ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN CATTLE LAND. 117 



peals of thunder began to be heard at about half-past 

 two in the afternoon and the storm arrived from the 

 west, with increasing energy and wonderful punctu- 

 ality, at about three o'clock. Of course, one generally 

 managed to be in camp at that hour, and always 

 noted whether it was late or in advance of its usual 

 time. It was composed of a succession of smaller 

 storms which succeeded one another without any 

 intermission, and the rain, hail, lightning, and thunder 

 were appalling. Occasionally, though the rumble of 

 heaven's ordnance was almost unbroken, there came 

 magnificent peals of silence. Once also during the 

 night a flash passed into the ground with a simul- 

 taneous and explosive clap of thunder, which, judging 

 by the sound, seemed to have struck only a yard or 

 two from the tents. 



One of the most violent of these curious storms 

 caught me when I was some distance from camp in 

 the open prairie, far from any shelter. Western horses 

 never will face a storm, and at the most trivial smat- 

 tering of rain they wheel round at once and stand 

 with their tails to the wind till it is over. 



Pete was heavily loaded with my knife and rifle, 

 and with antelope meat, heads and horns, all of which 

 things I knew were " conductors," and thought it advis- 

 able to keep away some distance, especially when cer- 

 tain pillars of cloud, from which the lightning streamed 

 incessantly, came travelling up with the wind. 



One day, on going to cut some meat to fry for 

 dinner, I found a large frog, about half the size of the 



