THE RO('K\' MorXTAIXS 7!) 



oil "liii;- l»iu-kskiii " and "' little l»iickskin " -(fii<//ic/\ li,!L;lit 

 buy horses. Jt was railicr a cold donclic to ouf sj)irits to 

 find no palatalilc food in canii*. and oiir nifii in a condition 

 of siirliiu.'ss, which was perhaps to l)c acconiitc(l loi' 1)\- tlic 

 dearth of whisky. As usuall\- happens on these occasions, 

 at tlie first stait. thcie was much to improve in the canij), 

 and liie arraiiL'cments were not so coniiilete as tliev shoidd 

 have l)een. The wag;uon, which was to accompany us for 

 iiinetA' iiiil(\s to tlie edc-e of tlie tlnck timl)er. liad not been 

 eno-ao-ed. AbehK'H, wlio had informed me he had ''made 

 liis pile luit hist it in mining s^jecuhitions, had not pro- 

 vided himself with a horse, as it was his business to do; 

 and. in fact, was waiting fof in\' anival to borrow money to 

 buy one. The tents, of which we had two, were wanting' 

 in boltom ilaps, amb tlnnigh \entihitiou is desirable, an 

 open window six inches dee}) all round the bottom of your 

 house is trying to city-1)red p(M_)ple when the thermometer 

 sinks lichtw fivi'zing-point, as it does every night in those 

 regions, for no part of Wyoming is less than five thou- 

 sand feet above the sea. 



These and other deficiencies involved a delav almost 

 intolerable to impatient spirits, and perhaps le(| ii> to think 

 that our men were not so eager to lea\e the lleshpots of 

 Egypt as we were ; but l)y the timely help of the garrison 

 officers, and some drafts on Oovernmcnt stores, tlie\ were 

 all made f^ood on the t'ollowinu' daw Tlie next inoriMii" I 

 was up before sunrise to 1 1 y to hurt\- up the men for an 

 early start. Jjut saddling u}) the packs is a long business. 

 First the horses have to be " rounded up," and dii\cn into 

 a bunch, when one <ir two are lassoed and the rest allow 

 themselves to be caimht. Then the packaues have tu be 



