SPORT AND TRAVEL 259 



wind blew with terrific violence ; and although we 

 were camped in the shelter of a high bank, it was all 

 we could do to keep the tent standing with the help 

 of extra ropes, and by piling everything handy of any 

 weight round the sides, both inside and out. The 

 sand and small stones, of which the air was full, kept 

 up a constant rattle against the canvas, and the finer 

 particles beat through and gradually covered every- 

 thing inside with a fine white powder. However, this 

 last violent gust was the final effort of the storm, for 

 after midnight the wind gradually dropped, and my 

 wife and I were able to relax our watchfulness on the 

 tent poles, and lie down and go to sleep. 



The next day, although the wind was still blowing 

 with disagreeable violence over the open plains 

 of the Bighorn Basin, we resumed our journey, 

 and after four days of dreary and uninteresting 

 travelling reached a wayside ranch and post-office 

 just at the head of a rocky gorge known as Prior's 

 Gap. My wife and I had had a long and unsuccessful 

 day after antelope, and did not get into the ranch till 

 some time after dark. We were very kindly received 

 by Mr. and Mrs. Bowler, who were old acquaintances 

 of Graham's. 



We were now in the State of Montana, and almost 

 immediately after leaving Bowler's ranch on the morn- 

 ing of November n, crossed the line of the Crow 

 Indian reservation. In the course of the day we saw 

 from twenty to thirty Crow Indians, amongst them 

 a few women and children. With the memory of 



