Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-08-14

!: !. !. J. J. J. !. I: I: !. !. I 7. !. 7. ! |.
ENN the wide plains where
the prong buck dwells
the hunter must some
times face thirst. as well
KIlIJIINN as fire and frost. The
EQHXX1I only time | ever really
suffered from thirst was
while hunting proDg-buck.
1t was late in the summer. l was
with the ranch wagon on the way to
Join n roundup, and as we were out
Of meat | started for n days hunt.
After two or three hours ride, up
winding coulies, and through the
scorched desolatlon Of patches OF Bad
Lands, | reached the rolling prairie.
The heat and drought had long burned
the short grass dull brown; the bot
toms of what had been pools were
covered with hard, dry, cracked earth
The day was cloudless, and the heat
oppressive. There were many ante
lope, but got only one shot, breaking
a bucks leg; and though | followed 1t
for couple OF hours | could not over
take 1t. BY this time 1t was late In
the afternoon, and | was far away
from the river; 80 pushed for creek,
In the bed OF which / had always
found pools of water, especially to-
wards the head, as is usual with plains
watercourses. To my chagrin, how
ever, they all proved to be dry; and
though | rode up the creek bed to-
ward the head, carefully searching for
any sign OF water, night closed on me
before found any. For two or three
hours stumbled on, leading my horse,
In my fruitless search; then a tumble
over a cut bank In the dark warned
me that might as well stay where
was for the rest Of the warm night
Accordingly | unsaddled the horse,
and tied him to a sage brush; after
awhile he began to feed on the dewy
grass. At Hrst was too thirsty to
sleep. Finally fell into a sumber,
and when awoks at dawn felt no
thirst For an hour or two more l
continued my search for water in the
creek bed: then abandoned It and rode
straight for the river. BY the time
We reached It my thirst had come
back with redoubled force, my mouth
was parched. and the horse was In
quite AZ bad a plight; we rushed down
10 the brink. and Il seemed as II we
could neither OF us ever drink our ill
Of the tepid. rather muddy water. or
course this experience was merely un-
pleasant; thirst Is not n source OF real
danger In the plains country proper,
whereas In the hideous deserts that
extend from southern Idaho through
Utah and Nevada to Arizona, II ever
menaces with death the hunter and ex-
plorer.
In tho plains the weather IN apt to
be In extremes; the heat is tropical,
the cold arctic, and the droughts are
relieved by furious floods. These are
generally more severe and lasting In
the spring after the melting OF the
snow; and fierce local freshets follow
the occasional cloudbursts The large
rivers then become wholly impassa-
bic, and even the smaller are forml-
dable obstacles. II is not easy to get
cattle across n swollen stream, where
the current runs like turbid mill-race
over the bed OF shifting quicksand
Once fvo OF us took thousand head
OF trail steers across the Little Mis-
souri, when the river was up, and II
was no light task The muddy current
was boiling past the banks covered
with driftwood and foul yellow froth,
and the frightened cattle shrank from
entering II. At last, by hard riding,
with much loud shouting and swing
ing OF ropes we got the leaders In, and
the whole herd followed After them
we went In our turn. tho horses swim
ming at one moment, and the next
staggering and noundering through
the qulcksand was riding my pet
cutting horse. Muley, which has the
provoking habit OF making great
bounds where the water In Just not
deep enough FOR swimming; once he
almost pnseated me. Some Of the cat
tie were caught by the currents and
rolled over and over: most OF these we
were able, with the help OF our ropes,
to put ON their feet again; only one
was drowned. or rather choked In a
qulcksand, Many swan down stream,
and in consequences struck difficult
landing. where the river ran under a
cut bank; these we had to haul out
with our ropes.
Although have often had horse
down In Qulcksand or In crossing a
swollen river, and have had 10 work
hard TO save him. have never myself
lost one under such circumstances.
Yet once | saw the horse OF one of my
men drown under him directly In front
OF the ranch house, while no was try
ing 20 cross the river This was In
early spring, soon after the Ice had
broken
when making long wagon trips over
the great plains, antelope often otrer
the only source o' meat supply. save
tor occasional water fowl sage fowl,
and prairie fowl the sharp-taied
priirie fowl. De &c understood This