large party of New Mexicans, while 
 recklessly exposing himself in an attack. He was a fine, 
 manly looking fellow ; but the ill treatment of his captors 
 threatened to reduce him to a most wretched condition. 
 In spite of the cruelties of which he had been guilty, I 
 was compelled to pity him. 
 
 In descending the valley of the Rio Grande, we found 
 excellent pasture for our animals; but the game was 
 scarce, and not of the most inviting kinds. Mr. Barrill 
 repeatedly expressed the wish that he had determined 
 upon another route. At length, after weeks of dull tra- 
 velling, we approached the Gulf of Mexico on the east side 
 of the Rio Grande. At Point Isabel, we found a schooner, 
 about to sail for Galvezton, and Mr. Barrill immediately 
 secured a passage for us both. 
 
 I had never been upon the sea before. My sensations, 
 as the schooner made sail from Point Isabel, were so novel 
 
 9 
 
98 SAIL FOR RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 that I must have behaved very strangely. The view of 
 the boundless level of the prairie seemed nothing to the 
 sight of the vast and apparently shoreless sea. We had 
 some rough weather ; but having a stomach of leather I 
 did not experience what is called sea-sickness. At Gal- 
 vezton, the chief port of Texas, and a very bustling town, 
 we took a sveamer for New Orleans, the great port of the 
 Southern Ste ;es. Mr. Barrill and myself were too anxious 
 to be off to tLe sporting regions to waste much time in 
 that gay citj We engaged passage in a large ship 
 bound for Rio Janeiro, and soon afterwards, the shores 
 nf my native land faded from my view. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ARRIVAL AT RIO. HUNTING IN THE FORESTS OF 
 BRAZIL. 
 
 I WILL not fatigue the reader with the monotonous de- 
 tail of the voyage to Rio Janeiro. In spite of the enter- 
 taining company of Mr. Barrill, and rather a lively set 
 of passengers, I was heartily glad when the captain an- 
 nounced that we were approaching the beautiful bay of 
 the Brazilian port. And when we entered it, I was in 
 ecstacies. 
 
 Rio Janeiro, the capital of the province of the same 
 name, may now, perhaps, rank as the largest and most 
 flourishing city of South' America. It lies on the western 
 side of a bay, seventy or eighty miles in circumference, 
 forming one of the most spacious and secure receptacles 
 for shipping in the world. It is studded with upwards 
 of one hundred islands ; the ships of all nations are seen 
 passing through its channels, and innumerable little boats 
 are seen flitting about. The shore rises immediately into 
 
 (99) " 
 
100 RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 green and woody hills, thickly planted with villas and 
 convents, and behind which lofty mountains shoot up their 
 heads in the most picturesque and romantic forms. The&e 
 objects compose the most enchanting scene that can be 
 imagined. It struck a late traveller as greatly resembling 
 the Trosachs at the entrance of Loch Katrine. The town 
 is tolerably well built, the houses being three or four stories 
 high, though the streets are rather narrow. Two of them 
 extend the whole length, with new and broad streets strik- 
 ing off from them ; and there are several handsome squares. 
 The town is well supplied with water, by excellent aque- 
 ducts. The environs of Rio Janeiro are delightful in the 
 extreme, the valleys and sides of the hills being covered 
 with trees, shrubs, and creeping plants of peculiar beauty. 
 The bay of Bottafogo, and the sides of the rude and lofty 
 mountains called the Corcovado, are the spots most par- 
 ticularly celebrated. The king has a rural palace, called 
 San Christovao, of light and pavilion-like architecture, 
 and which from its site has a much more pleasing effect 
 than that in the city. The arsenal, the dock yard, and 
 marine establishments are on a small island within the 
 harbor. 
 
 Mr. Barrill was exceedingly delighted with the city 
 and its magnificent harbor. He had letters of introduc- 
 tion to the British consul, and a number of other distin 
 guished persons, who gave us a handsome entertainment. 
 
FORESTS OF BRAZIL. 101 
 
 But we were anxious to pursue our grand purpose, and to 
 be abroad in the forests of Brazil admiring their beauty 
 and vast variety of game. With much difficulty we 
 effected an engagement with a native of Rio Janeiro, who 
 had travelled and hunted in the interior of the country, 
 and who was therefore considered a reliable guide. He 
 spoke English almost as well as Portuguese and Spanish 
 the chief languages of the country and seemed to be 
 brave and intelligent. We were well provided with horses 
 and mules ; but the guide insisted on our purchasing three 
 fine horses from the plains of Buenos Ayres. The cheap- 
 ness of these animals astonished Mr. Barrill as well as 
 myself. New spurs and heavy cloaks, or serapas, com- 
 pleted our equipment. About a week after our arrival at 
 Rio, we set off, in the best of spirits, for the interior of 
 the country. Yet it was several days before we left the 
 plantations of sugar, cotton, and coffee, behind us. 
 
 Dense and impenetrable forests cover a great part of 
 the interior of Brazil, and exhibit a luxuriance of vegeta- 
 tion almost peculiar to the central regions of South Ame- 
 rica. The infinite variety of tints which these woods dis- 
 play, give them an aspect wholly different from those of 
 Europe. Each of the lofty sons of the forest has an effect 
 distinct from that of the rest. The brilliant white of the 
 silver tree, the brown head of the Mangou, the purple flowers 
 of the Brazil wood, the laburnums, the deep red fungus, 
 
 9* 
 
102 FORESTS OF BRAZIL. 
 
 and the carmine-colored lichens, which invest the trunks 
 and bark, all mingle in brilliant confusion, forming groups 
 finely contrasted and diversified. The gigantic height of 
 the palms, with their varying crowns, give to these forests 
 an incomparable majesty. All these are interwoven with 
 a net work of creeping and climbing plants, so close as to 
 form round the tree a verdant wall, which the eye is un- 
 able to penetrate ; and many of the flowering species, that 
 climb up the trunks, spread forth and present the ap- 
 pearance of parterres hanging in the air. These woods 
 are not a silent scene, unless during the deepest heat of 
 noon, but are crowded and rendered vocal by the greatest 
 variety of the animal tribes. Birds of the most singular 
 forms and most superb plumage flutter through the bushes. 
 The toucan rattles his large hollow bill ; the busy orioles 
 creep out of their long pendant nests ; the amorous thrush, 
 the chattering manakin, the full tones of the nightingale, 
 amuse the hunter ; while the humming birds, rivalling in 
 lustre diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires, hover round 
 the brightest flowers. Myriads of the most brilliant bee- 
 tles buzz in the air ; and the gayest butterflies, rivalling 
 m splendor the colors of the rainbow, flutter from flower 
 to flower. Meanwhile the beautiful, but sometimes dan- 
 gerous, race of lizards and serpents, exceeding in splen- 
 dor the enamel of the flowers, glide out of the leaves and 
 hoUows of the trees. Troops of squirrels and monkeys leap 
 
ANIMALS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 103 
 
 from bough to bough, and large bodies of ants, issuing 
 from their nests, creep along the ground. These immense 
 forests are rich in timber of every description, for use and 
 ornament, suited either for carpentry, ship building, dye- 
 ing, or furniture. That kind specially called Brazil wood 
 is particularly celebrated for the beautiful red dye which 
 it produces. 
 
 Our guide informed us that the forests were full of ra- 
 pacious animals, among which he mentioned the tiger-cat, 
 the hyona, the saratu, an animal about the size of a fox, 
 but far more ferocious, the jaguar or South American 
 tiger, the sloth, and the porcupine ; that the planters 
 were much annoyed by ounces ; that antas, or tapirs, and 
 wild hogs, were abundant. The tapir is the largest of 
 the native quadrupeds. It is timid and harmless, feeding 
 like a horse. It is amphibious, and capable of remaining 
 a long time at the bottom of lakes and rivers, without 
 coming up to respire. When killed, its flesh is generally 
 eaten, and differs but little from the ox. 
 
 We had not long journeyed through the forest, before 
 the keen eye of the guide detected a huge tapir, feeding 
 at a considerable distance on our right. He said that if 
 we would get between it and the river, the course of which 
 we were following, it might easily be taken. We dis- 
 mounted, tied our horses to trees, and crept in different 
 directions towards the stream. Mr. Barrill happened to 
 
104 HUNTING THE TAPIR. 
 
 show himself above the bushes, before the guide and my- 
 self could get in position. He fired, but missed, and the 
 animal plunged into the water and disappeared. By the 
 advice of the guide, we then stood upon the bank of the 
 stream, about thirty yards apart. The opposite bank 
 was within rifle-shot, and we naturally expected that the 
 tapir would strive to escape by swimming to that point. 
 We stood patiently in shooting position for full ten mi- 
 nutes, when the animal was seen slowly ascending the 
 bank. Instantly two balls were driven into him, and he 
 fell backwards into the water. 
 
 The next difficulty was to secure the game. The stream 
 was too deep to ford. But with a rapidity that startled 
 me, the guide constructed a stout raft of small palm 
 trunks, bound together with vines, and with one of our 
 camping-poles pushed it across. Then, tying the snout 
 of the tapir to the raft, he towed, the carcass in triumph 
 to our side, upon which we gave him a round of cheers. 
 The animal proved to be a male of the largest size. It 
 was a clumsy looking beast. We cut off such portions of 
 the meat as the guide recommended, and made a hearty 
 meal in the forest. The flesh is very much inferior to 
 that of the buffalo, but still quite palatable. 
 
 The next day we had another tapir hunt, in which we 
 ascertained the remarkable peculiarities of this animal. 
 When pursued, it ran awkwardly, leaving a broad trail, 
 
HUNTING THE JAGUAR. 105 
 
 and in a circle, so that we had but little difficulty in 
 bringing it to the ground. We shot a number of wild 
 cattle out of a herd, near the edge of a broad and open 
 valley, and thus obtained an abundance of fresh meat ; 
 but after a week's travel we were somewhat disappointed 
 in the sport afforded by the game of these forests. Mr. 
 Barrill expressed his disappointment, and I agreed with 
 him. After some discussion with the guide, we deter- 
 mined to return to Bio, and then proceed to Buenos 
 Ayre^s. The guide insisted on the exciting character of 
 the Brazilian sport, but we had experienced the thrilling 
 excitement of hunting on the prairie, and gave him a very 
 decided expression of our non-assent. 
 
 On the third day of our return joiirney, however, we 
 had a taste of peril. About daybreak, I detected an 
 animal prowling near the camp, which the guide pro- 
 nounced a large jaguar. Our horses and mules evinced 
 their knowledge of the proximity of danger by neighing, 
 snorts, and starts. A moment more, and one of them 
 might have been writhing beneath the claws of the fierce 
 monster. The guide advanced cautiously to the attack ; 
 and just as the jaguar was about to spring upon the 
 nearest horse, fired. The shot was effective, and the 
 animal, with a horrid growl, limped away through the 
 bushes. All gave chase Mr. Barrill saw an opportunity 
 for a shot in the rear, and fired, when the jaguar fell back 
 
106 LEAVE RIO JANEIRO. 
 
 upon his haunches. It then turned, and, wounded as it 
 was, ran rapidly towards us. The guide sprang aside, 
 and Mr. Barrill was seized by the leg. At the same mo- 
 ment, a ball from my rifle, sent the jaguar to the arms 
 of death. 
 
 Mr. Barrill had a narrow escape. His leg was severely 
 bitten, and he could scarcely stand upon it. Yet this enthu- 
 siastic sportsman could not help admiring the beautiful 
 skin of the monster yellow, spotted with brown and 
 black and said it was a valuable addition to his p^cks. 
 The guide attended to the wound in a manner which 
 secured the sufferer almost immediate ease. We then 
 resumed our journey, and within three days reached Rio 
 Janeiro again. Our sporting expedition had not been 
 satisfactory, but we agreed that the forests of Brazil were 
 so magnificent that they well repaid the visit of the lover 
 of the splendors of nature. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 BUENOS AYRES. HUNTING ON THE PAMPAS. 
 
 AFTER getting rid of our Brazilian guide, who was 
 rather troublesome in the matter of remuneration, we ob- 
 tained passage on board of a small British barque, secured 
 all our effects, including horses and mules, the same 
 transportation, and sailed for Buenos Ayres. The voyage 
 was short and pleasant. After we entered the mouth of 
 the La Plata, we had a fine view of Monte Video, and the 
 varied scenery of the shores. Still, the bay of Rio Ja- 
 neiro was far more beautiful, and, after viewing it, I could 
 not feel an extraordinary delight in the scenery of the 
 La Plata. At length we came in sight of the city of 
 Buenos Ayres. It is situated on the southern bank of 
 the river, about two hundred miles from its mouth. Being 
 raised about twenty feet above the water, and presenting 
 the spires of numerous churches and convents, it makes 
 
 (107) 
 
108 CITY OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 rather a fine appearance. There were a large number of 
 vessels in the harbor, giving an idea of the extensive trade 
 of the city. 
 
 When we landed, we found the wharves covered with 
 heaps of hides, the chief article of export. People in 
 every variety of costume, from that of an official dignitary 
 to that of the Gauchos of the Pampas^ and the tow trowsers 
 of the toiling negro were to be seen ; some bustling about, 
 and others walking along leisurely, as if this world had 
 no cares for them. Farther up in the town, at least two- 
 thirds of those who were in the streets were mounted on 
 horses, some of which were noble-looking animals. 
 
 The houses were built of brick, white-washed, and with 
 flat roofs, over which a pleasant and even extensive pro- 
 menade might have been taken. The windows were pro- 
 tected by iron bars, causing each mansion to resemble a 
 lock-up house, and forming, indeed, a complete fortifica- 
 tion. Rosas, then the iron-hearted tyrant of Buenos 
 Ayres, resided in a fortress near the river, which had been 
 erected for the old Spanish viceroys. In the centre of 
 the city, is the Plaza, or great square, common to all 
 towns erected by the Spaniards. The houses surrounding 
 it were very handsome. Besides a splendid cathedral, 
 the city could then boast of a number of fine churches and 
 monasteries. The environs had a rather monotonous 
 aspect. 
 
THE GUACHOS OF THE PAMPAS. 109 
 
 Mr. Barrill secured lodgings, at a tolerable inn, about 
 equal in entertainment to the lower class of hotels in St. 
 Louis. His first object was to secure information in re- 
 gard to the dangers of the Pampas, so as to be prepared 
 for them. The next was to obtain the service of a njative 
 acquainted with the country. He first applied to the 
 landlord, but that personage either had not the requisite 
 intelligence, or was unable to communicate it satisfacto- 
 rily; so my patron visited the British consul, who gave 
 ample answers to all the inquiries of his countrymen, and 
 recommended a trustworthy Gaucho, who had been in his 
 service, named Joaquin Bunoz. 
 
 The reader may very naturally inquire who are the 
 people called Gauchos. They inhabit the wide surface of 
 the Pampas, and appropriate the herds that roam over 
 them. Some travellers have designated them as downright 
 savages. But they are often of respectable birth, and ren- 
 dered estimable by their courage, intelligence and integrity. 
 The Gaucho is at once the most active and the most in- 
 dolent of mortals. He will scour the country whole days 
 at full gallop, breaking wild horses, or chasing the jaguar 
 or ostrich ; but once alighted and seated on the skeleton 
 of a horse's head, nothing can induce him to move. He 
 considers it a degradation to set his foot to the ground ; 
 so that, notwithstanding a general vigor almost preterna- 
 tural, the lower limbs are weak and bowed, and he is 
 
 10 
 
110 JOAQUIN BUNOZ. 
 
 incapable of walking to any distance. His dwelling is a 
 mud cottage, with one apartment, and so swarming with 
 insects, that in summer the whole family, wrapped in 
 skins, sleep in the open air. All round is a desert, with 
 the exception of the corral, or circular spot, inclosed hy 
 stakes, into which the cattle are driven. Neither grain 
 nor vegetables are cultivated, nor is the cow made to yield 
 milk. Beef is the only food, and it is roasted, or rather 
 twisted, on large spits, stuck in the floor, in a slanting di- 
 rection, so as to overhang the fire, a twist being from 
 time to time given, to expose all sides of the meat in suc- 
 cession. A large number of the Gauchos are robbers, 
 who are only daunted by a show of superior force. 
 
 Joaquin Bunoz had all the qualities of the Gaucho in 
 perfection. He was short and thick-set, with bowed legs. 
 His face was frank, fearless, and intelligent. His hair 
 was long, black, and straight, in keeping with his pierc- 
 ing black eyes and heavy moustache. His costume re- 
 sembled greatly that of the Calif ornian muleteer, but was 
 much more gaudily decorated. He prided himself upon 
 three things ; the rich saddle and bridle of his horse ; his 
 skill in throwing the lasso, and his luck at gaming the 
 leading vice throughout South America. By his advice, 
 we armed ourselves as completely as possible having a 
 rifle a piece in reserve. He condemned our horses, but 
 Mr. Barrill thought proper to retain them. 
 
START FOR THE PAMPAS. Ill 
 
 We started with thrilling hopes of sport for the Pam- 
 pas those vast plains of which we had heard so much. 
 Buenos Ayres was soon left far behind, and we found our- 
 selves riding across a plain, which, as far as the eye could 
 reach, appeared to be covered with clover and thistles. 
 Joaquin informed us that the plain continued of this cha 
 racter for about one hundred and eighty miles from Bue- 
 nos Ayres. There are no regular roads across the Pampas, 
 although they are so much travelled. There are carriage 
 routes, upon which mud huts, called posts, are stationed, 
 about twenty miles apart. But the country is so inter- 
 sected with rivers, streams, and marshes, that progress is 
 difficult in any kind of a vehicle. 
 
 Joaquin contrived to keep us within a few miles of the 
 most common route. The advantage of this was that we 
 were seldom far from the huts of the Gauchos, who might 
 have aided us against the attacks of robbers or Indians. 
 The latter are very warlike, and have a hereditary hos- 
 tility to the Gauchos, and, indeed, to all whites. They 
 even excel the Gauchos in horsemanship, which is the 
 highest praise that can be given them. As they gene- 
 rally go abroad in large parties these attacks are greatly 
 dreaded. 
 
 During our first day upon the Pampas, we saw immense 
 herds of horses and cattle, but as Mr. Barrill and I had 
 Deheld the bufialos upon the prairies, we were not so much 
 
112 LASSOOING WILD ANIMALS. 
 
 astonished as our Gaucho guide desired us to be. Joaquin 
 easily detected those which belonged to particular Gauchos 
 by the marks upon them ; and these we took care to avoid. 
 But enough remained to furnish abundant exercise for 
 the lasso. The skill displayed by Joaquin in throwing 
 the lasso astonished me, and yet I considered myself an 
 adept in using it. Our lassos were made of strong platted 
 thongs of green hide, about forty feet in length, with an 
 iron ring at one end, forming a running noose, the other 
 end being fixed to the saddle-girth. When Joaquin was 
 about to seize an animal, he whirled the noose with a por- 
 tion of the thong horizontally around his head, holding 
 the rest of the lasso coiled up in his left hand ; and when 
 near enough to the object, and the precise point of its 
 rotation, flung off the noose, which never failed to secure 
 the animal. If a horse it invariably fell over the neck ; 
 and if an ox, over the horns. As soon as the Gaucho 
 succeeded in his aim, he suddenly turned his horse, which 
 movement set his legs in a position to resist successfully 
 the pull of the entrapped animal. I imitated Joaquin 
 rather clumsily, but made few failures, and met with no 
 accident. Mr. Barrill was not so successful. On one 
 occasion, he threw the lasso over the horns of a large ox ; 
 but neglecting to turn his horse quickly into the proper 
 position, he was pulled to the ground, and severely bruised. 
 Joaquin, however, secured the animal by a skilful throw, 
 
ANNOYANCES OF THE CAMP. 113 
 
 nearly at the moment when my patron reached the ground. 
 A little practice enabled Mr. Barrill to overcome his 
 deficiencies, and he was soon my rival in dexterity. 
 
 The chase of the wild cattle and horses was very ex- 
 citing, and the rewards more than proportionate to the 
 difficulty and danger. We fared sumptuously upon beef, 
 very little inferior to buffalo meat, and the tongues were 
 excellent. The hides we gave as propitiatory offerings 
 to the wandering Gauchos whom we encountered. Most 
 of these people seemed disposed to be friendly and peace- 
 able ; but we met two or three small parties, to whom we 
 thought proper to make a show of our force. They sa- 
 luted us, eyed our arms, shook their heads, and rode away, 
 with the speed of the wind. Our Gaucho guide was very 
 useful to us during these encounters, as he had a high 
 reputation for courage and determination. He also ren- 
 dered his services extremely valuable in breaking several 
 splendid horses for us. They were beautifully spotted, 
 and of great speed and strength. 
 
 Our encampment at night would have been pleasant 
 enough, but for two great annoyances, viz : the immense 
 number of insects, which buzzed around our ears and bit 
 us severely, and the thundering tramp of the wild herds 
 across the plains. The danger of a general stampede 
 of the animals around the camp is very imminent. On 
 one occasion we came near losing them. 
 
 10* 
 
114 A STAMPEDE. 
 
 About an hour after the usual time to secure the horses 
 for the night, an indistinct sound arose like the mutter- 
 ing of distant thunder ; as it came nearer it resemhled the 
 lashing of a heavy surf upon a heach. On and on it 
 rolled towards us, and, partly from my own hearing and 
 partly from the confused communication of Joaquin, I 
 conjectured it must be the fierce gallop of thousands of 
 panic-stricken horses. As this living torrent drew nigh, 
 our horses and mules began to snort, prick up their ears 
 and tremble. Each of us seized his rifle and fired to 
 change the course of the herd. We succeeded so far as 
 to retain our mules and three horses ; but as the herd 
 dashed furiously past us, in full charge, five fine horses, 
 which Joaquin had broken, were carried away, and we never 
 saw them again. However, we were well satisfied with 
 our good fortune in escaping this tremendous onset, and 
 slept very well after we had secured our remaining animals, 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LIFE ON THE PAMPAS. RETURN TO BUENOS AYRES. 
 SET SAIL FOR THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 
 
 AFTER passing through the plain, covered with clover 
 and thistles, we arrived at the second portion of the Pam- 
 pas, a level covered with long grass, and extending about 
 four hundred and fifty miles. In the middle of summer, 
 the heat is intense upon the plain ; but it was now No- 
 vember, and the weather was tolerably pleasant. We 
 continued to- see vast herds of cattle and horses ; but few 
 other animals of any size. 
 
 We had journeyed but about two days and a half among 
 this high grass, when Joaquin detected the fresh trail of 
 Indians. How he became aware of the precise nature of 
 the trail I was unable to perceive ? although I had consi- 
 derable skill in the same way. The traces to which he 
 directed our attention, were simply marks of horses's 
 hoofs, which, to my mind, might have been made by a 
 
 (115) 
 
116 DANGERS OF THE PAMPAS. 
 
 party of Gauchos, as well as by Indians. But Joaquin 
 insisted that they were Indians, and we were compelled 
 to yield. We then scoured the plain as far as the eye 
 could reach, but even the Gaucho could see nothing of 
 our dreaded enemies. He shook his head, however, and 
 remarked gravely 
 
 " The darkness will render them visible to you." 
 We rode on, changing the direction of our journey some- 
 what, and, at dusk, when I supposed we were at least fifteen 
 miles from the spot where Joaquin had descried the In- 
 dian trail, we halted on the bank of a sparkling rivulet, 
 and following the directions of the guide, constructed our 
 camp, with an eye to its defence. In this my own know- 
 ledge was of much utility. Our packs were so arranged, 
 as to afford us a slight shelter, wjien we stooped ; but this 
 only served for one side of the camp a line of about ten 
 feet. I then suggested that we should throw up breast- 
 works of sod upon the other three sides, and as no other 
 mode of defence could be devised, the suggestion was ap- 
 proved. No time was to be lost. Hatchets and knives 
 were brought into play. The work was slow and difficult, 
 and even my hard arms began to tire before one side of 
 the breastwork was complete. However, we toiled steadily, 
 like men who knew that life was at stake, and by the 
 light of the camp-fire we finished quite a neat little for- 
 tress. The animals were then hobbled, so that they 
 
AN ALARM. 117 
 
 could not be disturbed without giving us notice of their 
 danger. 
 
 The night was very gloomy. Occasionally the stars 
 peeped out of windows in the gloomy ceiling of clouds, but 
 we depended almost entirely on our fire for a light by which 
 to catch a glimpse of surrounding objects. The keen-eyed 
 Gaucho stood as sentinel, while Mr. Barrill and myself 
 cooked the meat ; and, when we commenced eating, he 
 took his share to eat while continuing his guard. 
 
 Suddenly he jumped over the breastwork and trench, 
 and put his ears to the ground. Then springing up, he 
 pointed in the direction from which he heard a sound 
 to come, and exclaimed 
 
 " They come ! they come !" 
 
 Then another noise in an opposite direction seemed to 
 catch his ear, for he leaped over the breastwork on the 
 other side, and put his ear to the ground. Then, spring- 
 ing up, he swore a terrible oath, and announced that 
 another party was in full gallop towards us, from that 
 direction. He then entered the camp. We drew our 
 animals as close to the breastwork as we could ; then pre- 
 pared our ammunition and arms for rapid use, and awaited 
 the attack, determined, yet scarcely hoping to make a 
 successful defence. 
 
 The parties seemed to be approaching at about the 
 same speed. Nearer and nearer they came, and my heart, 
 
118 BATTLE BETWEEN THE INDIANS AND GAUCHOS. 
 
 at least, beat quicker than usual. But I had faced death 
 in its most terrible forms too often to flinch in such a 
 situation. I was fully prepared to send some of our ene- 
 mies to their grand trial in another world. Nearer and 
 nearer they came, and louder and louder grew the sounds 
 of their gallop, till the light of our fire showed us the 
 front of both parties. They discovered each other at 
 the same time and with terrific yells turned from us to 
 engage in combat. Joaquin fairly yelled with joy one 
 party consisted of Araucanian Indians the other of their 
 deadliest foes the robber Gauchos. They had encoun- 
 tered while bent upon the same predatory errand. They 
 met in full charge, and the shock was tremendous. Horses 
 reeled and fell. Rifles were discharged, and we could 
 see the glimmer of the lances used by the Araucanians. 
 
 What course were we to pursue ? Mr. Barrill thought 
 that flight during the battle would be our best resource. 
 But Joaquin suggested what he felt convinced would be 
 the better course : To mount our horses and charge the 
 Indians in the rear help to defeat them and gain the 
 good will of the Gauchos, who, in the meantime, seemed 
 to be getting the worst of the conflict. I was delighted 
 with the proposition. In a moment we were mounted ; 
 and, rifle in hand,, we raised a tremendous shout, and 
 dashed upon the rear of the astonished Indians. A short, 
 fierce struggle ensued, and then the few surviving In- 
 
MAKE PRESENTS TO THE GAUCHO CHIEF. 119 
 
 dians scampered away over the plains, leaving the field to 
 the Gauchos, who raised a yell of triumph which had an 
 infernal sound to our ears. 
 
 Joaquin now sought the chief of the party, explained 
 to him our situation, and the great service we had rendered 
 him and expressed a hope that no violence was intended 
 to such good friends. The chief promised that not one of 
 our little party should be injured, but wished to see what we 
 had in camp. He behaved very politely before Mr. Barrill 
 and myself, and hoped we had had a fine journey. We 
 showed him our packs, while his party were engaged in 
 attending their wounded, killing the wounded Arauca- 
 nians, and appropriating whatever was valuable about the 
 slain horses and their savage masters. They contained 
 nothing to tempt his bump of acquisitiveness, but our 
 arms caused his eyes to brighten. Mr. Barrill saw which 
 way his thoughts ran, and happily anticipated him, by 
 presenting him with a pair of handsome pistols, to which 
 I added a Colt's revolver, the use of which Joaquin glibly 
 elucidated. With this latter present, the chief seemed 
 overjoyed. Calling some of the Gauchos, he told of the 
 presents we had made him, and bade them all remember 
 that not a hair of our heads was to be touched. They 
 assented, some of them, I thought, rather sullenly. 
 
 It was now ascertained that but two Gauchos had been 
 killed and three wounded, while twelve Indians had been 
 
120 THE RETURN JOURNEY. 
 
 killed in the fight, and four dispatched afterwards ; nei- 
 ther of these belligerent tribes recognized such a thing as 
 quarter. The wounded Gauchos were attended to roughly, 
 but with some skill. A great fire was then kindled on the 
 space cleared, near the bank of the stream, so that the 
 grass could not catch the blaze, and the party, then num- 
 bering about twenty, sat around, took out some beef, ate, 
 compared notes of the fight, grinned at us, and examined 
 what they had taken from the Indians. 
 
 The chief sat down with us, around the fire, within the 
 breastwork, at which he could not but express his con- 
 tempt, and chatted with Joaquin and Mr. Barrill till the 
 break of day. He then bade us adieu, mounted his horse, 
 summoned his men, and in a few moments, the robber 
 .band was scampering away across the plain. 
 
 Congratulating ourselves upon our escape, we imme- 
 diately held a sort of council of war in regard to our fu- 
 ture course. Mr. Barrill broached the idea of our re- 
 turning to Buenos Ayres. He expressed himself satis- 
 fied with what he had seen and enjoyed of life on the 
 Pampas, and said that to proceed farther would only be 
 to encounter great dangers to no purpose. I agreed with 
 him, not because I was under his patronage, but because 
 the counsel was wise. Joaquin murmured, but the debate 
 was decided in favor of the return. 
 
 Before sunrise, we had taken the trail leading back to 
 
RETURN TO BUENOS AYRES. 121 
 
 Buenos Ayres. The details of this return journey are 
 not worth recording. We had excellent sport in hunting, 
 good living, and, made a trip without stoppages. We 
 arrived at Buenos Ayres without any accident of import- 
 ance, and every thing considered, in good condition. 
 Joaquin then received a handsome reward for his faithful 
 services, and bade us adieu. 
 
 During a week after our return, we rested, and had 
 leisure to observe the city and the citizens. I was not 
 greatly pleased with this town. In my opinion, Rio Ja- 
 neiro is a much more desirable place of residence. In 
 the meantime, Mr. Barrill secured passage in a British 
 ship, employed in the China trade, intending to make the 
 Cape of Good Hope his next sporting scene. At the ex- 
 piration of a week, we sailed. Horses and mules had 
 been sold at a cheap rate ; but our weapons and packs, 
 with many additions of Gaucho costume and natural 
 curiosities of Buenos Ayres, were shipped with us. The 
 vessel sailed, and during the long days of that voyage to 
 the Cape of Good Hope, Mr. Barrill and I had plenty of 
 time to talk over our hunting expeditions in South 
 America. 
 
 11 
 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ARRIVAL AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. START ON 
 A HUNTING EXPEDITION INTO THE INTERIOR 
 OF AFRICA. 
 
 THE voyage through the South Sea, was the most pleasant 
 I had yet enjoyed. Yet I was not sorry when we ap- 
 proached Table Bay, and when we came in sight of Table 
 Mountain, which looms up just behind Cape Town, my heart 
 fairly bounded with delight. Mr. Ban-ill's account of the 
 hunting region of South Africa had fired my imagination, 
 and I longed to meet the lion, the elephant, and the rhi- 
 noceros, upon their native plains. 
 
 Table Bay, the harbor of Cape Town, is capable of con- 
 taining the navies of the world. It is generally safe, 
 but during the months of June, July, and August, it is 
 exposed to a heavy swell from the west. A wooden jetty 
 projects for half a furlong into the bay from the east end 
 (122) 
 
CAPE TOWN. 123 
 
 of the town, near the castle, alongside of which ships dis- 
 charge or take in their cargoes. I judged from the num- 
 ber of large vessels along this great pier that the com- 
 merce of the town was rather extensive. Several large 
 men-of-war were anchored in the bay. 
 
 Cape Town presents a beautiful appearance from the 
 bay the mountain forming a fine back ground. It is 
 regularly laid out, and contains several good squares. Its 
 streets, which are straight and wide, cross each other at 
 right angles, many of them being watered by canals, and 
 planted on either side with trees, in the Dutch fashion. 
 The houses, mostly of brick or red granite, are flat-roofed 
 and chiefly white, with green windows. They are spacious 
 and convenient, having an elevated terrace, here called a 
 stock, in front, and small gardens behind, usually with a 
 treillage covered with vines. Upon the shore at the 
 eastern extremity of the town, is the castle, a pentagonal 
 fortress of considerable strength, having outworks which 
 command both the bay and the roads to the country. On 
 the west side of the town, Table Bay is defended by four 
 batteries, placed round and on the hill, called the Lion's 
 Rump. On the east side, the town is protected by forti- 
 fied lines of defence. The principal public buildings are 
 the government house, with extensive gardens, the burgher 
 senate house, barracks, and commercial exchange. Cape 
 Town is the capital of the colony. 
 
124 ENGAGE HOTTENTOT SERVANTS. 
 
 On landing, Mr. Barrill expressed his surprise at 
 the appearance of bustle and gaiety. We afterwards as- 
 certained that British residents in India frequently resort 
 to the Cape for their health, and their presence greatly 
 adds to the life of the town. We found, however, that 
 the greater number of the inhabitants were either Dutch 
 or descendants from that people, once the owners of this 
 valuable colony. 
 
 Mr. Barrill was acquainted with some government offi- 
 cials at the town, and to these he applied to ascertain 
 where he could get the best entertainment. They esta- 
 blished us without much ceremony in their own quarters. 
 Having resolved to be off to the interior of the country 
 as soon as he could make a complete outfit, Mr. Barrill 
 sought a person who could give him the necessary infor- 
 mation in regard to the articles needed. He was referred 
 to a trader, named Williams. Following the directions 
 of that experienced individual, he purchased two large 
 cap-tent wagons ; twenty-five oxen, well-trained for 
 draught, and four horses, bred by the Dutch Boers. Three 
 young Hottentots, named Oarollus, Brutus, and Malic, 
 were engaged as drivers, and to perform various kinds of 
 service. They were active and intelligent, but, I thought, 
 rather stubborn and sulky. The stock of provisions and 
 necessary articles, such as cooking utensils, pocket-knives, 
 axes, hatchets, camping materials, &c., was so extensive 
 
PROCEED TO THE INTERIOR. 125 
 
 that I thought we could have set up two or three traders 
 in business. Mr. Williams said that we would want other 
 ordnance besides our American rifles and pistols. He 
 recommended that we should get at least two double-bar- 
 relled guns, such as the Boers used, and Mr. Barrill fol- 
 lowed the recommendation. Our stock of ammunition 
 was extensive and various. 
 
 Having completed our arrangements, we left Cape 
 Town early in October. The train had a very clumsy 
 appearance, but we proceeded at a tolerably rapid rate, 
 and the very first day of our journey succeeded in accom- 
 plishing fifteen miles from the Cape capital. "We had 
 more trouble with our Hottentots than with our teams, 
 especially about the time to encamp, when Carollus 
 seemed disposed to every thing but that which he was 
 ordered to do ; and neither of them could be bribed to 
 hurry. 
 
 Mr. Barrill determined to proceed as directly as pos- 
 sible to the region of the sport. We travelled steadily 
 every day passing numerous farms of Dutch boers, 
 which presented a curious appearance. Most of the 
 farmers had vast herds of cattle and horses, and I judged 
 that, as a class, they were very wealthy. They were ge- 
 nerally sociable and hospitable. At length we reached 
 the Great Fish river, which was forded with much diffi- 
 culty. Soon afterwards, however, we entered upon the 
 
 11*' 
 
126 CHASING THE OSTRICH. 
 
 great plains, and for the first time were gratified with a 
 sight of those beautiful antelopes, known as springboks, 
 which are generally diffused throughout South Africa. 
 
 The next morning, Mr. Barrill and I mounted our 
 horses, and as the wagons drove on, kept on the flanks, 
 looking out for a chance to chase the springbok. A herd 
 soon appeared, and away we fiew in chase. But after a 
 long run in pursuit of animals, and the expense of con- 
 siderable ammunition, we returned to the train without 
 the satisfaction of having even inflicted a wound. Next 
 day, however, we were more successful, and two fine 
 springboks rewarded a long and exciting chase. We con- 
 tinued to advance towards the interior, and soon left the 
 homes of the hunter Boers behind. Every day game 
 became more abundant, and I was absolutely overwhelmed 
 with astonishment at its variety. The large animal be- 
 tween the antelope and the cow, called the wildebeest, 
 was abundant. We shot two; but the meat was pro- 
 nounced decidedly inferior to that of the springbok. 
 
 One day about noon, as we were going to encamp, we 
 caught sight of four ostriches, the first I had ever beheld. 
 Mr. Barrill and I were soon in full chase. These enormous 
 birds ran with amazing celerity, and after a very tire- 
 some ride we were compelled to yield ; they got away 
 unscathed. I was extremely disappointed, being so anx- 
 ious to secure some of the beautiful feathers of the ostrich. 
 
HUNTING THE SPRINGBOK. 127 
 
 However the immense herds of the springbok which now 
 began to cover the plain afforded us splendid rifle-shoot- 
 ing. We were very successful in still hunting for these 
 animals. Concealing ourselves in the bushes we ob- 
 tained opportunities for singling out the best ones, and 
 bringing them down. This kind of sport so elated me, 
 that I began to feel as if J could spend the rest of mj 
 days in these magnificent hunting-grounds. But I had 
 yet to see their animal wonders to witness the march of 
 the elephant the majestic port of the grim lion the 
 noble beauty of the giraffe. The grandest sporting 
 treasures of South Africa were yet before me. 
 
 v 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 EXCITING CHASE OF THE GEMSBOK. BEAUTY OF 
 ORANGE RIVER. CHASE OF THE RHINOCEROS. 
 CHASE OF AN ELEPHANT. 
 
 OUR Hottentots gave us promise of glorious sport in 
 hunting a species of antelope, called the oryx, or gemsbok. 
 We soon emerged upon a broad, arid plain, where these 
 animals were known to abound, and after travelling about 
 five miles over this most desolate tract, we encamped not 
 far from a vley, or pool, where the game drank.. This 
 pool was about two hundred yards in breadth. One side 
 presented patches of grass, the bright green of which was 
 very refreshing to the eye, which had been gazing for 
 miles upon the desert plains. Flocks of wild geese, ducks, 
 and cranes, enlivened the spot with their fluttering and 
 cackling. The other side was bare, and trampled hard 
 by the feet of wild animals which resorted to the pool to 
 quench their thirst. 
 (128) 
 
PROCEED TO THE CHASE. 129 
 
 There were no trees in the vicinity of the vley. Our 
 camp was formed among some low bushes ; and after en- 
 joying a hearty meal, we began preparations for hunting 
 the gemsbok next day. The two best horses were abun- 
 dantly supplied with forage. Mr. Barrill and I spent 
 some hours in cleaning our rifles, and our powder-flasks 
 and bullet-pouches were well-stocked. When we stretched 
 ourselves for repose, beside our scanty fire, it was not to 
 sleep soundly. Morpheus himself must have caught our 
 sporting enthusiasm for, instead of treating us to his 
 potion of forgetfulness, he caused us to hunt the gemsbok 
 in the land of dreams ; so that when we arose before the 
 peep of day each had a tale of most successful sport to 
 tell, as a stimulant to a persevering chase. 
 
 The dawn saw us in our saddles and away over the plain, 
 Carollus following with some provision for our refresh- 
 ment, in case of the hunt keeping us too long from camp. 
 The morning was clear and pleasant, and I felt in the best 
 humor for exercise. As the dazzling sun showed a bril- 
 liant line where the sky kissed the plain, in the east, we 
 reached a little hillock, which commanded a view of the sur- 
 rounding scenery. There I dismounted, and from the 
 summit of the elevation examined the country in search 
 of game. I was fortunate ; for, before Mr. Barrill could 
 join me, I discovered, at about a distance of a quarter of 
 a mile, in a hollow between two hillocks, a herd of twenty 
 
130 HUNTING THE UEMSBOK. 
 
 animals, which from the description I had heard, I knew 
 to be gemsboks. As soon as Mr. Barrill joined me, and 
 was gratified with a view of the game, I suggested a plan 
 of attack : while we rode circuitously a long distance to 
 the windward of the herd, Carollus was to give chase and 
 bring them within reach of our leaden death. Mr. Barrill 
 approved the plan, and away we rode. At the distance 
 of about half a mile, we halted in a good position for ob- 
 taining a shot ; and presently we were excited by the 
 shouting of the Hottentot, and the rapid tramp of the 
 pursued gemsboks. They came within two hundred yards 
 of us ; but just as we were about to charge and fire among 
 them, they scented our proximity, turned and fled in a 
 direction at a right angle with their former course. Then 
 began the most thrilling chase for game in which I had 
 yet engaged. Mr. Barrill and I kept nearly abreast, 
 while riding at full speed. At the end of about three 
 miles, I shot ahead, reached the herd, and gave a beauti- 
 ful cow a death wound behind the shoulder, tumbling 
 her upon the plain. 
 
 Mr. Barrill shouted, as he dashed past me in chase of 
 the remainder of the herd. Carollus then came up, and 
 as he took charge of the slain animal, I again set off in 
 pursuit of this splendid game. The herd and Mr. Barrill 
 were more than half a mile ahead when I saw him fire, 
 and a gemsbok fall. He did not stop a moment, but 
 
HUNTING THE GEMSBOK. 131 
 
 loading rapidly as he rode, pressed forward in chase. 
 He was just preparing for another shot when his horse 
 stumbled and fell. This accident hurt neither horse nor 
 rider, but only enabled me to pass them, and kill an old 
 bull that lagged behind the herd. My horse now showed 
 signs of distress. We had not proceeded far, but the ground 
 was so undermined by colonies of meir-cat and mouse- 
 hunts, that the horse's feet sunk deep at every step ; so I 
 concluded to rest satisfied with my first achievements in 
 the way of gemsbok hunting. 
 
 Mr. Barrill had gone to examine the animal he had 
 killed, and I had now leisure to do the same, in regard to 
 the old bull. The gemsbok is indeed a beautiful animal. 
 It has the erect mane, long, sweeping black tail, and ge- 
 neral appearance of the horse, with the head and hoofs of 
 the antelope. It is robust in form, squarely and firmly 
 built, and very imposing in its bearing. Its height is 
 about that of an ass, and in color it slightly resembles 
 that animal. Beautiful black bands adorn its head, giv- 
 ing it the appearance of wearing a stall collar. The rump 
 and thighs are painted in a very singular manner. The 
 horns are long and straight. I ascertained during my stay 
 in South Africa, that the gemsbok is the swiftest and most 
 enduring of all the animals hunted in that country. 
 
 Following the directions of Mr. Barrill, who desired to 
 make as large a collection as possible, during his expedi- 
 
132 HUNTING THE ANTELOPE. 
 
 tions, 1 cut off the head and skinned the. bull ; and then 
 cut some meat from the rump and sides. We then took as 
 much as we could convey on our horses of the trophies of 
 our hunts, rode back to where Carollus was skinning the 
 cow, gave him directions in regard to cutting off the head 
 and choice meat, and then returned to the camp. The sun 
 was now intensely hot, and we were glad to seek the shade 
 of the wagons. When the meat was all brought in, we 
 did our best in the way of cookery, and in spite of my 
 recollections of delicious buffalo "boudins," I acknow- 
 ledged to Mr. Barill that the flesh of the gemsbok was 
 incomparable eating. 
 
 For three days we remained encamped near the vley, 
 enjoying splendid shooting and luxurious feasts. While 
 here, I first saw the gnoo, or horned horse, the quagga, 
 the animal called the hartebeest, and the nests of the 
 ostrich, all of which increased my anxiety to pass all my 
 Bporting days in South Africa. On the morning of the 
 fourth day we broke up the camp, and advanced in the 
 direction of Orange river. We had understood that this 
 stream was one of the glories of South Africa. The route 
 to it did not increase our faith in the report. * For many 
 days we travelled over wild and desolate plains, where it 
 was really wonderful how animals could subsist. But the 
 game was abundant and various. Antelopes of several 
 varieties, wildebeests, hartebeest?, gnoos, and ostriches 
 
SOUTH AFRICAN SCENERY. 133 
 
 thronged in this seemingly barren region, and while the 
 dull monotony of the scenery might have wearied us, 
 the splendor of the sport afforded an exciting relief. 
 
 As we approached the Great Orange river, the country 
 assumed a less sterile aspect, and when we reached the 
 stream, the beauty of the scene compensated manifold for 
 the desolation through which we had passed. Only those 
 who have travelled through a desert, beneath a blazing 
 sun for weeks, and have been surprised by coming upon an 
 oasis of verdure can appreciate the luxurious feeling ve 
 experienced when we saw the crystal water, bordered with 
 groves of verdant foliage and gorgeous blossoms. The 
 breadth of the river was about three hundred yards. As 
 far as we could see, the banks were fringed with willows, 
 the branches of which, yielding to the music of the breeze, 
 now dipped in the stream and danced upon the ripples, 
 and then, threw themselves up, scattering showers of pearls 
 from each leafy tress. Behind, and among the willows, 
 we could see the golden blossoms of the mimosa, and the 
 deep green of the oleander. The most delicious perfume 
 filled the air. Numerous birds, of rainbow plumage and 
 fluttering melody, flitted among the foliage. The ground 
 was carpeted with emerald grass, decked with flowers of 
 every hue and enchanting fragrance. 
 
 Riding ahead of our lumbering wagons, we reached the 
 shade of the groves about noon. I imagined myself 
 
 12 
 
134 CROSSING THE ORANGE RIVER. 
 
 entering a fairy-land. Throwing myself from my almost 
 enchanted horse, I stood upon the edge of the stream, to 
 drink in the splendor of the scene, and then stretched 
 myself under the cool and perfumed shade of a mimosa, 
 to luxuriate. I have travelled through many countries, but 
 never have I beheld a scene so near the Eden of the 
 imagination as the verdured banks of Orange river. 
 
 Mr. Barrill seemed to be even more under the sweet 
 influence of the enchantment than myself. Long after I 
 had lain "down and given my mind to musing upon the 
 contrasted scenes of this life, he stood upon the edge of 
 the rippling water as if spell-bound. Then, quickly di- 
 vesting himself of his clothing, he plunged into the stream, 
 and seemed to revel in the coolness of its crystal waves. 
 
 We had a delightful meal, and a siesta such as could 
 be enjoyed nowhere else. We then turned our attention 
 to getting across the river. The Hottentots reported the 
 stream fordable. Before attempting to cross, we were 
 occupied for upwards an of hour, in raising the goods liable 
 to be damaged by water, by means of a platform, con- 
 structed of green willow boughs, with which we filled the 
 bottom of the wagons, and then replaced the goods. 
 Entering the stream, we found the drift rather rough 
 and the wagons were jolted about in no very agreeable 
 way. We got safely through, however, and having pro- 
 ceeded about half a mile up the opposite bank, encamped 
 
SOUTH AFRICAN SCENERY. 135 
 
 in the midst of gorgeous groves of mimosa. That night, 
 as the silvery moon and her train of stars appeared in the 
 clear blue of the sky, and gave *a new enchantment to 
 grove and river, we reveled in a beauty the like of which 
 we never expected to see beyond the shores of Africa 
 
 The next morning, Mr. Barrill was up with the first gleam 
 of the dawn, and eager for the chase. " Let us make 
 good use of our time, Perey," said he, enthusiastically, " for 
 we cannot always be in these ' happy hunting-grounds.' " 
 We ate a hearty meal, a cup of coffee being added to our 
 luxuries, and then mounted Qur horses. Leaving the 
 groves bordering the river, we struck northward to an 
 extensive range of rocky hills that walled a level plain. 
 These eminences were so strong that it was impossible to 
 ride through them. They were covered with a wild growth 
 of rank grass, varied by dwarfish branches. Carollus had 
 accompained us as after rider, and we left him in charge 
 of the horses, while, with rifle in hand, we eagerly tra- 
 versed the range in search of game. 
 
 On ascending to the highest summit, we had a grand 
 panoramic view of magnificent scenery. In a northerly 
 
 and easterly direction, a succession of bold lofty mountains 
 
 
 extended assuming various shapes as they diminished in 
 
 the distance. Some of them were tabular, but others of 
 conical and pyramidal shapes, towered above their fellows, 
 their steep sides standing in grand relief above the undu- 
 
136 SOUTH AFRICAN SCENERY. 
 
 lations of the plain. We were disappointed in not finding 
 game, and, descending the ridge, we remounted and rode 
 back to camp, with the purpose of advancing farther into 
 the country. 
 
 The next day we resumed our march. The plain was 
 covered with a luxurious carpet of grass. Mountain 
 ranges bounded the view on every side, and strips of mi- 
 mosa forest stretched along their bases. After a very 
 pleasant journey, during which we killed several beautiful 
 antelopes, we reached what is called the salt-pan, an oval 
 basin, the bottom of which is usually covered with salt, 
 to the depth of two or three inches. In the vicinity of 
 this curious place we enjoyed good shooting, among herds 
 of antelopes, for several days. We had yet seen none of 
 the great game of South Africa, however, and we there 
 fore marched steadily forward to the region in which it 
 was said to abound. We crossed the Vaal river, and soon 
 afterwards reached the Eiet, beyond which we might ex- 
 pect to find the monsters of the plains. The people we 
 met, who were called Griquas, were friendly, but the mise- 
 rable Bushmen kept clear of our rifles. The country was 
 diversified, and we passed through many scenes which 
 words would be inadequate to describe. 
 
 After passing the Eiet river we found ourselves in the 
 land where we might expect our sleep to be startled by 
 the roar of the lion. Three days afterwards we encamped 
 
HUNTING THE RHINOCER.OS. 137 
 
 near a fountain, where the wild animals were accustomed 
 to drink, and then prepared for the anticipated sport. 
 
 The next morning we mounted our horses, Carollus being 
 in company for after rider, and left the camp. We haa 
 not advanced more than two miles, when turning abruptly 
 around the base of a low hill, we found ourselves front to 
 front with a monstrous "black animal, having two horns 
 upon its long snout. 
 
 "A black rhinoceros!" shouted Mr. Barrill, checking 
 his horse, and, I thought, turning pale. My nerves were 
 unshaken, and as the huge beast had fairly discovered 
 us, I aimed at its shoulder and fired. Mr. Barrill then 
 followed suit. The rhinoceros was struck by both balls ; 
 but it made a tremendous rush towards us, and we fled 
 rapidly. Suddenly the monster halted, and, as we checked 
 our steeds and prepared our rifles for another shot, it fled 
 and was pursued in turn. Mr. Barrill knew more of the na- 
 ture and habits of the animal than I, for he had conversed 
 with intelligent hunters upon the subject. I kept in the 
 rear, fearing to trust my horse upon the side ; but Mr. 
 Barrill dashed up, and gave him a mortal shot behind the 
 shoulder. I repeated the dose, and, after snorting and 
 blowing dreadfully, the rhinoceros turned on us a look of 
 intense ferocity, and fell dead upon the plain. 
 
 Here was a triumph ! Three cheers broke from us, as 
 the animal thundered down. We quickly dismounted, 
 
 12* 
 
138 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 
 
 and with feelings of indescribable exaltation surveyed oui 
 prize. It proved to be a full grown specimen of the black 
 rhinoceros the largest and fiercest of its kind called 
 by the natives the borele. The horns were about eigh- 
 teen inches in length, and finely polished by continual 
 rubbing against trees. We found that these terrible wea- 
 pons were not connected with the skull, but merely at- 
 tached with the skin, and we separated them with our 
 knives. Mr. Barrill considered them very valuable. The 
 eyes of the huge beast were small, and so set, that, it was 
 plain to me, it could not see except directly in front. But 
 the most curious portion of the animal was the skin. This 
 covering was extremely thick, and laid in folds as if much 
 too large for the body. Each rhinoceros appears to have 
 entered the skin of one a great deal more bulky than it 
 self. Ordinary bullets will not penetrate this clumsy 
 armor. Mr. Barrill had taken the precaution before leaving 
 Cape Town to provide himself with bullets hardened with 
 solder, and these were easily driven into the vitals of the 
 animal. 
 
 Elated with our unexpected success, we took the po- 
 lished horns and a large piece of the skin of the rhino 
 ceros, and returned to camp. In the afternoon, when the 
 heat of the sun had somewhat declined, we rode out in the 
 hope of shooting game, to furnish fresh meat for our even- 
 ing meal. Not far from camp, we started a herd of ante- 
 
HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 139 
 
 * lopes, of the kind called blesbok, and away we went in 
 chase at full speed. The fleet animals led us for about 
 three miles over the plain, and then took shelter on one 
 side of a rocky ridge, where we found it impossible to 
 cross. Thus were we completely defeated ; but with com- 
 mendable resignation we immediately turned our attention 
 to waking up other game. 
 
 Night was gradually approaching, flinging long sha- 
 dows on the ground. We saw no antelope, and were about 
 to take the return track, when a crashing noise, far to our 
 right, caused us to check our horses. What a sight for 
 our bloods ! Beating and slashing among a grove of 
 mimosa were two elephants. The next moment revealed 
 three, and the next four of these lords of the plains, 
 evidently full grown. I need not attempt to say with 
 what thrill of excitement we concerted a plan of at- 
 tack. We knew it was a venture more critical than any 
 we had ever yet dared. Encountering the ferocious 
 grizzly bear of the Rocky Mountains was comparatively 
 safe. But we were determined to conquer or perish in 
 the effort. Briefly, Mr. Barrill, who had gained much 
 information in regard to the nature and habits of the 
 elephant, gave me instructions, thus : 
 
 " The elephant entertains an extraordinary dread of 
 man, and is therefore difficult to approach. Happily we 
 have the wind in our favor, and so may get close enough 
 
140 HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 for a shot bj caution and good riding. Fire the halls into * 
 them just behind the shoulder, for they will be effective no 
 where else* They will not charge unless enraged by 
 wounds, and then you must spur hard and dodge skilfully 
 from the right track." 
 
 Enough said. Our rifles were examined. Both were 
 double-barrelled, and we now increased the weight of their 
 loads. Then, we skirted the base of a ridge till we came 
 within about four hundred yards of them, when they dis- 
 covered us, and dashed away, with a thrilling trumpeting, 
 and crashing tramp. We had nothing then to do but 
 to spur away in pursuit. The huge beasts ran faster than 
 I had imagined they could. But our steeds were fleet, 
 and, after a race of a mile, I succeeded in getting within 
 a hundred yards of the hindmost elephant. A few furious 
 strokes of the spur then threw me within rifle-shot ; and, as 
 I dashed a little upon one side of the animal, I aimed and 
 fired. I missed the shoulder but broke one of the ele- 
 phant's fore legs. This wound caused him to lag behind, 
 and Mr. Barrill and I were soon alongside, firing into him 
 at our leisure. Suddenly he stopped ; turning his sharp 
 tusks first to one side then to the other, as if uncertain 
 which way to charge, when, receiving the brace of bullets 
 in his vitals, he uttered long and mournful moans, and, 
 fell dead on his side, the shock making the ground tremble 
 under our feet. 
 
RETURN TO CAMP. 141 
 
 f Exultant from this great victory, we quickly dismounted 
 to examine our prize. Mr. Barrill pronounced it a full 
 grown bull elephant. The tusks were about five feet in 
 length, and beautiful specimens of ivory. I stood in 
 amazement at the tremendous proportions of the animal, 
 and could not but wonder at the gift of puny man, who 
 was enabled to effect so easy a triumph over such a mon- 
 ster of strength. The skin was nearly as thick as that 
 of the rhinoceros, but not so tough ; a dozen of our bullets 
 had penetrated it ; and of these, at least three had en- 
 tered the vitals of the elephant. We had but little time 
 for an examination. The twilight was deepening into 
 night, and we had a long ride before us. With conside- 
 rerable hacking, we secured the tusks, and a large slice of 
 the rump, and with these trophies of the greatest hunting 
 triumph we had yet achieved, we started for our camp. 
 We arrived safely, but not until the night had spread her 
 full serenity over the teeming world. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE ROAR OF THE LION. STILL HUNTING AT THE 
 FOUNTAIN. THE LION AND THE LIONESS. 
 WILDEBEEST. RESUME THE MARCH. CHASE 
 OF THE GIRAFFE. BUFFALOES. 
 
 * 
 
 A FEW nights after we had encamped at the fountain, 
 I was startled by hearing, for the first time, the roar of the 
 lion. Who, once hearing, can ever forget that grand and 
 awful voice ? The peculiar tone of haughty defiance, in 
 its thunder, sent a thrill of terror through my heart one 
 not easily appalled. Slowly, the dreadful sound pervaded 
 the plains, like a commanding threat from the king of wild 
 beasts to his subjects. Mr. Barrill and I sat up by the 
 fire to listen. First came a low, deep moaning, ending in 
 faint sighs ; and then came that lofty roar, repeated five 
 or six times in quick succession, each increasing in loud- 
 ness to the third or fourth, when the voice died away ia 
 (142) 
 
STILL HUNTING AT THE FOUNTAIN 143 
 
 five or six low muffled sounds, resembling distant thunder. 
 Soon afterwards the feeling of awe which these dreadful 
 sounds had excited, gave way before the desire to prove 
 my superiority over the grim lords of strength, and I de- 
 termined to make the effort the next night, cost what it 
 might. 
 
 The next day, we occupied ourselves in completing a 
 hole of concealment for the still-hunting at the fountain. 
 We dug it among the low bushes on the side farthest from 
 the camp making it about four feet in diameter and 
 three in depth. Between the hole and the edge of the 
 fountain the bushes were thinned, so that we could have 
 plenty of room for aiming, and yet not be seen, from the 
 other side, by the game. By noon, the work was finished, 
 and, after dinner, the Hottentots were ordered to take 
 blankets, and some provisions to the hole, for our comfort 
 while waiting, during the chill nights, for game. 
 
 That night the moon rose early, and as we had refreshed 
 ourselves with a doze and a hearty meal, we took our sta- 
 tions soon after nightfall and stood prepared to administer 
 a dose of death to any animal that chose to visit the foun- 
 tain. And there we waited with statue-like patience for 
 some hours before we could discern the approach of any 
 wild animals. Suddenly, the heavy tread of elephants 
 was heard, and ears and eyes were instantly on the strain. 
 Moving majestically, and, with a sweeping pace, casting 
 
144 STILL HUNTING AT THE FOUNTAIN. 
 
 shadows like hills, came three elephants. They advanced 
 fearlessly, and, on reaching the fountain, lowered their 
 long trunks, and began, almost simultaneously, to suck up 
 the refreshing liquid. Each of us selected an animal, and 
 watching an opportunity, when the heart was exposed, 
 fired. Scarcely had the report shocked the air into echoes, 
 when the three elephants turned and fled. But the two 
 at which we had fired, lagged, and as they fell far behind 
 the unscathed animal, we knew that they had received 
 wounds which in time would lay them low. 
 
 It was not our purpose to give chase. Congratulating 
 each other on the night's sport, we loaded, and waited to see 
 what kind of a beast would become the next victim. 
 Carollus, the Hottentot, had informed us that, when the 
 moon rose early, the lion deferred its hour of watering, 
 until a short time before day-break, and, therefore, we 
 were not particularly disappointed in not seeing any of 
 these grim monarchs approach. The elephants had not 
 disappeared more than an hour, when the tramp of a herd 
 of animals broke on our ears, and looking up, we saw 
 about twenty gnoos approaching at a trot. Near the 
 fountain, they paused, as if suspicious of danger ; but, 
 one of them leading the way, the others followed to the 
 water, and began to drink. We cared nothing for this 
 game, and therefore reserved our fire for better that 
 might have been alarmed by the report. Before the gnoos 
 
HUNTING THE LION 145 
 
 ha. 1 quenched their thirst, several wildebeests, that had a 
 fine fat appearance, came trotting up and, very sociably, 
 commenced drinking among them. Here was our game. 
 Delicious morsels of meat floated in perspective. Sin- 
 gling our fleshy targets, we fired, and as the herd scam- 
 pered away, as if all had received some shot in their tails, 
 we saw two wildebeests tumble on the plain. And now 
 it became our duty to guard at least one of these animals, 
 until day-break. After this no other game appeared 
 near the fountain, for some hours after midnight ; and we 
 were actually beginning to doze, when a loud lapping 
 noise at the farthest end of the fountain startled us to 
 turn our gaze in that direction, and we beheld a large 
 lion laying on his breast, with his massive arms stretched 
 out, and engaged in (Jrinking as if extremely thirsty. 
 Here, at last, was the far-famed king of the beasts. The 
 moonlight did not permit us to see the form, in all its 
 grandeur of aspect. But there was something awful about 
 the massive head and shaggy mane, which we did not 
 fail to perceive. It was agreed that we should each fire 
 a single bullet at him as soon as he rose from the ground. 
 He seemed to have a burning thirst. Four times, 
 he paused, to catch breath, and still the quantity of water 
 lapped up did not seem to satisfy him. We were patient, 
 however, and, at length, the lion stood up. Instantly, 
 our rifles rung on the air. As the smoke cleared away, 
 
 13 
 
146 THE DEAD LION. 
 
 we beheld the enraged majesty of the beast the eyes glow- 
 ing like living coals, and the bristling madness of the mane. 
 He disdained to fly, but stood looking for his foes, till the 
 darkness of death came over his sight, and with an awful 
 groan, which seemed to come from a heart striving to 
 conquer agony, he fell dead beside the fountain. 
 
 The king of beasts was stretched in the dust by the 
 power of man. Not even when I beheld the enormous 
 elephant we had slain, did I experience such a noble thrill 
 of triumph such a proud consciousness of, superiority 
 as when this monarch of the plain, so renowned in story 
 and the metaphors of men, was stretched in death before 
 my eyes. The glory of the warrior was dimned in my 
 estimation, and I felt as if the powers conferred on man 
 by the Creator of all, and denied by his Providence to 
 beasts, were vindicated and displayed. 
 
 We still hoped that other lions would visit the fountain 
 if not to drink, to feed upon our wildebeests. We were 
 disappointed however. Several hyenas came, in the eager 
 expectation of enjoying a plenteous meal ; but a few shots 
 scattered them far and wide. No other animals appeared 
 within rifle-shot till the white light of day filled the eastern 
 sky. We then left our place of concealment, feeling rather 
 stiff from remaining so long in one position, and eagerly 
 went to examine the results of our night's work. 
 
 Our Hottentots reached the wildebeest before us ; for 
 
DESCRIPTION OF THE LION. 147 
 
 we were anxious to take a survey of the lion. It was one of 
 the most daring and ferocious kind known as the black- 
 maned lion. The entire length of the animal was ten 
 feet and the height from the fore feet to the top of the 
 enormous head was about four feet. The mane was long, 
 rank, shaggy, and black, reaching almost to the feet. The 
 skin of the body was of a dusky brown hue, and upon the 
 end of the tail was a tuft of hair, somewhat darker. The 
 limbs had the appearance of tremendous strength, and the 
 whole frame seemed so compactly built, that I had no 
 doubt the stories of this celebrated animal were true. 
 The teeth had a horribly powerful look, and the skin of 
 the tongue was rough enough to lick off the flesh from 
 his victim's bones. When we had gained a more 
 familiar acquaintance with the lion, he rose considerably 
 in our estimation. Combining in comparatively small 
 compass, the perfection and agility, he is enabled, by 
 means of the tremendous machinery with which nature 
 has gifted him, easily to overcome and destroy almost 
 every beast of the forest and plain, however, superior to 
 him in weight and stature. A lion under four feet in 
 height has little difficulty in dashing to the ground and 
 overcoming the lofty giraffe, whose head towers above the 
 trees' of the forest, and whose skin is nearly an inch in 
 thickness ; and the powerful buffalo is to him an easy prey. 
 Mr. Barrill skinned the lion a work of great toil and 
 
148 DISCOVERED TWO LIONS. 
 
 difficulty ; and I secured several of the teeth as my share 
 of the trophies. The Hottentots expressed their surprise 
 and joy in a series of ridiculous gestures, and they kicked 
 the carcass about as if they thought it could feel their 
 blows. These people entertain a more than wholesome 
 dread of the lion, and the man that kills one, is from that 
 time a superior being in their estimation. We found that 
 they are not to be relied upon in case of a perilous 
 encounter with the king of beasts. 
 
 The wildebeests slain by us proved to be two fine ani- 
 mals. They were females. The general color was blue 
 but the long, bushy tails were black. Their general aspect 
 resembled that of the buffalo, although they are said to 
 belong to the antelope tribe. Their heads were ponderous 
 and fierce looking, and their manes long and shaggy. Our 
 Hottentots soon butchered these animals to our' satisfac- 
 tion, and we then returned to camp, determined to eat a 
 hearty meal and then set off in pursuit of the wounded 
 elephant. 
 
 Before we had concluded our meal of wildebeests flesh, 
 which was indeed delicious eating, we were startled by an 
 incident that might have had unpleasant consequences. 
 While we were engaged in eating and chating, our oxen 
 came trotting along in front of the wagon as if pursued ; 
 and looking up, we saw a lioness following within twenty 
 yards of them ; and the next moment her mate, a yellow 
 
HUNTING THE LION. 149 
 
 maned lion appeared among the grass not far ahead of the 
 animals, as if waiting for the lioness to put them to flight. 
 Fortunately the oxen ceased running, and huddled to- 
 gether among the bushes by the fountain, about one 
 hundred and fifty yards from where we were eating. Now 
 was the time to show if we were equal to the open attack 
 upon the lordly lion. Each of us seized a two-barrelled 
 rifle and ran forward to obtain a fair shot. I got within 
 seventy yards of the lion, and taking as cool an aim as 
 the proximity of such an animal would permit, fired. An 
 excellent shot ; the lion was hit in the shoulder, and bound- 
 ing forward, he growled most ferociously, and struck a 
 bee-line for the neighboring ridge. Mr. Barrill fired at 
 the lioness, but missed, and she scampered away far ahead 
 of her wounded lord. Determined to follow up my suc- 
 cess, and, alone, achieve a victory over one of these 
 powerful animals, I quickly reloaded, and set off on foot 
 shouting to my English friend, that he might follow or 
 remain -as he chose. He came on slowly, so that I was 
 soon far ahead of him, and near the lion. The track was 
 deeply dyed with blood. Near the base of the ridge, it 
 led among some thick bushes, where extreme caution 
 was necessary to guard against a sudden attack. I beat 
 the bushes before me as I went. Suddenly, I heard an 
 awful growl, within about ten yards of me, and walking 
 .n Diselessly around the path the lion had marked with hi$ 
 
 13* 
 
150 HUNTING THE LION. 
 
 blood, caught sight of his grim majesty seated upon the 
 ground. He was evidently unable to proceed farther, and 
 his life was fast ebbing away. But his eyes glared de- 
 fiance around him, and he evinced a stubborn determination 
 not -to yield to his agony. I stood fearlessly admiring 
 his wounded greatness, when, to my horror, the lioness 
 we had before seen crept up to his side and began to look 
 around him for the hurt. For the first time, to my recol- 
 lection, my nerves felt extremely shaky. Before I could 
 fairly raise my rifle, the quick eyes of the lioness dis- 
 covered me, and with a tremendous growl, she crouched 
 for a spring. The wounded lion arose at the same moment. 
 I stood face to face with both of these horrible monsters, 
 upon the impulse of the moment, I aimed at the lioness, 
 and, as she sprang towards me, she received my bullets in 
 her breast and fell to the ground. Almost at the same 
 instant, another rifle report rang on the air, and the lion 
 fell dead upon his side, uttering an awful groan. The 
 lioness was not quite dead, and in her writhing, she came 
 near me, clawing my legs, causing me to dance about to 
 the time of a lively jig. But the contents of my other 
 barrel quenched her flickering flame of life, and she stiffened 
 beside her lord. At the same moment, Mr. Barrill came 
 up to congratulate me on my narrow escape, and to survey 
 the vanquished beasts. 
 
 The lion was not as large as the one we had killed at 
 
SKINNING THE LIONS. 151 
 
 the fountain. His skin was of a dusky yellow hue, and his 
 inane, which reached to his feet, was of a lighter color. 
 The lioness was the first we had seen in Africa. Her 
 body was long and very compactly built. She was utterly 
 destitute of mane, but covered with a short, thick, glossy 
 coat of tawny hair. Her face wore an expression of in- 
 tense ferocity, such as no other animal possesses. We 
 afterwards ascertained that the lioness is much more to 
 be dreaded than the lion, being far more active, daring, 
 and ferocious. 
 
 The labor of skinning the slain animals we left to our ' 
 Hottentot, Mallo, and we returned to camp to prepare for a 
 ride after the elephants. The thrilling excitement of the 
 iiornmg had banished all thoughts of sleep from our minds, 
 and we resolved to devote the day to hunting. Our horses 
 were rubbed down and refreshed at the fountain ; our 
 rifles examined and ascertained to be in prime order ; and 
 our stock of ammunition replenished. Carollus was directed 
 to follow us as after rider, and he also was well armed. On 
 his horse was a small bag, containing some pieces of cold 
 meat for our refreshment in case of our not returning to 
 camp by noon. 
 
 We set off before the sun had risen far above the eastern 
 plain, and while the coolness of the night was still retained 
 in some degree by the air. Not a cloud was to be seen ; 
 but above us, like a vast blue tent, was spread the un- 
 
152 HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 stained beauty of the sky. We had not proceeded more 
 than two miles from camp, when we came in sight of a 
 herd of blue wildebeests, and we succeeded in getting within 
 about three hundred yards of them before they discovered 
 us and fled. Away we went in chase. These animals 
 run swiftly, and we gained but little. They led us over 
 an undulating plain and through groves of mimosa to a 
 rocky ridge, up which they sprang, and so got away un- 
 touched. We then determined to retrace our steps till 
 we could find the track of the elephant, shot at the foun- 
 ' tain. We came upon the bloody traces within about three 
 miles of the camp ; and following them up, proceeded 
 about two miles in a direction at a right angle with that 
 we had been pursuing. They then led into a thick grove 
 of mimosa and camelthorn where we heard crashing noises, 
 as if some large animal was there moving about. We 
 dismounted, and, as quietly as possible, entered the grove 
 to reconnoitre. The trees were sadly belabored by the 
 trunks of elephants, that was evident. Suddenly, as we 
 pushed aside the broken limbs we saw an elephant stretched 
 dead upon the ground, amid pools of blood ; and, along- 
 side, was standing another of those enormous animals, 
 which sometimes looked piteously at the dead one, and 
 then furiously belabored the trees, with that rage of grief 
 which causes human beings to tear the hair and beat the 
 breast. It was a cow elephant, and the slain was a lordly 
 
HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 153 
 
 bull with magnificent tusks. We had wounded the cow 
 in a much slighter degree than was supposed, and were 
 compelled to wonder at the death of the bull from a single" 
 shot. We first saw our path clear for a fair run to the 
 horses, and then, taking aim at the region behind the 
 shoulder, each fired the load of a barrel into the grieving 
 cow, and without waiting to see the result, ran for our 
 horses. And we did well ; for a shrill trumpeting sounded 
 the signil for a tremendous charge through the grove in 
 our rear. The horses had not been tied, we seized the 
 bridle, sprang into the saddle, and spurred away just as 
 the enraged cow reached the edge of the grove. She must 
 have been within a dozen feet of Mr. Barrill, when he 
 started his horse. But we had no need of hard riding. 
 The poor cow had done her best. She halted about fifty 
 yards from the grove, and turned, as if about to go back 
 to the body of her mate ; but the strong grasp of death 
 had seized her vitals, and, with a few, long, horrid groans, 
 she fell forward, and rolled dead upon the plain. We 
 did not cheer on this occasion, as we did when our first ele- 
 phant fell before our rifles. Though determined to com- 
 plete our work, we had been too much affected by the 
 touching display of attachment between the elephants to 
 break forth in clamorous rejoicings. 
 
 Leaving the cow we entered the grove to survey the 
 bull. The ground was absolutely slippery with blood, 
 
154 HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 and our shoes were soon dyed with its horrid red. We 
 were not long ascertaining the cause of the bull's death. 
 -In the belly was an awful rip, evidently made either by 
 the tusk of another elephant, or by the horn of a rhi- 
 noceros. Suspecting it was the latter, we began to look 
 around for the assailant ; and about twenty yards from 
 the bull, we stumbled upon the body of a black rhinoceros, 
 which seemed to have been killed by the thrust of an ele- 
 phant. Our version of the case was, that the wounded bull 
 had been attacked and killed by -the rhinoceros, and the 
 cow had punished the murderer. But, sinking sympathy, 
 we hacked off the tusks which were fine specimens of 
 ivory taking possession of the weapons of all the van- 
 quished, and leaving them in charge of Carollus, with 
 directions to drag them back to the camp. In the mean- 
 time, we took the bag of refreshments, and, emerging 
 from the scene so red with slaughter, made a tolerable meal 
 of our "cold cut." 
 
 At the end of an hour, Carollus returned, and we once 
 more mounted, and rode away over the plain in search 
 of game. But an accident cut short our sport for the 
 day. As Mr. Barrill was carelessly riding within a few 
 yards of me, his horse stumbled into a kind of rut, in the 
 plain, and he pitched over its head. He fell heavily, and 
 on dismounting to assist him, I found that he had sprained 
 his ankle, and bruised his right shoulder. The injuries 
 
PROCEED TO AMAZOOLOO COUNTRY. 155 
 
 were very painful, and we thought it advisable to return 
 immediiately to the wagons to procure some lineament for 
 rubbing them. We rode slowly and it was about the 
 middle of the afternoon when we reached the camp. Mr. 
 Ban-ill's ankle was so much swollen that he could not 
 walk, and we lifted him from his horse to a soft couch of 
 skins in one of the wagons. 
 
 During the remainder of the day we discussed the ques- 
 tion of the extent of our journey. Mr. Barrill had a tole- 
 rably accurate map of the country with him. By exam- 
 ining this, we found that we were in the vicinity of the 
 people called Bechuanas, and that the journey of a few 
 days would take us within the limits of Amazoola, domi- 
 nions, governed by the able and inexplorable Moselekatse. 
 At this time the friendship of the chief for the white was 
 of a doubtful character, few persons, besides officials, ven- 
 tured from the colony to the borders of the Amazoola 
 country. Yet we desired to hunt that paragon of South 
 African animals the elegant giraffe, and we were willing 
 to encounter danger in gratifying our wishes. The debate 
 concluded in this resolution, not to place ourselves within 
 the reach of Amazooloo spears if we could find giraffe 
 without so doing ; but, at all events, to push on till our 
 eyes were gladdened with the sight of that noble beast. 
 Being extremely fatigued I retired to repose early that 
 evening. 
 
156 THE BUSHMEN. 
 
 The next morning, Mr. Barrill found himself rather 
 sore, but much easier. The bruise on the shoulder had 
 ceased to pain. The ankle was swollen, and it was impos- 
 sible for him to tread upon the foot. He was eager to 
 move on, however, and proposed that we should at once 
 break up the camp that Carollus should take a rifle and 
 proceed with me on horseback, while he sat in the wagon, 
 and tried his hand at driving the oxen. I was indifferent 
 to all things, but the wishes of my kind friend, as re- 
 garded the course to be pursued, and, by sunrise we were 
 moving away from the fountain, in the vicinity of which 
 we had seen such excellent sport. The day was fine, the 
 route level and pleasantly varied with beauties of the 
 vegetable kingdom. 
 
 Occasionally, we caught a glimpse of herds of antelope, 
 zebras, and quaggas, but they were too far away to tempt 
 my pursuit. Wretched Bushmen, more resembling filthy 
 apes than human beings, would sometimes start from holes 
 in the ridges, look at our wagons, in grinning surprise, 
 and then disappear so rapidly, that we could not attempt 
 to communicate with them. No people I had ever seen 
 not even the miserable Digger Indians, west of the Rocky 
 Mountains, in my dear native land, appeared to me to be 
 so near the level of the brute creation. Near about noon 
 we witnessed a singular race. It was the attempt of a 
 party of Bechuanas to run down an ostrich an exploit 
 
PROCEED ON THEIR JOURNEY. 157 
 
 which these people sometimes accomplish. They were 
 about three hundred yards behind the ostrich when they 
 passed our wagons, and as they disappeared over a ridge 
 upon our right they seemed to have gained seine ground. 
 Certainly no sport could excel this mode of hunting the 
 ostrich, in fatiguing the ardent hunter. As night came 
 on, we encamped near the Kurrichane mountain range, 
 beside a salt-pan, then filled with water. The country 
 was generally undulating, covered with grass and dwarfish 
 trees, and from the slightest elevation looked like a vast 
 park. The mountains were not lofty, but rugged and 
 picturesque. Towards evening I had succeeded in killing . 
 a hartebeest which served us for a delicious meal. 
 
 The next morning, Mr. Barrill considered his ankle well 
 enough to mount his horse, and Carollus resumed his jam- 
 bok, or whip, to perform the difficult task of driving 
 the oxen over the mountains. The ascent was easy, but 
 very slow, and the descent, though more rapid, was ex- 
 tremely fatiguing to the oxen. In the valley, upon the 
 other side, we found a road, which our Hottentots said led 
 to the vale of Bakatla. We proceeded up the valley 
 about three miles, when we reached a gorge in the 
 mountains. Through this ran a crystal stream, which we 
 followed for about half a mile, and then entered the beau- 
 tiful vale of Bakatla, bounded by finely- wooded mountains 
 and varied with cornfield and grassy meadows. That 
 
 14 
 
158 PROCEED ON THEIR JOURNEY, 
 
 night we supped with the resident missionary and Mosie- 
 lely, king of the Bakatlas, a Bechuana tribe of but trifling 
 importance. The Bakatlas we saw had become about 
 half civilized as regarded their costume, and were far 
 beyond the other natives in intelligence. The next morn- 
 ing, we obtained a supply of some corn, and some pump- 
 kins and watermelons, and made the Bakatla chief some 
 presents of beads, snuff, and other articles valued by these 
 people ; obtained some information in regard to the coun- 
 try northward of the vale, and, in spite of all the hos- 
 pitable entreatiesof the kind missionary, proceeded on our 
 journey. The same night we encamped about ten miles 
 beyond the vale, after a day of hard travel and unsuccess- 
 ful chase. 
 
 The next day we resumed our march. The country 
 was beautifully diversified. Wooded hills and mountains 
 stretched away on every side. Gorgeously-colored groves 
 lined the route. Herds of antelopes of many beautiful 
 varieties, zebras, quaggas, gnoos, ostriches, and occasional 
 rhinoceroses and numerous animals of which we had no 
 knowledge or description, appeared to tempt our rifles ; 
 but we only succeeded in slaughtering the antelopes which 
 had furnished us with so much delicious food since wo 
 had been hunting in South Africa. For several days we 
 travelled on, without the occurrence of any incident of a 
 novel or striking character. At length we reached 
 
HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 
 
HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 159 
 
 the bold and romantic mountain pass of Sesetabie, in a 
 range of lofty eminences, in which Kulenberg river has , 
 its rise. We encamped at its foot for one night and then 
 followed the course of the stream to cross the range. It 
 danced and glimmered down a rocky channel, forming a 
 beautiful succession of bubbling streams and leaping cas- 
 cades. As we advanced up the gorge, the path grew so 
 narrow, that the wagons could scarcely pass between the 
 rocky brink of the stream and the rugged side of the 
 mountain which towered in accessible grandeur on our 
 left. Large masses of granite rock obstructed our progress 
 through this wild and lonely pass, and we had great diffi- 
 culty in rolling them out of our way. At the noisy junc- 
 tion of two streams we encamped a little after noon ; and 
 there remained until next morning, in order to rest our 
 jaded oxen. During the night our dreams were made 
 musical by the most terrible concerts of lions and hyenas 
 I had yet heard. 
 
 The next morning, we resumed our march, crossed a 
 rocky ridge, and then found ourselves in a more level 
 country, very wild, but possessing many beautiful features. 
 It was about noon, when, as Mr. Barrill and I were re- 
 turning to the wagon track after an unsuccessful chase 
 after some hartebeeste, our "sight was first brightened 
 by a view of the giraffe, or cameleopard. Happening to 
 sast my eyes at a grove of parasol-topped acacia trees, 
 
160 HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 
 
 about three hundred yards on our right, I thought I saw 
 something like several heads towering above the tops of 
 the grove, A moment longer, and the lofty grace of the 
 giraffe was visible. 
 
 " See ! see ! Mr. Barrill, see ! " I exclaimed, and he 
 turned to look in the direction I was pointing. 
 
 " Giraffe ! giraffe !" he fairly shouted, and the noise 
 startled the colossal animal to flight. They were seven in 
 number, and each one was at least seventeen feet in height. 
 They cantered away, switching their long tails over their 
 backs, and almost excited to a sportsman's madness by 
 the splendid sight, I dashed after them, Mr. Barill fol- 
 lowing rapidly. The ground was even, and after a thrill- 
 ing chase of about half a mile, we were among the herd. 
 I selected my game, and separated it from the herd. 
 On finding itself driven off, this giraffe increased its speed, 
 and cleared an amazing extent of ground at every bound. 
 Riding near its stern I fired a bullet into its back, and 
 then getting alongside I sent another in behind the shoul- 
 der. This brought the lofty animal to a stand. So that 
 I had full time to reload. One more report rang on the 
 air the giraffe bounded into the air, and fell backwards 
 upon the plain* Oh ! the soft, imploring beauty of the 
 eyes, as they were turned upon me ! But they glazed, 
 the limbs quivered as death's chill crept over them a 
 gasp, and the giraffe the pride of the plains the loftiest 
 
HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 161 
 
 animal on earth lay vanquished at my feet, where I could 
 but gaze upon its noble form in wonder and admiration. 
 
 But my attention was now called to Mr. Barrill. He 
 had singled out his game and shot the animal in one of 
 the hind legs thus preventing it from bounding away. He 
 had then got alongside and shot it in the shoulder, so that 
 it fell upon one side, unable to go farther. Instead of 
 killing it, then, my friend had dismounted, and when I 
 turned to look at him, he was leaning upon his rifle, gazing 
 at the beautiful skin and eyes of the beautiful creature. 
 And thus he continued till the giraffe fell upon the plain 
 in the last shivering agony of death. 
 
 The giraffe is admirably formed by nature to adorn the 
 gorgeous forests that clothe the plains in the interior of 
 South Africa. When a herd of them is seen scattered 
 through a grove of acacias, on the uppermost shoots of 
 which they are enabled to browse, grace, beauty, and 
 dignity are in all their movements. The height is usually 
 about seventeen feet, the male being at least a foot taller, 
 when full grown. Of this colossal height, the legs have 
 seven feet, and the neck about six. The head is small 
 and tapering. The eyes, being large, black, and having 
 a melting glance to which the long silken lashes add ex- 
 pression, far surpass those of the famed gaselle of oriental 
 climes, these orbs are so constructed that the animal can 
 see both before and behind without turning its head. On 
 
 14* 
 
162 HUNTING THE GIRAFFE 
 
 the forehead is a remarkable prominence. The tongue hag 
 the power of mobility in such a degree that it almost rivals 
 the proboscis of the elephant. The lofty, maned neck, 
 possessing only seven joint seems to move on a pivot, in- 
 stead of being flexible like that of the swan. The body 
 tapers off towards the tail, which gives the giraffe the ap- 
 pearance of having its hind legs much shorter than the 
 fore-legs, but they are of the same length. The tail is 
 long and tufted with black hair. Both sexes have horns, 
 covered with hair. 
 
 The skin is about an inch and a half in thickness, and 
 it was a matter of astonishment to me how a bullet could 
 pass through it. The general color of the female is a 
 dusky white, with large pale, ferruginous spots, each darker 
 in the centre. The color of the male is a deep sienna, or 
 brown, varied with the same large spots as are seen to 
 beautify the female. The belly, neck and cheeks of both 
 sexes are white. These suberb animals utter no cry what- 
 ever ; their soft glances are their only speech. Their 
 senses of sight hearing, and smell are acute and delicate. 
 Naturally, gentle, timid, and peaceable, the giraffe has no 
 means of protecting itself, but with its heels ; but even 
 when hard pressed by relentless foes, it seldom resorts to 
 this mode of defence. The lion is the most horrible of its 
 enemies, not even excepting man ; for that powerful ani- 
 mal lies in wait near the drinking places and seldom fails 
 
HUNTING THE BUFFALO. 163 
 
 to dash the giraffe to the ground by a spring upon its 
 back. 
 
 Although it was late and the wagons were far ahead, 
 Mr. Barrill immediately set to work to secure the heads 
 and skins of our prizes. Mine was a cow ; the one my 
 friend had killed was a magnificent bull. At the end of 
 about half an hour, we had secured our trophies, and 
 added some slices of meat to taste its quality. We then 
 remounted and rode for the wagons. But we were in luck 
 that day ; for we had not proceeded more than two miles 
 upon the wagon trail, when Mr. Barrill pointed out a 
 herd of African buffaloes, far away to our right. The im- 
 pulse was irresistible, and away we went to give these cu- 
 rious animals an illustration of our destructive propensi- 
 ties. Riding a short distance ahead, I got within about 
 seventy yards of them before they discovered me, and 
 started away. They were among the fiercest looking ani- 
 mals I had ever beheld. As they fled, they gave off a 
 strong bovine smell. Mr. Barrill selected a bull, and after 
 a short chase, during which the dangling of the giraffe 
 heads gave us much annoyance, we succeeded in firing 
 into him behind the shoulder, and a second volley, tumbled 
 him upon the plain, when we instantly dismounted to ex- 
 amine him. He bore very little resemblance to the bison, 
 or buffalo, of the American plains ; but his structure was 
 even more powerful. He was about twelve feet in length, 
 
 
164 HUNTING THE BUFFALO. 
 
 and five feet, six or eight inches high at the shoulder. 
 The neck was short, the back straight and hunchless. The 
 head was short in proportion to the animal's bulk. The 
 eyes were small, and so overshadowed by the rough and 
 ponderous horns, as to give them a most ferocious expres- 
 sion. The hide was of a bluish-purple color, varied with 
 black. We surveyed the buffalo with much curiosity on 
 account of the associations of the mane, and pointed 
 out the many points of difference between it and the noble 
 bison of my own native land. The horns, tongue, and hide 
 were then secured by the rapid application of both our 
 knives ; and, then, burdened with the spoils of the chase, 
 we set out for our wagons, just as the first faint shadow 
 cf twilight fell apon the plain. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE ELAND. A BECHUANA KRAAL. HERDS OF WILD 
 ELEPHANTS. LIONS ATTACKED BY BECHUANAS. 
 ABUNDANCE OF GAME. THE RETURN TRIP. 
 SPLENDID SPORT. FALL SICK. ARRIVAL AT 
 GRAHAMSTOWN. 
 
 THE next day after our encounter with the giraffe, we 
 came to the base of another mountain range, along which 
 we followed through woody dells and open glades till we 
 came to a forest of a venerahle aspect. The traces of 
 game were abundant, and here we slew a noble animal 
 which we had frequently seen during our expedition, but 
 never had an opportunity of bringing to the ground. This 
 was the largest of the antelope tribe, known as the eland. 
 I saw an old bull, about six feet high, standing under a 
 tree. A short race, and two well-aimed shots, both from 
 my own rifle, and the eland was stretched in the agonies of 
 death, his soft black eye melting into tears. 
 
 (165) 
 
166 A BECHUANA KRAAL. 
 
 t 
 
 The proportions of the body of this eland were like those 
 of the common bull. The horns were long, and nearly 
 straight. The neck was short and thick. A broad, deep 
 dewlap descended to the knees. The hind quarters were 
 very large. The general color was a rufous dun, or ashey 
 grey, tinged with ochre. The skin emitted a delicious 
 perfume of trees and grass. That night we ate the flesh 
 of the eland, and in a gormandizing enthusiasm, pronounced 
 it the king of edible animals. The remainder of the sweet 
 and tender meat was cut up and preserved. After that 
 meal, when we hunted merely for fresh food, the eland was 
 uppermost in our minds, and none appeared that we did 
 not make a determined effort to secure. We found that these 
 animals are of a plethoric habit, and that they cannot 
 stand a severe chase. 
 
 The mountains were of such easy ascent that we occu- 
 pied but a morning in crossing them. About a mile from 
 their base, on the sloping bank of a small stream, we sud- 
 denly came upon a Bechuana kraal which to our unac- 
 customed eyes presented a grotesque appearance. A cir- 
 cular thorn fence, six or eight feet in height, with only 
 one entrance, inclosed a stoping area, around which the 
 huts were ranged. The cattle were usually kept during 
 the night in the inclosure. The huts were of a common 
 bee-hive form, having a small entrance, barely affording 
 space for a man to crawl through on his hands and knees. 
 
ATTACK A WHITE RHINOCEROS. 167 
 
 But our rifles scared them away to an agreeable distance, 
 for, be it known, that the perfume of a Bechuana female 
 sometimes causes one to hold the organ of smell. These 
 people were extremely anxious to obtain snuff from us 
 that being esteemed by them an earthly heaven of luxury ; 
 but we concluded to reserve our stock for a propitiatory 
 offering, if we should encounter natives whose friendship 
 was uncertain or whose enmity was to be feared. A few 
 miles further on, among some extensive forests of mimosa 
 and acacia, I shot an eland, and, after a severe conflict 
 with a whole herd of buffaloes, I aided Mr. Barrill in kill- 
 ing a savage cow. We had a narrow escape from a white 
 rhinoceros, which charged at the moment our attention 
 was absorbed by the buffaloes, and but for a quick dodge, 
 both of us would have been tumbled beneath the feet of 
 the herd. A shot in the shoulder, sent the rhinoceros 
 limping away, and we concluded the battle with a victory. 
 The next day, having seen fresh traces of herds of ele- 
 phants, Mr. Barrill and I, with Carollus as after rider pro- 
 ceeded ahead of the wagons, through a country presenting 
 every variety of feature. At one time, we crossed bare 
 stony ridges, at another threaded the mazes of shady, but 
 scattered forests; now struggled through fields of high 
 grass, which the wind moved to a sea of green waves, and 
 again emerged into open lawns. At length we arrived 
 among groups of grassy hills, covered with loose stones, 
 
168 HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 interspersed with streams and occasional patches of 
 forest, in which the destructive labors of the elephant were 
 manifest. Here we descried a large herd of these stately 
 animals leisurely browsing at the head of a distant valley. 
 Carollus was dispatched, to drive the herd back into the 
 valley, up which we rode slowly, and without noise against 
 the wind. 
 
 Arriving within one hundred and fifty yards unperceived, 
 we made our horses fast, and took up a position in an old 
 kraal. Carollus now appeared above them, and by his 
 shouting and firing, drove them towards us. The herd, 
 consisted of ten, all females with large tusks. We selec- 
 ted the finest, and when she came within ten yards, each 
 fired two balls into her, behind the shoulder. She stum- 
 bled, but recovered and uttered a shrill trump of lamen- 
 tation, at the sound of which the rest of the herd clambered 
 up the adjacent heights. Seeing us, the wounded and en- 
 raged cow turned upon us with uplifted trunk, and. we had 
 to put spurs to our horses. But the elephant soon stop- 
 ped, and as I checked my horse I fired a bullet into hex 
 brain, and she tumbled forward dead, striking the earth 
 with a crashing sound. 
 
 Turning around to survey the surrounding scenery we 
 found that a second valley had opened before us, sur- 
 rounded by bare, stony hills, and traversed by a thinly 
 wooded ravine. Here a picture burst upon us, from which 
 
HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 169 
 
 description shrinks. The whole face of the landscape was 
 covered with elephants. Every bare height and wooded 
 knoll had its groups, whilst the bottom of the valley dis- 
 played a living mass those colossal animals in the open 
 glades bearing in their trunks the branches of trees, with 
 which they indolently protect themselves from the flies. A 
 blue mountain range, lofty and precipitous, appeared in 
 the background, completing a picture that would have defied 
 the painter's art. 
 
 To the eye of the sportsman, this magnificent scene had 
 a charm of sublimity which the mere sight-seer could 
 not have enjoyed. As we approached against the wind, 
 we were unobserved, and no alarm was excited until the 
 cows we had left thundered down the hill, and passed so 
 close to us, that we could not refrain from firing at one 
 of them, which, however, escaped with little injury. We 
 then prepared to attack this grand army of elephants. 
 Securing our horses on the summit of a stony ridge, and 
 then taking a stand on a ledge overlooking and command- 
 ing the wooded defile, we sent Carollus to drive the ani- 
 mals past us, so that we might select a bull. Slowly they 
 walked within about twenty yards of us, flapping their 
 large ears and twisting their tails to keep the flies off. 
 Nearly all were cows, many of them having calves. But 
 at length we saw a bull approach, and with a thrill of 
 sportmen's joy, we fired. The bull stopped, but the re- 
 
 15 
 
170 HUNTING THF ELEPHANT. 
 
 port put the whole herd to flight, and then we had to look 
 out for our safety. We had barely time to ensconce our- 
 selves behind the projection of the hill, when a large 
 number of the cows dashed by, and our wounded bull fol- 
 lowed them. The whole army was thrown into confusion, 
 and it was one of the most thrilling scenes I had ever 
 witnessed. Parties charged in every direction, and the 
 air was filled with the shrill trumpeting of the alarmed 
 groups. We entirely lost sight of the wounded bull, and 
 as the herd came dashing rather too near us, we were 
 compelled to retreat, dodging from tree to tree, stumbling 
 among sharp stones, and constantly meeting fresh detach- 
 ments of elephants. However, we obtained one good shot, 
 and by a ball in the brain brought down a large cow, with 
 a splendid pair of tusks, which we concluded to leave until 
 the wagons came up. The train soon appeared, and we 
 descended into the valley to encamp upon the banks of 
 the small stream that ran through the wooded ravine. 
 Within an hour from the time of the first attack, that no 
 elephant was to be seen in the vicinity of our camp, the 
 dead cow alone excepted. Her tusks were secured and 
 placed among our large stock of trophies. 
 
 The next" day we crossed the ridge on the same side 
 towards the mountains, and found ourselves upon an un- 
 dulating plain. We had not proceeded far, riding ahead 
 of the wagons, before we witnessed a party of the Bechu- 
 

 BECHUANAS ATTACKING A LION. 171 
 
 anas attacking a lion. As we were curious to see how 
 they succeeded in hunting this formidable animal, we did 
 not interfere, but 'held our rifles in reserve for a critical 
 moment. Each Bechuana had a kind of mop of ostrich 
 feathers tied upon a stick, made sharp at the end held in 
 the -hand an article used as a parasol as well as in the 
 chase and the short spear, called the assagai, which 
 these people throw with great certainty and force. The 
 lion was a full-grown yellow-maned animal. He had re- 
 ceived an assagai in his side, and was rather hard pressed, 
 when he turned upon one of the Bechuanas and hurled 
 him to the ground, clawing him frightfully. But a thrust 
 in the rear again brought him to a run, when one of the 
 Bechuanas, who happened to be in front, stuck his ostrich 
 parasol in the ground and dodged aside. The lion at- 
 tacked the senseless stick, and thus allowed his vigilant 
 enemies opportunities to give him several deep thrusts with 
 their assagais. He quickly turned upon them, and their 
 utmost dexterity was needed to keep beyond his reeking 
 jaws. But his strength was ebbing with his blood, and, 
 as he made a vigorous assault upon an ostrich parasol, a 
 Bechuana gave him a finishing-thrust in the heart. Yet 
 after the mighty beast fell stark and stiff, these trium- 
 phant hunters continued to bury their assagais in his body 
 to make sure of his death. This mode of hunting was as 
 daring as it was successful. Though generally considered 
 
172 LARGE HERDS OF WILD ANIMALS. 
 
 somewhat reckless in adventure, I feel certain that I 
 would n.t have attacked a lion, while merely armed with 
 an assagwi. 
 
 The Becauanas have hut meagre conceptions of the value 
 of human life. The poor wretch who had suffered from the 
 mangling cla-rfs of the lion, was left to writhe upon the 
 ground the Ovher hunters evincing a 'sublime degree of 
 indifference. We were indignant as well as shocked, and 
 Mr. Barrill dismocnted to fulfil the office of humanity. He 
 wiped away the hlood, and, as soon as the wagons came 
 up, applied some bandages to the wounds, so that the poor 
 fellow was enabled to resume his ostrich parasol, and ac- 
 company his comrades back to their kraal. When I com- 
 pared these wild p<aople with the Indians of my native 
 plains, I ranked them far below in every respect. They 
 seemed almost destitute of those feelings which are common 
 to the rest of mankind. 
 
 Crossing a ridge about ten miles from the spot where 
 we had witnessed the combat between the lion and the 
 Bechuanas, we found ourselves near a charming river, 
 and in the midst of vast herds of giraffe, antelope, buffaloe, 
 gnoos and zebras and in fact all the finest game of South 
 Africa seemed to have sent delegations to this enchant- 
 ing country. Along the banks of the clear, sparkling 
 stream, open forests of mimosa, acacia, camelthorn, and 
 willow, spread their rainbow foliage flowers of all hues, 
 
NOVEL MODE OF HUNTING. 173 
 
 glowed among the emerald grass, or bent lovingly to kiss 
 the ripples away from the surface of the water ; and birds 
 danced and thrilled the music from their pretty throats, 
 among the the swaying limbs. In this fairy-land we en- 
 camped, and Mr. Barrill decided to make it the limit of 
 his journey. Here we determined to spend a week of 
 sporting luxury, and complete our stock of trophies. 
 
 Evening came on in quiet majesty, wearing one sweet 
 star upon her brow. Then the crescent moon appeared, and 
 in a pure sea"~of light the timid stars were dimmed. Around 
 our little camp, the light and shadow danced in fairy 
 revelry and the birds sung their lullaby in harmony with 
 the chirp and twitter of the insect world. But the grand 
 roar of the king of beasts, swelling along the stream, shook 
 the delicious feeling from our souls, and filled us with a 
 purpose of death ; and our rifles were prepared for service. 
 The bellowing of the buffalo and the cry of the hyena in- 
 creased the fever which had seized us. That night we re- 
 solved to hunt in a novel way. We went about two hun- 
 dred yards from camp, near the edge of the stream, and 
 selected two commanding mimosas, each of us mounted 
 into the branches of one, and quietly awaited the approach 
 of game to drink. 
 
 Our positions were decidedly uncomfortable. We were 
 beyond the reach of lions, but an elephant or a rhinoceros 
 
 might have made sad work of the trees, and we would 
 
 15* 
 
174 HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 
 
 have had to be extremely agile to effect an escape But 
 we resolved to be careful not to provoke the anger of 
 such enemies. In about an hour after we had taken 
 our perch, a single giraffe approached the stream, within 
 twenty yards of us. Its advance was slow and cautious, 
 and, by the moonlight, it looked like a stately tree 
 moving to the stream. The noble animal at length 
 emerged from the trees, and stood on the bank. Our rifles 
 were raised, and we were about to pull the trigger, when 
 a tremendous spriug brushed away the branches, and an 
 enormous lion was upon the back of the struggling giraffe, 
 tearing the flesh with its teeth and claws. In the struggle 
 the head of the giraffe came near knocking me out of the 
 tree. I told Mr. Barrill to aim at the head of the giraffe, 
 and I would strive to bring down the lion, and we fired 
 nearly at the same moment the animals being within ten 
 feet of us. The lion go his terrible hold, and uttering an 
 awful groan, fell to the ground. The giraffe tottered, and 
 fell crashing among the trees, which upheld the animal's 
 weight, although it was still struggling, and I had an op- 
 portunity of firing a mortal shot into its breast. This 
 early triumph was all we could expect to achieve that night, 
 as the report of the rifles would alarm the rest of the game, 
 so we called out for Carollus to come to our aid, and 
 descended from the tree. 
 
 The Hottentots brought two lanterns. By the light 
 
ABUNDANCE OF GAME. 175 
 
 we were enabled to make a closer inspection of the animals 
 we had slain. The giraffe was a bull at least, eighteen 
 feet in height. His back was torn and gashed by the 
 teeth and claws of the lion, and the beautiful skin was 
 greatly damaged ; but Mr. Barrill, nevertheless, set to 
 work to secure it. The lion was a black-maned individual, 
 of rather forbidding aspect, even as he lay dead upon the 
 ground. I could not lift the heavy paw without expe- 
 riencing a degree of nervousness, which a hunter of my 
 practice should be somewhat ashamed to acknowledge. 
 The skinning operation lasted about half an hour, during 
 which we were somewhat apprehensive of the attack of 
 other lions whose awful voices resounded through the forest. 
 But we were not disturbed, and soon afterwards, we re- 
 turned to camp, to repose upon our laurels. 
 
 The next morning, bright and early, we were abroad 
 in the forest, not hunting, but selecting our game ; for we 
 killed on all sides, with a rapidity of slaughter I had only 
 seen paralleled in the midst of a herd of buffaloes, on the 
 plains of my native land. Several beautiful varieties of ante- 
 lopes that I had not yet beheld, fell before our murderous 
 rifles ; an ostrich was killed not far from the edge of the 
 forest ; the elephant and the rhinoceros were sent crashing 
 through the forest, maddened by severe wounds ; our camp 
 was abundantly supplied with eland and buffalo tongues 
 and on these we lived for a week the happiest week of 
 
176 MALLO MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT. 
 
 my life a week in the " happy hunting-grounds" of which 
 the Indians dream. 
 
 But one accident occurred to mar the pleasures of this 
 period. One night, an ox was seized by a lioness, and in 
 the confusion of attempting her rescue, Mallo, the Hot- 
 tentot, received a terrible claw upon the left arm, laying 
 it open to the bone. Although wounded by Mr. Barrill, 
 ' he ferocious animal escaped ; the ox was disabled so far 
 Jiat we deemed it a mercy to shoot it through the head. 
 A.t length, the last day of our stay in this beautiful 
 aunting- region arrived. We found that our wagons were 
 well-stowed with all the trophies of the chase in South 
 Africa, and we had meat enough cut up and preserved to 
 last for many days. During this last day of our encamp- 
 ment, Mr. Barrill occupied himself in sketching the gor- 
 geous scenery around us. He had a ready pencil, and his 
 productions were delightful transcripts of glorious nature. 
 I superintended the arrangements for the return journey. 
 Although noble animals frequently came within range of 
 our "rifles, we let them browse and drink in security. 
 
 At dawn, the next morning, the loud crack of the whips 
 resounded through the forest, and the wagons started. 
 We merely remained to carve our names in large letters 
 upon a stately mimosa, and then, with a sigh which neither 
 of us had power to restrain, we turned our horse's heads 
 from this land of beauty, and took up the trail to return* 
 
PROOF or MR. BARRILL'S FRIENDSHIP. 177 
 
 We now designed to travel as far as possible each day, in 
 order to reach the settlements with our train in a good 
 condition. No incident of a striking character occurred 
 until we reached the Kurrichane mountains, in the vicinity 
 of which we found game abundant, and enjoyed some 
 good sport. A stream flowing from these mountains, 
 happening to be swollen, we had much difficulty in getting 
 our wagons across it, and I was compelled to remain in the 
 cool water during the greater part of a day. This, and 
 the burning heat of the sun, which was beating on my head 
 at the same time, brought on a fever, and from that time, 
 until two days after we had passed the Orange river, I 
 suffered from the pangs of disease, being totally unable 
 to do any thing but recline in the wagons, upon a couch 
 of skins. Could I ever be too grateful to my excellent 
 friend, Mr. Barrill ? He watched over me with the un- 
 sleeping vigilance of a father, and ministered to my wants, 
 as far as his limited means would permit. He exhausted 
 his memory and invention in finding me in those comforts 
 which the sick only know how to value. Two days after 
 passing the Orange river, I felt well enough to take a 
 short ride on horseback, and a few days afterwards, as we 
 crossed the sterile plains before described, I was strong 
 enough to take my old place beside my friend during the 
 day's march. In the meantime, Mr. Barrill found time 
 to indulge in a chase after antelopes, and added to our 
 
178 PROCEED TO GRAHAMSTOWN. 
 
 stock of meat. Near the settled region he concluded* to 
 change the route of return, and proceed to Grahamstown, 
 which he knew to be about six hundred and fifty 
 miles from Cape Town. There we arrived, somewhat 
 worn and fatigued in appearance, but in high spirits at 
 the entire success of our expedition. The town, which 
 was situated at the source of the Cowie river, contained 
 but about three thousand inhabitants, and as our pictu- 
 resque train entered, the majority of these turned out to 
 view the procession. As we stopped before the door of 
 the best hotel in the town, a crowd of inquisitive indivi- 
 duals gathered round us, and when they learned how suc- 
 cessful we had been as hunters, far in the Bechuana 
 country, we received three lusty cheers, and found our- 
 selves heroes for the time. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN. SEND THE TROPHIES TO 
 ENGLAND. START FOR BOMBAY. THE TOWN 
 AND THE PEOPLE. AWAY FOR THE FORESTS 
 AND JUNGLES. 
 
 EVER-RESTLESS life, who shall mark thy flitting changes ? 
 We, who had scarcely concluded an expedition which 
 would have served many for the boast of all their days, 
 were eager to start for other scenes of peril. We passed 
 but two days at Grahamstown. On the morning of the third 
 day, we took the route for Port Elizabeth, which we reached 
 on the afternoon of the seventh day after leaving Gra- 
 hamstown. We found Port Elizabeth to be a town of 
 about five hundred houses, built on the shore of Algoa 
 Bay. It presented a miserable appearance, but we were 
 surprised to find an excellent hotel where we could secure 
 fine accommodations. 
 
 (1T9) 
 
180 ARRIVE AT CAMP. 
 
 At this place, Mr. Barrill determined to part from his 
 teams and horses ; and as our Hottentots had served us with 
 a fidelity, very seldom displayed by these people, he pre- 
 sented the teams to them, thus doubly paying them for 
 their services. They expressed much regret at parting 
 with us, but were overjoyed at their large reward. Our 
 skins, horns, etc., were boxed at the hotel, and a schooner 
 then anchored in the bay, was chartered to convey us and 
 them to Cape Town. We remained three days at Port 
 Elizabeth, and then sailed, with a fair wind, but a 
 rough sea, for the capital of British Africa. The coast 
 was rocky and dangerous. But the captain of the schooner 
 was thoroughly acquainted with his business, and the vessel 
 was a stout little craft ; and we arrived in Table Bay, three 
 days from the time of our sailing from the harbor of Port 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 A swift ship was anchored near the town, which we as- 
 certained was to sail in a few days for Bombay. Mr. Barrill 
 had his baggage transferred to this vessel, but the boxes 
 were directed to one of his friends in Liverpool, and placed 
 on board of a large barque bound for that port. We 
 landed at Cape Town, and occupied the few days leisure 
 that remained to us in visiting places of note, and in sailing 
 excursions on the bay. The day arrived for the com- 
 mencement of the trip to India, and found us scarcely 
 disposed to resign the pleasures of Cape Town, for the 
 
PROCEED TO BRITISH INDIA. 181 
 
 monotony of a sea voyage ; but we submitted gracefully 
 and, soon after, we had stepped aboard of the ship, her 
 anchor was weighed. , 
 
 The voyage occupied six weeks. During this period, 
 Mr. Barrill and I agreeably employed ourselves in writing 
 a journal of the adventures we had met with in company. 
 This was done for the sake of refreshing memory in after 
 years. My friend did the writing, making duplicates, 
 and I aided him by jogging his memory and amplifying 
 his facts. At length, when the journal was nearly com- 
 pleted, as far as our expedition had proceeded, we came 
 in sight of the shores of India, and after coasting a few 
 miles, we entered the beautiful harbor of Bombay, diver- 
 sified with rocky islets and crowned by a back-ground of 
 lofty and romantic hills. The city, which has long been 
 the western capital of British India, presents a dingy, but 
 picturesque appearance, when viewed from the bay. We 
 found that it was built on an island, which is joined to the 
 main land and to another island, called Salsette, by cause- 
 ways. The city consists of two portions, the old town, at 
 the southeast extremity of which we saw the castle, and 
 the new town, or Dungaree. In front of the new city, we 
 saw the arsenal, the government house, a large dismal- 
 looking structure, and some capacious docks, filled with 
 vessels of all sizes. The old town is strongly fortified, and 
 from the bay, has an impregnable appearance. 
 
 16 
 
182 DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY. 
 
 Entering the city, on the afternoon of arrival, I found 
 every thing wearing the aspect of age and business. Some 
 of the shops and warehouses were extensive and made a 
 fine display. The streets were not straight by many a 
 crook, and they contained a great deal more than a whole- 
 some accumulation of filth. The houses were generally 
 built in the style initiated by the Portuguese. The upper 
 stories projected beyond the lower ; and the verandahs 
 were supported on pillars. The roofs were sloped and tiled. 
 I ascertained that the poor classes lived in huts of clay, 
 upon the skirts of the city. Towering above all was the 
 splendid pagoda of Momba Devi, one of the most remark- 
 able structures I had yet beheld. 
 
 In our walk from the landing to a hotel, we saw but 
 few whites, and most of them were English sailors. The 
 people who seemed to being doing all the business were 
 Parsees, a comely, tall, active race ; fairer than the other 
 natives ; mild in their manners, but bold and persevering 
 in enterprise. Mr. Barrill informed me that they were the 
 descendants of the Ghebers, or fire- worshippers, of Persia, 
 and that they have a number of temples dedicated to their 
 singular religion. Strange to say, these people are gene- 
 rally acknowledged to be the best provided and most moral 
 of all the natives of India. The Hindoos and the Ma- 
 homedans attracted my attention by the peculiar charac- 
 ter of their costume. The former had an extremely de- 
 
HINDOO PORTERS. 183 
 
 graded appearance. Two of them were engaged to bring 
 our baggage to our stopping-place under my direction. 
 
 Inquiring of an English sailor as to the best public 
 house in the city, Mr. Barrill was directed up the prin- 
 pal street, about half a mile from the landing, where we 
 found a large house, built in the style of hotels in the 
 western cities of America. Mr. Barrill remained there, 
 while I accompanied the Hindoo porters to the wharf to 
 secure our baggage. These individuals were much stronger 
 and more active than I had supposed from their appear- 
 ance. But they had a dark reputation for pilfering, and 
 it was necessary to follow their movements with both eyes 
 set keen, to maintain the inviolability of the baggage. 
 However, it was safely stowed away in Mr. Barrill's room 
 before night, and we were once more completely established 
 upon dry land. 
 
 Our entertainment was of tolerable quality, and as we 
 were willing to be pleased, we were satisfied. Thenext 
 morning after our arrival, we took a walk, to see the fea- 
 tures of the city and make inquiries in regard to the 
 route to the region where the elephant, rhinoceros, and the 
 royal tiger could be found. Bombay differed in so many 
 respects from all the cities I had yet visited that my curi- 
 osity was greatly excited as we proceeded through the 
 streets. The singular, but solemn, architecture of some 
 of the temples strongly impressed my fancy, while the 
 
Ik* LEAVE BOMBAY. 
 
 novel occupations and the picturesque costumes of the 
 people, afforded me continual subject of remark. As officers 
 cf the army in India are famed for their sporting propen- 
 sities, Mr. Barrill, naturally enough, sought an acquain- 
 tance with some of them. At a hotel, in the vicinity of 
 the dingy-looking barracks, we had the good fortune to 
 meet a lieutenant, who had travelled through upper India, 
 who was well acquainted with theroute usually followed, and 
 the regions where game was known to abound. Mr. Barrill 
 at once introduced himself, and requested the favor of the 
 lieutenant's company to dinner. The invitation was ac- 
 cepted. Dinner was served in a private room, and after 
 the cloth had been removed, the -lieutenant, in an easy, 
 but precise way, communicated a vast amount of the kind 
 of information we desired. 
 
 The next day we made our equipment in accordance 
 with the advice we received engaged two Parsee servants 
 who were blieved to be more trust-worthy than the Hin- 
 loos, and who could speak good english purchased four 
 horses reccommended for speed and endurance, and secured 
 an abundance of amunition. One more day was passed 
 in Bombay to make arrangements for the transportation of 
 our baggage, which did not occupy much room, and in 
 getting some clothing suited to the warm climate of the 
 country, and then, we started from Bombay. Each horse 
 was compelled to carry a portion of our baggage the 
 
LEAVE BOMBAY. 185 
 
 heaviest articles being placed in bags, on those which the 
 Parsees rode, so that in case of a chase, our horses should 
 be as little incommoded as possible. In the order of two 
 abreast. Mr. Barrill and I leading, we left the city, and 
 before noon we were some miles upon our way to the hunt- 
 ing-grounds of India. 
 
 16* 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE ROUTE. INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY. VARIED 
 'SCENERY. ARRIVAL IN THE REGION OF THE 
 TIGER AND THE ELEPHANT. OUR FIRST ELE- 
 PHANT HUNT IN INDIA. 
 
 OUR destination was the province called Guzerat, which 
 is a large peninsula northwest of Bombay. We could 
 have proceeded thither in a short time bj sea, but Mr. 
 Barrill took the circuitous land route, in order to see the 
 country. At the end of the first day's journey we en 
 camped at the base of a range of mountains the height 
 of which I supposed was fifteen hundred feet. These 
 mountains extend entirely through western India. In the 
 vicinity of our encampment, they were steep and stony. On 
 all sides were forests of bamboo, presenting a straighter 
 and more regular aspet, than any woodland I had ever 
 (186) 
 
HINDOO HABITS. 187 
 
 beheld. Our encampment was of a very simple description 
 Along the banks of a stream flowing from the mountain, 
 was an open, grassy level. There we kindled a large fire 
 of dried bamboo, and made seats of piles of the same 
 wood. Our horses were tied to stakes, about ten feet from 
 the fire, having a short range to feed. Our Parsees 
 had found their own provisions rice comprising nine 
 tenths of their stock. We had a supply of boiled rice, 
 but dried beef, and biscuit were our chief articles of food. 
 Most of the Hindoo servants refused to eat in the com- 
 pany of foreigners, on account of their religious notions. 
 But we found the Parsees to be less scrupulous. The 
 night was clear and starry, but rather chilly, and we had 
 no hesitation in wrapping ourselves in blankets. For 
 an hour and a half our meal had been despatched we con- 
 versed with our servants, gleaning as much information 
 as we could in regard to their manners and customs. They 
 were very sociable, but their business turn of mind was 
 evident in their economy of words when answering our en- 
 quiries. Having instructed the Parsees in reference to 
 the neccessity of keeping a strict guard, as we heard that 
 robbers occasionally committed depredations in these 
 mountains, we stretched ourselves for repose. 
 . My first night in the forests of India, was spent in sound, 
 secure sleep, such as I had been wont to enjoy far away 
 upon the prairies of America, with no companion but my 
 
188 ARRIVE AT JOWAUR. 
 
 rifle. The stars had scarcely began to pale before the 
 advancing light of day, when Mr. Barrill shook me awake, 
 the morning meal was soon dispatched, and the camp was 
 broken up. Skirting the forest, our route brought us, early 
 in the forenoon, to the town of Calianee, a miserable-looking 
 place situated on a very pretty stream. There we dined, 
 and then forded the stream. Upon the opposite side, the 
 country generally ascended, and was broken and stony. 
 But we journeyed without difficulty, and, after crossing 
 the ridge, found ourselves near another small town, called 
 Maundvee. There we arrived shortly after dark, and, 
 after the fatigues of the day, enjoyed the miserable ac- 
 commodation offereed. Here, we ascertained that we should 
 have to travel at least fifty miles before reaching the next 
 town, which was called Gorah. It was also stated that 
 tigers had been occasionally seen in the extensive forests 
 that intervened. This was thrilling news. But the next 
 day we travelled through the e*ntire region without meeting 
 any animal larger than a jungle fowl, which we shot. 
 
 At the assemblage of clay and bamboo huts called Gorah, 
 
 * 
 rested a little, to allow our horses to recruit their strength. 
 
 Resuming our journey, we skirted the forest at the base 
 of the mountain, and as night closed down, found ourselves 
 at the lofty town of Jowaur, situated nearly on the summit 
 of the range, and visible .at the distance of many miles. 
 Here we obtained tolerable accommodations, although the 
 
 14* 
 
INDIA SCENERY. 189 
 
 inhabitants had a brigandish, treacherous look, which 
 caused us to pass a sleepless night, and to hurry away at 
 dawn. This town could be made almost impregnable. 
 
 Descending the mountain, we held our course north- 
 westerly for Sudjun, a town situated upon the coast. The 
 country presented the contrast of open sandy plains and 
 dark-green forests of bamboo, that tree seeming to be uni- 
 versal in this region. But there was a gradual descent to 
 the coast, and our road was easy ; and after a day's mo- 
 notonous ride, we came in sight of the sea near Sudjun. 
 The town was composed almost entirely of the clay and 
 bamboo huts, so common in this part of India. Here we 
 enjoyed a view of one of the most gorgeous sunsets I had 
 ever beheld. Mr. Barrill and I were sitting at the door 
 of the largest bamboo house in the town, which was situ- 
 ated about three hundred yards from the beach. The 
 evening was rather cloudy ; and the sun which had blazed 
 all day with almost intolerable radiance, was now shorn 
 of his beams, and his fiery orb seemed about to be quenched 
 for ever by the gale-driven clouds ; but he struggled ma- 
 jestically among them, and flashes of his glory occasionally 
 scattered the gloomy assailants. Slowly, he sank in the 
 waves, flinging to the very beach a column of light, and 
 as his golden head disappeared, the clouds were struck 
 into bars by his farewell beam. 
 
 The night was raw and windy, and we were glad to re- 
 
190 REACH GUNDAREE. 
 
 tire early, even in the filthy house opened for our accom- 
 modation. The next morning was windy, but clear. We 
 started at dawn, and rode along in almost constant view 
 of the sea. Gundaree, the next town on our route was known 
 to be at the distance of two day's journey, so that we ex- 
 pected to pass another night in the forest. Before noon 
 we crossed a small stream and found ourselves in a hilly 
 country covered with a straggling forest of bamboo, and 
 wearing a most desolate aspect. We killed a few jungle 
 fowls and some small birds of beautiful plumage, but we 
 saw nothing of the game we -sought. At night, we en- 
 camped on the banks of a stream, about three miles from 
 the sea, and, as we counted, about twenty miles from 
 Gundaree. * 
 
 The jungle fowls were real additions to our supper but 
 we still mourned the absence of the noble game, to en- 
 counter which we had ventured thus far. In the after- 
 noon of the next day, we reached Gundaree, which was 
 situated at the foot of the mountains, and presented a 
 neat appearance at a distance. The inhabitants were 
 wretched, indolent people, who did not seem to have an 
 idea beyond the gratification of a moment. Here we 
 rested for the night. An old man, in whose bamboo house 
 we were allowed to be tortured during that period, in- 
 formed us that northward of this town we might expect 
 to see the elephant, the tiger, the rhinoceros, the lion, and 
 
FIRST ELEPHANT HUNT IN INDIA. 191 
 
 many other varieties of Indian game, and our hearts 
 beat high with hope of what the morrow might bring forth. 
 For my own part, I was weary of the monotonous travel- 
 ing that had been our lot since we left Bombay. 
 
 The next morning we started in the full expectation of 
 making the day memorable by an exploit. We struck the 
 mountains and kept along their base, as nearly as the 
 forest, which here began to be extremely thick and luxu- 
 riant, would permit. We had not proceeded more than 
 five miles, when, upon hearing like a crashing noise a 
 short distance in advance, we came to a halt, dismounted, 
 gave the bridles of our horses to our Parsees, and stole 
 forward cautiously to reconnoitre. The noise ceased al- 
 most at the same moment, as if our proximity was scented. 
 This caused us to move more noiselessly, and to watch 
 more keenly for the appearance of the animal. I first saw 
 the traces of an elephant in the broken branches of the 
 trees, which strewed the ground in front; and on 
 suddenly emerging from the thick forest, into what greatly 
 resembled a park, we beheld a single elephant, engaged 
 in twisting branches from a stately palm, within about 
 seventy yards from where we stood. As we stood behind 
 some luxuriant bushes, we could see through their thick 
 foliage without being seen, and we aimed with coolness 
 and precision, Mr. Barrill, at the elephant's shoulder, and 
 I at one of his eyes. Flash bang ! and we ran back to 
 
192 ELEPHANTS IN INDIA. 
 
 our horses with the precipitancy of men who know that 
 they have a monster enemy in their rear, Mr. Barrill was 
 in advance, when I, being rather too careless of my steps, 
 fell into a hole, made by the burrowing of some animal, 
 and before I could get up, I heard the elephant within a 
 few yards of me. At this dreadful moment, I retained 
 my presence of mind ; and as the bleeding monster emerged 
 from the bushes, I fired the contents of my second barrel 
 into his eye, and he fell forward with a mighty crash, his 
 enormous tusks almost impaling one of my legs. In an 
 instant I was upon my feet, and engaged in reloading my 
 rifle. But the elephant was fully paid he did not even 
 groan. 
 
 I shouted for victory, and my friend was soon at my 
 side. The Parsees came up last, uttering many expres- 
 sions of alarm and astonishment. All congratulated me 
 on my narrow escape from the tusks of the elephant, as 
 well as upon my courage in facing the wounded monster. 
 In examining the wounds of the animal, we found that 
 although my first shot had not reached the brain, the 
 second had entered deep. Mr. Ban-ill's shot had entered 
 the lungs. 
 
 The elephant of India differs in many respects from the 
 elephant of South Africa. The head is more oblong, and 
 the forehead presents, in the centre, a deep concavity be- 
 tween two lateral and rounded elevations ; that of the 
 
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY 193 
 
 African being rounded and convex in all its parts. The 
 ears of the Asiatic elephant descend no lower than its 
 neck, while the African is furnished with ears which de- 
 scend to its legs. The Asiatic has four distinct toes on 
 its hind feet, while the African has but three. As regards 
 size, it is generally believed that the difference is in favor 
 of the Asiatic animal. Our prize was a full-grown bull 
 of the kind called by the Parsees gaja sallungal, which 
 differ from other elephants by wandering singly, or in 
 herds of two or three. The tusks were about three feet 
 in length, and Mr. Barrill said they would bring a good 
 price at the next town. These were secured, and leaving 
 the carcass of the elephant to the hyenas, of whose proxi- 
 mity we did not doubt, we resumed our route. 
 
 The day was sultry, but as we travelled almost entirely 
 beneath the luxuriant foliage of the forest, which here ex- 
 celled even the groves of Africa in freshness and delicious 
 variety, we did not suffer much from the heat. The same 
 night we reached the town of Domus, on the shores of the 
 bay, into which enters the Taptee river, and there we 
 concluded to give our wearied animals the rest of a day, 
 although we knew that the city of Surat, was within about 
 twenty miles. 
 
 IT 
 
CHAPTER XXin. 
 
 DOMUS. SURAT. THE NATURE OF THE JUNGLES 
 BEYOND. A BOA CONSTRICTOR. A TIGER. A 
 LION. TERRIBLE CONFLICT. A BANYAN TREE. 
 
 AT Domus, Mr. Barrill disposed of his tusks to a Parsee 
 merchant, for about one-half the price he could have 
 obtained if he had conveyed them to Surat. But he was 
 glad to ged rid of the burden. Domus was a small town. 
 The inhabitants were courteous enough, but we understood 
 that some of them were strongly suspected of being en- 
 gaged in piracy. Our servants informed us that the 
 Parsees were very numerous in the country northward, 
 and their enterprise was the chief source of its prosperity. 
 
 At noon the second day after our arrival at Domus, we 
 came within sight of the celebrated city of Surat. Its 
 towers and pagodas gave it an imposing appearance at a 
 
 aw) 
 
CITY OF SURAT. 195 
 
 distance, but as we approached the walls age and decay 
 were strikingly evident. This city is situated on the 
 Taptee, about twenty miles from the point where the 
 mouth, or bay, empties into the gulf of Cambay. It is 
 about six miles in circumference, and shaped like a bow, 
 the cord being the Taptee, having near its centre, a small 
 castle garrisoned bya few sepoys and Europeans. On other 
 sides, the town is surrounded by a wall, flanked with semi- 
 circular towers. Without the walls we found some good 
 European houses, formerly occupied by the French, but 
 now, the residence of English officers; but the houses 
 within the town were very inferior, consisting only of 
 timber frames filled up with bricks, their upper stories 
 projecting over each other. The streets were narrow and 
 irregular. Only small boats, called ketches, can ascend 
 the river to Surat yet the city once had a very extensive 
 commerce. 
 
 We remained three days in JSurat. During this period, 
 Mr. Barrill made some valuable acquaintance among the 
 English, and purchased some small articles which he 
 deemed necessary for our comfort. We found that nearly 
 all the business of the city was carried on by the Parsees 
 the Hindoos being generally as indolent - as they were 
 superstitious. The English and the Mahommedans made 
 up the remainder of the population. I was not sorry when 
 the time came for leaving this ancient city, for life there 
 
196 JUNGLES OF INDIA 
 
 had dull and uninteresting features ; and when, upon a 
 warm, bright morning, we rode away from the dingy walls, 
 the sight of the dark-green foliage of the forests was re- 
 freshing to my eyes. About five miles from the city we 
 entered upon jungle land. 
 
 There is a very erroneous idea of a jungle among those 
 who have never visited India. The word is generally 
 supposed to mean a luxuriant thicket ; but in India, every 
 patch of wild, uncultivated country, whether forest or 
 grassy plain, is designated as jungle. The country through 
 which we now began to travel was generally level or un- 
 dulating, the Ghaut range of mountains terminating below 
 Surat. It was very thinly settled, and for miles we could 
 ride over open grassy plains, or through forests of palm, 
 bamboo, and other Indian trees. We kept almost constantly 
 in sight of the Gulf of Cambay. 
 
 On approaching a patch of forest rather thicker than 
 any we had seen since leaving Surat, one of the Parsees 
 who was riding near me, called out that he saw a large 
 serpent, lying coiled up near the edge. Curious, yet 
 doubtful, as to the propriety of advancing, we checked our 
 horses, and began to examine the object pointed out by 
 the Parsee. We were about two hundred yards from the 
 first trees of the forest. Upon the ground, between two 
 tall palms, I saw a huge coiled mass of brilliant colors, one 
 portion being much more bulky than the rest ; but I could 
 

CONFLICT BETWEEN AN ICHNEUMON AND A COBRA DI 
 CAPELLO. 
 
DISCOVER A BOA CONSTRICTOR. 197 
 
 not believe it to be a snake. Mr. Barrill pulled out his 
 pocket glass, and after a moment's attentive examination, 
 pronounced the object a large boa, distended by an 
 enormous meal, and, most probably, in a torpid state. 
 Without waiting for our decision, the Parsee, who had 
 first discovered the monster, rode slowly up towards it, 
 with his gun ready for a shot. A cold thrill ran through 
 my veins as I watched him with straining eyes. He had 
 got within twenty yards, when the serpent moved, and 
 reared its head, as if to observe who dared to molest its terri- 
 ble majesty. The Parsee checked his horse and fired at 
 the throat of the monster, taking care to put spurs to his 
 horse immediately afterwards, and hurry back to us. On 
 receiving the ball, the head of the serpent fell. But the 
 writhing of the body convinced us that it was still alive 
 and formidable. Once more the head was raised, and, with 
 the sure aim of a Rocky Mountain hunter, I fired the con- 
 tents of both barrels into it, mangling it terribly. Still 
 the twisting of the body continued, and one of the Parsees 
 then took a hatchet from one of the packs, and advanced 
 cautiously, but with wonderful intrepidity to the close as- 
 sault. He was within a few feet of the monster a sugg 
 sugg, sounded in our ears, and the brave fellow shouted 
 that we might approach without fear. 
 
 We advanced and beheld the splendid horror of a huge 
 
 boa constrictor's form. For a few minutes, Mr. Barrill 
 
 17* 
 
198 KILL THE BOA CONSTRICTOR. 
 
 and I stood in utter amazement, yet in admiration. The 
 whole of the enormous body about twenty-five feet in 
 length was covered with gorgeous hues, to which the 
 flowing blood was but a glowing addition. Mr. Barrill 
 repeated these lines : 
 
 A 
 
 Fold above fold, surprising maze, his-head 
 Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes, 
 With burnished neck of verdant gold, erect, 
 Amid his circling spires that on the grass 
 Floated redundant. 
 
 Yet the head, mangled by our shot, looked horrible, and, 
 as we saw the distention of the enormous meal, the horns 
 of an animal being plainly marked, we thought of our 
 narrow escape from the serpent's jaws, and the feeling of 
 admiration gave way to a cold thrill of disgust. The 
 Parsee, who had so bravely handled the hatchet, now cut 
 open the serpent, where the victimized animal appeared, 
 and we were further disgusted by the sight of a half-di- 
 gested stag. How such a large animal, or even the horns, 
 had passed through the small throat I saw, was a matter 
 of wonder to me since the neck appeared many times less 
 in bulk. Mr. Barrill turned away from the sight of the 
 dad monster, ordering the Parsees to secure the skin for 
 him. We retired to a short distance, while the operation 
 was being performed Mr. Barrill enlarging, meanwHle, 
 upon the extreme necessity of keeping a vigilant eye a 
 
JUNGLES OF INDIA. 199 
 
 us during our march through a country haunted by such 
 terrible reptiles. I did not need the advice ; for I now 
 entertained a greater dread of these serpents than of any 
 monster I had ever encountered. I would sooner have 
 faced a lion and a tiger at the same moment, than have 
 put myself within the lightning dart of a boa. 
 
 The Parsees concluded the skinning operation in about 
 a quarter of an hour, and returned, with the beautiful 
 prize, wrapped in a cloth. Mr. Barrill said it could be 
 prepared for preservation at the next town. Proceeding 
 on our route, we passed through the less luxuriant jungles, 
 near the sandy shore of the gulf, and early in the after- 
 noon, reached the small town of Elaw, situated on the 
 northern side of a shallow creek. Here the heat 
 of the sun was oppressive. But we secured the best 
 lodgings the town coulcl afford a bamboo shelter, alive 
 with pestering insects stretched and cleansed the boa skin, 
 and alarmed the gaping Hindoos with a terrific recital of 
 our adventure. In their turn they opened our eyes, by 
 assuring us that tigers, lions, and other large animals 
 abounded in the jungles between Elaw and Baroche a 
 city on the Nerbudda river. They expressed their amaze- 
 ment, when we stated that we were anxious to encounter 
 the most ferocious animals of their country, and particu- 
 larly intimated that we were wofully ignorant of the tiger's 
 daringand activity. But when we told them of some of our 
 
200 JUNGLES OF INDIA. 
 
 hunting exploits in South Africa, some of the boldest of 
 them offered to accompany us on our journey to Baroche. 
 As they found their own weapons long spears and 
 shields and did their best in obtaining provisions for us, 
 we acquiesced, and when we set out the next morning, ten 
 stout Hindoos marched in couples between us and our 
 Parsees. 
 
 The jungle was beautiful and luxuriant the dark- 
 green foliage of the bamboo contrasting finely with the 
 lighter verdure of the palm and the blossoms of nume- 
 rous other trees for which I had no name. The encounter 
 of the day before had left an impression not easily effaced, 
 and we took care to avoid, as far as we could, consistently 
 with our designs upon the game, the thickest jungle, where 
 it was difficult to see beyond a few yards on each side. 
 The Hindoos were all eye as they 'marched, and I thought, 
 that each moment, one of them shuddered as if he expected 
 the terrible tiger to spring from the bushes and dash him 
 to the ground. We had proceeded about six or seven 
 miles, without meeting with any animals, deemed worthy 
 of our rifles, and were growing more confident in our 
 march. Mr. Barrill and I had fallen into conversation 
 about the contrast between the forests of India and South 
 Africa, when a tremendous roar, and the shrieks of the 
 Hindoos, rang fearfully in our ears, and brought our shud- 
 dering horses to a halt. The case flashed on our eyes .as 
 
A THRILLING SCENE. 201 
 
 we turned. The Parsees stood as if paralyzed the Hin- 
 doos shrieked and danced, and seemed senseless with 
 fright. Hurrying away through the jungle we could oc- 
 casionally catch a glimpse of the striped back of a tiger ! 
 and a faint shriek told us what he had dared to seize foi 
 his meal. Humanity and our own burning thirst for dis- 
 tinction in this region, new to us, banished all feelings uf 
 dread, and we started away, with ready rifles in pursuit, 
 the rest of the party following, not knowing what else to 
 do for safety. The tiger had disappeared beneath the 
 thick foliage of the bushes, and the cessation of the victim's 
 shrieks left us no clue to the ferocious animal's whereabouts. 
 When suddenly, within about fifty yards, sounded the tre- 
 mendous voice of a lion a sound we could never forget ; 
 and a succession of awful growls, snaps, and loud rustles 
 among the bushes, led us to believe that the two tyrants of 
 the forests were contending for the mastery. Anxious to 
 gain a view of such a fearful struggle, we pressed forward, 
 till emerging from a clump of bushes, we beheld almost 
 at our horse's feet, the lion and tiger rolling over and over, 
 in a conflict which only death could interrupt. The man- 
 gled Hindoo was lying senseless upon his face, within a 
 few yards of the ferocious combatants. We did not fire, 
 but reserved our bullets till the conflict should destroy 
 one of the beasts. 
 
 It was a horrible struggle. The tiger was quite as large 
 
202 CONFLICT BETWEEN A LION AND TIGER. 
 
 as the lion, and much quicker in his movements. But 
 the lion showed a decided superiority of strength, and his 
 great mane effectually covered his head. Still his back 
 and sides were torn by the tiger's claws, and for some 
 minutes the contest was doubtful. Both possessed equal 
 courage and determination, and no disposition was evinced 
 to have a drawn battle. It was one of the compensations 
 of nature. The tyrants of the woods, who had so long 
 preyed upon the weaker animals, were now paying each 
 other in due form. Draw near, ye ghosts of mangled 
 cattle, stags and lesser beasts, to gloat over your revenge ! 
 Our prescence seemed a matter of indifference to the com- 
 batants, so intent were they in that struggle of strength 
 and activity. But the endurance of the lion prevailed 
 seizing the tiger by the throat, he turned it on its back, 
 and with his strong claws tore open its belly, and, thus 
 put an end to its ferocious life. Hail, king of beasts, 
 for so thou art ! This had scarcely been achieved when 
 simultaneous balls from our rifles, stretched the lion beside 
 the foe whom he had vanquished, and their blood mingled 
 among the grass. 
 
 We immediately dismounted, hastened to the wounded 
 Hindoo, while his companions busied themselves in striking 
 their spears into the helpless tiger and patting the head 
 of the lion. Raising the poor fellow, we found that he 
 was so dreadfully bitten and torn about the throat and 
 
TIGER OF ASIA. 203 
 
 breast, that his chance of living was but small. He could 
 not speak. After a short time spent in reeking their 
 cowardly vengeance on the tiger, his Hindoo companions 
 said that they had quite enough of hunting tigers on foot, 
 and that they would take the wounded man back to Elaw 
 as quickly as possible. Mr. Barrill agreed with them that 
 it was the best course they could pursue, and gave them 
 the skin of the tiger to take with them as a kind compen- 
 sation for their fright. They constructed a rude litter of 
 branches, on which they laid their wounded companion 
 then skinned the tiger cutting off his head while our 
 Parsees were skinning the lion, and then bade us adieu. 
 
 The lion was not as large as those we had killed in 
 Africa His skin was of a yellowish hue, the* mane being 
 some shades deeper. In other respects, there seemed to 
 be no difference between the lions of Asia and Africa. 
 The tiger was a beautiful animal, the skin being striped 
 as splendidly as that of .the African zebra. The form 
 resembled that of the common cat. The eyes were of a 
 greenish grey color, having a ferocious glare and the 
 appearance of the teeth and claws was enough to send a 
 thrill of terror through a person of timid nerves. The roar 
 of this monster, which was the first intelligence of his pre- 
 sence we had received, resembled that of the lion, but was 
 not so deep and grand. When enraged as it was during the 
 conflict with the lion, it makes a shrill cry which pierces 
 
204 , THE BANYAN TREE. 
 
 the ear in a most disagreeable way. Taking up our lion's 
 skin, we remounted our horses, and continued our route 
 towards Baroche. We were in tolerable spirits gratified 
 at having witnessed a singular conflict between the tyrants 
 of the forest and seen them both laid low but sorry for 
 the disaster, of which our sporting adventures had been, 
 in some degree, the cause. On the banks of a small 
 stream about a mile in advance of the sanguinary spot, we 
 came upon a banyan tree of immense size. We had seen 
 numerous small specimens of this wonderful tree during 
 our journey ; but this was the first time we had ever be- 
 held it in its majesty. It had at least five hundred trunks 
 besides the main one, and was about one hundred yards 
 in circumference. It appeared to me like a vast natural 
 temple, and, as I wandered among the pillars that upheld 
 the thick dome of foliage, something like mingled feelings 
 of awe and worship crept through my soul. A temple 
 fashioned by God's own hand !, What grander architec- 
 tural idea could be found than that of this banyan tree ? 
 I did not wonder that the Hindoos looked upon the tree 
 as sacred. That kind of superstition was infectious, and 
 had I a banyan near me, its leaves should cover me in 
 the solitary hours of prayer and meditation. About the 
 middle of the afternoon, we reached the outskirts of Ba- 
 roche, and stood upon the banks of the famous river, 
 Nerbudda. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE CITY OF BAROCHE. THE JUNGLES AGAIN. 
 RHINOCEROS. ANTELOPE. CAMP IN THE JUN- 
 GLE. ALARM. A LION. 
 
 THE city of Baroche has greatly declined of late years. 
 We found it poor and mean, with narrow, dirty streets, 
 and low houses built of sun-burned bricks. The surrounding 
 country appeared fertile and well-cultivated, but there was 
 an absence of trees, and the villages had a dingy aspect. 
 The Nerbudda is there about two miles wide, and very 
 shallow. There were a large number of small vessels in 
 front of the city, but we were informed that the trade was 
 not of much importance. As the climate was hot and un- 
 healthy, and our Parsees did not seem contented, we only 
 remained a single day in Baroche, and then resumed our 
 route. 
 
 18 (205) 
 
206 THE COOLIES. 
 
 For many miles we rode between cotton-fields, and be 
 . ncath a blazing sun. Scarcely a tree of any size was to 
 be seen. But after we had entered the province of Baroda, 
 there was a most agreeable change. The roads were lined 
 with trees of various kinds. The villages gave every evi- 
 dence of prosperity, and generally presented a strangely 
 beautiful appearance, being surrounded with mango-topes 
 and verdant tamarind trees. We observed that cotton, 
 sugar-cane, tobacco, corn, opium, hemp, and flax were 
 grown, the fields being divided by high green hedges. The 
 inhabitants were called Coolies. They wore a singular 
 costume, made up of a petticoat, a quilted kirtle, which 
 in time of war was covered with armor, and a cotton cloth 
 over the head and shoulders. Mr. Barrill informed me 
 that the English government considered these people very 
 turbulent ; but we found them quiet, friendly, and hospi- 
 table. Perhaps, they have the spirit to resist the extor- 
 tions of their conquerors, and this is the reason of their 
 ill-esteem with the government. Such a spirit is a noble 
 quality in the eyes of an American citizen, who from his 
 cradle, is taught, " Resistance to tyrants is obedience to 
 God." After journeying till noon in delightful scenery, we 
 halted at a neat-looking farm-house, and obtained an ex- 
 llent meal of venison, hare, and quail the best by far we 
 had eaten since leaving Bombay. Quitting this farm-house, 
 we rode on, the country assuming a wilder appearance as 
 
DISCOVER A RHINOCEROS. 207 
 
 we proceeded, and about the middle of the afternoon, we 
 found ourselves once more amidst the jungles, and in the 
 vicinity of all kinds of Indian game. The few inhabitants 
 we met, belonged to the rude tribe called Bheels. They 
 were known to be warlike, and fond of nocturnal maraud- 
 ing expeditions ; but we were well-armed, and did not care 
 for their favor or hostility. 
 
 As we were riding watchfully through the luxuriant 
 and fragrant forest, an almost naked Bheel suddenly ap- 
 peared in front, and, in much alarm, informed us that he 
 had seen a huge rhinoceros in a thicket a quarter of a mile 
 ahead. He spoke in a language which one of our Parsees 
 interpreted to us. The fellow was armed only with a 
 short spear. We directed him to guide us to the spot ; 
 but prepared for treachery. Cautiously, and with sight 
 and nerves at the utmost strain, we followed the Bheel, 
 frdm grove to grove, till, as we neared a thicket which 
 seemed to put an effectual check to our further progress, 
 a quick rustle was heard among the leaves, and before we 
 had time to check the horses, a monstrous rhinoceros 
 charged out upon us. With a fear-spurred agility, the 
 Bheel turned back, and sprang upon a horse behind one 
 of the Parsees. Experience had given Mr. Barrill and I a 
 high degree of presence of mind, and, while our servants 
 instantly turned and fled, we took the best aim possible 
 under the circumstances, fired, and then dodged aside, 
 
208 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 
 
 and went crashing through the thick underwood. The 
 rhinoceros did not turn, but pushed forward in determined 
 pursuit of the Parsees. Of course, we quickly returned 
 upon his rear, and gave him the full benefit of two more 
 balls. This checked the monster, and as we again dodged 
 aside from the path, he came charging back. This time, 
 he discovered my whereabouts, and turned off after me. 
 I led him circuitously back to the path, feeling certain that 
 my friend would reload and hit him again in the rear. I 
 was not disappointed in my calculation. As the rhinoceros, 
 with that mad-dog obstinacy for which it is so famous, 
 rushed after my flying steed, a ball from Mr. Ban-ill's rifle 
 brought him to a seat on his haunches. Seeing this, one 
 of the Parsees came back, and gave me his gun, with which 
 I gave the grunting monster a ball in the throat, and he 
 tumbled over on his side. Yet we did not venture to ap- 
 proach, till another shot had been fired by Mr. Barrill. 
 
 On seeing the rhinoceros fall, the Bheel who had been 
 so extremely ready to remove all obstructions from the path 
 of the charging animal, gave a yell of delight, jumped 
 from the horse on which he had perched himself, and ran 
 before us to our prostrate foe. In spite of all our balls, 
 we found that the monster still breathed. A thrust from 
 the Bheel's spear, however, completely extinguished the 
 spark of life, which was a new subject for clamorous rejoicing 
 on the part of our half-savage friend. We dismounted, 
 
THE RHINOCEROS . 209 
 
 tied our horses, and began a survey of this mighty game. 
 The Asiatic rhinoceros differs from the African animal 
 of the same name, in many respects. It is about the same 
 size, hut, in general, more ferocious and formidable. But 
 there are differences that strike the beholder instantly. 
 The Asiatic animal has but one horn, while, as it is well 
 known, the African rhinoceros has two. The skin of the 
 former lies over the body in immense folds, as if the animal 
 wore robes, and this covering is so thick that some of our 
 bullets, although prepared with solder, had flattened against 
 it. Three had penetrated, one in the throat, and two 
 behind the shoulder. 
 
 A half hour was spent in examining the huge bulk of 
 the rhinoceros. The horn was about two feet in length. 
 Mr. Barrill gave it to one of the Parsees, much to the dis- 
 appointment of the Bheel, who had earnestly requested it 
 several times. For himself, my friend reserved some of 
 the teeth, while I secured a large piece of the skin to dry 
 for my private stock of trophies. The remainder of the 
 animal was given to the Bheel, with orders to save it from 
 the tigers and lions if he thought himself able. While we 
 were discussing the disposal of the vanquished monster, 
 one of the Parsees caught sight of some four-horned ante- 
 lopes bounding along in the distance, and away went Mr. 
 Barrill and myself, with the hope of getting a shot. Vain ! 
 
 vain ! the ride through such underwood in chase of animals 
 
 18** 
 
210 CAMP IN THK JUNGLE. 
 
 ilmost as fleet as the wind. After a ride of half a mile, 
 ffe found ourselves beginning to lose ground, arid, there- 
 /ore, returned. 
 
 Getting into marching order, we bade our Bheel friend 
 adieu, and resumed our march in better spirits than we 
 had been since our arrival in India. Night overtook us 
 before we had advanced more than three or four miles, and 
 as. the lions began to make the forests quake around us, 
 we throught proper to encamp on the banks of a small 
 stream. No camp was ever prepared by hunters with more 
 anxious care. We knew that we were surrounded with 
 perils, only to be met with at night in the jungles of India. 
 Hungry animals of the most daring and ferocious species 
 were roaring and howling on all sides of us. Perhaps, 
 enormous serpents were lurking in the thickets, waiting 
 till we were wrapped in slumber to dart upon their prey. 
 The security of our horses was the most difficult matter to 
 achieve. The stream was about twenty feet broad, and 
 two or three deep, where we had encamped. This afforded 
 us a kind of defence upon that side. Between the creek 
 and the nearest trees was a space of about twenty feet, 
 thickly covered with bushes. These we cut down, and 
 ranged some of them as a slight breastwork, while the 
 others, we used for fuel. The night was starry, but 
 moonless, and the red glare shone with a strange light 
 upon wood and stream. We cut log seats and placed them 
 
AN ALARM. 211 
 
 around the cheerful blaze ; then tied our horses as near 
 to it as we conveniently could; and having directed the 
 Parsees to keep a strict watch around, sat down to eat a 
 hasty supper, with our trusty rifles laid across our knees. 
 This being concluded, the Parsees were permitted to eat, 
 while we kept guard. Occasionally, a lion's awful roar, 
 sounding as if the animal was within a few hundred yards 
 of our camp, startled us to keener vigilance, and we could 
 see that our horses were very uneasy at the proximity of 
 such ferocious foes. Once I thought that a shout and the 
 report of a rifle might serve the purpose of keeping the 
 animals at a greater distance, and, accordingly, both rang 
 on the air. But the roars continued, and we began to 
 feel the pressing necessity of keeping our eyes open all 
 night. I mentioned this to Mr. Barrill, and after some 
 deliberation, he decided that waking alone, we could be 
 secure. 
 
 Accordingly, we placed the Parsees upon guard, with 
 orders to fire at even the suspicion of an approaching animal 
 of any size, and sat down to talk away the night. Mr. 
 Barrill, I have said, excelled in conversation. He could 
 wander "' from gay to grave, from lively to severe," in a 
 winning way, to which I could have listened day or night. 
 Under such an influence I was forgetting the lapse of 
 moments ; and even the awful concert of the woods. I 
 was in the midst of my third pipe, when a hist from one 
 
212 KILL A LION. 
 
 of the Parsees, called our attention to him. He was en- 
 deavoring to get sight of some object in the bushes, about 
 fifty yards down the stream, on the side of the camp. I 
 called to him to wait and allow me to try my rifle, and, 
 on going to the point at which he was standing, I beheld 
 two eyes, like glowing coals of fire, among the bushes. 
 They were evidently bent upon our camp. Their owner 
 was unmistakeable. Only a lion's eyes could glare so 
 vividly. What horrible meals tickled his imagination ! 
 With a cool aim at the dark space between those orbs of 
 fire, I gave my bullet wings the report rang on the air 
 an awful growl succeeded, and the eyes disappeared. We 
 watched patiently, but saw no more of the monarch beast 
 that night. 
 
 We continued our conversation till daylight, which was 
 an agreeable relief. Then, with the eager curiosity of 
 an enthusiastic sportsman, I went to the spot where I had 
 seen the lion's eyes. I found great blotches of blood upon 
 the bushes, and the marks of the lion's writhing were 
 evident for several yards around. Following the traces, 
 I suddenly came upon the body of the animal near the 
 stream and a shout of triumph brought my companions 
 to my side. The animal was young, and not full grown, 
 but still its form had grace and majesty. A Parsee was 
 left to skin the lion while we ate breakfast, and having 
 Becured this additional trophy, we resumed our journey. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 BARODA. CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 
 AN INDIAN VILLAGE. A SINGULAR MODE OF 
 HUNTING THE TIGER. THE FALCON AND THE 
 CROWS. ROUTE TO CAMBAY. 
 
 BARODA is a much larger city than I had expected to 
 see in this region. The population may be numbered at 
 about one hundred thousand souls. The situation is on 
 the left bank of the Viswamitra, which is here both narrow 
 and shallow. The site is low and marshy. At a distance 
 the city has a handsome appearance. It is surrounded 
 with a double wall of mud, having round towers at intervals 
 and several double gates. Two spacious streets divide it 
 into four equal sections. The market-place in the centre, 
 contains a square pavilion, with three arches on each side, 
 and a flat roof, adorned with seats and fountains. This 
 is a Mogul structure, and, like some others of that style 
 of architecture, it possesses much beauty. But the Ma- 
 
 (213) 
 
214 LEAVE BARODA. 
 
 haratta edifices are all of mean appearance. The stone 
 bridge over the Vismarita, is said to be the only one in 
 Guzerat. In the vicinity of the city we found some fa- 
 mous wells, elegantly pavilioned. The largest of these? 
 called Soloman's well, is noted for the purity of its water, 
 a great luxury in this region. Baroda is the capital of 
 the Guicowar dominions. A few Mahommedans reside in 
 and around the city. But the chief portion of the popu- 
 lation are Rajpoots and Hindoo Banyans. A native prince 
 was the ostensible governor, but the agent of the East 
 India Company, backed by a body of British troops, enjoys 
 a power, which the prince dares not defy. 
 
 We remained at Baroda three days, visiting every no- 
 table person or structure in, and around the city. Then, 
 having made a few purchases and acquired some information 
 in. regard to the character of hunting north of the city, 
 we resumed our journey. For a few miles the route led 
 us through a beautiful and well-cultivated country, smiling 
 with prosperity. Then the character of the scenery 
 changed to that of a luxuriant but sparsely settled wilder- 
 ness ; and we once more began to feel again in our ele- 
 ment. No game but antelope appeared, however, and 
 these succeeded in their praiseworthy exertions to keep 
 beyond the reach of our rifles. Towards night, we reached 
 a neat little village, in the midst of a jungle tract, that 
 certainly looked as if it contained large game. 
 
SINGULAR MODE OF HUNTING THE TIGEE. 215 
 
 The inhabitants were Coolies. They seemed to be pros- 
 perous, and we found them hospitable. When they learned 
 that we were on a sporting expedition, they requested that 
 we would stop a short time at the village, and communi- 
 cated the thrilling intelligence that tigers were numerous 
 in the neighboring jungles. Much complaint was expressed 
 of the depredations of these ferocious animals. Mr. Barrill 
 at once concluded to stay a few days in the vicinity of the 
 village, and the whole party was takeu under the provi- 
 dent care of the village landlord and patriarch. 
 
 The same evening, in course of the conversation, which 
 one of the Parsees interpreted to our satisfaction, the pa- 
 triarch informed us that the common mode of hunting the 
 tiger in that region might be novel to us. A hut was 
 erected among the foliage of a jungle, on the sloping bank 
 of a water-course, and on the opposite bank a cow was 
 tied to a stump. The hunter, well-armed, but alone, placed 
 himself in the hut at night, and there laid in wait for the 
 tiger, or lion, whichever dared to attaek the cow. This 
 kind of still hunting struck our fancy, and it was resolved 
 that Mr. Barrill should try it the first night, and J, the 
 next. However, that night our whole party took a sound, 
 refreshing sleep. The next morning, we were off under 
 the old man's direction to choose the spot where our trap 
 should be set. Three Coolie servants carried the materials 
 for erecting the little hut. The pieces had previously 
 
216 SINGULAR MODE OP HUNTING THE TIGER. 
 
 been used for the purpose, and the only trouble was to join 
 them together. 
 
 A pretty little watercourse skirted the village. We 
 followed this, through a few ploughed fields, past a large 
 banyan tree, and into the jungle. A small but dense 
 clump was selected as the spot for erecting the watch-hut, 
 and to put it up and conceal it, so that at the distance of 
 about fifty yards, only the practised eye of a woodman 
 could detect it, was the work of about half an hour. It 
 was about six feet square, and could contain besides the 
 hunter, two guns, a mattress and a blanket, all of which 
 articles were there deposited. "We then returned to the 
 village and Mr. Barrill purchased a white cow to be 
 sacrificed to the god of sport. Towards night, the Par- 
 sees led the cow and I accompanied Mr. Barrill, to the 
 hut. The poor beast was tied to a stump by a double 
 cord passed twice around her horns. My friend entered 
 .the hut, and after I had ascertained that nothing was 
 wanting for his equipment, I wished him all manner of 
 success, and accompanied the Parsees back to the village. 
 
 Tfyat night was a restless one for Peregrine Herne his 
 sleep was a succession of dreams, in which horrible battles 
 with tigers and mangled limbs were the most conspicious 
 incidents. Twice I got up and went to the door of the 
 bamboo house, to listen if there was any indications of an 
 encounter, and once I thought I heard the report of a gun. 
 
SINGULAR MODE OP HUNTING THE TIGER. 217 
 
 But I could gathej- nothing concerning my friend's sitaa- 
 tion, until the next morning, when he presented himself 
 safe and sound, at the door of our house. Glad that he 
 had, at least, met with no disaster, I welcomed him back 
 with a cordial shake of the hand, and while he was at 
 breakfast, he told us his night's experience : 
 
 "After your departure," said Mr. Barrill " the poor cow- 
 stared intently along the path by which you had retreated, 
 and then, had it not been for the occasional stamp of her 
 fore-leg, or the impatient side-toss of her head, to keep off 
 the flies, she might have seemed carved out of marble. 
 Next there was a fearful and anxious gaze up the bed of 
 the stream, and into the thick fringe of mimosa, and then 
 the apprehensive animal plunged and tugged to get loose. 
 All in vain. The cord was strong. Then her sides began 
 to heave, and she gave a low that sweet music to the 
 ears of a tiger. Again, again, the piteous sound echoed 
 among the hills. The moon arose, and from my little 
 window, I beheld a scene full of beauty and poetry. A 
 crescent of low hills, craggy, steep, and thickly wooded, 
 appeared on three sides, and above them, again, was the 
 clear blue outline of the Neilgherry hills. In front, the 
 silver-sanded bed of the dry water-course divided the 
 thick and sombre jungle with a stream of light, till lost 
 in the deep shadows at the foot of the hills. But the rest- 
 lessness of the cow called my attention from the quiet 
 
 19 
 
218 SINGULAR MODE OF HUNTING THE TIGER. 
 
 beauty of the scene to the perils of my situation. Sud- 
 denly a roar swelled on the air, and then died in awful 
 echoes among the hills, the cow stood as if almost breath- 
 less with fear, and I grasped one of my rifles, and rested 
 it on the side of the little window. Thus I watched for 
 about half an hour ; but no tiger appeared ; and, as the 
 cow laid down, as if her fears were quieted, I did the same. 
 I had fallen into a doze, when the cow struggling on her 
 legs and a groan brought me to my feet. There they 
 were a large tiger holding the poor cow behind the ears, 
 shaking her like a fighting dog. I ran out the muzzle of 
 my rifle as quietly as I could, and then I saw the tiger leap 
 over the shuddering cow, without quitting his grip. She 
 sank to the earth ; and he lifted her up again. At the 
 first opportunity I pulled the trigger. The left hand 
 missed.- I tried the right Bang ! The tiger relinquished 
 his hold and was off with a bound. The cow staggered 
 and struggled, and in a few seconds fell, and with a heavy 
 groan, ceased to move. The fact then stared me in the 
 face. The tiger had killed the cow within a few feet of 
 me and escaped uninjured." 
 
 When the story was interpreted to the patriarch, he 
 laughed loudly, and uttered some expressions of encourage- 
 ment for a patient renewal of the trial. I was sorry for 
 my friend's disappointment. He seemed to feel it deeply. 
 However, he readily assented to my taking his place the 
 
SINGULAR MODE OF HUNTING THE TIGER. 219 
 
 next night. After breakfast, Mr. Barrill, the patriarch, the 
 Parsees, and some Coolies repaired to the jungle to see the 
 slaughtered cow. The animal was mangled about the neck 
 in a manner that proved what terrible power the tiger 
 could exert in a short time. The sides and back were 
 also torn by the claws of the ferocious assailant. It was 
 agreed that the carcass should remain where it was, and 
 be guarded by the Coolies during the day. 
 
 In the evening, with an eagerness I could not conceal, 
 I hastened to the little hut. Mr. Barrill and the Coolies 
 saw me safely ensconsed, and then retired. The moon arose 
 early, and I had an ample opportunity of enjoying the 
 beautiful scene described by my friend. This was varied 
 by a sudden storm. At an early hour, I saw an arch of 
 clouds approaching from the westward, and the rain de- 
 scending, gave it the appearance of a huge black comb, 
 the teeth reaching to the earth. The moon, half-obscured, 
 showed a white mist as far as the rain had reached. Then 
 was heard in the puffs of air, the hissing of the distant 
 shower the vivid lightning blazed in my very eyes, and 
 then the rain rattled to the earth in bullet drops. The 
 beautiful was swallowed up in the sublime. Each moment 
 there was a startling change from a darkness that " could 
 be felt," to a dazzling flash of light, while above me the 
 thunder bolts were hurled with stunning force. At length 
 the storm, having spent its wrath, passed over, and tho 
 
220 SINGULAR MODE OP HUNTING THE TIGEE. 
 
 bed of the stream ran dry again. As the watery moon 
 appeared, I looked out and saw that the carcass of the 
 cow was still untouched. 
 
 I watched about an hour, and then I was about to enjoy 
 a doze, when my ear caught a thrilling echo among the 
 rocks and then the distant roar which could not be mis- 
 taken. Aye, a roar and an answer. Tiger and tigress ! 
 Hope filled to overflowing the monsters of the jungle 
 were coming within reach of my rifle. Stones and gravel 
 rattled just behind the hut, on the path by which we came 
 and went, and a heavy step passed and descended the 
 slope into the bed of the stream. I heard the sand cranck- 
 ing under his weight before I dared to look, and then 
 looming in the moonlight, there stood the long, sleek, but 
 terrible form of a tiger, smelling the slaughtered cow. The 
 weight of such a beast would have crushed the frail tene- 
 ment in which I was posted. As if the excitement was 
 insufficient, the monster gazing down the dry water-course, 
 caught sight of his companion who stood irresolutely, 
 about twenty yards up the bed of the stream. The male 
 walked around the carcass two or three times, and then 
 began to tear it with a skill peculiar to his tribe. As he 
 stood with his two feet upon the haunch, as he tore out a 
 beef- stake, I grasped a rifle, and ran the muzzle out of the 
 little port. The continual motion of the tiger's body pre- 
 vented my getting a good shot for some time. But as I 
 
SINGULAR MODE OF HUNTING THE TIGER. 221 
 
 got sight on a line rather low behind the shoulders, I 
 pulled the trigger. Bang ! A shower of sand rattled on 
 the dry leaves, and a terrific roar of rage and pain satis- 
 fied me that the shot had been a telling one. The white 
 smoke was blown away, and then I beheld the monster 
 writhing where he had fallen. Either guided by the fire, 
 or by some slight noise made in the excitement of the mo- 
 ment, he saw me, and with a yell that pierced my ears, 
 scrambled up. The thunder of his roar filled the valley, 
 and the echoes, among the hills, answered as at the com- 
 mand of a dreaded tyrant. I immediately perceived that 
 the monsters hind quarters were paralyzed, and that how- 
 ever ferocious might be his will his power to harm me had 
 departed. He sank down again upon his elbows, and I 
 saw the blood flowing from a wound in the loins. But 
 the countenance had more of the terrific in its expression 
 than anything I had ever beheld. The glare of that fero- 
 cious eye, caused my flesh to creep. But as he gazed 
 upon me, in helpless malignity, I took aim at his breast, 
 and ere the smoke cleared away, the monster was stretched 
 in death beside the slaughtered cow. 
 
 Although naturally elated by this easy victory over so 
 formidable a foe, I did not forget the tigress. Indeed. I 
 was apprehensive that she would attack my ricketty hut. 
 But at the end of about half an hour, I heard her roar 
 echoing far away among the hills, and all dread was al- 
 
 19* 
 
222 COOLIE SUPERSTITION. 
 
 layed. Nevertheless, I did not attempt to court sleep, 
 but watched the splendid prize until day dimmed the stars 
 and invited me to issue from my little castle. 
 
 A magnificent prize, indeed ! As I stood gazing upon 
 the beautiful skin, and the countenance so fixed in its de- 
 termined ferocity, I was startled by a rustling near me, 
 and, on turning quickly, I beheld Mr. Barrill, the Parsees, 
 and several Coolies, whose impatience would not permit 
 them to await my return. At the sight of the tiger they 
 raised a shout of exultation, and showered congratulations 
 upon me. 
 
 I here witnessed for the first time the performance of a 
 superstitious rite by the Coolies. With the gravest 
 movements imaginable, one of them kindled a small fire, 
 and taking a brand, proceeded to singe off the whiskers 
 of the tiger. Fearful that he intended to spoil the skin, 
 Mr. Barrill called out to know what he was doing, when 
 one of our Parsees informed us that the natives of India, 
 believed that the performance of this simple rite, would 
 lay the spirit of the tiger. Mr. Barrill smiled, but the 
 remembrance of that tiger's last look of malignity, caused 
 me to think that the sensitive Coolies had some justification 
 for their singular belief. 
 
 The Coolies constructed a litter on which they placed 
 the tiger, and we returned to the village in triumphal 
 procession, firing guns and shouting so loudly, that the 
 
THE FALCON AND THE CROWS. 223 
 
 whole village turned out to see the cause of the uproar. 
 When it was known that I had killed a large tiger, the 
 crowd rejoiced as if their deadliest foe had been subdued. 
 We left the tiger outside of the house as we sat down to 
 breakfast, I related the story of the night. Mr. Barrill 
 informed that he had not enjoyed a wink of sleep and 
 that he had distinctly heard the report of my rifle. The 
 escape of the tigress was regreted. However, that day 
 the patriarch gave a grand open air feast* in honor of the 
 tiger's death and despite the refusal of the Hindoos to 
 eat in company with us, we had a merry time. The 
 splendid skin of the slain monster was added to our packs. 
 While in this region, we enjoyed a taste of that rare 
 sport, called falconry. It is well known that the crow is 
 a kind of sacred bird among the Hindoos. He is fed at 
 certain seasons with boiled rice and other delicacies. This 
 treatment causes the crow to be very bold and impertinent. 
 Occasionally we came upon large flocks of these birds, 
 and on silencing one of them with shot, they evinced a 
 determination to assail us, and we were glad to get out 
 of the way as spon as possible. One day, the Parsees had 
 left a half-plucked chicken, preparing for supper, within 
 sight .of a sentinel crow. In a moment, the fowl was 
 pounced upon, and carried off. On one side, all the com- 
 rades of the daring robber flocked together to share the 
 spoil. On the other side, out rushed the Parsees, followed 
 
224 THE FALCON AND THE CROWS. 
 
 by the Hindoo patriarch and a number of servants, who 
 seemed determined to recover the chicken by the force of 
 sticks and stones. But the charge was unavailing, and 
 the patriarch then entered the hous, saying, in effect, 
 that his falcon, Hyder, could master the robber. In a few 
 minutes he came forth, with a hooded falcon upon his 
 wrist. At the sight of this dreaded bird, the marauding 
 crows flew away in every direction. The veteran falconer 
 then requested that the whole party should retire into the 
 house, and he would conceal the falcon, until the crows 
 returned. We complied, but took our stations at the win- 
 dows, where we observed what passed. Presently, an old 
 crow sneaked back to the tree beneath which the chicken 
 had been dropped, and then about a dozen had the courage 
 to follow. 
 
 Now was the time for the commencement of the sport. 
 The patriarch quickly unhooded Hyder. The leash slipped, 
 and as a crow alighted furtively upon the ground where 
 the chicken lay, the falcon dashed at the enemy. We 
 then rushed out to obtain a fair view of the sport. At 
 the sight of the falcon the crow dropped his prize, and 
 shrieking as usual, skimmed away through the trees, pur- 
 sued by his stubborn foe. All was excitement. The Coolies 
 rushed about, whooping, as if to frighten the crow as much 
 as possible. Vainly the crow strives to gain a shelter ; 
 the falcon hangs close upon him, gaming every moment. 
 
THE FALCON AND THE CROWS. 225 
 
 The crow must shift his tactics. Now he attempts to take 
 the air, wheeling in huge circles, gradually contracted. 
 But Hyder has already reached his level. The crow falls, 
 with rare cunning and skill, presenting his bill and claws, 
 saves himself from the falcon's terrible swoop, and having 
 won distance, as he supposes, turns over and hurries through 
 the air towards his asylum. He nears the clump of thorny 
 mimosa, from the ragged boughs of which resound the 
 voices of a startled colony. Hyder perceives the critical 
 moment, plies his pinions with redoubled velocity, grapples 
 with his quarry from behind, weighs him down rapidly 
 through the air, and nearing the earth, strives to give the 
 crow a death-fall. But in spite of his fall, a rent in the 
 back, and several pecks, the crow fights gallantly, and 
 tremble Hyder ! there come a whole army of crows to 
 his aid. They wheel about over the brave falcon's head, 
 and occasionally pounce upon him with ferocious force. 
 At this crisis, we rushed forward to Hyder's assistance, 
 but arrived, hardly in season. As we plunged through 
 the last clump of bushes between us and the combatants, 
 at least a dozen crows rose hurriedly from the ground. The 
 quarry was stone dead upon the grass. Hyder had lost 
 his eyes, and was so pecked and torn that the patriarch 
 prepared to sustain the affliction of the speedy death of 
 his favorite bird. To us the scene had been full of ex- 
 citement, and Mr. Barrill promptly offered the patriarch 
 
226 ROUTE TO CAMBAT. 
 
 compensation for the loss of his bird, but the veteran fal- 
 coner refused to accept it. We remained a week at the 
 delightful village and then bidding our hospitable friends 
 a sorrowful farewell, started for Cambay. The route 
 was pleasantly diversified with hill and dale, forest and 
 grassy plain ; but the heat was intense, .and travelling was 
 therefore extremely irksome. Towards night we entered 
 upon a well-cultivated country, and before dark, we were 
 within the limits of Cambay. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 CAMBAY. THE JOURNEY THROUGH NORTH GUZE- 
 RAT. THE ICHNEUMON. ADVENTURE WITH 
 A COBRA DI CAPELLO. ELEPHANT CATCHING. 
 HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. AH- 
 MEDABAD. START TO RETURN BY WATER TO 
 BOMBAY. 
 
 CAMBAY is but a shadow of its former self. Its decay 
 has been chiefly owing to the filling up of the bay, at the 
 head of which it stands, by the deposits brought down by 
 the rivers. The general appearance of the town is dingy 
 and ancient. Most of the houses are built of clay, and 
 the streets are dirty and narrow. Various Hindoo and 
 Mohammedan edifices remain to tell the stranger of the 
 splendor which once characterised Cambay. Among these 
 is a very beautiful mosque, close to the nawaub's residence. 
 Its main court contains three hundred and sixty pillars of 
 a handsome red sandstone. There are also the remains 
 of a subterranean temple, believed to be of Buddhic origin, 
 
 (227) 
 
228 KILL AN ICHNEUMON. 
 
 The inhabitants, numbering about ten thousand, are Hin- 
 doos, Mohammedans and Parsees. We found that the 
 manufactures of the town were various and valuable, but 
 the . trade was unimportant. The surrounding country 
 was fertile and well-cultivated. 
 
 At Cambay we remained two days, when the oppressive 
 character of the climate determined us to proceed north- 
 ward. On the morning of the third day after our arrival, we 
 started, and were glad to find ourselves once more among 
 the fresh fields and woods. Our route led us along the 
 shallow Sabermatty. The adjacent country was gene- 
 rally fertile and thickly settled for several miles up the 
 river above Cambay. Beyond this, however, we found 
 ourselves in jungle land. Here we first had an opportu- 
 nity to kill and examine the singular little animal called 
 mangoust, or ichneumon. The one we shot was eighteen 
 inches in length, without the tail. The snout was long, 
 the limbs short, and the tail slender. Its motions were 
 as quick as lightning, so that it was with great difficulty 
 that I obtained a good shot. These animals are very 
 useful in hot countries, where they destroy venomous 
 snakes, lizards, and crocodile's eggs. They generally seek 
 their prey by night, creeping along without noise, and 
 darting upon the unsuspecting reptile with unerring aim. 
 This curious animal was skinned to supply us with a new 
 trophy. 
 
ADVENTURE WITH A COBRA DI CAPELLO. 229 
 
 After a fatiguing and monotonous journey, we reached 
 a small village just before dark. The inhabitants appeared 
 peaceable and industrious, and they certainly were hospi- 
 table, for they offered us their best houses for lodgings, 
 and took good care of our horses. The weather was quite 
 sultry, and we were exceedingly glad when we could retire 
 to rest in the airy, bamboo-walled rooms set apart for our 
 accommodation. The room, in which I and one of the 
 Parsees were directed to sleep, opened at the rear of the 
 house, upon a beautiful green, decked with flowers. We 
 kept the door wide open, in order to let in as much air as 
 possible, and stretched ourselves within a few paces of it, 
 the Parsee being on one side of the room and I on the 
 other. For a few moments after lying down on the mat- 
 tress, I conversed with the Parsee in regard to the extent 
 of our journey, and then, as he sank into the downy arms 
 of Morpheus, I amused myself by gazing out on the green, 
 till my senses, also, yielded to the drowsy god. I had 
 slept several hours when I began to have a visible per- 
 ception of peril an apprehension of imminent death. Most 
 persons have heard that if the eyes of a watcher are con- 
 stantly fixed on the countenance of a sleeper, for a cer- 
 tain length of time, the slumberer will start up, awakened 
 by some mysterious magnetism. So it was, that with 
 closed eyes and drowsy senses, I was conscious of a mys- 
 terious horror crouching beside me ; and, as if the peril 
 
 20 
 
230 ADVENTURE WITH A COBRA DI CAPELLO. 
 
 that was my nightmate was of a nature to be quickened 
 into deadly activity by any movement of mine, I felt the 
 pressing necessity of lying quite still. So that, when I 
 at last awoke, and felt that as I lay, with my face towards 
 the roof, there was a thick, heavy, cold, creeping thing 
 upon my breast, I neither moved or uttered a sound. In 
 this case, at least, danger put an edge to all my faculties, 
 and ere I could wink my eyes, I was broad awake and 
 aware that, coiling itself into a circle of twists, an enor- 
 mous serpent was on my breast. The whole of my chest, 
 
 \ 
 and even the pit of my stomach, were covered with the 
 
 chilly folds of the reptile. Where are the words for the 
 thoughts of such a moment ? It was evident, the loath- 
 some creature had at length settled itself to sleep. This 
 was a state of affairs for which I should have felt thankful, 
 but for the all-absorbing feeling of horror. The serpent 
 had become quite still, and the pressure seemed to burn 
 into my breast. The indescribable odor which exhaled 
 from its body, and pervaded the whole air, so overwhelmed 
 me, that it was only by a mighty effort of self-command, 
 that I preserved myself from shrieking. As it was, a 
 cold sweat burst from every pore, and a kind of palsy of 
 terror began to agitate my limbs. 
 
 At this crisis, a wall-lizard, or a large beetle, fell from 
 the ceiling upon my left arm, which lay at my side. The 
 snake slowly raised its head, with a low hiss, and then, 
 
ADVENTURE WITH A COBRA DI CAPELLO. 231 
 
 for the first time, I saw the hood glistening in the moon- 
 light. It was a Cobra di Capello, the most venomous ser- 
 pent of the East. Shading my eyes to exclude the 
 dreadful sight, I lay almost fainting, until all was again 
 quiet. Had its fiery glance met mine, all would have 
 been over, but, apparently, it was once more asleep ; and 
 presently I thought I heard the Parsee moving about, as if 
 about to rise. "With a desperate effort, I cried out. 
 " Help, Parsee !" "Aye!" was the- quiet response, 
 lay still again, for the serpent, evidently roused, made a 
 movement, and its head fell on my naked arm. In the 
 keen agony of that moment, when I seemed about to lose 
 all control of myself, I debated whether I should again 
 attempt to attract the attention of the Parsee, or remain 
 entirely quiet, or whether it would not be better than 
 either to start up and shake the reptile from me. But 
 the latter suggestion was instantly abandoned, because of 
 the assurance I felt that it would prove fatal. Impeded 
 by the heavy folds of the serpent, and weak from excite- 
 ment, I could not escape its fangs. Again I spoke with 
 hollow but distinct tones, " Parsee, a lantern ! Quick, 
 Parsee, a lantern !" Oh ! that welcome sound ! " I am 
 bringing it, sir." There was a sound of clanking metal 
 light flashed across the floor and at the noise of the 
 coming step, one after another the terrible coils unwinding, 
 the grisly monster glided away from my body, and as the 
 
232 TAME ELEPHANTS. 
 
 words " Oh ! the Cobra !" sounded in my ears, I fainted 
 away. 
 
 When my senses resumed their sway, I found myself in 
 the open air, lying upon some straw. It was about sunrise. 
 By my side were my anxious friend, Mr. Barrill, and the 
 Parsees. When I opened my eyes, and raised myself, 
 they were astonished ; and when I assured them I had not 
 been bitten by the terrible serpent, they expressed their 
 joy in the most enthusiastic ways, among which embracing 
 was the most notable. 
 
 After a rude but abundant meal, we resumed our route, 
 keeping within sight of the Sabbematty's bright waters, 
 and after a day of difficult jungle travelling, during which 
 we saw the traces of large animals, but not the animals 
 themselves, we reached a village, situated upon a small 
 creek, about a mile from the river. Here we were some- 
 what excited by the sight of three elephants, tamed for 
 hunting and travelling purposes. Two were cows, the 
 other a magnificent bull. The owner of these animals 
 was the proprietor of the village and a considerable 
 quantity of the surrounding land. He was a middle-aged 
 Parsee, of urbane manners and intelligent countenance. 
 Our Parsee servants soon brought us into intimate ac- 
 quaintance with him, and we Were invited to remain at 
 his handsome residence for several days. In regard to 
 the hunting prospects in the adjacent country, he informed 
 
ELEPHANT CATCHING. 233 
 
 us that both tigers and elephants had recently been seen 
 in the jungles. Such intelligence was precisely the kind 
 of rein to hold us at the village. That night we retired 
 to repose, with heads swarming with jungles, elephants, 
 tigers, and all the incidents of Indian sport. 
 
 The next morning, our host conducted us to view his 
 elephants. During this visit, Mr. Barrill said that he 
 should like to see an illustration of the manner in 
 which elephants are caught in India. The intimation was 
 sufficient, for the kindly Parsee told us that, if possible, 
 we should be gratified that very day, and we immediately 
 returned to the house to make preparations for the sport. 
 
 A howdah, such as is used in travelling on the elephant 
 in the Indies, was placed on the bull, while the cows were 
 left completely unshackled. A mahout, or driver, how- 
 ever, was seated upon the neck of each of these large ani- 
 mals, and they now carried heavy ropes ta be used in the 
 capture. These men were skilled in the management of 
 elephants. Our host, Mr. Barrill, the two Parsees, and 
 myself, all well-armed with guns and spears, took our 
 seats in the howdah the orders were given to the ma- 
 houts and then we started amid the shouts of the villagers, 
 for the jungles. 
 
 Obedient to orders, the mahouts drove the female ele- 
 phants far in advance and kept a keen watch for the mon- 
 strous game from the moment they entered the high grafts 
 
 20* 
 
234 ELEPHANT CATCHING. 
 
 of the jungle. We followed them leisurely, and they were 
 generally beyond our view. But as we rode about two 
 hours in their wake, and became tired of the back of ex- 
 citement, we hurried up, so that we could keep them in 
 sight. We had scarcely done this when one of the ma- 
 houts called out to us to halt, as wild elephants were seen 
 ahead. Our sturdy bull obeyed the voice of the mahout, 
 and stopped, when we became all eyes to see what was 
 being effected in front. 
 
 The mahouts had quickly dismounted upon catching 
 Bight of the game, and the tame elephants, understanding 
 their business, ran forward to greet the wild members of 
 their tribe. The cunning drivers then took a circuitous 
 path to reach the group, and we lost them in the thicket. 
 Our Parsee host now directed our mahout to drive up 
 slowly, so that we might have an opportunity of seeing the 
 mode of effecting the capture, but also insisted on the 
 necessity of our concealing the elephant as much as pos- 
 sible beneath the foliage. Our driver was skilful, and he 
 secured us a position in the jungle where the elephant was 
 hidden from the view of distant eyes, yet from which we 
 could see the whole party of elephants. Our host in- 
 formed us that the wild animals consisted of a bull and 
 two young cows. Our females went up to the bull, and 
 began to fondle and caress him with a singular show of 
 affection. He was completely deceived, and appeared 
 
ELEPHANT CATCHING. 235 
 
 absolutely intoxicated with their behaviour. For a few 
 moments he rested his huge cheeks against the cheeks of 
 the females and then I saw a daring mahout steal from 
 a thicket, ani with remarkable quickness fasten a rope 
 around the fore legs of the enraptured bull. During this 
 operation, the females seemed to do all in their power to 
 direct their male companion's attention. The other ma- 
 hout tied a long cable to the hind leg of the victimized ani- 
 mal, and secured the other end to a stout tree. The mon- 
 ster was thus a captive. The mahputs ran away through 
 the thicket, and then the females turned away to come 
 back to us ; and as they trotted towards our position, they 
 occasionally looked back, as if in derision. In the meantime, 
 the bull discovering his ignominous condition, attempted 
 to retreat. But the ropes checked him, and he then be- 
 came furious, throwing himself down and plunging his 
 tusks into the earth till the dirt and leaves were whirled 
 in showers around. But though the tree bent till we were 
 fearful that it would be torn down, the ropes stood the 
 tug. The wild females ran away as if aware of what had 
 happened to their lord. For about a half hour the struggles 
 of the captive monster continued, and then he sank upon 
 the ground completely exhausted ; whereupon we rode up 
 to examine his proportions. Our mahouts, having resumed 
 their seats upon the necks of the faithful female elephants 
 followed us, raising a shout of triumph as their huge 
 
236 ELEPHANT CATCHING. 
 
 animals came trotting along, apparently enjoying the 
 sport as much their masters. 
 
 The captive was a bull not quite as large as the one 
 on which we were comfortably perched, but in good con- 
 dition, and having a fine pair of tusks. How he panted 
 after that tremendous struggle for the sweets of liberty ! 
 Ah ! you have fallen beneath a power mightier than that 
 of sinews and muscles ! Your enormous size your ter- 
 rible strength have availed nothing against the attacks of 
 the being who was destined to lord it over every thing in 
 the shape of a beast ! Leaving the huge animal to be 
 further broken by the frightful pangs of hunger, we rode 
 towards home, where we arrived about noon, without 
 meeting with any incident worthy of notice. During the 
 remainder of the day we walked about the village with 
 the Parsee, viewing the sources of his wealth, and the 
 condition of the inhabitants. Order, neatness, and pros- 
 perity appeared on every side. The landlord alone com- 
 plained of the weight of taxation, which compelled him, 
 in turn, to tax his tenants to an enormous extent. 
 
 After supper, we debated the project of a tiger-hunt, 
 while we were waiting to see the wild elephant completely 
 subdued. Our host was desirous of seeing how we would 
 behave in an encounter with the tyrant of the jungle, and 
 we were anxious to show him some instances of that cou- 
 rage and presence of mind which our hunting experience 
 
HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. 237 
 
 had made our notable qualities. It was arranged that we 
 should start the next morning that all three elephants 
 should be equipped for carrying parties of hunters ; and 
 that Mr. Barrill and I should be mounted on the same 
 animal put forward for the attack. In the course of the 
 evening, our spirrits were considerably elevated by the 
 intelligence that a servant comunicated to our host that 
 a cow had been carried off by a lion or a tiger most 
 probably the latter, but a few nights before. 
 
 The next morning we were awake with the day. The 
 breakfast was hurried through as a matter of little impor- 
 tance, and we went out in company with the Parsee pro- 
 prietor, we found that all three elephants were capari- 
 soned for service. Almost at the same moment, one of 
 the proprietor's servants came to him with an extremely 
 doleful countenance and announced that another cow was 
 missing and the tracks of a tiger were unmistakeable. Such 
 news as this caused the proprietor to be more eager than ever 
 set out on the hunt. He was not a passionate man 
 although a fire worshipper ; but I could see that there 
 was a flush upon his countenance which spoke of the keenest 
 desire for vengeance. 
 
 The mahouts took their places. They were provided 
 with long spears which they could use both for beating up 
 the jungle and for defending themselves against the 
 assault of the tiger. In the howdah on the bull elephant, 
 
 19* 
 
238 HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. 
 
 Mr. Barrill, the two Parsees, and I took our seats while 
 upon the cows, two bands of Hindoos armed with guns 
 and spears. The proprietor, had command of one of these 
 parties. A servant was now directed to show us th 
 traces of the tiger which had committed the depredation 
 during the night. He complied but could scarcely refrain 
 from shuddering as he stepped where the shap claws had 
 left their marks deep in the ground. 
 
 . Our elephant now took the lead, and our mahout fol- 
 lowed the traces with an eye'as keen as that' of an Indian 
 hunter of America, beating the bushes as we proceeded. 
 The tracks led us about a mile across a plain covered 
 wiih longle grass, from which numerous flocks of wild fowl 
 arose. Then we reached thick clumps of trees among 
 which progress was more difficult. We had advanced 
 about a mile through this description of country, wnen 
 suddenly, all the elephants drew their tusks up into the 
 air, and began to trumpet and stamp violently with their 
 fore feet. They then obeyed the spears of their drivers 
 and moved boldly forward, with their trunks raised, their 
 ears expanded, and their sparkling little eyes gazing in- 
 tently ahead. " We are very near him now," said one of 
 the Parsees ; "fire where you see the long grass shake." 
 My rifle was ready, and I was anxious of distinguishing 
 myself by a telling shot. But Mr. Barrill threatened to 
 be a formidable rival. Our elephant checked his pace 
 
HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. 239 
 
 and stamped violently. A short, ferocious growl followed^ 
 and I saw the grass shake as if some large animal was 
 stealing away. Guessing an aim, Mr. Barrill and I fired 
 almost at the same moment, and then, with a roar of rage 
 and pain, the tiger upreared his head. He had now aban- 
 doned all intention of concealment, and was determined 
 to give battle. 
 
 As soon as the head of the tiger appeared, one of 
 the Parsee servants fired, but being a bad shot, he merely 
 threw away the ammunition. The animal then sprang 
 towards the elephant's head, but received the mahout's 
 spear in the mouth, and tumbled backward to the ground. 
 Still, victory was not ours ; for the ferocious beast, avoiding 
 the elephant's tusks and feet, sprang upon his side, and 
 his tearing claws were actually within a few feet of the 
 mahout, who quickly jumped up into the howdah. Now 
 came the most terrible part of the encounter. In trying 
 to sh/ike off the tiger, the elephant snapped the girths 
 that held the howdah, and we fell over the side, opposite 
 that on which the tiger had sprang. The scene of fright 
 and confusion that ensued, baffles description. The Parsees 
 were tumbled some distance into the jungle, while Mr. 
 Barrill and I alighted on our feet. The tiger slipped to 
 the ground and ran under the elephant's huge legs to get 
 at us. We met him coolly, and at the same moment he 
 received the contents of a barrel from each of us, and 
 
240 HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. 
 
 when his horrible claws were within a short distance of 
 my body, tumbled dead, almost under the feet of the 
 elephant. 
 
 A tremendous shout announced our triumph. It was 
 with much difficulty the mahout could restrain the en- 
 raged elephant from trampling the dead tiger to pieces. 
 But he succeeded in keeping him back ; and then our 
 rejoicing friends descended to take a survey of the animal 
 that had given such ferocious battle. He was the largest 
 of his kind that I had ever seen. His body was much 
 heavier than that of the common lion, and of astonishing 
 length. The skin was very beautiful, although streaked 
 with blood. The eyes glared fiercely even in death ; and' 
 the superstitious Hindoos hurried to singe off the blood- 
 stained whiskers, as if fearful that his spirit might con- 
 tinue " the deeds done in the body." 
 
 Our howdah was now replaced, and fastened more se- 
 curely than before. The body of the tiger was wrapped 
 in a large cloth, to conceal it from the gaze of the ele- 
 phants, and placed upon the back of one of the females. 
 We then returned in triumph to the village our Hindoos 
 singing a rejoicing chorus, and making all manner of 
 noises, imitative of the beasts of the forest. A crowd wel- 
 comed us, and when the body of the tiger was, displayed 
 there was much exultation. We yielded entire possession 
 of the vanquished monster to our host, as a compensation 
 
KETUEN TO THE CAPTIVE ELEPHANT. 241 
 
 foi his trouble in gratifying our wishes. The bull elephant 
 presented a bleeding side, but the mahout said that he 
 could dress the gashes, so that they would heal within a 
 week. The remainder of this day was spent in festivity. 
 The next morning, we proceeded on the female elephants 
 to see the effects of hunger in subduing the spirit of the 
 wild elephant. Two of the servants who followed the pro- 
 prietor, carried a small quantity of hay, which was to be 
 given to the captive beast, if he should exhibit a sufficiently 
 docile disposition. Arriving at the spot where the animal 
 was tied, we started him to his feet ; but he made no de- 
 monstration of hostility. On the contrary, he looked im- 
 ploringly at us. A mahout then took some hay in his 
 hand, and boldly advanced towards the suffering bull, 
 proffering the food. The elephant drew back at first ; 
 but, seeing the mahout's kind intention, put out his trunk, 
 and took some of the hay. Then the man retired. As 
 soon as the morsel of hay was dispatched, the captive com- 
 menced calling piteously for more, and after a few minutes 
 the mahout gave him another handful. This was all that 
 could be safely allowed. The mahout then slipped stout 
 ropes over the tusks of the captive, and tied them to those 
 of the females, drawing them up, so that the bull had a 
 female friend on each side of him. The feet were then 
 released, and we set out for the village. The mahouts 
 
 were armed with spears, and as they rode by the side of 
 
 21 
 
242 AHMEDABAD. 
 
 the bull, they occasionally pricked him when he did not 
 walk at an even pace with the cows. In this way to our 
 astonishment, the captive was quietly led to the village, 
 and secured for training. Such is the power of man over 
 the mightiest lords of the forest ! 
 
 Mr. Barrill now expressed his determination to start 
 for Ahmedabad on the next morning, and also his design 
 of making that city the limit of his journey northward. 
 He had seen and enjoyed the most splendid sports of the 
 East and he now began to be anxious to return to England. 
 Accordingly, the next morning, we ate a farewell meal 
 with our kind host, and wishing that heaven would shower 
 blessing upon him and all under his care, bade him adieu 
 and rode away. Our horses had been finely kept, and 
 were now in excellent travelling order. The route was 
 pleasant and so diversified in scenery, that we were con- 
 tinually interested by novel views. We were soon amidst 
 the cultivated country which usually surrounds a large 
 city of India. 
 
 About the middle of the afternoon we reached Ahme- 
 dabad, the large and populous capital of Guzerat, where 
 we determined to end our journey northward. This ancient 
 city has declin'd but it is still a busy, flourishing place, 
 containing some buildings which serve to remind the tra- 
 veller of its former splendor. The trade is extensive, 
 though but a rivulet in comparison with the original trade 
 
ME. BARRILL'S SICKNESS. 243 
 
 which brought so much wealth and prosperity within its 
 walls. The population numbers about one hundred thou- 
 sand souls, equally divided between the Hindoos and the 
 Mohammedans. 
 
 My friend had been suffering in health for several days. 
 He had not complained much ; but I could see sickness 
 in his growing weakness, and in the hectic of his counte- 
 nance. Repeatedly did I e ^press my anxiety on his ac- 
 count, but he always silenced me, by remark, ig that the 
 trifling illness would soon pass- away. But I knew his real 
 situation. As soon as we were comfortably fixed in 
 lodgings, in Ahmed abad, I sought out an English physi- 
 cian, the only one in the city, and brought him to my 
 friend, who had now become so ill that he could not walk 
 about. Dr. O'Toole, as the physician was named, quickly 
 decided upon the nature of Mr. Barrill's sickness. He 
 said that he was about to suffer from a severe attack of 
 the malignant fever, which strangers usually take by long 
 exposure in hot countries ; and from that day until the 
 expiration of six weeks, my friend's body was a ball of 
 play between life and death. I never left his bedside ex- 
 cept to satisfy the demands of nature. If he had been my 
 brother, he could not have received more entire sympathy 
 from me. He mentioned no want, however trifling, that 
 I did not make an effort to supply. Oh ! how joyfully 
 my heart beat, when the doctor confirmed me in the belief 
 
244 RETURN TO BOMBAY. 
 
 that he was convalescent. At length, he was able to ride 
 out, and a couple of weeks of such exercise restored him 
 to such a degree of vigor that he determined to prepare 
 at once, for our return to Bombay. Our expenses during 
 this alarming period of affliction, were very heavy, as may 
 be supposed, and doubtless, my friend, although the least 
 sordid of men, began to think that his expedition was 
 costing beyond what he could afford to spend. However 
 that might have been, we made hasty preparation for our 
 return by water. A coasting vessel, of the kind called an 
 Indian ketch, was chartered and stored with every thing 
 supposed to be needed for such a voyage. Our horses 
 were sold. They had seen hard service, but were, never- 
 theless, in excellent condition, owing to their good treat- 
 ment during the long period of my friend's illness. Our 
 other sporting apparatus and the trophies of the chase 
 were preserved. 
 
 The voyage down the Sabematty, and thence, by the 
 Gulf of Cambay, to Bombay, occupied two weeks. During 
 the greater part of the trip we had pleasant weather. But 
 when exposed to the gales of the Indian Ocean, not far 
 above Bombay, we experienced a rough sea. However, 
 we reached the city in safety. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 LEAVE BOMBAY FOR SUEZ. JOURNEY THROUGH 
 EGYPT. SAIL FROM ALEXANDRIA FOR GIB- 
 RALTAR. JOURNEY THROUGH SPAIN. CROSS- 
 ING THE PYRENEES. ENCOUNTER WITH A 
 BEAR. FRANCE. ENGLAND. 
 
 AT Bombay, we found a noble steamer about to sail 
 for Suez. Our arrangements were speedly made for the 
 voyage and on the third day after we left the coasting 
 ketch, we bade adieu to Bombay and India, as regards 
 myself forever. My emotions on leaving India, were 
 of a somewhat sorrowful nature. I remembered many a 
 monotonous, depressing journey through its wild scenery, 
 but I also called to mind the amiable hospitality with 
 which the natives had received us total strangers some 
 magnificent scenery revelling in luxuriant beauty edifices 
 that told of the arts hundreds of years before sport in 
 hunting the monarchs of the forests and glorious strife 
 with wild animals peerless in strength agility and ferocity, 
 
 21* (245) 
 
246 LEAVE BOMBAY FOR SUEZ. 
 
 We now resumed the writing of our journal. Upon 
 paper, the scenes and incidents of our expedition in India 
 were found more interesting than they had been while 
 merely holding them in the slippery hand of memory 
 such is the power of written language, which can invest, 
 what at the first glance seems dull and insipid, with all 
 the rainbow enchantment of fancy. The even tenor of 
 the voyage through the Indian ocean was not marred by 
 either rough weather or unpleasant occurence. We passed 
 within sight of many isles, which appeared like shinning 
 emeralds upon the bosom of the deep. In this tropical 
 sea, all the childish recollections of islands far upon the 
 ocean where good and evil genii have their abode, and 
 where true lovers receive rapturous compensation for all 
 the trials to which they have been subjected come back 
 to the mind during such a voyage as that in which we 
 were now engaged. In the evening we occasionally sat 
 upon deck to view the gorgeous sunset ! and if at such a 
 time we happened to be passing one of these verdant, I 
 fancied that instead of riding the waves in a steam-ship, 
 the magical wonder of those days I was seated upon the 
 back of of one of those splendid and intelligent dolphins 
 which are said to have obeyed the commands of genii, in 
 the Arabian tales. 
 
 At length we entered the Red Sea, and I found myself 
 voyaging between shores, hallowed by sacred aud histo- 
 
AREIVE AT SUEZ. 247 
 
 rical associations. The Bed Sea! The children of 
 Israel Pharoah and his fated host and the grand, 
 inspired deeds of Moses when will your interest fade ? 
 The waters of the sea had a yellowish red hue, which 
 gives it the famous name of the Red Sea. The shore 
 was low and sandy, for on each side stretched away the 
 lands of the desert. 
 
 On reaching Suez, a busy scene presented itself. This 
 city is rapidly rising under the influence of British com- 
 merce, to an importance which it never before possessed. 
 It is now one of the grand depots of the shortest route to 
 India, and a flourishing place in every respect. Suez is 
 well fortified. The mass of the houses resembled in style 
 those which I afterwards saw at Cairo, being small and 
 gloomy, while the streets were narrow and dirty. The 
 buildings erected for the use of the Company are decidedly 
 the best in the town. Here we saw numerous Englishmen, 
 and Mr. Barrill informed me that British influence is now 
 even more dominant in Egypt, than it has been for many 
 years in Portugal. John Bull has an eye for commercial 
 advantages about as keen as the restless Brother Jona- 
 than, and in the land of Pharoah, the results of his 
 shrewd enterprise are extensively manifest. The Gulf of 
 Suez, which is now shallow as to be fordable at low water, 
 is said to be the scene of the submersion of Pharoah and 
 his host. 
 
248 ARRIVE AT CAIRO. 
 
 Learning that Grand Cairo was full eighty-six miles 
 from Suez, we determined to begin our journey as quickly 
 as possible ; as the.accomodations for travellers are mise- 
 rable at Suez. The Company's overland route to Alex- 
 andria has some features which may render a brief de- 
 scription interesting. We entered a strong stage, or 
 omnibus, drawn by four horses, and proceeded across the 
 desert. Other stages followed, making a considerable 
 train. At every ten miles there was a station where the 
 horses were changed, and the passengers obtained refresh- 
 ment. The scenery was monotonous, for on all sides 
 stretched away a vast plain of sand. But the novelty 
 of riding across a desert in a stage, kept us in a pleasing 
 state of excitement. We arrived at the central station 
 about dusk, and there were allowed a few hours repose. 
 Proceeding on through the same description of country as 
 before, we arrived in sight of Grand Cairo, late in" the 
 afternoon. What an enlivening contrast of its towers 
 and domes with the dull, monotonous level over which the 
 stages had carried us. 
 
 We had comfortable lodgings at Cairo for one night. 
 The general aspect of this city is dingy and prison-like. 
 The streets are narrow and gloomy, being over-shadowed 
 by the Moslem dwellings, which almost embrace each other 
 above the first story. Arabs, Armenians, Copts, Egyp- 
 tians? Greeks, Jews, Syrians, and Turks, ach in their 
 
ARRIVE AT ALEXANDRIA. 249 
 
 peculiar costume, were walking the streets as we entered. 
 Women, shrouded in long loose robes, and masked, were 
 dodging their way through the dusky throng, casting vo- 
 luptuous glances as they passed. We found that many 
 of the edifices were well-built, and some of the mosques 
 were really grand ; that of Sultan Hassan being above 
 all others in Cairo. The next morning after our arrival, 
 we entered an omnibus, drawn by donkeys, and were 
 driven from Cairo to the port of Borlac, on the Nile, just 
 two miles distant. ' There we got aboard of a large, but 
 uncouth-looking" steamboat, and started for Atfee. This 
 voyage occupied about thirty hours. During the day, we 
 had splendid views of the classic scenery on both sides of 
 the Nile. Here and there upon the sand, or in the midst 
 of the verdure, were ruins of temples which must have 
 been magnificent when originally erected. Upon small 
 islands in the Nile, we saw portions of temples, in that 
 style of gloomy grandeur which was characteristic of the 
 genius of the ancient Egyptians. We reached Atfee, in 
 the middle of the night, and secured miserable lodgings 
 until morning. 
 
 When day broke, we found ourselves at a dingy little 
 depot, at the 'mouth of the Mahmoudie canal. After 
 breakfast, we got aboard of the narrow, covered boats 
 provided for our accommodation, a steamboat was atached 
 and we were towed away towards Alexandria. This was 
 
250 LEAVE ALEXANDRIA FOR GIBRALTAR. 
 
 a tedious portion of the trip overland, but we contrived to 
 keep up our spirits until we reached the famous city of 
 Alexandria, about noon, on the second day after leaving 
 Atfee. The view of the city, the adjacent ruins among 
 which Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needle were con- 
 spicuous and the broad Mediterranean, lying like a plain 
 of burnished gold beneath the blazing sun, was glorious. 
 
 We were allowed to stop one day at Alexandria, and as 
 we employed our time well, we had an opportunity of 
 visiting every place of note in the city and the vicinity. 
 We rode among the splendid ruins of ancient Alexandria, 
 and endeavored to form an idea from them of the extent 
 and magnificence of the city, in the age of the Ptolemies. 
 But imagination was either too weak, or the materials for 
 the work were too scanty. In the fine harbor of Alex- 
 andria, rode the extensive navy of Egypt. It consisted 
 of numerous large vessels, well-manned, and gaudily deco- 
 rated, so that they presented a splendid appearance ; but 
 experience has shown that these war-ships cannot contend 
 with those of Europe. 
 
 Early the next morning, we hurried aboard the steamer, 
 which was bound for England, by the Gibraltar route. 
 Mr. Bar rill engaged passage as far as Gibraltar, whence 
 he designed to travel by way of Spain and France to Eng- 
 land. By this route he thought I would gain some know- 
 bdge of European countries. We were soon far out in 
 
THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR. 251 
 
 the Mediterranean the great tideless sea around the 
 shores of which civilization had clung so long before reach- 
 ing to the New World where so much of glory had 
 appeared and where the shores were paved with the 
 ruins of ancient magnificence. 
 
 We stopped at Malta, and also at Algiers ; but made no 
 stay at either of those places. After a remarkably quick 
 passage, we came in sight of the great rock of Gibraltar, 
 and the strongest fortress in the world. The fortress lies 
 on the west side of a huge promontory, projecting south- 
 ward into the sea about three miles. The north side 
 fronting the low and narrow isthmus, which connects it 
 with the main land, is perpendicular, and wholly inacces- 
 sible ; the east and south sides, steep and rugged, and ex- 
 tremely difficult of access. It is only on the west 
 side, where the rock declines to the sea, and where the 
 town is built, that Gibraltar can be attacked with the 
 faintest hope of success. Here, however, the fortifications 
 are so strong that they seem impregnable even to an 
 enemy commanding the sea. 
 
 Entering the town of Gibraltar, we found it a handsome, 
 well-built place. The principal street is broad, paved in a 
 substantial style, and lighted by numerous lamps. The 
 chief fault observable, is that the houses are generally 
 built in a style better suited for the climate of England 
 than that of Spain. This circumstance accounts for the 
 
262 JOURNEY THROUGH SPAIN. 
 
 contagious fevers with which the town is sometimes 
 scourged. Mr. Barrill here purchased two horses and a 
 pack-mule, which were equipped for a journey through 
 Spain, and on the second day after we had left the steamer 
 we started. 
 
 My friend had previously travelled through both Spain 
 and France. He was well acquainted with the character 
 of the route we were to pursue, and could speak the lan- 
 guage of the people fluently. As we journeyed at our 
 leisure, he noted every incident from which we could ex- 
 tract the slightest pleasure, pointed out many interesting 
 spots that escaped my observation, elicited the national 
 characteristics by communicating with almost every person 
 we met, and proved himself altogether as lively a travelling 
 companion as one could desire. To me, who had enjoyed 
 but trifling educational advantages, his rambling, patch- 
 work conversation, afforded much useful information. 
 Spain teems with localities, made interesting by historical 
 association ; and as my friend was particularly well read 
 in the historical part of literature, he narrated many stories 
 of fact, which were nutritious food to my naturally hungry 
 mind. 
 
 We travelled but twenty miles on the first day of our 
 journey. Yet those twenty miles had more variety and 
 interest than a hundred of our expedition along the sultry 
 coast of Guzerat. I was greatly alarmed at the appearance 
 
253 PEOPLE OP SPAIN. 
 
 of the country. Although not abounding in evidences of 
 prosperity, it was filled with beautiful and romantic scenery. 
 Hill and dale succeeded each other along the route. Here, ' 
 fresh vineyards smiled among a fortification of crags 
 there, a cluster of ancient vine covered cottages were 
 nestled in a dell. I had heard that the Spaniards were a 
 serious, melancholy, and treacherous nation ; and accord- 
 ingly looked with pity and distrust upon almost every 
 person I met. Yet I found that every village resounded 
 with the music of voices and guitars. The people talked 
 loudly and with much vehemence. Like most of the 
 natives of warm climates, they are filthy in their persons. 
 
 We found four classes of people in Southern Spain, viz : 
 the nobility, wealthy, and arrogant; the priests un- 
 bounded in their influence over the lower classes ; the la- 
 boring peasantry, wretched and ignorant, and the beggars, 
 degraded below the meanest wretches of other European 
 countries. Cloaks and broad-brimmed hats were gene- 
 rally worn by the men, and mantillas and furs-are in uni- 
 versal use among the females. 
 
 We travelled continually in dread of the banditti, who, 
 we were informed, were very numerous throughout the 
 rural districts of Southern Spain. It is said that the 
 poorer class of Spaniards have a natural fondness for the 
 life of a bandit they are attracted by its freedom, its ro- 
 mance, and its exciting adventure. But perhaps the real 
 
 22 
 
254 ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR. 
 
 cause of the existence of the numerous banditti, is the 
 slavery and extreme poverty of the lower classes, which 
 either drive those people to a desperate life of crime, or 
 causes them to prefer seeking an uncertain subsistence on 
 the highway to spending all their days drudging to no 
 purpose. Be this as it may, it is certain that the bandits 
 have numerous friends in every village to apprize them of 
 chances for robbery. 
 
 But books of travel are too numerous to permit any de 
 tail of a simple journey through Spain. We passed 
 through that splendid variety of scenery for which the 
 peninsula is remarkable, visited some of the most ancient 
 and celebrated cities witnessed a bull-fight at Madrid 
 made two narrow escapes from pursuing banditti and at 
 length reached Burgos, at the foot of the Pyrenees the 
 lofty mountain barrier of Spain. This town has a pic- 
 turesque situation, and contains a splendid cathedral and 
 many handsome residences. At the hotel on the moun- 
 tain side, where we stopped for the night, we were greatly 
 entertained by the stories of a hunter of the Pyrenees, 
 who seemed to have a firm belief that he was of legitimate 
 descent from Nimrod, because he had been very successful 
 as a slayer of common black bears. However, some of 
 his stories were of thrilling interest, even to us universal 
 sportsmen. One of them I will narrate in his own words. 
 
 "Last fall," said the Spaniard, "bears were very nu- 
 
ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR. 255 
 
 merous upon the mountains, about ten miles southeast of 
 Burgos; and I killed several which were uncommonly 
 large and ferocious. One day, my brother Pedro a reat 
 hunter he is, senors, though not quite as sure a shot as 
 myself started in pursuit of a bear, which had carried off 
 a poor shepherd's largest ewe. We were armed with short 
 guns, like the one you see standing in the corner, yonder, 
 leaning against the wall," (we saw it, and a miserable 
 piece of ordnance it was ; and accompanied by a bold dog, 
 whom we called Wolf, on account of. his striking resem- 
 blance to that ravenous animal) " a wonderful dog, that, 
 senors, heart like a lion. We started upon the track of 
 the bear, about dawn, and followed it up the mountain, in 
 an oblique direction, over crags and precipices, and through 
 some of the thickest underwood I have seen, until late in the 
 afternoon when we suddenly came upon the animal, 
 sitting erect upon a lofty crag, overlooking a torrent. 
 Across this torrent, a large oak had fallen, making a 
 natural bridge. The bear was sitting at the root of the 
 tree. The barking of Wolf gave us the first warning of 
 his presence, and he saw us at the same moment. As 
 quick as lightning, I leaped over the fallen tree, and fired 
 at the breast of the bear. The monster received the bullet 
 as he sprang towards me and reared on his hind legs. It 
 did not check him for a moment. My brother then fired, 
 but the bullet glanced over the head of the bear and the 
 
256 ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR. 
 
 animal pressed me backward almost to the edge of the 
 crag, beneath which the torrent was dashing with fury. In 
 vain Mid I club my gun ; as I struck, the bear caught it 
 in his paw, and wrenched it from my grasp. Then, almost 
 on the very edge of the rock, the monster grappled me to 
 his breast in spite of my struggles, and tumbled me to the 
 ground. Ugh ! what a hug ! and what rips the claws 
 made in my arms and back ! I struggled hard to roll the 
 monster under me, and to keep back from the precipice. 
 But my efforts were unavailing, and before either Wolf or 
 my brother could come to my assistance, I was hanging 
 over the crag, almost breathless, while the sound of the 
 torrent dashing among the rocks below rang in my ears 
 like a knell. I muttered a prayer, for to the best of my 
 belief, my hour had come. My brother reloaded but he 
 dared not fire for fear of hitting me. But Wolf brave 
 Wolf sprang forward, and seized the bear by the ear, 
 thus compelling him to quit his hold. Such was the nature 
 of the spot where I was lying, that I dared not attempt to 
 rise, being fearful that I might slip backwards into the. 
 awful abyss below. Then came a sickening sensation. I 
 forgot all the horrors around me I had fainted. When my 
 senses returned, I found myself lying under a ledge of a 
 rock. My brother, terribly gashed about the countenance, 
 kneeling beside me, bathing my temples, with his wet scarf. 
 Near him, the bleeding and panting Wolf was licking the 
 
ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR. 257 
 
 blood from his wounds ; and the monster with whom we 
 had been contending, was lying, a lifeless heap, almost upon 
 the edge of the crag. As soon as I was sufficiently re- 
 covered to listen, my brother informed me that he had a 
 severe conflict with the bear, after rescuing me from the 
 monster's clutches, and that the struggle had been termi- 
 nated, by a thrust of his knife, as the bear was holding 
 him down upon the rock. Wolf had endeavored to perform 
 his duty, but had been nearly disabled by a stroke in the 
 side given by the bear's hind foot. We rested at that 
 bloody spot that night ; and the next morning, although 
 we both felt very sore and stiff, we made a litter for the 
 bear, and succeeded in conveying the prize to a house 
 near the foot of the mountain. I was then put to bed, 
 and two weeks elapsed before I was able to get up again. 
 I tell you, senors, the hug of that bear causes me to shudder 
 even now." 
 
 The Spaniard doubtless, expected us to be very much 
 astonished ; but he was disappointed. Mr. Barrill with a 
 quiet, unpretending manner, then launched forth in a 
 narrative of some of our adventures, designed to en- 
 lighten the Hunter of the Pyrenees in regard to the expe- 
 rience of his audience. As each phase of our sporting 
 life was unfolded, the eyes of the Spaniard kept pace in 
 their expansion, and before we retired for the night, we 
 put him in a state of dumb amazement. It was doubtful, 
 
 9-7* 
 
258 ARRIVE IN FRANCE. 
 
 however, whether he believed us to be mighty Nimrods or 
 descendants of Munchausen. 
 
 The next morning we started to cross the Pyrenees. 
 The road was broad, unobstructed, and of easy ascent. 
 It is considered by far the best road across this range. 
 We found it lined with a picturesque succession of wood 
 and crag, and the large oaks that appeared among the 
 forests, gave an aspect of freshness and beauty to the 
 side of the mountain which is not to be found in any other 
 range of equal elevation. The scenery of the Pyrenees 
 is not so sublime in its character. An exalted kind of 
 beauty, it certainly possesses ; but it lacks those enormous 
 piles of rock, and those tremendous precipices, which are 
 necessary to convey an idea of sublimity. We obtained 
 a glorious view of the country stretching away from the 
 foot of the range. The varied succession of towns, villages, 
 and vineyards, with here and there, the spires of a mon- 
 astery, or convent arising like "visible prayers," from 
 among groves of trees, and over all, a sky of living blue, 
 made up a scene as romantic and beautiful as the traveller 
 may wish to behold. Late in the afternoon, we arrived 
 at the foot of the range on the opposite side, and stood 
 upon the soil of France. 
 
 I will not detain my reader with an account of what 
 I saw in la belle France it has nothing to do with my 
 hunter life. At Bayonne, we disposed of our animals, 
 
LEAVE FRANCE. 259 
 
 and thence travelled to Paris, in the public conveyance. 
 We remained in that splendid capital three daysj during 
 which I visited every edifice of renown, and had the best 
 opportunity of seeing how the Parisians contrive to laugh 
 and dance away the hours allotted them on earth. We 
 then proceeded to Calais, and thence by steamer to Dover, 
 and I found myself in that renowned old England, which 
 BO many Americans delight to call our mother country. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 ENGLAND. MR. BARRILL'S COUNTRY SEAT. A 
 HUNTING EXPEDITION TO TYROL. OUR FIRST 
 CHAMOIS HUNT AND ITS THRILLING INCI- 
 DENTS. ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 
 RETURN TO ENGLAND. PREPARE TO START 
 FOR AMERICA. 
 
 MY observations of English life as I saw it in my trip 
 from Dover to London, and from the great "province 
 of houses," to Mr. Barrill's country seat, in Kent, were 
 not very favorable. So many beggars and so many 
 people, who looked worn-out with toil, and yet were 
 wretchedly provided, I had never before beheld. There 
 seemed to be but two classes the very rich and the very 
 poor and between the two was an impassable gulf. The 
 upper class treated the laborers with a contempt such as 
 in most countries is only bestowed upon the criminal. 
 The taint of aristocracy seemed to have reached every 
 thing in town and country. London astonished me. 
 (260) 
 
fill 
 
 , : ^ ! '" : '* 
 
 ' ~ ^ - y * '' " 
 
 SCENE AT BROWN'S HOLE. 
 
ARRIVAL AT MR. BARRILI/S HOME. 261 
 
 And I pitied the miserable beings who were compelled to 
 drag out an 'existence in such a gloomy prison of houses. 
 My impressions were not concealed from Mr. Barrill, nor 
 were they offensive. He said that England had some 
 beautiful scenes, and that it was endeared to him as the 
 home of his fathers, but as a place of residence, he ac- 
 knowledged that it was greatly inferior to most countries 
 we had visited. 
 
 I was heartly glad when we arrived at the country 
 seat in the county of Kent. It was a beautiful estate of 
 about two hundred acres, well-arranged and watered, and 
 having some nicely arranged scenes in imitation of nature. 
 The mansion was a structure of a venerable aspect, but 
 spacious and commodious. A small stable and a kennel 
 adjoined a great stone barn, but they were now scantly 
 filled. An old couple and their stalwart son, named John, 
 of course had resided in the mansion during Mr. Ban-ill's 
 absence. They seemed extremely glad to see him, and 
 from the kindly way in which he spoke to them, I have 
 no doubt of their sincerity. We found that the trophies 
 of our hunting expeditions had arrived, and the boxes, un- 
 opened, were ranged in the great hall. 
 
 I remained two weeks at this hospitable mansion, as- 
 sisting Mr. Barrill to unpack and arrange his stock of 
 trophies hearing stories of his ancestry, whose portraits 
 looked stifly from the walls of the library examining the 
 
262 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 grounds of the estate, and visiting neighboring gentlemen. 
 I found Mr. Barrill was greatly esteemed in that part of 
 the country. Our adventures made us the " lions" of the 
 time. We were feasted in all directions, and our tongues 
 were wearied of recounting what we had seen and done 
 in distant lands. One morning, Mr. Barrill came to me 
 as I was walking in the noble park, and asked me how I 
 would like to accompany him in some more hunting expe- 
 ditions; of course, I replied I was ready to go with him in 
 any direction he chose, and he then mentioned that he had 
 suddenly determined to take a trip to the Tyrol, and try 
 his hand at the splendid and exciting sport of hunting the 
 chamois among the Alps. He gave me a slight idea of the 
 nature of the scenery and the perilous character of the 
 hunt, and this caused me to be extremely anxious to 
 match myself against the Tyrolese in their own land of clifi 
 and crag. 
 
 Two days were occupied in preparation. We designed 
 to take with us, however, as small a quantity of baggage 
 as we thought would suffice for stern necessities. On a 
 bright morning, we took our equipment of rifles, ammunition 
 and clothes, and, bidding the old servants of the mansion 
 adieu, started in the mail coach for London. The incidents 
 of this rapid journey to the Tryol are not worth a record. 
 We passed through grand and beautiful scenery in France 
 and Switzerland, but had no time to make any special ob- 
 
INHABITANTS OF THE TYROL. 263 
 
 nervations. After several days of travelling by steamboat, 
 railroad, and stage, we reached a village called Dumpfen, 
 in the Tyrol. Here, in the midst of mountain scenery of 
 the most stupendous description, we resolved to halt. 
 
 The village was nestled cosily under the grand belt of 
 pines which feathered the flanks of the mountains which 
 rose high and clear behind. In front, roared, rattled, 
 and groaned a wide glacier torrent, the color of ill-made 
 gruel ; and on the opposite of the river stretched, about a 
 quarter of a mile, a flat plain of gravel and worn boulders, 
 here and there gemmed with patches of short, sweet turf, 
 till it reached the base of a noble range of clifis, which 
 rose gray and steep into the clear blue sky, so lofty, that 
 the fringe of old pines along their summits could scarcely 
 be distinguished. I was greatly pleased with the appear- 
 ance and manners of the villagers. The men were gene- 
 rally tall, finely propornoned, and evidently almost as 
 strong as lions, and as agile as cats. Their costume was 
 very picturesque, but it is too well known to need any 
 description here. They were firm and proud in their 
 bearing, the very personifications of independence ; but 
 courteous and hospitable. The women were the perfection 
 of mountain belles, having generally dark brown glossy 
 hair, clear, blooming complexion, and speaking hazel eyes. 
 In manners they were even more courteous and sociable 
 than the men. Mr. Barrill informed the villagers who we 
 
264 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 were, and what our purpose was they appeared even grati- 
 fied to have us among them, and there was quite a squabble 
 as to our accommodation during our stay. At length, how- 
 ever, Karl Spiegle, the king-hunter of the village, who 
 had the largest house, secured our company. That evening, 
 we ate a Tyrolese supper of hard-boiled eggs and harder 
 baked rye bread. 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath. We found that the 
 Tyrolese celebrate that day by eating, drinking and laugh- 
 ing as much as possible. In the afternoon, the men had 
 a trial of skill in shooting at a target. Such rifles ! I 
 thought my own was about as heavy a shooting-iron as an 
 active hunter would wish to carry during a day's hunt ; 
 but the short, thick rifles of the Tyrolese were of nearly 
 double the weight. As they were about to crown the 
 victor, Karl Spiegle, with flowers, I requested to try my 
 skill against him ; and in three shots, at a greater distance 
 than his rifle would carry, I established my superiority. 
 My shooting-iron was then considered a remarkable piece 
 of ordnance ; for it was deemed by the villagers impossible 
 that their most skilful hunter should oe a worse snot than 
 a stranger among the Alps. Karl himself laughed at the 
 idea of my being the real victor ; but cheerfully gave me 
 the crown of flowers. 
 
 As we were sitting in Spiegle's door, looking at a merry 
 group in front of the house, two herd-boys came in from 
 
EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 266 
 
 higher mountain pastures. They immediately came up to 
 Spiegle, and informed him that they had seen three chamois 
 that morning. Mr. Barrill then bribed the boys to keep 
 the secret until noon the next day, and made arrangements 
 with our host to start up the mountain on a hunt, at day- 
 light, the next morning. Spiegle hummed and hawed a 
 great deal at the idea of three hunters going in company, 
 inasmuch as chamois hunting required the utmost quiet 
 and caution. However, when we promised to comply pre- 
 cisely with his directions and to compensate him for any 
 loss he might sustain, he agreed to our arrangements. 
 
 The next morning, I was up while it was yet dark. 
 After dressing myself, I gave Mr. Barrill a waking nudge, 
 and hurried out to perform my ablutions in the cold and 
 sparkling stream. The dawn was very beautiful. The pine 
 woods were wrapt in the richest purple. Here and there, 
 a feint illumined mist marked the course of a mountain 
 brook through the forest. The gray cliffs stood dark and 
 silent on the opposite side of the stream, and one distant 
 snow-peak, just tinted with the purple of dawn, gleamed 
 sublimely, as a pinnacle of the clouds. Within a half an 
 hour, we were equipped. Spiegle carried his short, heavy 
 rifle, but we were determined to try our skill with our 
 own guns. Our shoes were shod with iron in such a 
 manner that each step upon snow or ice was well secured 
 and besides, each of us carried a staff, armed with a short 
 
 23 
 
266 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 spike. Spiegle had a wallet, containing some provisions, 
 strapped on his back. Starting up the mountain, we fol- 
 lowed Spiegle through the gloomy pine forest, until we 
 were far above the valley, when, from a projecting cliff, we 
 obtained a magnificent view of the varied and romantic 
 country at our feet. While we were resting at this point, 
 the dazzling sun arose, and, as we resumed our jour- 
 ney, we found the pine forest flickered with gleams of 
 yellow morning light, and glittering with gems of dew. 
 We crossed the sparkling brooks and masses of rock, ankle 
 deep, in rich brown moss, and bejewelled with red and 
 purple berries; then passed through tangled heaps of 
 fallen pine, that had been leveled by the terrible ava- 
 lanche, and climbed over a fir fence into a little mountain 
 meadow, "where an old herdsman was milking the cows. 
 There we breakfasted upon the contents of Spiegle's 
 wallet, and then, considerably refreshed, resumed our 
 journey. 
 
 The pine forest now gradually became more open and 
 the trees stunted and fantastic. Then we left the trees 
 behind us altogether. Nothing but wild, chaotic masses 
 of gravel and stones, tossed and heaped, one on the 
 ether, by the merciless avalanche, and patches of emerald 
 moss appeared. Then the traces of vegetation ceased. 
 Our path ran, steep and rugged, aloijg the edge of a ravine, 
 at the bottom of which a torrent chafed and roared. Just 
 
EXPEDITION TO THE TYEOL. 267 
 
 as we were turning an abrupt angle very carefully, we 
 suddenly heard a rushing sound, and a shadow passed 
 before the sun. Glancing upwards, I saw not a hundred 
 paces from me an enormous vulture, with the fiercest of 
 eyes and the most terrible of talons. With a few flaps of 
 its broad wings it soared away, and a neighboring peak 
 soon hid it from our sight. These great birds are much 
 dreaded by the herdsmen, and strange tales are told of 
 their daring attacks. 
 
 Beaching the end of the slippery pass, we found our- 
 selves in a wild valley, entirely shut in by ranges of lofty 
 cliffs, with here and there patches of snow. Far above 
 us, in front, towered the summit of the Wildgrad Kogle, 
 ending in a sharp peak. The floor of the valley was strewn 
 with masses of rock, which seemed to have ben hurled 
 from the surrounding cliffs. We advanced stealthy, con- 
 cealing ourselves behind the boulders, and searched valley 
 and cliff" for our prey. Spiegle had a rude telescope 
 which he used a great deal, but to no purpose. Our only 
 chance now^was that the chamois might be feeding in 
 some of the smaller valleys, between the cliffs and the 
 Kogle itself. I could not see what these animals found 
 for food in this sterile region. But at the head of the 
 valley, Spiegle showed us the plant on which these ex- 
 traordinary animals live. It had a thick green tribolate 
 leaf, and a flower so delicate and gauze-like, that I won- 
 
268 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 dered how it could bear the storms of the mountain height. 
 Its petals had a curious crumpled appearance, and their 
 soft, pink hue was almost transparent. Spiegle called 
 the plant the " Gemsenkraut," or chamois herb. 
 
 Pushing on to the upper end of the valley, we found 
 that the cliffs and screes sharp, slaty, angular piles of 
 stone looked uglier and steeper the nearer we ap- 
 proached. After crossing still ascending several beds 
 of screes, we came to the edge of the first snowfield 
 one steep sheet of white ice, with a fall of some hundred 
 feet at its lower edge. Here Spiegle, to our joy, " not 
 loud but deep," discovered the fresh hoof-prints of the 
 chamois, and in the excitement, of the moment, we 
 forgot the danger of the snow-field. We got along 
 steadily, with many slips, but no slides, always sticking 
 our staves in the frozen snow, the moment we felt our 
 heels slipping down. At length we grasped the rough 
 rock which bounded the further side of the field, and, for 
 the moment, our anxiety was relieved. 
 
 On the summit of the ridge, we were able to crouch and 
 look through a crack in the rock, into the next valley. 
 But alas ! for hunter hopes, no sign of a living thing ap- 
 peared among the barreness and desolation. Our chance 
 of chamois was completely annihilated for the day. The 
 descent into the valley was attended with innumerable 
 perils, and may be characterized as a succession of slides 
 
EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 269 
 
 and jumps. On reaching the bottom, we found that, aa 
 usual, the snow had melted some distance from the rock, 
 leaving a deep crevasse. But a tremendous jump, and a 
 succession of tumbles and slides brought us up standing, 
 about fifty yards beyond the awful abyss. 
 
 We toiled up the steep snow-paths merrily enough, and 
 then reached the base of the rock forming the summit of 
 the mountain. Spiegle gave us no time to halt. He 
 pressed forward, and we were too ambitious not to follow 
 as rapidly as we could. We climbed up the last sixty or 
 seventy feet of cliff, and then stood upon the small plat- 
 form, upon the summit of the Wildgrad Kogle. No de- 
 scription can convey an idea of the grand view from this 
 lofty peak. On all sides we saw peak on peak, ridge on 
 ridge, but no valley, however near, could be discerned. 
 We stood in a world of rock and ice, far above even the 
 haunts of the chamois and vulture farther from the cares 
 and vexations of human life, and nearer to the eternal 
 s,ky than I had ever been before. A feeling of awe 
 crept over me, such as only a scene of terrible sublimity 
 could excite and, for many moments, I could do nothing 
 but gaze. 
 
 In the meantime, however, Karl Spiegle had produced 
 some eatables from his wallet, and he now called our at- 
 tention to honoring his provision. Cold mutton and 
 
 extremely hard bread ; and yet how delicious they tasted 
 
 23* 
 
270 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 after our tremendous exercise. As we sat upon the snow, 
 eating and gazing, a dark, grey veil was gradually drawn 
 over tlie whole of the sublime picture, and snow flakes, 
 began to fall. Karl immediately declared that we would 
 have to descend as quickly as possible, and seek shelter 
 for the night. Scrambling hastily down the way we came,, 
 and leaning well back on our staves, with our feet 
 stretched out before us, we shot down the long sheet of 
 snow, at a considerably quicker rate than we had ascended, 
 and reached the stony ravine at the foot of the summit. 
 Mr. Barrill said he was determined to draw blood before 
 the day was at an end. We soon heard the shrill signal 
 whistle of the little marmot, and, for want of better game, 
 he resolved to bag one of those sprightly little animals. 
 Creeping to the top of a neighboring ridge, we peeped 
 cautiously over into a little valley floored with a confused 
 mass of mossy stones and straggling Alpine roses. Here 
 several of the, quaint little animals were frisking about. 
 Each of us tumbled one over by a quick shot, the echoes 
 of which sounded among the mountains, like voices of un- 
 earthly beings, disturbed by the reports. Having bagged 
 these animals, we hurried on. It was growing very dark, 
 and the driving snow almost took away our sight. Fol- 
 lowing the course of a torrent, Karl, after a great deal 
 of trouble, found a well-known sennhutt, where we were 
 to rest for the night. 
 

 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 1271 
 
 The hut was partitioned; one portion being nearly 
 filled with hay, and the other left vacant. It was a mi- 
 serable shelter: but we had no choice, and Karl pro- 
 ceeded to make every arrangement he could for our .com- 
 fort. A blazing fire was kindled on the floor of earth ; 
 and searching round, Karl found a shallow wooden pail, 
 holding about two gallons of sour milk, left by the kind 
 hayman, a fortnight before, for the use of any benighted 
 hunter. We made a hearty meal ; and then, as the storm 
 whistled and howled around our frail tenement, Mr. 
 Barrill and I sought the couch of hay, and endeavored 
 to render ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would 
 permit. Karl remained awake about half an hour longer, 
 fixing the fire and taking an additional bit of marmot. I 
 did not hear him take his place among the hay, for sleep 
 had shut my senses against all the world. 
 
 When I awoke about dawn, I felt somewhat stiff and 
 chilly. Karl was already up, and he had kindled a fire. I 
 aroused Mr. Barrill, and we then ri5ade as good a breakfast 
 as we could from our scanty stock of provisions, warmed 
 ourselves thoroughly, and, as day began to dawn, left the 
 cabin. Our route now ran to the left of the Wildgrad 
 Kogle. The scene was for sometime a repetition of tha 
 <?f the day before, but the cliffs were more precipitous 
 and the ravines narrower and more difficult to traverse. 
 During the first hour's progress, among the huge boulders, 
 
272 EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 
 
 we got many a tumble ; but before sunrise, we had left 
 all vegetation far behind us again, and were far away 
 among the crags and snow. As we ascended, we saw a 
 valley on the left, filled with a dense mist, which, as soon 
 as the sun began to tinge the highest peaks, rose in 
 wreathing columns, and shut from our view every thing 
 in our immediate vicinity. This was advantageous ; for 
 although it prevented our seeing, it at the same time pre- 
 sented our being seen from the cliffs before we reached 
 our best ground. We advanced steadily, crossing vast 
 beds of snow, and occasionally the roots of a glacier, till 
 we arrived at a point, where Karl expected to fall in with 
 a chamois^ when we came to a halt, and, sheltered behind 
 a mass of rock, awaited the disappearance of the mist. 
 
 At length, the sun smiled away the rising grey clouds, 
 as a great man would awe his enemies into submission by 
 his steady glance. We then saw that we were in a region 
 of snow-fields, filling up broad valleys lying shadowless 
 in the bright sunshine, ^Eere and there blue lines marked 
 the crevices in the ice, and dark ridges, standing sharply 
 up from the plain of snow, marked the course of buried 
 mountains. We were advancing along the base of the 
 lowest tier of cliffs, when Spiegle suddenly threw him- 
 self prostrate behind a stone, and, guessing the cause, 
 we followed his example. The Tyrolese appeared under 
 the influence of the keenest excitement. Following hia 
 
OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 273 
 
 line of sight, I glanced upward, and far away, on a cliff, 
 saw a feeding chamois. After gazing at the fearless 
 animal, with the keenest interest, for some moments, we 
 drew back and held a council of war to deliberate upon 
 the plan of attack. It was evidently impossible to ap- 
 proach him from where we were. We could not have 
 moved five steps towards him without being discovered. 
 Our success depended upon getting above him, and cut- 
 ting him off from the higher ranges. Crawling back- 
 wards, we managed to place a low range of rocks between 
 ourselves and the cliffs, and then, making a wide sweep, 
 we reached their base at some distance from where the 
 chamois was feeding, in fancied security. After ex- 
 amining the precipice for some time, Spiegle concluded 
 that the only mode of access to its summit, which was 
 at least four hundred feet above us, was by a sort,, of 
 ravine, the broken edges of which would give us some 
 foot and hand hold. At its upper end, we could see part 
 of a glacier, from which a small stream leaped from ledge 
 to ledge. Up we went, dragging ourselves, and each 
 other, up the wet and slippery rocks, getting a dash of 
 icy water in our faces now and then, and at length 
 reached the top of the precipice. 
 
 But the top was scarcely a more desirable promenade 
 than the ascent. If we slipped off a rock, we fell waist 
 deep into soft snow-drifts, and when we tumbled on the 
 
274 OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 
 
 snow, there was always an inexorable rock to give us a 
 thump. However, we were now fairly above the chamois, 
 and excitement sustained us in the toil and difficulty of 
 our progress. At length, we reached the cliff whicl) 
 Spiegle had fixed upon, as above our prey. Here we 
 found it impossible to get near enough to the edge to look 
 over, as the fresh-fallen snow threatened to part com- 
 pany with the rock. Crouching down in the snow, we 
 listened*for some hint of the chamois* whereabouts, and 
 had not waited more than a minute, when the faint 
 clatter of a stone, far below, convinced us he was on the 
 move. Creeping along to where the crest of the cliff 
 afforded us a little shelter, we peeped over, and saw that 
 the chamois was standing on the snow-bed, half-way up 
 the cliff. Suddenly, the acute senses of the graceful 
 animal seemed to have caught the taint of a human being. 
 He stood with his head high in the air, and his ears 
 pointed forward. I was about to fire, when, bang ! close 
 to my ear, went Spiegle's heavy rifle, and the chamois 
 bounded away over the bed of snow, and disappeared 
 around the corner, to the right, before either *Mr. Barrill 
 or myself could get a snap. 
 
 Almost mad with excitement, we clambered over the 
 edge of the cliff, and, by jumping and sliding, reached the 
 snow-bed where the chamois had stood. Not a drop of 
 blood tinged the snow, to give us hope, at the place where 
 
OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 275 
 
 the animal had made his first tremendous bound. But 
 farther on, one red spot showed where the hot liquid of 
 life had sunk through the snow. Without thinking of 
 either of my companions, I hastened on in the indented 
 track of the animal, till I came to a place where the cliff 
 receded into a sort of small bay, with a patch of snow, 
 separated from the one I was on by a broken ridge. 
 Spurred on by the sound of following footsteps, I scram- 
 bled round the ridge, and there beheld the wounded 
 chamois standing about sixty yards from me, ready for a 
 bound at the moment he could ascertain the whereabouts 
 of his foes. I raised my rifle, and with a hand tremu- 
 lous with excitement, took aim, first at the neck, just 
 behind the ear, and then at the rear of the shoulder. 
 Bang ! And as the wreathing smoke ascended, I saw the 
 chamois shrink convulsively, and then fall heavily on the 
 snow, shot right through the heart. -My friends were 
 now at my side ; but I dashed away from them, reached 
 the animal, gave one sweep of my knife across its throat, 
 and the work was complete. 
 
 I must confess that we. rejoiced over the body of that 
 poor chamois with a little extravagance. "We cheered, 
 till the rocks fairly trembled with the pelting of the 
 echoes. We shook hands, like brothers in triumph. But 
 let me cool down into a description of this beautiful 
 animal. Its height was about two feet three or four 
 
276 OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 
 
 inches. Its hair was short, like that of the doe, and of 
 an ashy color, varying to a blackish brown. The horns 
 arose between the eyes, bent backwards, terminating in 
 hooks, and were of a glossy black hue. The eyes were 
 black, and full of expression. Unlike the tame goat, it 
 had no beard, nor even a short tail. Compared with the 
 cimaron of the Rocky Mountains, I would say that it is a 
 more beautiful and spirited animal. I no longer won- 
 dered at the enthusiastic love of the Tyrolese for hunting 
 the chamois. Its rarity the amazing acuteness of its 
 senses its fleetness and the stupendous scenery among 
 which it finds a home, are all circumstances that increase 
 the excitement and render it thrilling sport. A hunter 
 by nature cares but little for slaughtering even the 
 largest game. His luxury is in triumphing over animals 
 difficult to approach. 
 
 We now thought of returning But the thought was 
 many times easier than the achievement. On all sides of 
 us tremendous cliffs appeared, and not a crack or crevice 
 could we see. Where had we descended ? .Following 
 our tracks in the snow, they led us to the foot of a cliff, 
 the ascent of which seemed an utter impossibility. But 
 we had descended by that path there could be no doubt 
 of it. It was no easy thing to get at the cliff at all. As 
 usual, there was a gap between the snow and the rock. 
 This was bad enough to cross from above ; but to jump 
 
OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 277 
 
 from the sloping snow against the face of the rock was 
 ten times more perilous. However, we found that the 
 task was to be accomplished. Karl took the labor of 
 carrying the chamois upon himself, although he frankly 
 acknowledged that it was the prize of my rifle. But he 
 dropped it for the time. He then uncoiled a rope from 
 his belt, and giving us hold of the end, sprang across the 
 chasm, alighting on a narrow ledge, with his nose almost 
 touching the rock; then, having steadied himself, he 
 turned around, and seated himself, with his legs dang- 
 ling over the chasm. Now came Mr. Ban-ill's turn. He 
 said that he could see no ledge, but was determined to 
 jump ; so he adjusted the rope to his belt, and sprang 
 across, almost into Karl's arms. I watched his progress 
 with intense interest. He swayed for a moment or two 
 over the chasm, and then, climbing on Spiegle's shoulders, 
 managed to draw himself up to a ledge, a few feet higher. 
 Turning round was a critical performance, but it was at 
 length effected, and my friend set his back firmly against 
 the rock. Now came my turn. By Karl's direction, I 
 tied the chamois to the end of the line, which he threw 
 ine, and then sprang into his arms, leaving the animal to 
 be hauled up afterwards. For a moment, I doubted my 
 ability to hold on without pulling the Tyrolese into the 
 gap. But he had muscles of iron, and I soon stood safely 
 
 beside him on the ledge. The whole line was now un- 
 
 24 
 
278 OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 
 
 coiled, and the end was thrown up to Mr. Barrill. Karl 
 now stood up, turned his face to the rock, climbed up to 
 Mr. Barrill's position, then placed one foot upon my 
 friend's thigh and the other on his shoulder, and thus 
 climhed over him to a still higher ledge. My turn came 
 next. Mr. Barrill threw the line up to Karl, and he 
 immediately hauled up the chamois. In this way we 
 climbed up a steep cliff, at least one hundred feet in 
 height. It was, emphatically, awful work. Mr. Barrill 
 suffered from an attack of giddiness, as he dared to 
 glance into the tremendous chasm below; but he re- 
 covered ; and by a straining effort, Karl drew him up to 
 the top of the cliff. I was the last to reach that point, 
 and when I did so, I sank, exhausted, upon the snow 
 But we were all safe the chamois included. 
 
 As soon as we had recovered a little, we stumbled back 
 among the sloppy snow, and the half-concealed rocks, till 
 we reached the ravine up which we had scrambled in the 
 morning. But we decided to return by the way of the 
 glacier and the ice stream which we had also passed in 
 the morning, and on reaching the crystal stream we 
 revelled in long draughts of cold clean water. Our labor 
 was now nearly finished. We quickly travered two or 
 three small snow-fields, and after a little trouble in 
 hauling ourselves, and the chamois, up and down the 
 ridge that separated them, we reached a smooth declivity 
 
O.UR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 279 
 
 of snow, down which we shot merrily, getting many a 
 roll, it is true, but merely laughing thereat, as every 
 tumble carried us the faster towards home, and at last, 
 safe and sound, reached the region of rocks and gravel. 
 As night closed in, we "found ourselves once more in the 
 little cabin, where we had passed the night before. A scanty 
 supper was dispatched with hungry quickness, and then 
 we stretched ourselves in the hay for a refreshing sleep. 
 
 When we awoke in the morning, the sun was up. Oh ! 
 what complaints of aching from head to foot. Karl suf- 
 fered as much as either of us. The skin of our faces was 
 peeling off, as if we had been washing them in oil of 
 vitriol. However, a complete warming, and long-con- 
 tinued rubbing put us in walking trim, and we descended 
 the mountain, gradually leaving the region of winter for 
 that of spring. It- was still early when we reached the 
 bright meadows, the green of which was exceedingly re- 
 freshing to the eye. Early in the afternoon we reached 
 Dumpfen. 
 
 The villagers had been greatly troubled about our sud- 
 den disappearance until noon on the day we had started, 
 and then one of the herd-boys informed them where we had 
 gone 1 . We were cheered, and complimented, and crowned 
 with flowers, for even among these people, ever so accus- 
 tomed to hunting among the mountains, killing a chamois 
 is at all times esteemed a great exploit. 
 
280 ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 
 
 That evening we were feasted as far as Tyrolese hos- 
 pitality could go. Several hunters came to spend a 
 short time with us, and chat about their adventures. In 
 return for what Mr. Barrill communicated of our hunting 
 experience, they told us of a number of "hair breadth 
 'scapes." A young and handsome hunter, who was called 
 Joseph, told a singular story of the cunning of the chamois. 
 
 The previous year, Joseph had found a geis, or female 
 chamois, ready to bring forth. For eight days, he followed 
 her to see where she would deposit her young. Some- 
 times he took off his shoes, and climbed with his bare feet, 
 like a cat ; and once, when he had to climb up the steep 
 face of a rock, he cut off all the buttons from his clothes, 
 that they might not make a jingle. At length, he dis- 
 covered two young chamois in what the hunters call a 
 kath, or niche, in the high rock. The little ones were 
 sporting round the mother, who glanced from time to time 
 down into the valley, to watch for any hostile approach. 
 To avoid being seen, Joseph made an extensive circuit, 
 and thus reached the path that led to the kath. Exactly 
 in front of the niche, the rock descended perpendicularly 
 to an immense depth. In the rear was another deep de- 
 scent. Some fragments of rock formed a kind of bridge 
 between the large masses. But these were placed too 
 high to be accessible to the little ones, and could only be 
 available to their mother. 
 
ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 281 
 
 Joseph gazed upon the position with a feeling of joy, 
 and pressed upon the animals whose escape seemed im- 
 possible. As soon as the mother caught sight of him, she 
 Baw at a glance the unfavorable disposition of the rock, 
 and sprung upon the hunter with fearful fury. In such 
 attacks, the thrust is not very violent, but there is great 
 danger of the animal hooking the legs of the hunter, and 
 tumbling him down the precipice. Joseph was in no con- 
 dition to fire at the approaching chamois, as both hands 
 were necessary to sustain him on the narrow path. He 
 therefore warded off the blows as well as he could with his 
 feet, and still advanced. The anguish and fury of the 
 mother increased. She dashed back to her young, coursed 
 round them' with low cries, as if to warn them of their 
 danger, and then leaped up the fragment of rock, the 
 second mode of egress from the riiche. She then leaped 
 down to her little ones, and seemed to encourage them 
 to attempt the leap. The little creatures sprang and 
 wounded their forehead against the rocks that were to 
 high for them, and vain were the bold leaps of the mother 
 to show them the way. All this was the work o a few 
 minutes, while the hunter had advanced a few steps nearer 
 to his prey. He smiled in his fancied triumph. But he 
 had not yet won. The chamois mother, fixing her hind 
 legs firmly on the rock behind, stretched her body to its 
 utmost length, and planted her fore feet on the rock above, 
 
 24* 
 
282 ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS 
 
 thus forming a bridge of her back. The young ones, in- 
 stantly seeing the design of their affectionate parent, 
 sprang upon her back, and thus reached the point of safety. 
 Joseph made a last step and leaped into the niche ; but 
 all three animals were off with the speed of the wind, and 
 the shots he fired, merely struck the rocks, and died away 
 in harmless echoes. The devotion and cunning of the brute 
 mother had triumphed over the hunter's skill. 
 
 This narrative excited our wonder ; and our interest in 
 the beautiful and intelligent chamois increased ten-fold. 
 But the Tyroleans never assemble for story-telling with- 
 out in some way introducing their celebrated hero the Tell 
 of the Tyrol Andrew Hofer. Mr. Barrill had read much 
 about this great patriot, and was deeply interested in 
 every thing relating to his life ; and the hunters displayed 
 a singular eagerness to communicate whatever they knew 
 of him. From them we learned, that Hofer was a man 
 gifted with a commanding presence, a brave and indomi- 
 table heart stirring eloquence, and winning manners. 
 His attachment to the superstitions of the Catholic Church,, 
 and, occasionally, to the bottle, only rendered him the dearer 
 to a people who were all superstitious, and generally fond 
 of wine. Karl Spiegle, whose father had served under 
 the famous patriot, related that Hofer at times led the 
 peasants to victory, with a rosary and crucifix on his 
 breast^ a sabre in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the 
 
ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 283 
 
 other. When the rising against the French and Bava- 
 rians was first commenced, remarkable signals were 
 adopted. Sawdust was thrown on the rivers Inn and 
 Eisach, fires were kindled on the tops of mountains, and 
 women and chidren ran from rock to rock, and from 
 cottage to cottage, shouting " It is time." Victory after 
 victory was achieved by the peasant army, under the gal- 
 lant inn-keeper, Hofer. But the Austrians withheld their 
 support, and, ultimately, numbers triumphed. Hofer, after 
 wandering, like a hunted wild beast, among the rocks of 
 his native land, was betrayed into the hands of the French, 
 and, ignominiously, executed. The hunters were delighted 
 to find that we sympathised with Hofer and his cause, 
 and we ascertained that we had risen greatly in their 
 esteem in consequence. Of the whole party, Karl Spiegle 
 was the only hunter who had travelled beyond the boun- 
 daries of the Tyrol. He had passed some months in 
 Lithuania, formerly a part of Poland, now a province on 
 the western borders of the Russian empire. He informed 
 us that he had witnessed some great sport in that country, 
 and we listened to his narrative with a great deal of 
 interest. 
 
 "Lithuania," said Spiegle," is still partially covered 
 with forests. One of these which is called the Grand 
 Forest, is no less than twenty-five miles in extent each 
 Way. It abounds in wild animals, particularly wolves and 
 
284 ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 
 
 bears. The cattle belonging to the peasantry suffers much 
 from these animals, and, consequently, it becomes ne- 
 cessary, at certain seasons to hunt, them, with a view 
 of keeping down their numbers. A wolf-hunt usually 
 takes place on Sunday, as, on no other day, could the 
 regular hunters get together a sufficient body of the 
 peasantry. One Saturday evening, during my visit, a pack 
 of wolves, which had been extremely destructive among 
 the cattle a few weeks before, was reported to have taken 
 up a position in the centre of the Grand Forest. A 
 party of hunters was immediately ordered, to proceed to 
 the forest for the purpose of calling the wolves a duty 
 which consists in keeping up a howling, the men thus 
 ascertaining the exact place where the animals are prowling, 
 and also the covert, in which they station themselves at 
 the approach of morn. When the wolves on this occasion 
 had taken to their covert, the hunters returned and 
 made their report. Notice was immediately give to the 
 peasants of the neighborhood, to equip themselves and 
 assemble at the church. 
 
 As soon as mass was ended, eighty men, with guns, 
 and one hundred and fifty beaters, announced themselves 
 as ready to attend the hunt. I was one of the armed men. 
 After travelling six or seven miles, the party arrived at the 
 centre of the Grand Forest, where a number of the under 
 chasseurs were in waiting. No extraordinary adventure 
 
ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 285 
 
 marked this hunt, but the manner of it was remarkable. 
 At the distance of about a quarter of a mile around the 
 covert of the wolves, a circle was formed by the party, the 
 hunters and other armed persons filling about one half of 
 this circle, each man being about thirty yards distant 
 from another. The other half of the circle was formed 
 by the numerous party of beaters, whose duty it is in the 
 first place to advance slowly, beating the bushes, as they 
 move, for the purpose of driving any straggling wolves into 
 the centre. In the middle of the beaters, the head-hunter 
 took his station. All the persons engaged were on foot. 
 When the army of hunters was formed, the head-hunter 
 blew his horn as a signal. The beaters then advanced in 
 a close phalanx, which grew still closer, as they approached 
 the den of the wolves. Notwithstanding all their care, 
 however, three of the ferocious animals broke through 
 their ranks and escaped ; the other four of the pack, were 
 driven within reach of the armed men, and shot ; I, myself, 
 slaying a large one, as it dashed towards me. A chas- 
 seur now blew a horn, and the whole party assembled at the 
 original rendezvous. As each wolf was brought in, shouts 
 rent the air, and the successful hunters were received with 
 demonstrations of triumph." 
 
 " While in Lithuania, I heard many stories of the large 
 black bear, which inhabits the Grand Forest. This ani- 
 mal is fierce, daring and powerful not equal, perhaps, to 
 
286 ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 
 
 the great grizzly bear of which you have told us, but still 
 a terrible creature. A peasant near where I resided 
 having lost a cow, and finding the marks which had been 
 made by the animal, as it was drawn into the forest, fol- 
 lowed immediately upon the traces. After walking a long 
 distance, he saw the cow lying upon the ground, half-de- 
 voured. The man was armed with a gun, and accompa- 
 nied by his son a little boy. Feeling assured that the de- 
 predator was not far off, and that he would return to renew 
 his feast, he erected a kind of stage between two trees, for 
 the purpose of fully commanding the spot. Here he took 
 his station, and arranged his weapon for service. In the 
 course of a few hours, Bruin made his appearance, and 
 began to feed from the cow. The peasant fired, and as the 
 smoke cleared away, he saw that the bear had rolled over, 
 as if killed. He then descended from the stage to com- 
 plete his victory, if that should be necessary ; but was im- 
 mediately attacked by the monster in the most furious 
 manner. The boy screamed, ran away, and soon brought a 
 number of peasants, armed with clubs, to the rescue. 
 But before they could force the bear to let the man go, 
 he was quite dead. They bore away the body through 
 the wood. As they went, the wounded bear hung upon 
 their flanks, and made repeated and furious efforts to get 
 his victim once more into his power. When they reached 
 the peasant's cottage and deposited the body on a couch, 
 
ADVENTURES OF CHAMOIS HUNTERS. 287 
 
 the revengeful animal came up to the door, and uttering 
 two or three awful growls, stretched himself out and 
 died." 
 
 A piece of the chamois had been served up as a luxury 
 for us at supper. I cannot say much for the flesh as an 
 edible ; it is very black, and possesses nothing of the 
 flavor of venison. The hunters increase its disagreeable 
 qualities by cooking it in oil, or stewing it in some barba- 
 rous manner, with which I do not wish to be acquainted. 
 
 We remained at Dumpfen and in its vicinity, three 
 weeks. During that period, we engaged in three chamois 
 hunts, each occupying two days. We met with no extra- 
 ordinary adventures, and were not very successful in the 
 chase two chamois being the entire result of our hunting 
 experience, among the wild solitudes of the Wildgrad 
 Kogle. But we were delighted with the grand scenery, 
 the thrilling sport, and the bracing mountain air. Be- 
 sides, the brave, whole-souled mountaineers, did all in their 
 power to render our visit pleasant, and their cordial man- 
 .ners charmed us both. Their mode of life had all the 
 freedom and independence of that of our American moun- 
 taineers ; but, in the genuine happiness of their social 
 gatherings, they were far above the rough, reckless, spree- 
 ing spirits of the Rocky Mountains. Yet in daring cou- 
 rage and fortitude, as in skill in handling the rifle, the 
 Tyrolese were inferior to the hunters and trappers o 
 
288 LEAVE THE TYROL FOR ENGLAND. 
 
 far, far west the men who are to conquer the wilderness 
 and lay the foundations of the "last empire of the world." 
 We found the Tyrolese strict observers of the forms and 
 and ceremonies of the Catholic Church ; yet, unlike many 
 such, they had, in their hearts, a fervent feeling of real 
 religion, nurtured by communion with the sublime works 
 of the Deity. They were, also, the most loyal subjects 
 of the House of Austria ; and, it may be added, that the 
 many privileges granted them by the imperial government, 
 justify the attachment. They are the favorite subjects 
 of the emperor, and in his time of sorest need, he can 
 depend upon their fidelity. 
 
 At the expiration- of three weeks, we bade adieu to the 
 hospitable Tyrolese, and started upon the return journey 
 to England. Crossing the Alps, we proceeded in rude 
 stages, to Venice, the city of the sea, "throned on a 
 hundred isles ;" the beauty of that famous city, surpassed 
 all that the stories of others had caused me to fancy. At 
 a distance, it seemed like a piece of enchanted work, 
 which, at the potent command of a magician, could sink 
 beneath the waves; and a moon-light ride through its 
 "watery streets," was a delightful realization of olden 
 dreams. At Venice, we embarked for Marseilles. The 
 voyage was prosperous and tolerably rapid. From Mar- 
 geilles we proceeded by railway to Paris, and thence to 
 Calais, where we embarked for England. Within two days 
 
AREIVE IN ENGLAND. 289 
 
 after landing at Dover, we were safely bestowed at Mr. 
 Barrill's country seat. 
 
 The time had now come when it was necessary for me 
 to leave the companion of my many hunting expeditions 
 the kind friend, who had taken the hunter of the Far 
 West under his patronage, and shown him the wondrous 
 scenes of the world, and the vast wealth of animal life 
 inhabiting the regions of the old continents and the new. 
 Why did I not remain and spend my days with him in 
 affluence. The offer was made, but my spirit was proud ; 
 and, besides, I preferred to lay my bones in my native land. 
 With many thanks for the offer, and for kindness never to 
 be forgotten, I announced to him my determination not 
 to test his bounty any farther. But he compelled me to 
 accept a considerable amount of money as he said, to 
 purchase a house in Texas whither, when my sight failed 
 and my sinews stiffened, I might retire to live in ease and 
 quiet. He accompanied me to Liverpool stocked my 
 trunks with excellent clothing and made every preparation, 
 which anxious friendship could suggest, for my comfort. 
 Truly, a faithful friend is one of the real angels of this 
 earth. 
 
 25 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 AMERICA. THE NATIVE LAND. PURCHASE A HOUSE 
 IN TEXAS. JOURNEY TO BROWN'S HOLE. THE 
 FARMER AND THE HUNTER. CONCLUDING 
 PICTURE. 
 
 BIDDING Mr. Barrill an affectionate farewell, I stepped 
 aboard the steamer, and the same day, she put out from 
 the harbor of Liverpool. During the first day of the 
 voyage, I felt extremely lively. I had been constantly 
 in company with my amiable friend for so many months, 
 that when I remembered that I had parted from him, per- 
 haps forever, I felt somewhat desolate. But the various 
 incidents of the voyage, and the necessity of considering 
 the course to be pursued after arriving in America, di- 
 verted my mind, although I could not believe that the 
 memory of my friend could ever relinquish its hold upon 
 Jr.y heart. 
 
 (290) 
 
RETURN TO AMERICA. 291 
 
 The first land that greeted my eyes was hailed with a 
 feeling of joy which I cannot describe. It was my native 
 land the land where could be seen the graves of my pa- 
 rents the soil on which the light of heaven first blessed 
 my eyes the scene of the crowding memories of child- 
 hood the place where I desired to lay my bones that 
 they might fatten the soil that fed me. My mother earth, 
 God bless thee ! 
 
 We entered the beautiful bay of New York, and shortly 
 afterwards, I stepped upon the shojr e of America. I did 
 not wish to remain in that great Babel of a city my na- 
 ture sighed for -another element less intense in its sub- 
 duing influence, and more bracing to the body and the 
 spirit. The next day after my arrival, I engaged pas- 
 sage in a steamer for Galvezton, Texas, and the next, I 
 was on the way. This voyage was short, but tedious, and 
 when I came in sight of the town of Galvezton, my heart 
 fairly leapt in: my bosom at the prospect of soon being 
 upon the prairies, where I had passed so many adventurous 
 days. The town could not detain me long. Purchasing 
 agood horse and a quantity of ammunition, I prepared my- 
 self for the sport of the prairies and mountains. 
 
 But a sober second thought advised me to invest the 
 greater portion of the money I had remaining, in the 
 purchase of land enough for a farm. From a wealthy 
 gentleman in Galvezton, I obtained the possession of about 
 
292 VISIT BROWN'S HOLE. 
 
 two hundred acres of what was generally said to be good 
 ground, twenty miles north of Austin, the capital of the 
 state. I then rode, by easy journeys, to the region in 
 which my purchase was located, and to my " exceeding 
 great joy," I found that it was situated on the edge of a 
 prairie, boundless to the eye. The soil was good. There 
 was abundance of pure water in the vicinity ; but the' lack 
 of timber was conspicuous. However, I was delighted with 
 a "morsel of earth," I could call my own. 
 
 Having had my deed recorded at Austin, I journeyed 
 northward, armed in the old trapper style, to visit Brown's 
 Hole. The first night after leaving the town I encamped 
 on the open prairie where the howls of the coyotes 
 sounded like old familiar voices in my ears and my 
 wreathing pipe was a comforting companion. I sat by the 
 fire long that night, recalling the faces of the hunting 
 region and the scenery and incidents of my early life. 
 And as the panorama of recent events passe'd through my 
 mind, like a wondrous vision, I could scarcely realize that 
 I, a poor mountaineer dependent upon my rifle for a sub- 
 sistence had but the other day, travelled in company with 
 an English gentleman to strange and distant countries 
 had encounted the lion, the tiger, the elephant and the 
 giraffe, upon their native plains, and brought them to my 
 feet. But here I was, back in the land of the buffalo, the 
 bear, and the wolf, where my first hunting experience was 
 
HUNTING THE BUFFALO. 
 
 293 
 
 acquired, safe and sound, in body and mind. What hunter 
 of the mountains could boast of such a life ? 
 
 I journeyed leisurely over the prairies. It was late in 
 the autumn. The few trees along the small streams 
 were decked with a foliage of purple and gold. For 
 several days I saw no game of any size ; but as I had pro- 
 vision's in my pack sufficient to keep me during my jour- 
 ney as far as the settlements of New Mexico, I had no 
 feelings more serious than the anxiety of a mere sports- 
 man. When within a few days' ride of the first settlement 
 of New Mexico, as I calculated, a few buffalo appeared. 
 
 It was early in the morning when I first saw them, like 
 black spots, far away upon the plain. My l^eart beat 
 quick and fast, and, with an enthusiasm which sprang from 
 my old remembrances of sport, I rode towards them, got 
 to the windward, and with a quick shot, tumbled a large 
 cow into a lifeless heap. The other buffaloes scampered 
 away before I got an opportunity to let them taste my 
 lead. That evening I enjoyed, for the first time since my 
 return, a delicious meal of tongue. Yet when I remem- 
 bered the eland and the gemsbok of Africa, the luxury 
 was somewhat diminished such is the vanity of the 
 traveller. Another buffalo was killed before I reached 
 New Mexico. The game was apparently very scarce in 
 this region. 
 
 The journey through New Mexico was rapidly performed 
 25* 
 
294 MEET WITH OLD FRIENDS. 
 
 as far as the beautiful vale of Taos. Here I found A 
 couple of mountain friends, who insisted on my remaining 
 a few days with them, to give them a leaf of my life since 
 I had quit the Rocky Mountains. One of them old 
 Rube Herring, said he could not swallow all the stories I 
 told him about fighting with elephants and tigers and 
 both of the listeners hinted that I was trying to "|ull," 
 them. I bore their sneers patiently, not caring, whether 
 they believed or doubted me, and they then began to think 
 that the wonder, ot whicn 1 spoke were "jest so, and no 
 mistake." " Perhaps, Perey, my boy," said one of them, 
 "you know as much as my mule Kit, and she knew fresh 
 grass so darn'd well, that we couldn't get her to eat hay, 
 and so she starved to death." I made many inquiries 
 concerning my old friends. Some had been "rubbed out 
 by the Injuns," as the hunters expressed it, but most of 
 them were still pursuing their adventurous business. Among 
 them was my- chum Joe, whom, the hunters said, I would 
 be sure to find at "Brown's Hole." 
 
 I set out alone to cross the wild country between the 
 vale and that famous station. I was well provided in 
 every respect; but it was well-known that parties of 
 treacherous Indians were numerous in this region, and a 
 single hunter had a small chance for life, in daring to en- 
 counter them. But I was fully acquainted with the route, 
 and trusted to my powers of flight and concealment to 
 
PURSUED BY INDIANS. 295 
 
 pass over it in safety. During the journey of the first 
 day I saw no Indians ; and the only game I killed was a 
 black tailed-deer. On the third day after leaving Taos, 
 I came upon the trail of a party of Arapahoes, and was 
 compelled to strike off from the direct route to avoid 
 them. I reached Orphan's Creek without meeting with 
 any other traces to alarm me. Having encamped upon 
 the banks of this creek, I passed a pleasant night ; but the 
 next morning I was startled by the appearance of a large 
 party of Indians upon a ridge about a quarter of a mile 
 back upon my trail. To mount my horse and spur away 
 was the work of a moment. The Indians discovered me 
 about the same instant, and, as I started, the clattering of 
 their horses's hoofs, in pursuit, rang in my ears. Happily 
 my steed was a gallant one, of great endurance, although 
 not remarkably swift. I led them a long chase, during 
 which they gained somewhat upon me, but their horses 
 were at length completely exhausted, and as one of them 
 tumbled upon the plain, they gave up the pursuit. I in- 
 stantly checked the speed of my horse, and gave a shout 
 of triumph. But I knew I was not safe as long as the In- 
 dians were in my vicinity, and, therefore, continued my 
 ride at a trot all the morning. I then beleived myself 
 tolerably secure, and during the afternoon, my horse 
 travelled at his ease. That night was a restless one, as 
 it had been long since I had attempted to woo Morpheus, 
 
 24* 
 
A VISIT TO BROWN'S HOLE. 
 
 while knowing that keen-eyed and merciless savages were 
 lurking near. However, I arose in the morning, tolerably 
 refreshed, and pursued my journey. No further inci- 
 dents, worthy of mention, occurred, until my arrival at 
 Brown's Hole. 
 
 The sight of this famous station was to me like a view 
 of home. It is the only home, which the hunter of the 
 Rocky Mountains ever knows, and it is natural that he 
 should feel a kind of attachment to it. The traders wel- 
 comed me with a show of cordiality. Parties were com- 
 ing in from all directions I had not been at the station 
 more than fifteen minutes when a bloated face was placed 
 directly before mine, and I recognised Joe Blaney. He 
 had already commenced the dissipation that was to con- 
 tinue during the winter. But he recognised me, in spite 
 of his blurred vision, and after we had enjoyed a cordial 
 shake of the hand, we sat down to smoke and chat. I 
 determined to remain a few weeks at the station. During 
 that period, the hunters, of whom I have spoken in a pre- 
 vious portion of this narrative, as making a rendezvous of 
 Brown's Hole, came in, and my tongue was driven to a 
 rapid gallop in answering their inquiries. Some of my 
 stories were believed, but the greater portion of what I 
 related was set down as fudge. 
 
 As soon as the mountaineers began to give themselves 
 up to the dissipation of the station, I bade Joe adieu, 
 
CONCLUDING PICTURE. 297 
 
 and returned to Austin, near which I purchased a farm, 
 and " settled down." 
 
 This lengthy narrative of an adventurous career shall 
 conclude' with a picture of Peregrine Herne, farmer and 
 sportsman, at home. He has inclosed his fields, and 
 heaven has blessed his cultivating toil. Prosperity shines 
 around him. He has taken a wife unto himself, and, al- 
 though his house is a rude log-cabin, blithe Mary's presence 
 makes it a home indeeed. A little Peregrine gets into 
 mischief with his father's rifle, and will extract the bullets 
 from the pouch, in his absence. But he is the image of 
 his illustrious progenitor, and he must have toys of that 
 sporting kind. 
 
 But Peregrine Herne, the elder, is not merely a farmer. 
 In the fall, he occasionally goes on a hunting expedition 
 over the prairies, and, to the great alarm of his anxious 
 wife, Mary, spends the night upon the wild plains, sur- 
 rounded by the hungry wolves. Here, smoking his pipe 
 by the red light of the fire, he recalls the past, in dreamy 
 pictures, which pass before him in the wreathing smoke. 
 He has drunk deeply of the perils and pleasures- of a 
 hunter's life he has faced death, in a hundred shapes, 
 while engaged in the chase ; but he has also felt the 
 bracing power of a free life, with but one hope that of 
 killing food enough for the morrow. 
 
 38 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 I HAVE spent some years in the backwoods. I have 
 ridden wildly with the hunter, and strolled quietly with 
 the naturalist. I excel not in the chase I excel not in 
 the knowledge of natural history but both I love. In 
 my memory of backwoods life, these two things are inti- 
 mately connected with each other; for the reason, per- 
 haps, that both were followed at the same time. In the 
 same excursion I was hunter, zoologist, botanist, and 
 geologist. When I failed to fill my bag with game, it 
 became the receptacle of rare plants. "When my rifle 
 failed to bring down a beast or a winged bird, my surer 
 hatchet, indented the rock in situ or the stray boulder. 
 Often when riding madly in the deer "drive" I have 
 dragged my horse on his haunches at the sight of some 
 tiny flower with a new face ; and often upon the " stand" 
 
 I have forgotten my purpose, and let the red roe bound 
 
 
 
 * The two sketches inserted here are copied from the New York 
 Monthly, where they appear without the author's name. 
 
 (298) 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 299 
 
 harmlessly by, while watching the gambols of the little 
 green lizard or the leaping tarantula. After all, the 
 naturalist was stronger within me than the hunter ; though 
 fond of both, I loved the study better than the chase. 
 
 And now, from the world's metropolis, as I look back 
 upon the scenes of my backwoods life, my mind yields 
 itself up to sweet remembrances sweeter than the retro- 
 spect of war a fresher memory sweeter than the retro- 
 spect of school and college days, or even the days of 
 childhood. I love to paint those scenes with words, for 
 while so occupied I feel as if they were again passing 
 
 before me. 
 
 ***** 
 
 Colonel P is a splendid specimen of the back- 
 woods gentleman there are gentlemen in the backwoods. 
 His house is the type of a backwoods mansion ; it is a 
 wooden structure, both walls and roof: no matter. It 
 has distributed as much hospitality in its time as many a 
 marble palace : this is one of its backwoods character- 
 istics. It stands upon the north bank of the Ohio that 
 beautiful stream "La belle riviere," as the French 
 colonists, and before their time the . Indians used to call 
 it. It is far from great cities. It is in the midst of the 
 woods though around it are a thousand acres of " clear- 
 ing," where you may distinguish fields of golden wheat, 
 and groves of shining maize-plants waving aloft their 
 
300 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 yellow-flower tassels. You may note, too, the broad 
 green leaf of the Nicotian "weed," or the bursting pod 
 of the snow-white cotton. In the garden you will observe 
 the sweet potato (convolvulus batatas,} the common one 
 (solanum tuberosum,) the refreshing tomato, the huge 
 water-melon, cantelopes, and musk-melons, with many 
 others of the cucurbitaceae. You will see pods of the red 
 and green pepper (capsicum) growing upon trailing plants 
 like convolvuli or vines; and beside them species of 
 leguminosde all valuable for the colonel's cuisine. There 
 is an orchard, too ; it is several acres in extent. It is 
 filled with fruit trees ; you behold the finest peaches in 
 the world the finest apples the Newton pippins. Be- 
 sides, there are luscious pears and plums, and upon the 
 espaliers are vines bearing bushels of sweet grapes. If 
 
 Colonel P lives in the woods, it cannot be said that 
 
 he is surrounded by a desert. 
 
 There are several substantial log-houses near the main 
 building or mansion. They are, the stable and good 
 horses there are in that stable the cow-house, for milk 
 cattle ; the barn, to hold the wheat and maize-corn ; the 
 smoke-house, for curing bacon ; a large building for the 
 dry tobacco ; a cotton-gin, with its shed of clap-boards ; 
 bins for the husk fodder, and several smaller structures. 
 In one corner you see a low-walled erection that reminds 
 you of a kennel, and the rich music that from time to 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 301 
 
 time issues from its apertures convince you that it is a 
 kennel. If you peep into it, you will see a dozen of as 
 fine stag-hounds as ever lifted a trail. The colonel is 
 somewhat partial to these pets, for he is a "mighty 
 hunter." You may see a number of young colts in an 
 adjoining lot ; a pet deer, a buffalo-calf, that has been 
 brought from the far prairies, pea-fowl, guinea-hens, 
 turkeys, geese, ducks, and the usual proportion of com- 
 mon fowls. Rail fences zigzag off in all directions to- 
 wards the edge of the woods. Huge trees, dead and 
 divested of their leaves, stand up in the cleared fields. 
 Turkey buzzards and carrion crows (cathartes aura and 
 atratus) are perched upon their grey naked limbs ; upon 
 their summit sits the great rough-legged falcon (falco 
 lagopus ;) and above all, cutting sharply against the blue 
 sky, sails the fork-tailed kite of the south (falco Missis- 
 sippiensis.) 
 
 Just such a picture opened before my eyes as I rode 
 
 into the clearing of Colonel P , in the fall of 1849. 
 
 I had travelled several hundred miles a mere bagatelle 
 in America to be present at a great "pigeon-hunt," 
 arranged by the colonel for the gratification of his 
 friends. 
 
 On my arrival I found the party assembled. It con- 
 sisted of a score and a half of ladies and gentlemen, 
 nearly all young people. The pigeons had not yet made 
 
 26 I 
 
302 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 their appearance, but were looked for every hour. The 
 woods had assumed the gorgeous tints of autumn, that 
 liveliest of seasons in the "far west." Already the ripe 
 nuts and berries were scattered profusely over the earth, 
 offering their annual banquet to God's wild creatures. 
 The mast of the beach tree (fagus Sylvatica] of which 
 the wild pigeon is so fond was showering down among 
 the dead leaves. It was the very season at which the 
 birds were accustomed to visit the beechen woods that 
 girdled the colonel's plantation. They would no doubt 
 soon appear. With this expectation every thing was 
 made ready ; each of the gentlemen was provided with a 
 fowling-piece, or rifle, if he preferred it ; and even some 
 of the ladies insisted upon being armed. 
 
 To render the sport more exciting, our host had estab- 
 lished certain regulations. They were as follows : The 
 gentlemen were divided into two parties, of equal num- 
 bers. These were to go in opposite directions, the ladies 
 upon the first day of the hunt accompanying whichever 
 they chose. Upon all succeeding days however, the 
 case would be different. The ladies were to accompany 
 that party which upon the day previous had lagged the 
 greatest number of birds. The victorious gentlemen, 
 moreover, were endowed with other privileges which 
 lasted throughout the evening such as the choice of 
 partners for the dinner table and the dance. 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 303 
 
 I need not point out to the reader that in these condi- 
 tions existed powerful motives for exertion. The colonel's 
 guests were the elite of western society. Most of the 
 gentlemen were young men or bachelors ; and among the 
 ladies there were belles three or four of them rich and 
 beautiful. On my arrival I could perceive signs of in- 
 cipient flirtations. Attachments had already arisen ; and 
 by many it would have been esteemed any thing but 
 pleasant to be separated in the manner prescribed. A 
 strong esprit du corps was thus established ; and by the 
 time the pigeons arrived, both parties had determined to 
 do their utmost. In fact, I have never known so strong 
 a feeling of rivalry to exist between two parties of ama- 
 teur sportsmen. 
 
 ****** 
 
 x , 
 Wilson, and, later still, the world-renowned naturalist, 
 
 Audubon, have left but little to be told of the American 
 "passenger pigeon" (Oolumba migratoria.) A few facts, 
 however, from the observations of an amateur ornitholo- 
 gist, may not be 'without interest. They will, perhaps, 
 brighten up the reader's recollections of this singular 
 bird. 
 
 The " passenger" is less in size than the house-pigeon. 
 In the air it looks not unlike the kite, wanting the forked 
 or " swallow" tail. That of the pigeon is cuneiform. It 8 
 color is best described by calling it a nearly uniform slate. 
 
304 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 In the male the colors are deeper, and the neck feathers 
 present the same changeable hues >of green, gold, and 
 purple-crimson, generally observed in birds of this spe- 
 cies. It is only in the woods, and when freshly caught 
 or killed, that these brilliant tints can be seen to perfec- 
 tion. They fade in captivity, and immediately after the 
 bird has been shot. They seem to form part of its life 
 and liberty, and disappear when it is robbed of either. I 
 have often thrust the wild pigeon, freshly killed, into my 
 game-bag, glittering like an opal. I have drawn it forth 
 a few hours after, of a dull leaden hue, and altogether 
 unlike the same bird. As with all birds of this tribe, the 
 female is inferior to the male, both in size and plumage. 
 The eye is less vivid. In the male it is of the most bril- 
 liant fiery orange, inclosed in a well-defined circle of red 
 skin. The eye is in truth its finest feature, and never 
 fails to strike the beholder with admiration. 
 
 The most singular fact in the natural history of the 
 "passenger," is their countless numbers. Audubon saw 
 a flock that contained " one billion one hundred and six- 
 teen millions of birds." Wilson counted, or rather com- 
 puted, another flock of " two thousand two hundred and 
 thirty millions!" These numbers seem incredible. I 
 have doubt of their truth. I have no doubt they are 
 under rather than over the numbers actually seen by both 
 these naturalists, for both made most liberal allowances 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 305 
 
 in their calculations. Where do these immense flocks 
 come from ? They breed in all parts of America. Their 
 breeding-places are found as far north as the Hudson's 
 Bay, and they have been seen in the southern forests of 
 Louisiana and Texas. The nests are built upon high 
 trees, and resemble immense rookeries. In Kentucky, one 
 of 'their breeding-places was forty miles in length by 
 several in breadth ! One hundred nests will often be 
 found upon a single tree, and in each nest there is but 
 one "squab." Their eggs are pure white, like those of 
 the common kind, and like them they breed several times 
 during the year, but principally when food is plenty. 
 They establish themselves in great " roosts," sometimes 
 for years together, to which each night they return from 
 their distant excursions hundreds of miles, perhaps ; for 
 this is but a short fly for travellers who can pass over a 
 mile in a single minute, and some of whom have even 
 strayed across the Atlantic to England ! They, however, 
 as I myself have observed, remain in the same woods 
 where they have been feeding for several days together. 
 I have also noticed that they prefer roosting in the low 
 underwood, even when tall trees are close at hand. If 
 near water, or hanging over a stream, the place is still 
 more to their liking ; and in the morning they may be 
 Been alighting on the bank to drink, before taking to 
 their daily occupation. 
 
 26* 
 
306 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 Their great "roosts" and breeding-places are favorite 
 resorts for numerous birds of prey. The small vultures 
 (cathartes aura and atratus,) or as they are called in the 
 west, "turkey buzzard," and "carrion crow," do not 
 confine themselves to carrion alone. They are fond of 
 live " squabs," which they drag out of their nests at 
 pleasure. Numerous hawks and kites prey upon them ; 
 and even the great white-headed eagle (falco leucocepha- 
 lus) may be seen soaring and occasionally sweeping down 
 for a dainty morsel. On the ground beneath move ene- 
 mies of a different kind, both biped and quadruped. 
 Fowlers with their guns and long poles ; farmers with 
 wagons to carry off the dead birds ; and even droves of 
 hogs to devour them. Trees fall under the axe, and huge 
 branches break down by the weight of the birds them- 
 selves, killing numbers in their descent. Torches are 
 used for it is usually a night scene, after the return of 
 the birds from feeding pots of burning sulphur, and 
 other engines of destruction. A noisy scene it is. The 
 clapping of a 'million pair of wings, like the roaring of 
 thunder ; the shouts ; men hoarsely calling to each 
 'other; women and children screaming their delight; the 
 barking of dogs; the neighing of horses; the "crash" 
 of breaking branches ; and the " chuck" of the woodman's 
 axe, all mingled together. 
 
 When the men saturated with' slaughter, and white 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 307 
 
 with ordure have retired beyond the borders of the roost 
 to rest themselves for the night, their ground is occupied 
 bj the prowling wolf and fox ; the racoon and cougar , 
 the lynx, and the great black bear. 
 
 With so many enemies, one would think that the " pas 
 sengers" would soon be exterminated. Not so. They are 
 too prolific for that. Indeed, were it not for these ene- 
 mies, they themselves would perish for want of food. 
 Fancy what it takes to feed them ! The flock seen by 
 Wilson would require eighteen million bushels every day / 
 and it most likely, was only one of many such that at the 
 time were traversing the vast continent of America. Upon 
 what do they feed, it will be asked ? Upon the fruits of 
 the great forest upon the acorns, the nuts of the beech, 
 upon buck- wheat, and Indian corn ; upon many species 
 of berries, such as the huckleberry (whortleberry,) the 
 hackberry (celtis crassifolia^) and the fruit of the holly. 
 In the northern regions, where these are scarce, the ber- 
 ries of the juniper tree (Juniperus communis) form the 
 principal food. On the other hand, among the southern 
 plantations, they devour greedily the rice, as well as the 
 nuts of the chesnut tree and several species of oaks. 
 But their staple food is the beechnut, or "mast," as it is 
 called. Of this the pigeons are fond, and fortunately it 
 exists in great plenty. In the forests of Western America 
 there are vast tracts covered almost entirely with the 
 
308 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 beech trees. It is one of the most beautiful of forest 
 trees. Unlike most of the others, its bark is smooth, 
 without cracks, and often of a silvery hue. Large beech 
 trees standing by the path, or near a cross-road, are often 
 seen covered with names, initials, and dates. Indeed, the 
 beautiful column-like trunk seems to invite the ever ready 
 knife; and many a souvenir is carved upon it by the 
 loitering wayfarer. It does not, however, invite the axe 
 of the settler. On the contrary, the beech woods often 
 remain untouched, while others fall around them partly 
 because these trees are not usually the indices of the 
 richest soil, but more from the fact that clearing a piece 
 of beech forest is no easy matter. The green logs do not 
 burn so readily as those of the oak, the maple, the elm, 
 or poplar, and hence the labor of rolling them off the 
 ground a serious thing where labor is scarce and dear. 
 For these reasons, the beechen forests of America remain 
 almost intact, and so long as they shower down their mil- 
 lions of bushels of " masts," so long will the passenger 
 pigeons flutter in countless numbers amidst their branches. 
 Large tracts of beech-woods adjoined the plantation 
 
 of Colonel P- ; and of course the pigeons might be 
 
 expected about the falling of the mast. Their migration 
 is semi-annual ; but unlike most other migratory birds, it 
 is far from being regular. Their flight is in fact not a 
 periodical migration, but a sort of nomadic existence 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 309 
 
 food being the object which keeps them in motion and 
 directs their course. The scarcity in one part determines 
 their movement to another. When there is more than 
 the usual fall of snow in the northern regions, vast flocks 
 make their appearance in the middle states, as in Ohio 
 and Kentucky. This may in some measure account for 
 the overcrowded "roosts" which have been occasionally 
 seen, but which are by no means common. You may live 
 in the west for many years without witnessing a scene 
 such as those described by -Wilson and Audubon, though 
 once or twice every year you may see pigeons enough to 
 astonish you. 
 
 The pigeons at length arrived. It was a bright sunny 
 morning, and yet at intervals the atmosphere was dark- 
 ened, as the vast flock, a mile in breadth by several in 
 length, passed across the canopy. The sound of their 
 wings resembled a strong wind whistling among tree-tops 
 or through the rigging of a ship. We saw that they 
 hovered over the woods, and settled among the tall 
 beeches. 
 
 The hunt was announced, and we set forth, each party 
 taking the direction allotted to it. With each went a 
 number of ladies, and even some of these were armed 
 with light fowling-pieces, determined that the party of 
 their choice should be the victorious one. 
 
 After a short ride, we found ourselves fairly " in tho 
 
310 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 woods," and in the presence of the birds, and the sharp 
 crack of the rifle was heard, mingled with the loud report 
 of the double-barrelled shot guns. 
 
 Now it must not be imagined that the wild pigeons of 
 America are so " tame" as they have been sometimes 
 represented. That is their character only while young 
 at the breeding-places, or at the great roost's when con- 
 fused by crowding upon each other, and mystified by 
 torchlight. Far different are they when wandering 
 through the open woods in search of food. It is then both 
 difficult to approach and hard to kill them. Odd birds 
 you may easily reach ; you may see them perched upon 
 the branches on all sides of you, and within shot-range ; 
 but the thick of the flock, somehow or other, always 
 keeps from one to two hundred yards off. The sports- 
 man cannot bring himself to fire at single birds. No. 
 There is a tree near at hand literally black with pigeons. 
 Its branches creak under the weight. What a fine havoc 
 he will make if he can but get near enough ! But that 
 is the difficulty ; there is no cover, and he must approach 
 as he best can without it. He continues to advance ; the 
 birds sit silent, watching his movements. He treads 
 lightly and with caution ; he inwardly anathematises the 
 dead leaves and twigs that make a loud rustling under his 
 feet. The birds appear restless ; several stretch out their 
 necks as if to spring off. At length he deems himself 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 311 
 
 fairly within range, and raises his gun to take aim ; but 
 this is a signal for the shy game, and before he can draw 
 trigger they are off to another tree ! Some stragglers 
 still remain ; and at them he levels his piece and fires. 
 The shot is a random one; for our sportsman having 
 failed to " cover the flock," has become irritated and care- 
 less, and in all such cases the pigeons fly off with the loss 
 of a few feathers. The gun is reloaded, and our amateur 
 hunter, seeing the thick flock upon another tree, again 
 endeavors to approach them, but with like success. In 
 our party we had eight guns, exclusive of the small 
 fowling-pieces (two of these,) with which a brace of our 
 heroines were armed, and which truth compels me to con- 
 fess, were less dangerous to the pigeons than to ourselves. 
 Some of our guns were double-barrelled shot-guns, others 
 were rifles. You will wonder at rifles being used in such 
 a sport, and yet it is a fact that the gentlemen who car- 
 ried rifles managed to do more execution than those who 
 were armed with the other species. This arose from the 
 circumstance that they were contented to aim at single 
 birds, and, being good shots, they were almost sure to 
 bring these down. The woods were filled with straggling 
 pigeons. Odd birds were always within rifle range ; and 
 thus, instead of wasting their time in approaching the great 
 flocks, our riflemen did nothing but load and fire. In this 
 way they soon counted their game by the dozens. 
 
312 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 Early in the evening, the pigeons having filled their 
 crops with the mast, disappeared. They flew off to some 
 distant "roost." This of course concluded our sport for 
 the day. We got together and counted our numbers. 
 We had six hundred and forty birds. We returned home 
 full of hope ; we felt certain that we had won for that 
 day. Our antagonist had arrived before us. They 
 showed us seven hundred and seventy-six dead pigeons. 
 We were beaten. 
 
 I really cannot explain the chagrin which this defeat 
 occasioned to most of our party. They felt humiliated in 
 the eyes of the ladies, whose company they were to lose 
 on the morrow. To some there was extreme bitterness 
 in the idea ; for, as I have already stated, attachments 
 had sprung up, and jealous thoughts were naturally their 
 concomitants. It was quite tantalizing as we parted next 
 morning, to see the galaxy of lovely women ride off with 
 our antagonists, while we sought the woods in an opposite 
 direction, dispirited and in silence. 
 
 We went, however, determined to do our best, and win 
 the ladies for the morrow. A council was held, and 
 each imparted his advice and encouragement ; and then 
 we all set to work with shot-gun and rifle. 
 
 On this day an incident occurred that aided our " count" 
 materially. The wilder pigeons while feeding, sometimes 
 cover the ground so thickly that they crowd upon each 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 313 
 
 other. They all advance in the same direction, those 
 behind are continually rising up and fluttering to the front, 
 so that the surface presents a series of undulations like 
 sea waves. Frequently the birds alight on each other's 
 back, for want of room upon the ground, and a confused 
 mass of winged creatures is seen rolling through the 
 woods. At such times if the sportsmen can only " head" 
 the flock, he is sure of a good shot. Almost every bullet 
 tells, and dozens may be brought down at a single dis- 
 charge. 
 
 In my progress through the woods, I had got separa- 
 ted from my companions, when I observed an immense 
 flock approaching me, after the manner described. I saw 
 from their plumage that they were young birds, and 
 not likely to be easily alarmed. I drew my horse, (I was 
 mounted) behind a tree, and awaited their approach. 
 This I did more from curiosity than any other motive, as, 
 unfortunately, I carried a rifle, and could only have killed 
 one or two at the best. The crowd came "swirling" for- 
 ward, and when they were within ten or fifteen paces 
 distant, I fired into their midst. To my surprise, the 
 flock did not take flight, but continued to advance aa 
 before, until they were almost among the horse's feet. I 
 could stand it no longer. I drove the spurs deeply, and 
 galloped into their midst, striking right and left as they 
 fluttered up around me. Of course they were soon off; 
 
 '27 
 
314 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 but of those that had been trodden upon by my horse, 
 and others I had knocked down, I counted no less than 
 twenty-seven ! Proud of my exploit, I gathered the birds 
 into my bag, and rode in search of my companions. 
 
 Our party on this day numbered over eight hundred 
 head killed ; but, to our surprise and chagrin, our antago- 
 nists had beaten us by more than a hundred. 
 
 The gentlemen of "ours" were wretched. 
 
 The belles were monopolized by our antagonists ; we were 
 scouted, and debarred every privilege. It was not to be 
 endured ; something must be done. What was to be done ? 
 councilled we. If fair means will not answer, we must 
 try the opposite. It was evident that our antagonists 
 were better shots than we. 
 
 The colonel, too, was one of them, and he was sure to 
 kill every time he pulled trigger. The odds were against 
 us ; some plan must be devised ; some ruse must be 
 adopted, and the idea of one had been passing through 
 my mind the whole of that day. It was this : I had 
 noticed, that, although the pigeons would not allow the 
 sportsmen to come within range of a fowling piece, yet at 
 a distance of little over a hundred yards, they neither 
 fear man nor beast. At that distance they sit unconcerned, 
 thousands of them upon a single tree. It struck me that 
 a gun large enough to throw shot among them, would be 
 certain of killing hundreds at each discharge ; but where 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 315 
 
 was such a gun to be had ? As I reflected thus, " moun- 
 tain howitzers" came into my mind. I remembered 
 the small mountain howitzers we had made use of in 
 scaling the steeps of the Andes. One of these loaded 
 with shot would be the very weapon. I knew there was 
 a battery of them at Covington barracks. I knew that a 
 friend of mine commanded the battery. By rail it was 
 but a few hours to Covington. I proposed sending for a 
 "mountain howitzer." 
 
 I need hardly say that my proposal was hailed with a 
 universal welcome on the part of my companions ; and 
 without dropping a hint to the other party, it was at once 
 resolved that the design should be carried into execution. 
 A messenger was forthwith dispatched to Covington, and 
 before twelve o'clock the following day we found the little 
 howitzer at a place in the woods previously agreed upon. 
 
 My friend, Captain C , had sent a "live corporal" 
 
 along with it, and we had no difficulty in its management. 
 
 As I had anticipated, it answered our purpose as though 
 it had been made for it. Every shot brought down a 
 shower of dead birds, and after one discharge alone the 
 number obtained was one hundred and twenty-three ! At 
 night our " game bag" counted over three thousand birds ! 
 We were sure of the ladies for the morrow. 
 
 Before returning home to our certain triumph, how- 
 ever, there were some considerations. To-morrow we 
 
316 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 
 
 should have the ladies in our company ; some of the fair 
 creatures would he as good as sure to "split" upon the 
 howitzer. What was to he done to prevent this ? 
 
 We eight had sworn to he staunch to each other. We 
 had taken every precaution ; we had only used our "great 
 gun" when far off, so that its report might not reach the 
 ears of our antagonists; hut how ahout to-morrow? 
 Could we trust our fair companions with a secret ? De- 
 cidedly not. This was the unanimous conclusion. A 
 new idea came to our aid. We saw that we might dis- 
 pense with the howitzer, and still manage to out-count 
 our opponents. We should make a depository of birds in 
 a safe place. There was a squatter's house near hy. 
 That would do, so we took the squatter into council, and 
 left some one thousand five hundred hirds in his charge, 
 the remainder being deemed sufficient for that day. From 
 the one thousand five hundred thus left, we might each 
 day take a few hundred to make up our game-hag just 
 enough to out-number the other party. We did not send 
 home the corporal and his howitzer. We might require 
 him again : so we quartered him upon the squatter. 
 
 On returning home, we found that our opponents had 
 also made a " big day's work of it ;" but they were beaten 
 by hundreds. The ladies were ours ! 
 
 And we kept them until the end of the hunt, to the no 
 little mortification of the gentlemen in the "minority.* 
 
A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 17 
 
 To their surprise for most of them being crack-shots, 
 and several of us not at all so they could not compre- 
 hend why they were every day beaten so outrageously. 
 We had hundreds to spare, and barrels of them were 
 cured for winter use. It was not until the colonel's 
 reunion was about to break up, that our secret was let 
 out, to the no small chagrin of our opponents, but to the 
 infinite amusement of our host himself, who, although 
 one of the defeated party, often narrates to his friends 
 the story of the "Hunt with the Howitzer." 
 
A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 BY the Americans, what we call the wild hog is called 
 the Peccary (dicotyles.) Of this animal there are two 
 distinct species known. The collared peccary" (dicotyles 
 torquatus,) and the "white-lipped" (dicotyles labyatus.) 
 In form and habits they are very similar to each other. 
 In size and color they differ. The " white-lipped" is the 
 larger. Its color is dark brown, nearly black, while that 
 of the collared peccary is a uniform iron-grey, with the 
 exception of the band or collar upon its shoulders. The 
 distinctive markings are on the former species a greyish- 
 white patch along the jaws, and on the other a yellowish- 
 white belt embracing its neck and shoulders, as a collar 
 does a horse. These markings have given to each its 
 specific name. They are further distinguished by the 
 forehead of .the white-lipped peccary being more hollowed 
 or concave than that of its congener. In most other 
 respects these creatures are alike. Both feed upon roots, 
 fruits, frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes. Both make their 
 (318) 
 
A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 319 
 
 lair in hollow logs, or in caves among the rocks, and both 
 are gregarious in their habits. In this last habit, how' 
 ever, there is some difference. The white-lipped species 
 associate in troops to the number of hundreds, and even 
 as many as a thousand have been seen together ; whereas 
 the others do not live in such large droves, but are oftener 
 met with in pairs. Yet this difference of habit may 
 arise from the fact that in the places where both have 
 been observed, the latter have not been so plenty as the 
 white-lipped species. I myself have seen nearly a hun- 
 dred of the collared peccary in one "gang," and no 
 doubt had there been more of them in the neighborhood, 
 the flock would have been still larger. 
 
 The white-lipped species does not extend to the north- 
 ern half of the American continent. Its habitat is in 
 the great tropical forest of Guyana and Brazil, and it is 
 found much further south, being common in Paraguay. 
 It is there known as the "vaquira," whence our word 
 "peccary."' The other species is also found in South 
 America, and is distinguished as the " vaquira de collar" 
 (collared peccary.) Of course they both have trivial 
 Indian names, differing in different parts of the country. 
 The former is called in Paraguay " Tagnicati," while the 
 latter is the "Taytetou." Neither species is so numer- 
 ous as they were in former times. They have been thin- 
 ned off by hunting not for the value either of their 
 
320 A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 flesh or their skins, not for the mere sport either, but on 
 account of their destructive habits. In the neighborhood 
 of settlements they make frequent forays into the maize 
 and mamoa fields, and they will lay waste a plantation of 
 sugar-cane in a single night. For this reason it is that 
 'war of extermination has long been waged against them 
 by the planters and their dependants. 
 
 As I have stated, it is believed that the white-lipped 
 species is not found in North America. I think it pro- 
 bable that it does exist in the forests of South Mexico. 
 The natural history of these countries is as yet to be 
 thoroughly investigated. The Mexicans have unfortu- 
 nately employed all their time in making revolutions. 
 But a new period has arrived. The Panama railroad, the 
 Nicaragua canal, and the route of Tehuantepec, will soon 
 be open, when among the foremost who traverse these 
 hitherto unfrequented regions, will be found troops of 
 naturalists, of the Audubon school, who will explore every 
 nook and corner of Central America. Indeed already 
 some progress has been made in this respect. 
 
 The two species of peccaries, although so much alike, 
 never associate together, and do not seem to havaany 
 knowledge of a relationship existing between them. In- 
 deed, what is very singular, they are never found in the 
 same woods. A district frequented by the one, is always 
 without the other. 
 
A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 321 
 
 The collared peccary is the only species found in North 
 America ; and of it I shall new particularly speak. It is 
 met with when you approach the more southern latitudes 
 westward of the Mississippi river. In that great wing 
 of the continent, to the eastward of this river, and now 
 occupied by the United States, no such animal exists, 
 nor is there any proof that it was ever known to exist 
 there in its wild state. In the new states formed out of 
 Texas, it is a common animal, and its range extends 
 westward to the Pacific, and south throughout the re- 
 mainder of the continent. 
 
 As you proceed westward, the line of its range rises 
 considerably ; and in New Mexico, it is met with as high 
 as the thirty-third parallel. This is just following the 
 isothermal line, and proves that the peccary cannot 
 endure the rigors of a severe winter climate. It is a pro- 
 duction of the tropics and the countries adjacent. 
 
 Some naturalists assert that it is a forest-dwelling ani- 
 mal, and is never seen in open countries. Others, as 
 Buffon, state that it makes its habitation in the moun- 
 tains, near the low countries -and plains; while still 
 others have declared that it is never found in the moun- 
 tains. I believe none of these "theories" to be correct. 
 It is well known to frequent the forest-covered plains of 
 Texas ; and Ernoy (one of the most talented of modern 
 observers) reports having met with a large drove of pec- 
 
322 A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 caries in the almost treeless mountains of New Mexico. 
 The fact is, the peccary is a wide "ranger," and fre- 
 quents either plains or mountains, wherever he can find 
 the roots or fruits which constitute. his natural food. The 
 range he likes best appears to he the dry hilly woods, 
 where he finds several species of nuts to his taste such 
 as the chinquapin (castanea permila,) the pecan (Juglans 
 olivueformis,) and the acorns of several species of oak, 
 with which the half prairie country of western Texas 
 abounds. Further than to eat their fruit, the forest trees 
 are of no use to the peccary. He is not a climber, as he 
 is a hoofed animal. But in the absence of rocks, or cre- 
 vices in the cliffs, he makes his lair in the bottom of hol- 
 low trees, or in the great cavities so common in half 
 decayed logs. He prefers, however, a habitation among 
 rocks, as experience has no doubt taught him that it is a 
 safer retreat both from hunters and fire. 
 
 The peccary is easily distinguished from the other 
 forest animals by his rounded, hog-like form and sharp 
 snout. Although pig-shape^, he is extremely active and 
 light in his movements. The absence of a tail for that 
 member is represented only by a very small protuberance 
 or " knob" imparts a character of lightness to his body. 
 His jaws are those of a hog, and a single pair of tusks, 
 protruding near the angles of the mouth, gives to him a 
 fierce and dangerous aspect. These are more certain to 
 
A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 323 
 
 be seen in the old male or "boars." The ears are short 
 and almost buried in the long, harsh hair or bristles that 
 cover the whole body, but are much longer on the back. 
 These, when erected or thrown forward as is the case 
 when the peccary is incensed have the appearance of a 
 stiff mane rising all along the neck, shoulders, and back. 
 At such times, indeed, the rigid, bristling coat over the 
 whole body, gives somewhat of a porcupine appearance to 
 the animal. 
 
 The peccary, as already stated, is gregarious. They 
 wander in droves of twenty, or sometimes more. This, 
 however, is only in the winter. In the season of love, 
 and during the period of gestation, they are met with 
 only in pairs a male and female. They are very true 
 to each other, and keep close together. The female pro- 
 duces two young at a litter. These are of a reddish 
 brown color, and at first not larger than young puppies ; 
 but they are soon able to follow the mother through the 
 woods ; and then the "family party" usually consists of 
 four. Later in the season, several of these families unite, 
 and keep together, partly perhaps from having met by 
 accident, and partly for mutual protection ; for whenever 
 one of their number is attacked, all the drove takes part 
 against the assailant, whether he be hunter, cougar, or 
 lynx. As they use their teeth, tusks, and sharp fore 
 hoofs with rapidity and effect, they become a very formi- 
 
32-4 A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 dable and dangerous enemy. The cougar is often killed 
 and torn to pieces by a drove of peccaries, that he has 
 been imprudent enough to attack. Indeed, this fierce 
 creature will not often meddle with the peccaries when he 
 sees them in large numbers. He attacks only single 
 ones; but their "gruntings," which can be heard to the 
 distance of nearly a mile, summon the rest, and he is 
 surrounded before he is aware of it, and seized by as 
 many as can get around him. 
 
 The Texian hunter, if afoot, will not dare to disturb 
 a drove of peccaries. Even when mounted, unless the 
 woods be open, he will pass them by without rousing their 
 resentment. But, for all this, the animal is hunted by 
 the settlers, and hundreds are killed annually. Its ra- 
 vages committed upon the cornfields make them many ene- 
 mies, who go after them with a desire for wholesale 
 slaughter. Hounds are employed to track the peccary 
 and bring it to bay, when the hunters rides up and finish 
 the chase by their unerring rifles. A flock of peccaries 
 when pursued, will sometimes take shelter in a cave or 
 cleft of the rocks, one of their number standing ready at 
 the mouth. When this one is shot by the hunter, another 
 will immediately rush out and take its place. This too 
 being destroyed, will be replaced by a third, and so on 
 until the whole drove has fallen. Should the hounds 
 attack the peccary while by themselves, and without the 
 
A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 325 
 
 aid and encouragement of the hunter, they are sure to be 
 "routed," and some of their number destroyed. Indeed, 
 this little creature, of not more than two feet in length, 
 is a match for the stoutest bull-dog ! I have myself seen 
 a peccary (a caged one, too) that had killed no less than 
 six dogs bull and mastiff breed all of them considered 
 fighting dogs of first-rate reputation. 
 
 My first introduction to the peccary was of such a re- 
 markable character, that I am not likely to forget the 
 event. It gave me, among the frontier settlers of Texas, 
 the reputation of a " mighty hunter," though how far I 
 deserved that name the reader may judge for himself. 
 
 I was for some weeks the guest of a farmer or " planter," 
 who had lived on Trinity Bottom. We had been out in 
 the "timber" several times, and had killed bear, deer, 
 and turkeys, but had not yet had the luck to fall in with 
 the peccary, although we never went abroad without see- 
 ing their tracks or some other indications of what my 
 friend termed " peccary sign." The truth is that these 
 animals possess the sense of smell in the keenest degree ; 
 and they are usually hidden long before the hunter can 
 see them or come near them. As we had gone without 
 dogs, of course we were not likely to discover which cf 
 the nine hundred and ninty-nine hollow logs passed in a 
 day, was the precise one in which the peccaries had 
 taken shelter. I had grown very curious about these 
 
 28 
 
326 A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 creatures. Bear, I had often hunted deer, I had driven ; 
 and turkeys, I had often both trapped and shot. But I had 
 never yet killed a peccary ; in fact, had never seen one. 
 I was therefore desirous of adding the tusk of these wild 
 boars to my trophies of the chase. 
 
 My desire was gratified as soon as I expected, and to 
 an extent I had never dreamed of ; for in the morning, be- 
 fore tasting my breakfast I caused no less than nineteen 
 of these animals to utter their last squeak ! But I shall 
 give the details of this "feat" as they happened. 
 
 It was in the autumn season the most beautiful season 
 of the forest when the foliage obtains its tints of gold, 
 orange, and purple. I was a-bed in the house of my friend, 
 but was awakened out of my sleep by the gobbling of wild 
 turkeys that sounded close to the house. Although there 
 was not a window in my room, the yellow beams stream- 
 ing in through the chinks of the low wall, told me that it 
 was after " sun-up," as they phrase it in Texas. I arose, 
 drew on my garments and hunting habiliments, took my 
 rifle and stole out. I said nothing to any one, as there 
 was no one white or negro to be seen stirring about 
 the place. I wanted to steal a march upon my friend, 
 and show him how smart I was, by bagging a fat young 
 gobbler for breakfast. 
 
 As soon as I had got round the house, I saw the 
 turkeys a large gang of them. They were out in an old 
 
A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 327 
 
 cornfield, feeding upon such of the seeds as had been 
 dropped in the corn gathering. They were too far off 
 for my gun to reach them, and I entered among the corn- 
 stalks to get near them. I soon perceived that they were 
 feeding towards the woods, and that they were likely to 
 enter them at a certain point. Could I only reach that 
 point before them, reflected I, I should be sure of a fair 
 shot. I had only to go back to the house and keep 
 around the edge of the field, where there happened to be 
 some "cover." In this way I would be sure to head 
 them-^that is, could I but reach the woods in time. 
 
 I lost not a moment in setting out ; and, running most 
 of the way, I reached the desired point. I was now about 
 a half a mile from my friend's house for the cornfield 
 was a very large one such as you may only see in the 
 great plantations of the far western world. I saw that I 
 had headed the turkeys, with some time to spare ; and 
 choosing a convenient log, I sat down to await their com- 
 ing. I placed myself in such a situation that I was 
 completely hidden by the broad green leaves of some paw- 
 paw trees that grew over the log. 
 
 I had not been in the position over a minute, I should 
 think, when a slight rustling among the leaves attracted 
 my attention. I looked and saw, issuing from under the 
 rubbish, the long body of a snake. As yet, I could not 
 see its tail, which was hidden by the grass ; but the form 
 
328 A WILD-HOG HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 of the head and the peculiar chevon-like markings of tho 
 body, convinced me it was the " Banded Rattle-snake" 
 (Crotalus Duressus.) It was slowly gliding out into some 
 open ground, with the intention of crossing to a thicket 
 upon the other side. I had disturbed it from the log, 
 where it had no doubt been sunning itself; and it was now 
 making away from me. 
 
 My first thought was to follow the hideous reptile, and 
 kill it ; but reflecting that if I did so I should expose 
 myself to the view of the turkeys, I concluded to remain 
 where I was, and let it escape. I watched it slowly 
 drawing itself along for this species makes but slow 
 progress until it was near the middle of the glade, when 
 I again turned my attention to the birds, that had now 
 advanced almost within range of my gun. I >was just 
 getting ready to fire, when a strange noise, like the grunt 
 of a small pig, sounded in my ears from the glade, and 
 again caused me to look in that direction. As I did so, 
 my eyes fell upon a curious little animal just emerging 
 from the bushes. Its long, sharp snout its pig-like 
 form the absence of a tail the high rump, and whitish 
 band along the shoulders, were all marks of description 
 which I remembered. The animal could be no other than 
 a peccary. As I gazed upon it with curious eyes, another 
 emerged from the bushes, and then another, and another, 
 until a good-sized drove of them were in sight. 
 
A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 329 
 
 The rattle-snake, on seeing the first one, had laid his 
 head flat upon the ground; and evidently terrified, was 
 endeavoring to conceal himself in the grass. But it was 
 a smooth piece of turf, and he did not succeed. The pec- 
 cary had already espied him ; and upon the instant his 
 hinder parts were raised to their full height, his mane 
 became rigid, and the hair over his whole body stood erect, 
 radiating on all sides outwards. The appearance of the 
 creature was changed in an instant, and I could perceive 
 that the air was becoming impregnated with a disagree- 
 able odour, which the incensed animal emitted from its 
 dorsal gland. Without stopping longer than a moment, 
 he rushed forward, until he stood within three feet of the 
 body of the snake. Bancroft UbMTJ 
 
 The latter, seeing he could no longer conceal himself, 
 threw himself into a coil and stood upon his defence. His 
 eyes glared with a fiery lustre ; the skir-r-r of his rattles 
 could be heard almost incessantly ; while with his upraised 
 head he struck repeatedly in the direction of his enemy. 
 These demonstrations brought the whole drove of pecca- 
 ries to the spot, and in a moment a circle of them had 
 formed around the reptile r that did not know which to 
 strike at, but kept launching with his head recklessly in 
 all directions. The peccaries stood with their backs highly 
 arched and their feet drawn up together, like so many 
 angrf cats, threatening and uttering shrill grunts. Then 
 
 28* 
 
330 A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 one of them, I think the first that had appeared, rose sud- 
 denly into the air, and with his four hoofs held close 
 together, came pounce down upon the coiled body of the 
 snake. Another followed in a similar manner, and 
 another, until I could see the long carcass of the reptile 
 unfolded, and twisting over- the ground. After a short 
 while it lay still, crushed beneath their feet. The whole 
 squad then seized it in their teeth, and tearing it to pieces, 
 devoured it almost instantaneously. 
 
 From the moment these peccaries had appeared in sight 
 I had given up all thoughts about the turkeys. I had re- 
 solved to send my leaden messenger in quite a different 
 direction. Turkeys I could have had at almost any thae ; 
 but it was not every day that the peccaries appeared So 
 I " slewed" myself round upon the log, raised my rifle 
 cautiously, "marked" the biggest "boar" I could sec in 
 the drove, and fired. 
 
 I heard the boar squeak (as so did all of them,) and 
 saw him fall over, either killed or badly wounded. But 
 had little time to tell which, for the smoke had hardly 
 .cleared out of my eyes, when I perceived the whole gang 
 of peccaries, instead of running away, as I had expected, 
 coming full towards me ! 
 
 In a moment I was surrounded by a dark mass of ugly 
 creatures, leaping wildly at my legs, uttering shrill Brunts 
 and making their teeth crack like castanets. 
 
A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 331 
 
 I ran for the highest part of the log, but this proved 
 no security. The peccaries leaped up on it and followed. 
 I struck with the butt of my clubbed gun, and knocked 
 them off ; but again they surrounded me, leaping upward 
 and snapping at my legs until hardly a shred remained of 
 my trousers. I saw that I was in extreme peril, and put 
 forth all my energies. I swept my gun wildly around me ; 
 but where one of the fierce brutes was knocked off another 
 leaped into its place, as determined as he. Still, I had 
 no help, for it I shouted at the top of my voice, all the 
 while battling with desperation. 
 
 I still kept on the highest point of the log, as there 
 they could not all come around me at once ; and I saw 
 that I could there better defend myself. But even with 
 this advantage, the assaults of the animal were so incessant, 
 and my exertions in keeping them off so continuous, that 
 I was in danger of falling into their very jaws from 
 exhaustion. I was growing weak and wearied. I was 
 beginning to despair for my life, when on winding my gun 
 wer my head, in order to give force to my blows, I felt 
 it strike something behind me. It was the branch of a 
 tree, that stretched over the spot where I was standing. 
 A new thought came into my mind. Could I climb the 
 tree I knew that they could -not and then I would be 
 safe. I looked upward ; the branch was within reach. I 
 seized upon it and brought it nearer I drew a long 
 
332 A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 breath, and with all the strength that remained in my 
 body sprang upward. I succeeded in getting upon the 
 limb, and the next moment I had crawled along it, and 
 sat in close by the trunk. I breathed freely I was safe. 
 It was long before I thought of any thing else than rest- 
 ing myself. I remained a full half hour before I moved 
 in my perch. Occasionally I looked down on my late 
 tormentors. I saw that instead of going off, they still re- 
 mained upon the scene. They ran around the root of 
 the tree, leaping up against its trunk, and tearing the 
 bark with their teeth. They kept constantly uttering 
 their shrill, disagreeable grunts ; an odour, resembling 
 the smell of garlick, which they emitted from their dorsal 
 glands, almost stifled me. I saw that they showed no 
 disposition to retire, but, on the contrary, were determined 
 to make me stand a siege. 
 
 Now and then they passed out to where their dead 
 comrade lay upon the grass, but this seemed only to bind 
 their resolution, for they always returned again, grunting 
 as nercely as ever. 
 
 I had hopes that my friend would be up by this time, 
 and would come to my rescue; but it was not likely 
 neither, as he would not "miss" me until I had remained 
 long enough to make my absence seem strange. As it 
 was, that would not be until after night, or perhaps far in 
 the next day. It was no unusual thing for me to wander 
 
A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 383 
 
 off with my gun, and be gone for a period of at least 
 twenty hours. 
 
 I sat for hours on my painful perch now looking down 
 at the spiteful creatures beneath now bending my eyes 
 across the great cornfield, in hopes of seeing some one. 
 At times the idea crossed my mind that even upon the 
 morrow I might not be missed I 
 
 I might perish with hunger with thirst : I was suffer- 
 ing from both at the moment -or even if kept alive, I 
 might become so weak as not to be able to hold on to the 
 tree. My seat was far from being an easy one. The 
 tree was small the branch was slender. It was already 
 cutting into my thighs. I might, in my feebleness, be 
 
 compelled to let it go, and then . These reflections 
 
 were terrible ; and as they came across my mind I shouted 
 to the highest pitch of my voice, hoping it would be heard. 
 
 Up to this time I had not thought of using my gun, 
 although, clinging to it instinctively I had brought it with 
 me into the tree. It now occurred to me to fire it, in 
 hopes that my friend or some one would hear the report. 
 
 I balanced myself on the branch as well as I could, 
 and Icraded it with powder. I was about to fire it off in 
 the air, when it occurred to me that I might as well re- 
 duce the number of my enemies. I therefore rammed down 
 a ball, took aim at the forehead of one, and knocked him 
 kicking over. 
 
334 A WILD HOG-HUNT IN TEXAS. 
 
 Another idea rose in my mind, and that was, that 1 
 might serve the whole gang as I had done this one. His 
 fall had not frightened them in the least ; they only came 
 nearer, throwing up their snouts and uttering their shrill 
 notes ; thus giving me a better chance of hitting them. 
 
 I repeated the loading and firing. Another enemy the 
 less. Hope began to return. I counted my bullets, and 
 held my horn up to the sun. There were over twenty 
 bullets, and powder sufficient. I counted the peccaries. 
 Sixteen still lived, with three that I had done for. I again 
 loaded and fired loaded and fired loaded and fired. I 
 aimed so carefully each time, that out of all I missed only 
 one shot. When the firing had ceased, I dropped down 
 from my perch in the midst of a scene that resembled a 
 great slaughter-yard. Nineteen of the creatures lay dead 
 around the tree, and the ground was saturated with their 
 blood. 
 
 The voice of my friend at this moment sounded in my 
 ears, and turning, I beheld him standing, with hands 
 uplifted and eyes like a pair of saucers. He was perfectly 
 astounded. 
 
HUNTING THE BLACK-TAILED DEER. 
 
 THE following is Mr. Palliser's account of the pursuit 
 of a black-tailed deer, with a description of that interest- 
 ing animal. 
 
 At a distance my companion perceived three black- 
 tailed deer on the higher hills overhanging the river. He 
 started in pursuit, while I remained to take care of the 
 dogs, that they should not interfere with him and spoil 
 his stalk. I had an excellent view then of both the 
 hunter and his game, which he approached with great 
 skill ; and at last he got a shot, on which the animals 
 rushed off, but one hobbled in the rear ; the bullet had 
 broken his leg. A most exciting race then commenced 
 between the Indian and his broken-legged deer, up and 
 down hill over the frozen snow, my companion evincing 
 the most astonishing powers of endurance in his perse- 
 vering pursuit, gradually regaining the ground he had lost 
 in loading as he ran; till, far in the distance I saw a puff 
 of smoke, and before the faint report of his long gun 
 
 (335) 
 
336 HUNTING THE BLACK-TAILED DEER. 
 
 reached my ear, I had the satisfaction of descrying the 
 deer stretched in the snow. 
 
 I fastened one dog behind the sledge of the other, 
 which I led hy a string tied round his neck, and in this 
 way ran along the river, keeping in sight of my compan- 
 ion, and joined him shortly after the fall of the black-tailed 
 deer. 
 
 These are a peculiar species found only in these 
 regions, differing from the Virginian breed in the horns, 
 which are longer and curve more upwards ; their meat, 
 however, is not nearly so good, nor are they so difficult 
 to approach. A black ring round the tail forms a striking 
 characteristic, as also their very large ears ; the hair of 
 the animal's coat is long and very handsomely colored ; 
 in size they exceed the Virginian, and equal the Scotch. 
 
 This deer I do not think has ever graced any of the 
 private or public zoological collections in the country. It 
 is, however, a beautiful animal, and its skin makes the 
 best and most serviceable light leather. 
 
 THE END.