The adventures of Big-Foot Wallace, the Texas ranger and hunter Page: 33 of 323

                                
CHAPTER VI.
The Palo Pinto at Last-The Camp in the Valley-Wallace's
Last Look at the Camp-The Indians-A Tight RaceWallace
Kills His First Indian.
#fO>CTOBER 23d.-We traveled, I suppose, fifteen
or sixteen miles to-day, over a better and
more open country, and about noon struck a
branch of the Palo Pinto Creek, on which we intended
to begin our work of locating and surveying land.
We passed, on the way, several large Indian camps,
but they were all old. In crossing a little sluggish
stream of water to-day, one of our pack animals
"bogged" down, and it took us a half hour's hard
work to get him out again on firm ground.
Where we struck the south prong of the Palo Pinto
we found a little valley, surrounded on all sides by
high, rocky hills, in the southern extremity of which
we determined to build a permanent camp, as a sort
of base from which to carry on our work. Game was
abundant in the vicinity, and the large pools along the
creek were literally swarming with fish. We selected
a position for our camp in a bend of the creek, the
only entrance to which was by a narrow neck that
could easily be guarded and defended against the approach
of an enemy. Approach at all other points was
almost impossible, on account of the high and perpendicular
banks of the creek.
In the evening we hobbled our horses and all hands
went to work to build a camp that would afford us
some protection in bad weather. By sundown we had