A GALE. 
101 
has lived in sight of the mountains two years !— 
begins to fasten down all movable articles and to 
hold on to his hat for a “ blow ! ” He has learned 
to recognize in that dainty-looking pile of vapor 
the untied mouth of the leathern sack wherein 
old ^olus keeps his fiercest blasts ! 
And blasts indeed they are ! If nothing else 
can be said in favor of the climate of Colorado 
and her sister States, it must be admitted that at 
times they enjoy a free circulation of air! 
Sometimes for three days together all the win- 
dows of heaven seem to be thrown open for ven- 
tilating purposes ; and if any corner escapes 
having its atmosphere changed a few thousand 
times, those who live in its vicinity would like to 
know how it is done ! 
Premonitory gusts were making the possession 
of wraps and loose property exceedingly precari- 
ous when our excursionists camped for the night. 
The horses were lariatted out (which means, they 
were prevented from running away by being tied 
by ropes from fifty to a hundred feet long, fast- 
ened to iron pins driven into the ground) to 
feed on the brown grass, hay-cured standing !— 
which is the glory of the plains in winter— and 
the party proceeded to discuss the prospects for 
the night. 
“You can’t make a tent stand in such a wind 
as this ! and such ground, too, to hold the pins ! 
