Expedition to the Bad Lands 79 



and myself made the first real collection of these 

 wonderful saurians. 



After satisfying himself that there were no skele- 

 tons more or less complete on Dog Creek, Cope took 

 the guide and went off down the river to Cow 

 Island, forty miles below. This point was the head 

 of navigation on the Missouri in October, the water 

 then being so low that the steamboat could not get 

 up to Fort Benton. The last boat came up on the 

 fifteenth of October, to carry a load of ore and pas- 

 sengers down to the railroad at Omaha, and as the 

 Professor had decided to take this boat,- it was nec- 

 essary for him to be on hand when it arrived. 



A few days later he sent word to us on Dog Creek 

 to break camp and proceed, according to the scout's 

 directions, to Cow Island with all the outfit. This 

 was no easy task; in fact, at first sight it appeared 

 impossible. No wagon had ever before rolled down 

 those steep hillsides. Mr. Isaac, however, took com- 

 mand, and, after removing everything from the 

 wagon except the Professor's trunk, which couM 

 neither be packed on a horse nor carried by hand, 

 we began our journey up the long twelve hundred 

 feet to the prairies above. 



Working with axes, picks, and shovels, we cut 

 trees, bridged chasms, and made roads, climbing 

 upward step by step, until in the afternoon we 

 reached what for the moment threatened to be the 



