Adopting your wise and deserved suggestion, I have at last written my long delayed letter to Mr. Ford, and among other things told him I would send him per express the skins of two young elk that I killed, to have them tanned, and a pair of shoes made for each of us. So, you see, I did as I generally do, obeyed my "other half," who nine times out of ten is right, and generally the tenth time, too.
During a halt of two days, just before we started for home, I wrote a long Galaxy article, and shall mail it with this. Not only did I do that instead of resting, because of the appeals of the magazine editors, but it behooved me to get off my contributions with some regularity; for if I stop now, those who attribute them to you would say all the more it was because you were not along to do the work for me. If people only knew the amusement they have afforded us by laying the responsibility of these articles on your shoulders.
I must not forget to tell you that during the expedition I killed with my rifle and brought into camp forty-one antelope, four buffalo, four elk, seven deer (four of them black-tails), two white wolves, and one red fox.
Geese, ducks, prairie-chickens, and sage-hens without number completed my summer's record.
No one assisted me in killing the antelope, deer, or elk, except one of the latter.
One porcupine and a wildcat I brought in alive. Both of these amiable creatures I intend to send to Central Park. . . .
LETTERS FROM THE BLACK HILLS, 1874.
The following Extracts are taken from Letters sent from the Expedition to the Black Hills, referred to in Chapter XX.
Thirteen Miles from Fort Lincoln, July 3, 1874.
. . . Yesterday was a hard day on the trains. The recent rains had so softened the ground that the heavily-loaded wagons sunk to the hubs, and instead of getting in camp by noon as we expected, one battalion did not get in until after dark. But we had a good
even after apologies were offered, especially as they were not offered in the presence of others.
