The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-17

III NilNlli, tdllliS Tie SuCN tllcuI uldGSD
plants. Most of the plains rivers flow
through sandy or muddy beds with no
vegetable growth. and to these. OF
course, the deer merely come down to
drink or refresh themselves by bath
ing, as they contain nothing 10 eat.
At times the Whitehall will lie Sc
close that 1t may almost be trodden ON
One June morning | was riding down
along the river, and came to q long
bottom. crowded with rose-bushes, all
In bloom. 1t was crossed in every di-
rection by cattle paths, and a drove OF
lOng-hOrued Texans were scattered
over it. A cOw-pony gets accustomed
to travelling at speed along the cattli
trails, and the one bestrode threaded
its way among the twisted narrow
paths with perfect ease. Looping rapidly
onward through a sea of low rose,
bushes. covered with the sweet, pink
flowers. They gave a bright color u
the whole plain, while the air was
filed with the rich. full songs of the
yellOw-breasted meadow larks, as they
perched on the topmost sprays of the
little trees. Suddenly a Whitehall doe
sprang up almost from under the
horses feet, and scudded off with her
white flag Haunting. There was no
reason for harming her and she made
pretty picture as she bounded lightly
off among the rose-red flowers, pass
ing without heed through the ranks of
the long-horned and strengthening
steers
Doubtless she had little spotted
fawn not far away. These wee fell
lows soon after birth grow very cum
ming and able to take care of them
selves. keeping in the densest part OF
the brush, through which they run and
dodge like rabbit. If taken young
they grow very tame and are most
dainty pets. One which we had round
the house answered well to its name
1t was at first fed with milk, which
it Tapped eagerly from a saucer, shar-
ing the meal with the two cats, who
rather resented its presence and cuff
ed it heartily when they thought It
was greedy and was taking more than
its share. AS it grew older it would
eat bread or potatoes from our hands
and was perfectly fearless. At night
it was let 90 or put in the cow-shed
whichever was handiest, but it was
generally round in time for breakfast
next morning. A blue ribbon with a
bell attached was hung round its neck.
so as to prevent its being shot; but
in hn oh bn 20 oil
pets. for one night it went off and
never came back again.
Only once have ever killed a white
tail buck while hunting on horseback;
and at that time | had been expecting
to fall in with black-tail
This was while we had been making
wagon trip to the westward follow
ing the old KeOgh trail, which was
made by the heavy army wagons that
journeyed to Fort Keogh in the old
days when the soldiers were, except
few daring trappers, the only white
men to be seen on the last great hunt
aground of the Indians. 1t was
abandoned as a military route several
years ago, and is now only rarely
travelled over. either by the canvas
topped ranch-wagon of some wander
ing cattle-men-like ourSelves-or else
by small party of emigrants in two
or Inree prairie schooners which con
tain all their household goods Never
theless, 1t is still as plain and distinct
as ever The two deep parallel ruts,
cut into the sod by the wheels Of the
heavy wagon, stretch for scores of
miles In a straight line across the
level prairie. and take great turns and
doublngs to avoid the impassable por
tons of the Bad Lands The track is
always perfectly plain. for in the dry
climate of the western plains the ac
ton Of the weather tends to preserve
rather than to obliterate it; where it
leads downhill. the snow water has
cut and widened the ruts into deep
gullies. so that a wagon has at those
places to travel alongside the road.
From any little rising in the prairie
the road can be seen a long way off,
as a dark line, which. when near, re-
solves itself into two sharply defined
parallel cuts.
On the trip in question we had at
first very bad weather. Leaving the
ranch In the morning. two of us. who
were mounted. pushed on ahead to
hunt the wagon following slowly. with
a couple of spare saddle ponies leading
behind 1t. Early in the afternoon while
riding over the crest OF great divide,
which separates the drainage basins
of two important creeks. we saw that
q tremendous storm was brewing with
that marvellous rapidity which is So
marked characteristic OF weather
changes on the plains.
We spurred hard to get out OF the
open. riding with loose reins for the
creek. The center OF the storm swept
by behind us, fairly across our track.
and we only got a wipe from the tail
Of It. Yet this itself we could not have
faced in the open. The first gust caught
us few hundred yards from the creek.
almost taking us from the saddle. and
driving the rain and hail ia singing
level sheets against us. We galloped
to the edge of deep wash-out scram.
bled into It at the risk of our necks.
and huddled up with our horses under.