The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-05-03
FROM BENTON TO UBET.
An Unpleasant JOurney--SnOW and
Kain-samping O~ut-StOpPins
Places ON the Road.

drove out as far as Malcolm Morrow, Jr's,
on The Shonkin, one afternoon, in order to
get a good start the next morning, and also
to break in .Razorblade' as the RIVER PRESS
dubbed the elegant steed with which | began
nv pilgrimage. But / found to my sorrow
that "Razorblade' did not require any break
ing in. In fact he was so we'll broke in to
come things that it was impo. slble to break
him out of them.
I arrived at Mr.. Morrow's in good season,
and was made most welcome by Mr.. and
Mrs. M. Here | met Mr.. Rolfe, of our city,
who was surveying a ditch on the ranch for
irrigating purposes, and who made two-in-a-
bed with me that night. Mr.. Morrow has a
nice ranch, and. like most of the Shonkin
ranchmen, is getting things comfortable
around him. | was most Hospitality taken
care of at this place and given a good send
off in the morning with a filled out stub in
my receipt book to show that Mr.. M. thought
the RIVER PRESS and Chicago News were
well worth taking and paying for in advance.
In the morning the wind was blowing
pretty strongly and the skies looked ominous,
but I trusted that I would be able to make
w. G. Carothers' place, on Arrow Creek,
without more than a little blow. Arriving
at the Lakes about IL o'clock, l found Tom
HARDWOOD had pitched his tent with the in
tention of taking up a ranch and erecting a
station there, a scheme that can be made to
pay. There are -four or five good sized lakes
here, which never dry up, and between them
and around their borders a very large quaint
ty of good hay can be cut every enmmer,
while the soil is rich and will grow any kind
Of a crop without irrigation. They are ff-
teen miles from Benton by the lower road
twenty-five the way I came, just near enough
for a nice drive in season and a good days
sport rs the lakes swarm with wild geese,
ducks and brant. Is there WAS no water for
many miles further on | thought it best to un-
hitch and feed the steed with the famous
pedigree, and while he was discussing his
Oats | passed the time in the tent with Tom
and bis two boys bright little fellows and
the youngest q regular kitten for mischief.
Tom freely shared his dinner with me, and
while it was in progress a blizz srd, ''dead in
the face" the way | was going, came up.
Thinking It would soon subside, and having
plenty of time to make Arrow Greek, |
deferred starting for a time, and it was lucky
for me that | did SO, as instead of abatIng
it rapidly grew worse. About an hour after
the storm commenced two freight teams
pulled dow the hill before the storm. turned
out and set their tent. A visit found Jack
parnell and Peter LABEL, f~irst-rate fellows,
both of them. AS the hours passed and the
storm if anything grew worse, the question
of Arrow Creek that night was dismissed,
and SO Raz ,rbiade was hobbled and turned
loose, the robes and other things taken in, a
wagon sheet spread over the buggy to keep
off the SNOW, and / accepted the invitation
to cauae FOR the night with the freighters. In
the morning it was still showing and blowing
at a fearful rate, and the party prepared to
spend the day on the ground. Wood was
scarce, provisions running low, and so a com
bination mess was effected by moving the
sheet-iron stove to the big tent, and the whole
party sat around it, spun yarns and inhaled
fragrance from the dried buffalo meat which
slowly boiled through the day. Should any
of our readers like a recipe for cooking dried
buffalo, here it is: Boil for about eight hours
or long enough to make it tender and take
the stIndian smell away from it; then let the
water boil down a little to give it strength
put in several slices Of bacon, some peeled
potatoes; when the potatoes are about done
put dumplings on top of all and let them
mash the potatoes. bacon and buffalo all up
together in the soup season to taste, and If
you don't think it is the best thing you ever
eat we will miss our guess.
1t is not necessary here to tell about our
stay in camp or the trips around the lakes in
search Of wood-even pulling old picket-pins
and burning up the spokes of a broken wheel
in Pete's lead wagon. Neither will we des-
cribe now the dampness stole up from the
wet ground during the night and made US
think of the White sulphur Springs. which
are guaranteed 4 sure cure for rheumatism.
To cut a long story short, we were forced to
lay there three days before the storm broke.
On the morning Of the fourth day the sun
shone out and everybody hooked up. / babe
my companions goodbye with feelings Of
gratitude for their kindness to the wayfarer
who had been made SO welcome to every
thing they could provide, and rolled on to