moment; but with a difference.
Roosevelt was still on his horse, but Merrifield and his pony had
parted company about a hundred yards above the creek-bed and rolled
the rest of the way. Fisher, who was conservative by nature, arrived
in due course.

Roosevelt pretended to be greatly annoyed. "Now see what you've done,
Merrifield," he exclaimed as that individual, none the worse for his
tumble, drew himself to his feet. "That deer is in Montana by this
time." Then he burst into laughter.

A suspicion took root in Fisher's mind that Merrifield had intended
the hazardous performance as much for Fisher's education as for
Roosevelt's. He was quite ready to admit that his first impression had
been imperfect. Meanwhile, he wondered whether the joke was on himself
or on Merrifield. Certainly it was not on the tenderfoot.

Roosevelt enjoyed it all with the relish of a gourmand at a feast
cooked by the gods.

Theodore Roosevelt, the young New York reformer [remarked
the _Bad Lands Cowboy_], made us a very pleasant call Monday
in full cowboy regalia. New York will certainly lose him for
a time at least, as he is perfectly charmed with our free
Western life and is now figuring on a trip into the Big Horn
country.

In a letter to his sister Anna, written from Medora, the middle of
June, we have Roosevelt's own record of his reactions to his first
experiences as an actual ranchman. "Bamie" or "Bye," as he
affectionately called her, was living in New York. She had taken his
motherless little Alice under her protecting wing, and, since the
disasters of February, had been half a mother to him also.

Well, I have been having a glorious time here [he writes],
and am well hardened now (I have just come in from spending
thirteen hours in the saddle). For every day I have been
here I have had my hands full. First and foremost, the
cattle have done well, and I regard the outlook for making
the business a success as being _very_ hopeful. I shall buy
a thousand more cattle and shall make it my regular
business. In the autumn I shall bring out Sewall and Dow and
put them on a ranch with very few cattle to start with, and
in the course of a couple of years give them quite a little
herd also.

I have never been in better health than on this trip. I am
in the saddle all day long either taking part in the
round-up of the cattle, or else hu