Grouse of the Northern Cattle Plains 93 



gathering overhead with a rapidity which showed 

 that the starlight would last but a short while, 

 the light snow rendered the hoof beats of my horse 

 muffled and indistinct; and almost the only sound 

 that broke the silence was the longdrawn, mel- 

 ancholy howling of a wolf, a quarter of a mile off. 

 When we came to the last crossing the pony was 

 stopped and watered ; and we splashed through over 

 a rapid where the ice had formed only a thin crust. 

 On the opposite side was a large patch of cotton- 

 woods thickly grown up with underbrush, the whole 

 about half a mile square. In this was the cowboy's 

 shack, but as it was now pitch dark I was unable 

 to find it until I rode clean through- to the cow- 

 corral, which was out in the open on the other side. 

 Here I dismounted, groped around till I found the 

 path, and then easily followed it to the shack. 



Rather to my annoyance the cowboy was away, 

 having run out of provisions, as I afterward learned ; 

 and of course he had left nothing to eat behind him. 

 The tough little pony was, according to custom, 

 turned loose to shift for himself; and I went into 

 the low, windowless hut, which was less than twelve 

 feet square. In one end was a great chimney-place, 

 and it took but a short time to start a roaring fire 

 which speedily made the hut warm and comfortable. 

 Then I went down to the river with an axe and a 

 pail, and got some water; I had carried a paper 

 of tea in my pocket, and the tea-kettle was soon 

 simmering away. I should have liked something 

 to eat, but as I did not have it, the hot tea did 



