124 Deer of the River Bottoms. 



trary, though as light and quick on its feet as is possible 

 for any animal not possessing wings to be, yet has an 

 angular, goat-like look, and by no means conveys to the 

 beholder the same idea of grace that a deer does. 



In coming home, on this wagon trip, we made a long 

 moonlight ride, passing over between sunset and sunrise 

 what had taken us three days' journey on the outward 

 march. Of our riding horses, two were still in good con- 

 dition and well able to stand a twenty-four hours' jaunt, in 

 spite of hard work and rough usage ; the spare ones, as 

 well as the team, were pretty well done up and could get 

 along but slowly. All day long we had been riding beside 

 the wagon over barren sage-brush plains, following the 

 dusty trails made by the beef-herds that had been driven 

 toward one of the Montana shipping towns. 



When we halted for the evening meal we came near 

 learning by practical experience how easy it is to start a 

 prairie fire. We were camped by a dry creek on a broad 

 bottom covered with thick, short grass, as dry as so much 

 tinder. We wished to burn a good circle clear for the 

 camp fire ; lighting it, we stood round with branches to 

 keep it under. While thus standing a puff of wind struck 

 us ; the fire roared like a wild beast as it darted up ; and 

 our hair and eyelashes were well singed before we had 

 beaten it out. At one time it seemed as if, though but a 

 very few feet in extent, it would actually get away from us ; 

 in which case the whole bottom would have been a blazing 

 furnace within five minutes. 



After supper, looking at the worn-out condition of the 

 team, we realized that it would take three more days 



