A GOLDEN EAGLES'S NEST 237 



on a horse round-up, and thus was saved a fruitless four- 

 day journey. The following day, Will Taylor was secured 

 as substitute, and on May 27, having laid in a supply of pro- 

 visions at Medicine Bow's only store, we started for Bates' 

 Hole. Two days rain had made the roads very heavy and, 

 after going sixteen miles, we put up for the night at Tay- 

 lor's ranch. Here in a sheltered valley of the Freeze Out 

 Hills, the man, with infinite labor, had built himself a com- 

 fortable home, stable, corral, and other out-buildings, of 

 logs, every one of which he had brought from the Laramie 

 Mountains, forty-five miles away. Fuel he secured from a 

 coal-vein on school land, distant a day's journey. An excel- 

 lent spring supplied water, and a small bunch of cattle, 

 directly or indirectly furnished food. 



It continued raining on the 28th, and the day ended with 

 a violent thunder shower followed by a sudden fall in the 

 temperature, and a stinging hailstorm driven by a howling 

 gale. 



May 29, the mercury registered 34° at 7 :30 a. m., and the 

 wind blew about fifty miles an hour with occasional flurries 

 of snow and hail. Arid Tucson with its temperature of 103° 

 seemed to belong to the experience of another year rather 

 than of the preceding week. 



In the afternoon, with the hope of finding that the high 

 winds had partially dried the roads, we decided to start on 

 our journey. A canvas top stretched over our wagon trans- 

 formed it into a prairie schooner, which gave us excellent 

 protection from the wind and hail. Toward evening the 

 clouds broke into great masses and the day ended with a 

 magnificent sunset and a promise of a clear morrow, 



"We put up for the night at Dyer 's ranch unexpected, but 

 unmistakably welcome guests. A broncho "buster" with a 

 string of fifty horses, who had also stopped here for a 

 night 's lodging, gave us an exhibition of riding which would 

 have done credit to a Cheyene tournament. 



May 30, the wind was high but the air clear and exhila- 



