TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIELx 



But why undertake to follow each day's adventures? 

 It would prove both wearisome and uninteresting,, though 

 to myself, without companionship, each little incident seemed 

 fraught with peculiar meaning. The days, so far, had been 

 pleasant, but the nights were growing colder and colder, 

 and I greatly feared a snow would fall, or the river would 

 freeze over, which would leave me in a very bad situation, 

 as the voyage would have to be discontinued until warm 

 weather. I reached the Yellowstone River on the second 

 day, a distance of seventy-five miles from my starting point, 

 and was now making my way toward the Missouri. 



When these fears began to oppress my mind, I re- 

 doubled my diligence, and on the third night stopped upon 

 a gravel-bar, beneath some giant cottonwood trees, where 

 the cool breezes seemed unusually refreshing. After a 

 hearty supper, I saw a large herd of antelopes coming down 

 the opposite hillside it was not yet dark so I let my skiff 

 bear me along until I was hidden from their view, when I 

 rowed rapidly toward the point for which they were making, 

 until only a small hill intervened between me and the game. 

 They had reached the river and were drinking. I could not 

 see them from where I stood, and concluded that they had 

 scented me and gone back, but I found the trail and started 

 toward the river. Suddenly they appeared, having satisfied 

 their thirst, and came rushing toward me like the wind, their 

 nimble feet scattering the gravel in every direction, and 

 throwing it high into the air. While they were passing me, 

 I brought down three of their number, helped myself to as 

 much of their flesh as I could well carry, and settled down 

 for the night. 



My boat was now heavily loaded, but she was well built, 

 and, the water being deep, I had no difficulty in pulling her 

 through as rapidly as my strength, which was not inconsid- 



