AND OTHER HUNTING ADVENTURES. 329 



made night musical to the ear of the savage in his 

 wigwam. But how changed the scene of today! 

 An iron railroad bridge, that of the great Northern 

 Pacific, spans the stream near its mouth, over which 

 roll trains of palace coaches at short intervals, while 

 commercial freights en route from the Atlantic to 

 the Pacific, or vice versa, pass over it almost every 

 hour. From the mouth of the stream to the foot- 

 hills of the mountain range, amid whose snow- 

 capped peaks it rises, is now a well-beaten road over 

 which supplies for the various ranches in the valley 

 are carried, and over which the gallant knights of 

 the plains the cowboys dash to and fro in the 

 performance of their various duties. 



At intervals of ten to fifteen miles along the val- 

 ley, the traveler passes lanches, the headquarters 

 of the wealthy cattlemen whose herds roam all over 

 the valleys, the hills, and table-lands for many 

 miles in every direction, designating the companies 

 or individual owners merely by the brands their 

 herds bear (which is the custom of the country). 

 We shall encounter on our way the "MC" outfit, 

 whose herd numbers fourteen thousand head; the 

 "WL" brand, six thousand head; "70L," one 

 thousand head; " S-I," -twenty-five thousand head; 

 " 2V," twenty -five thousand head; "EE," five thou- 

 sand head; and many other smaller and some larger 

 herds. The buildings and improvements consist 

 generally of substantial, roomy log houses, stables 

 for the horses, corrals or strong yards in which 

 large herds of cattle may be confined for branding, 

 etc. The Montana Stock Growers' Association has 

 also built public branding-pens at intervals of four 



