CHAPTER VI. 



AMONG THE HIGH HILLS ; THE BIGHORN OR MOUNTAIN 



SHEEP. 



DURING the summer of 1886 I hunted chiefly to 

 keep the ranch in meat. It was a very pleasant 

 summer; although it was followed by the worst 

 winter we ever witnessed on the plains. I was much at 

 the ranch, where I had a good deal of writing to do ; but 

 every week or two I left, to ride among the line camps, or 

 spend a few days on any round-up which happened to be 

 in the neighborhood. 



These days of vigorous work among the cattle were 

 themselves full of pleasure. At dawn we were in the 

 saddle, the morning air cool in our faces ; the red sunrise 

 saw us loping across the grassy reaches of prairie land, or 

 climbing in single file among the rugged buttes. All the 

 forenoon we spent riding the long circle with the cow- 

 punchers of the round-up ; in the afternoon we worked the 

 herd, cutting the cattle, with much breakneck galloping 

 and dextrous halting and wheeling. Then came the ex- 

 citement and hard labor of roping, throwing, and branding 

 the wild and vigorous range calves ; in a corral, if one was 

 handy, otherwise in a ring of horsemen. Soon after night- 



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