



Produced by Mark C. Orton, Martin Pettit and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
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SADDLE AND MOCASSIN

BY

FRANCIS FRANCIS, JUN.

AUTHOR OF

"IN A LONDON SUBURB," "WAR, WAVES, AND WANDERINGS."

LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL,

LIMITED.

1887.

[_All rights reserved._]


CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS,

CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.


AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED

TO THE MEMORY OF

THE LATE FRANCIS FRANCIS

(AUTHOR OF "A BOOK ON ANGLING," ETC., ETC., ETC.),

AN OLD-FASHIONED SPORTSMAN

"SANS PEUR ET SANS REPROCHE."




PREFACE.


The following sketches were made at different times and during various
cruises in the States. The earlier ones are fairly close records of the
scenes and incidents which they profess to describe. My movements in the
country referred to in the two latter were, however, too desultory to
admit of similar treatment; in some cases I traversed the same ground
two or three times, and remained for weeks without gleaning anything
that would be of interest to the ordinary reader. In the trips detailed
in this part of the book, therefore, I have occasionally introduced
characters and materials that do not strictly belong in the situations
assigned to them. In fact, my object has been rather to present two
characteristic studies of local colour than bare records of the travels
that afford a pretext for them.




CONTENTS.


CHAPTER I.
                                       PAGE
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.--I.                 1


CHAPTER II.

THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.--II.               23


CHAPTER III.

QUAIL SHOOTING IN THE SIERRAS            41


CHAPTER IV.

A GLIMPSE OF SONORA                      60


CHAPTER V.

THE WINCHESTER WATER MEADS               87


CHAPTER VI.

ON PEND D'OREILLE LAKE                  100


CHAPTER VII.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--I.                      120


CHAPTER VIII.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--II.                     135


CHAPTER IX.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--III.                    154


CHAPTER X.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--IV.                     175


CHAPTER XI.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--V.                      193


CHAPTER XII.

ANIMAS VALLEY.--VI.                     215


CHAPTER XIII.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--I.        235


CHAPTER XIV.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--II.       256


CHAPTER XV.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--III.      268


CHAPTER XVI.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--IV.       277


CHAPTER XVII.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--V.        285


CHAPTER XVIII.

A CRUISE IN NORTHERN MEXICO.--VI.       301




SADDLE AND MOCASSIN.




CHAPTER I.

THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.[1]--I.


"Wal, sir, I tell you that that thar Yellowstone Park and them geysers
is jest indescribable--that's what they are, sure!" said all the
packers, teamsters, and prospectors whom we consulted on the subject.

A greater measure of truth characterised this statement than is usually
contained in eulogistic reports of scenery.

We were advised at Ogden that pack trains or waggons could be hired at
various points on the "Utah Northern" branch of the Union Pacific
Railway; in order to economise time, therefore, my companion preceded me
to contract for transport, whilst I remained behind to conclude
arrangements in connection with the commissariat department. These
completed, I followed him. He met me at Dillon with a history of woe. No
"outfits" were to be obtained elsewhere at so short a notice, and here
the demands for them were exorbitant. No regard was taken of current
rates; the teamsters seemed inclined to regard us as legitimate spoil. I
ventured to expostulate with one man:

"What you ask would pay you in three weeks more than your 'outfit'
cost."

"Oh, horses is dear in this country!" he remarked irrelevantly.

"Quite so; but we don't want to _buy_ any."

"Wal, it ain't much for them as has the means and wants to 'go in.'"

I am afraid that, to use a miner's expression, we did not "pan out" as
well as was anticipated. A little diplomacy eventually secured us the
services of a Mormon freighter named Andrews, his boy, a waggon, and
twelve mules and horses, upon reasonable terms. We engaged a cook