Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-23
OF THE EVENING STAR.

THE CHARMS OF A LIFE ON HORSEBACK.
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
SOUTHEAsTERN MONTANA, Oct 8.
In the winter OF "a suffered a severe attack
OF pneumonia and was advised by my physi-
clan to leave the coast and go west II wished
TO escape permanent lung trouble. / had been
out TO the terminus of the Northern Pacific
road, when II was complete only some 200
miles beyond Miles City. seen something OF
ranch LIE and been strongly impressed with
the idea that there is money to be made in cat
tie. So when this advice was given me / was
nothing 10th to sever my connection with
law firm in New York and set out, with lew
hundreds In my pocket for the Montana
ranges, to become cowboy and millionaire.
l am yet cowboy. The first struggle is
over and success IS assured, but the frs. years
experiences were rigorous enough to crush
many a tender DOT aud dissipae his dreams vi
becoming cattle king. l have recently sold
and moved into southeastern Montana, but as
1t was on this ranch thai passed "a winter full
OF incident l will write you something OF my
life there.
"hltched up' with a cowboy out OF a job,
and with spring wagon full oi supplies anu a
small bunch OF bones set out to prospect Tor
miles from Miles City, the principal cOw-town
OF Custer county ami finally pitched upon
good location upon Otter creek.
MONTANA DUG-oUT.
The house that we hastily put up here, until
we could build our permanent cabins, was u
sort OF q dug-out. First we dug down into the
ground about five feet, and then on the sides
and back placed two logs; this gave height OF
about seven Ieet AT the caves aud nine to the
rugepOe. The dimensions inside we're Jour
teen by sixteen feet. The front was made en-
tirely OF logs, anu in 1t we had two windows
twenty-five by twenty-four inches each. r u
rool we placed poles eacn side Of the ridgepole,
ana then covered them with hay aud dirt.
When finished We mad dirt roof, dirt walls,
dirt floor, and lived IN and almost ate dirt. In
Tile rear oI the ca TIA We had il fire pace, which
was our only heating appardtu, and ON IL we
ala all OF our cooking, w.tu utensils which con-
sisted Of IL coffee pot, frying pan. iron pot and
dad all our baking. Our bill .are Was not
iiAely to induce dyspepsia. II had IL surprising
sdmeness and was made up OF bread, coffee,
bacon and beans, with little rice Tor d Change,
but plenty of deer meat helped Us out alnaz-
ingly.
A "CATAMoUNT."
For bed we rougn-hewed some logs for head
and side-pieces and for stats used small cotton
wood poles. Three OF Us slept on this and even
Jour passed u comfortable night on 1t OCCASION.
ally. This style vi bedroom furniture is called
"catamouut' out here. The winter, up to the
last vi January, Was mid and pleasant more
ike succession OF mild Indian summer DAVIS
than the clustering weather / expected. But
alter this 1t Was severe enough, showing nearly
every day. with the thermometer ranging from
oo0 to 4oo oelow Zero. ABOUT tnis lime my
partner went To town, and when he attempted
To return he could not cross the divide, SO deep
Was the snow. For three weekS / was alone
ana did not see a soul. Poets may rhapsodiZe
ABOUT the pleasures oi solitude, but want no
more OF ii III my lot. Stil the time Was not ia.
toei aDle, as was occupied trailing deer and
attempting to trap some beaver on the creek.
MY partner could Not return until d "cninOok"
wind Came and reduced the snow. THIS cni-
NOOK Is something peculiar 10 the country, ana
blowing a> often as IL does, has quite u mOdi-
lying inhuence upon the winters. IL is baimy
zephyr waited from tue Pacific ocean, and PEN
etia.ins Tie gaps and passes OF the Rocky
mountalns, converts win.cr cold iutO summer
warmth SO suddenly that sometimes :ouL OF
snow VIII evapUraLe under its Influence in the
course ot u slugle day.
PLEASANT NEIGHBoRS.
Our nearest neighbors outer creek were
band OF Cheyennes, about 400 in ALL bucks,
squaws aud papooses. They are part OF the
band That broke out in the Indian Territory in
- and committed tuose ter,lbie massacres III
kansitS anu Nebraska on their Way up here,
Inc bucks. some vi wuOin took part III the Gus
Ter ugni, are Lazy, sililIle>s and th!evish. Tney
are perfect nuisance, roaming tue Ranges uiiy
arleu scattering cattle aud STAIN peuiug uOrses.
We were midway between two great reserva-
tlohs-tne sioux, In Danota, and the Crows, on
the BIZ Horn. lnese Two tribes nave been ie-
long enemies, but in December they exchanged
visits ald presents. Tue Sioux cam ped III front
Vi our cauin Oh their way back, and nad with
them lot OF horses aud PRESENTS from the
Grows, who are veiy ricn III horses, owning
SOME q, 900 head.
Tnere Is a great difference between the Crow
ana Sioux languages. Nei,her tribe eau under
stand the otner; uut all the Iuuians nave u sign
lang uage, Very expressive and universally un-
uerstood. IL Is quite Interesting to watch them
communicating ideas more rapidly in TINS way
than We eau ~ worus. AS All example, the Sign
Ior sioux Is IL draw the maud across tie throat:
for the crows, 10 put lie fingers of hand
astride the oLner aud imita.e tue motion of u
rlder Oh horseback. The - oux are proud w he
known AS cut Lnroats and tue Crows horse
thieves.
INDIAN VENGEANCE.
Some time band nndor
Black W oil burned the corrais and buildings OF
u nelghbor, about forty miles from US. The
probable Cause VI the act was That reckless
co"boy on the rancn shot at Cheyenne, Oh u
bet tiiat ne cuulu FALSE uis naL aud mol touch
the scalp. He succeeded in RAISING the hat and
also a ull OF scalp with IL. Tue Indians re-
tdiiated by burning Tie buildings and corrals
ana destroying WHAT tney coulL not Ourn. IL
WIS naru loss for TIE owner, for the houses
We're the nlesl about here, and We're fitIed I'D
wiln many OF tue coin ior TO and cOnvenIences oi
civilizations. 1t Ia hardly year since he Drought
out - a 'udsoue anu accom- i,ii,utd biIue irOm
West Virginia She, with her husband, WIS
iof.uA-le.J ~ Mlics Cay d. I'm. Lue AT
LACK lVisited them once at tile ranch and
had a must enIoyauie Week Ol 1t. Tue young
BRIDE mad u line Old guitar winch sue knew
how " touch eXquIsi.e.y- sa ug sweet.y 10
hrr own accoillp.tuIiuedLs Ou Tue iJstru,iieuL,
Wnicii unfortunately tue Iadi..ns destroyed.
Lne nowi vi the MOUNTAIN Al aud the Wnliuper
Vi LAe coyote, Wan ~ her rancn.
The lie we lead is a most active one. full of
Change and excitement; thirty TO sixty miles
every dav in tie saddle, constantly in the open
air, with picturesque scenery All about and "A
iresn morse under you. IL Is grand. On a ranch
each man mas 4, certain numuer vi horses vary
lug from four 10 eiSnt, WHICH alone rides and
ha..ules. Al present have five uor,es and no.
body else Oh the rai,ch allowed 10 r,ue tneIn,
expect, sometimes, thai stII be killed or in-
jureu by one OF these daninaDie BUCK ing bron-
c.ios. w uen We came 10 lns raucn after cling
cut Dne Outer creeX range, We eacn selected TIE
horses from the uuncu tu.iL we would RIDE and
Us luck would nave II, urew in my lot the
horse, IL magnificent s;fluie animal thai viii
lake lie SeVenty-nve miles u day without turn.
ing u hair.
BUCKING BRONCHo
AS most OF your readers have never ridden
and some never seen buckiny horse, will try
and describe my SENSATIONS when tor the first
time seated upon u pitching horse, The
horse > luea u ~ throw you, and the ingenuity
he exercises IN attempting luis Is Simply fieud-
ish. He bows his oack, ..nu hrst his trout legs
are in Lue AIR ami come UOWn ike u tnunuer.
he pitches sideways and then gives u lean
straIg ht ahead n.teen or twenty feet, All tni,
IL uoie AS quick As thought. lie exact modus
operandi vi the broncno Is difficult To descriue.
but perhaps yon get the idea from This TO Ia
July appreciated II must be tried. As Lhe cnx
ala the pudding.
have stayed ON this buckskin until the
blood started from my nose aud ears
started Oft very gently and threw me COM
pietely OH my guard. The nrSt pitch before 1
cou.d seize The bucksLfap, threw Lne Into the
air, and uOWn caiue on horn OF The saddle
~ tooA all tue courage outth ine, aud the secoud
pitcn sent me over uis head, and away ue went
Every one nere rides "A bllf.x Is ran