282 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
accordingly there is a total absence of the footprints 
of mankind. My men were under the impression 
that we should not find the direction of the Peters’s 
ranche. Instead of this, after a ride of about four 
hours, we arrived at a point from which we looked 
down in a direct line upon the Powder river valley, 
and with the unassisted eye we could see the log- 
hut and the small surroundings which marked their 
settlement. We halted to enjoy the view, being 
rather proud that we had found our way without 
a guide. Suddenly we heard a rattle : this was 
immediately repeated loudly, and we observed a 
rattlesnake about 4 feet in length coiled upon the 
ground within 5 or 6 yards of our horses’ legs. 
This horrid reptile seemed very angry at our 
intrusion, and after hissing with its tongue and 
rattling with its tail, it extended itself and glided 
viciously towards us. 
I did not wish to fire, as my wife’s horse dis¬ 
liked the report of a rifle; we therefore left the 
snake in possession of the field, and commenced 
the descent that would lead us to the Powder river 
valley. Had my men been present, they would 
have enjoyed our confusion. Although the Peters’s 
dwelling was in sight, we could not discover a 
route for our descent. The sides of the mountain 
appeared fairly arranged in a series of inclines, but 
after marching three-quarters of a mile, we were 
suddenly confronted by a precipitous canyon which 
extended for an unknown distance in a deep chasm. 
It was necessary to reascend the slope and 
