me, and I lay down to rest, so exhausted was I, from watching and excitement, that I could not stand.  I knew I did not dare to sleep, for it was very cold, and a stupor would come upon me.  All that day and night, and the next day, I lay in the drift, for I knew the Indians were watching it.

“On the second night, as soon as it was dark, I crawled out, and worked my way to the foot of the ravine.  At first I was so stiff and numb I could hardly move hand or foot, but as I crawled along, the blood began to warm up, and soon I was able to walk.  I crept cautiously along the bluffs until I had cleared the ravine, and then, striking out on the open prairie, steered to the northward.  Fortunately, the first day out I shot an antelope and got some raw meat, which kept me from starving.  In two days and a half I reached the camp, nearly dead from fatigue and hunger, and was thoroughly glad to be at home in my tent once more, with a whole scalp on my head.”

        We had not found an Indian village, and none of us got the
        five hundred dollars, but we all had a glorious adventure, and
        that to a frontiersman is better than money.

While we lay in camp on Medicine Creek, Colonel Brown sent for me, and ordered me to look up and map the country.  I was detached as a topographical engineer, and this order relieved me from all company duty, and enabled me to go wherever I pleased, which was not a little gratifying to one so fond of rambling about.

Packing my traps on my pony one day, I set out down the Medicine ahead of the command, intending to hunt wild turkeys until near night, and then rejoin the command before it went into camp.  The creek bottom was alive with turkeys, the cold weather having driven them to take shelter among the bushes that lined the creek.  I had not gone far when a dense fog arose, shutting out all objects, even at the distance of a few feet.  It was a bad day for hunting, but presently as I rode along I heard a turkey gobble close by, and, dismounting, I crept among the bushes and peered into the fog as well as I could.  I saw several dark objects, and drawing up my double-barrelled shot-gun fired at them.  Hardly had the noise of the explosion died away, when I heard a great flopping in the bushes, and on going up to it found a large turkey making his last kicks.  I picked him up and was about to turn away, when I saw another fine old gobbler desperately wounded, but trying to crawl off.  I ran after him, but he hopped along so fast I was obliged to give him the contents of my other barrel to keep him from getting away into the thick brush.

I had now two fine turkeys, and, as the day was bad, determined to go no further, but ascend the bluffs and wait for the command.  I went out on the prairie, and made a diligent search for the old trail, but, as it was covered with some seven inches of snow, I could not find