arting with reluctant feet, unafraid of
Winter's messengers, the chill winds. That day was especially
beautiful. The gleaming snow peaks and heavy forest south and at our
back; west, north, and east, long, broken lines of the distant
mountains with their blue haze. Pilot Butte to the north, one hundred
miles away, stood out clear and distinct as though we could drive there
in an hour or two. The dull, neutral-colored "Bad Land" hills nearer us
are interesting only because we know they are full of the fossil
remains of strange creatures long since extinct.

For a distance our way lay up Henry's Fork valley; prosperous little
ranches dotted the view, ripening grain rustled pleasantly in the warm
morning sunshine, and closely cut alfalfa fields made bright spots of
emerald against the dun landscape. The quaking aspens were just
beginning to turn yellow; everywhere purple asters were a blaze of
glory except where the rabbit-bush grew in clumps, waving its feathery
plumes of gold. Over it all the sky was so deeply blue, with little,
airy, white clouds drifting lazily along. Every breeze brought scents
of cedar, pine, and sage. At this point the road wound along the base
of cedar hills; some magpies were holding a noisy caucus among the
trees, a pair of bluebirds twittered excitedly upon a fence, and high
overhead a great black eagle soared. All was so peaceful that
horse-thieves and desperate men seemed too remote to think about.

Presently we crossed the creek and headed our course due north toward
the desert and the buttes. I saw that we were not going right to reach
Mrs. Louderer's ranch, so I asked where we were supposed to be going.
"We iss going to the mouth of Dry Creek by, where it goes Black's Fork
into. Dere mine punchers holdts five huntert steers. We shall de camp
visit and you shall come back wiser as when you went."

Well, we both came away wiser. I had thought we were going only to the
Louderer ranch, so I put up no lunch, and there was nothing for the
horses either. But it was too beautiful a time to let such things annoy
us. Anyway, we expected to reach camp just after noon, so a little
delay about dinner didn't seem so bad. We had entered the desert by
noon; the warm, red sands fell away from the wheels with soft, hissing
sounds. Occasionally a little horned toad sped panting along before us,
suddenly darting aside to watch with bright, cunning eyes as we passed.
Some one had placed a buffalo's skull besi