New-York tribune., 1886-05-28
LIFE OUT OF DOORS.
FAMILY CAMPING PARTY.


o. Judd company.
cepcra, Wingate has combined III this lively rec
ord of a summer holiday pleasant narrative VI
adventure and q useful guide book Inc s'sn'-
sceing tourist will find in it the inform'''on Nv
needs about routes, distances. expenses o''"'
modes Of conveyance accommodations "ol'o'' -.
worth looking at and various practical arec'o",
for the excursion; while others will I've ch'cr''
by story of ideal gypsyinG. told Win ~0'' ".
simplcity Instead of committing themselves W
The stages and hotels General Wlngate ana MS
portv started from Bozeman with sau"'e-"'iSO,
bogc,ce-wagon aud tents, camping ""oio NV
pleased hunting outsde the PARK h'"i's n@'
making merry over hard ships and enjoying dlScom-
fort and in twenty six days riding over Tour nun
drcd and sixty miles. They included the NeHoi'''
wife and daughter three guides, aud during
mart of the trip an army officer ana MS WIG NUN
Fort Ellis. When they returned to Bozeman they
were as brown as Indians, aud so changed 'ha'
the pcopIe of the hotel did not recognize Them
"Not one of us had experienced a sick day., says
the author land we were all stronger ana III pc'-
fer health than we had ever been BEFORE INC
ladies seem to have enjoyed the experience qui'e
as much as the men; they were exposed To no
spcclal dangers or Inconvenience; thcy were
treated with great civility by all who met theln'
and proved what is well known by the veteran
tramper that as an amateur vagaDOnd' Woinsh Is
quite the equal OF the harder SEX WIN a li'.Ie
preliminary courage a sensible gown, a hat anu
pair of trousers, she is 'it for any rough EXCURSION
within the capacity OF the average man.
Who that has tasted the delight OF true
compiur-not the luxurious bric-a-brac camping OF
fashionable Wilderness watering places, but the
free roaming life among the mountains the
nights under the open sky, the breath OF dawh' 'hc
stir OF SUNRISE the merry morning meal Favored
with odors of the fresh woods. the bus'e oi PACK
ing and mounting, the long days rdc, the huht
and the evening fire-who that las ever tasted
these pleasures can read of the journey OF our wise
travellers through the Yellowstone Park without
longing to he off again and tune Ills
mcIry note under the greenwood tree,
to lie in the sun,
Seeking he foOd he eats,
Aud plcas'd with what he gctsI
General Wiugate has very properly enlvened his
story with many details of small adventure ana
daily domestic economy. These are just the par
ticnlars which attract the reader of such uncon-
ventlonal excursions. but they are matters which
most historians of a camping journey think 1t not
worth while to record. The routine Of pitching and
breaking camp was settled and the
work was done very rapidly. Having decided
npon the locality in advance from the guides
general know ledge Of the places where good water
and grass were 10 be found, one of the men would
Iide ahead and pick out spo for the night : rest
As the party rode up they dismounted, and the
ladies' seeking the nearest shade threw themselves
fat Oh their backs, having learned that this was
the trne way to rest The horses were unsadded
and picl eted in the best grass. The wagon was
unioaded and in few moments the cook had his
Dutch oven III blazing fire and was mixing his
bread The tent was then pitched facing the east
to catch the warm morning sun, and the bedding
spload upon the ground: after which the
ladies We're at liberty to make their TOILETS
while the cook, having by this time baked The
bread was applying the Dntch oven to the prepara-
tion of the lest of the dinner. The meals con-
sisted of bread, game or fish when We had 1T tand
we generally had one or the other, bacon, canned
corncl beef or tongue baked beans, with sardines,
pickles and potatoes; aud for dessert canned
peaches or stewed apples and pruncs. We always
had delicious coffee free from all grounds, which we
made by grinding the berry very fine, putting 1t
into an unbleached muslin bag, and pouring boil
ing wa,er through it," After dinner the ladies
rested IN a hammock, or me1ded the clothes torn
during the dav. or chdtted or read, while General
Wmgate went trout fishing 1t was light enough
10 fish or TO read until O'Clock even later. The
nights were cold, but the party had plenty OF cloth
ing There was nothing to disturb their repose,
EXCEPT sometimes the fear of horse-heves, and III
general an anxiety lest the animals should wander
away. In the morning every one was up betlmes;
an early start was made while the sun was still
low and the air exhilarating; and our adventures
rode on, sometimes by mountain brooks. sometimes
through broad of wild flowers sometimes
through alkal dust or across parched plains, until
noon brought an hour of repose and a well-earued
lunch We might fill a column with descriptions
of tie wonders of the route the Mammoth Hot
Sryinaa. the Falls the Great Gcysers, the Canons
bat interesting these are the greatest tascina-
ton of the book t. IS i'll Its simple narrative of
the idvlic raInbe. As for the grandeur Of the
Grear Canon there are few finer tributes to it than
that which General WInglte quotes from the lips
OF a soldier. "W hen | first saw the Canon" sad
Ihs gallant fellow Il just sat still for a straight
hour and looked at IT without saying word. And"
after a pause il was dinner time too"
Our travellers met some picturesque characters
on their way, among others fine and cheerful
desperate named Jack CO'e, friend of their chief
guide They had been looking for Jack Cole for
several DAYS to ask him about game when they en-
countercd him in his wagon. Fisher the guide,
ran up to speak with him and was instantly con-
frontcd by revolver, but fortunately he
rccognzcl in good time and satisfactory inter
view followed. General WIngate asked afterward
why Jack WIS so quick with his plsto
"Wcll. you see" said Fisher, "a man like that
never knows At what time somo friend of some of
the fellows he has shot NAV 90 for him and he
wants TO get the first snct lhcn besides. lie may
have had come lutte difficulty with the law and
don't care Ia be arrested. | guess he thought was
sheriff. 1t was funny to see HIM reach for his
pistol. wasn't 1t p"
TIE last we hear of Jack Cole he has just learned
that a hotel winch him something for game
and fish has suspended payment Jack htched up
his team without moments delay and started for
thcscene of bankruptcy. with the assurance that he
twas either going collect that bill, to run that
hotel until be got his money back" One day at a
narrow pass our friends halted by meeting
another wagon carrying a family which belonged
to the class sometimes called professional emil
grants" While the men were busy getting the
wagons by each other,the women talked. The emf
grants, consisting of husband. wife and three small
children had come from Wglla Walla 900 mes