104 Deer of the River Bottoms. 



a fortnight getting above 10 (Fahrenheit). Snow cov- 

 ered the ground, to the depth, however, of but a few 

 inches, for in the cattle country the snowfall is always 

 light. When the cold is so great it is far from pleasant 

 to be out-of-doors. Still a certain amount of riding 

 about among the cattle and ponies had to be done, and 

 almost every day was spent by at least one of us in 

 the saddle. We wore the heaviest kind of all-wool under- 

 clothing, with flannels, lined boots, and great fur coats, 

 caps, and gauntlets or mittens, but yet after each ride 

 one or the other of us would be almost sure to come in 

 with a touch of the frost somewhere about him. On one 

 ride I froze my nose and one cheek, and each of the men 

 froze his ears, fingers, or toes at least once during the 

 fortnight. This generally happened while riding over a 

 plain or plateau with a strong wind blowing in our faces. 

 When the wind was on our backs it was not bad fun to 

 gallop along through the white weather, but when we had 

 to face it, it cut through us like a keen knife. The ponies 

 did not seem to mind the cold much, but the cattle were very 

 uncomfortable, standing humped up in the bushes except 

 for an hour or two at mid-day when they ventured out to 

 feed ; some of the young stock which were wintering on 

 the range for the first time died from the exposure. A 

 very weak animal we would bring into the cow-shed and 

 feed with hay ; but this was only done in cases of the 

 direst necessity, as such an animal has then to be fed for 

 the rest of the winter, and the quantity of hay is limited. 

 In the Bad Lands proper, cattle do not wander far, the 

 deep ravines affording them a refuge from the bitter icy 



