We only had a few minutes to wait.  When we reached the timber, the Buffalos were opposite us.  They were within thirty feet of us.  We both fired and two Buffaloes fell.  Now it was a race to see who could load first.  I was the quickest and got the next one.  They were now on the stampede, and it was a sight to see the number that was passing us.  I got three of them with my rifle and one with my pistol.  My companion shot three with his rifle.  The one I shot with my pistol I don’t think was over ten feet from me when she fell.  She was the nicest little two-year-old heifer I had ever killed, and her meat was almost as tender as chicken.  We went to work dressing them and had them pretty well underway when the train arrived.

Barrel Springs was one of the prettiest places for a camping ground I ever saw.  It was in a small, open prairie, surrounded by scattering timber, a stream of cool and pure sparkling water running through the center, and the grass was almost to the horses’ knees.

As soon as Jim had corralled the train, he rode to where we were at work and said, “Boys, I’ll be gol durned if this ain’t one of the times, you done two good jobs at once.”

I said, “How is that, Jim?”

He answered, “In the first place you provided meat for our supper, and in the next, you drove the Buffalos off so we have plenty of grass for the stock for their supper.”

By this time nearly all the women were standing around us.  This was the first Buffalo they had ever seen and they were a great curiosity to them.  With the rest was a middle-aged lady, and with her she had two daughters nearly grown.  The mother stood near me watching me work.

She said, “Mr. Drannan, may I have a piece of that yearling’s hind quarter?  I will tell you what I want to do with it; my girls and I have picked a lot of wild onions today, and I want to make a stew, and we want you and Mr. Bridger to come to our tent and eat supper.”

I assured her she could have all the meat she wanted from my little heifer.  One of the girls ran to their wagon to get an ax and her father to come and chop it off for them.  By this time the men had about finished dressing the Buffalo, and every body helped themselves to what part they wanted.  There was plenty for all, and some of the rough part left over.  It did not seem long to me when one of the girls came to Jim and me and told us that her mother had sent for us to come and take supper with them, and I think that was one of the times we did justice to a meal, for a stew with onions was a rare dish for us woodsmen, and a woman to cook it was a still more rare occasion.  As soon as we had finished eating, Jim stood up and in a loud voice said, “Ladies, how many of you can dance?”

I think there were as many as twenty-five answered, “I can dance.”

Jim said, “All right, get ready, and after dark we will have lots of music.”

One of the men asked, “Where are you going to get your music?”