Hu7iting frofji the Ranch. 21 



them while about our ordinary business, — indeed through- 

 out the time that I have lived on the ranch, very many 

 of the deer and antelope I killed were thus obtained. Of 

 course while doing the actual round-up work it is impos- 

 sible to attend to anything else ; but we generally carry 

 rifles while riding after the saddle band in the early morn- 

 ing, while visiting the line camps, or while in the saddle 

 among the cattle on the range ; and get many a shot in 

 this fashion. 



In the fall of 1890 some friends came to my ranch; 

 and one day we took them to see a round-up. The OX, 

 a Texan steer-outfit, had sent a couple of wagons to work 

 down the river, after beef cattle, and one of my men had 

 gone along to gather any of my own scattered steers that 

 were ready for shipping, and to brand the late calves. 

 There were perhaps a dozen riders with the wagons ; and 

 they were camped for the day on a big bottom where 

 Blacktail and Whitetail creeks open into the river, several 

 miles below my ranch. 



At dawn one of the men rode off to brine in the sad- 

 die band. The rest of us were up by sunrise; and as we 

 stood on the verandah under the shimmering cottonwood 

 trees, revelling in the blue of the cloudless sky, and drink- 

 ing in the cool air before going to breakfast, we saw the 

 motley-colored string of ponies file down from the oppo- 

 site bank of the river, and splash across the broad, shallow 

 ford in front of the ranch house. Cantering and trotting 

 the band swept towards the high, round horse-corral, in 

 the open glade to the rear of the house. Guided by the 

 jutting wing which stuck out at right angles, they entered 



