y house at Land's
End," said Manly, turning for a last look at the new improvements. "What
are you going to call the new tepee?"

"Going to call it The Wagon," answered Sargent, he and Dell having
accepted the new line-camp as their winter quarters, "and let the
latch-string hang on the outside. Whenever you can, you must bring your
knitting and come over."

CHAPTER XVIII

AN OPEN WINTER

An ideal Indian summer was enjoyed. Between the early and late fall
frosts, the range matured into perfect winter pasturage. Light rains in
September freshened the buffalo grass until it greened on the sunny
slopes, cured into hay as the fall advanced, thus assuring abundant
forage to the cattle.

Manly was the only one of the quartette not inured to a northern
climate. A winter in Montana had made Sargent proof against any cold,
while the brothers were native to that latitude if not to the plains.
After building the line-camp and long before occupying it, the quartette
paired off, Sargent and Dell claiming the new dug-out, while the other
two were perfectly content with the old shack at headquarters. A healthy
spirit of rivalry sprang up, extending from a division of the horses
down to a fair assignment of the blankets.

Preparations for and a constant reference to the coming winter aroused a
dread in Manly. "You remind me of our darky cook," said Sargent, "up on
the Yellowstone a few years ago. Half the trail outfit were detailed
until frost, to avoid fever and to locate the cattle, and of course the
cook had to stay. A squall of snow caught us in camp, and that poor
darky just pined away. 'Boss,' he used to say to the foreman, shivering
over the fire, 'ah's got to go home. Ah's subjec' to de rheumatics. Mah
fambly's a-gwine to be pow'ful uneasy 'bout me. Dis-a-yere country am no
place fo' a po' ol' niggah.'"

Two teams were employed in freighting in the corn, four round trips
being required, Joel and Manly assuming the work. Supplies for the
winter were brought in at the same time, among the first of which were
four sacks of salt; and the curing of two barrels of corned beef fell a
pleasant task to Dell and his partner. There was nothing new in pickling
the meat, and with the exception of felling the beeves, the incident
passed as part of the day's work. Dell claimed the privilege of making
the shots, which Sargent granted, but exercised sufficient caution to
corral the beeves. Both fell in their tracks, and the nov