r his coat
a long--very long--linen duster, and they both had on gloves! Their
trousers were pulled up as high as they could get them, giving a fine
display of white hose and low shoes. The last one was having additional
woe, for one leg of his trousers was slipping down, and of course it was
impossible for him to pull it up and keep his balance. Every turn of
the wheels the thick yellow water was being spattered on them, and I can
imagine the condition they were in by the time they reached the little
inn on the island. The pilot thought they were funny, too, for when he
passed he grinned and jerked his head back to call my attention to them.
He called to know what had happened to me, and I told him that I was a
derelict, and he would ascertain the cause farther on.

After a while--it seemed hours to me--Faye and the wagons came up, and
in time we got out of the awful mess and on dry land. It was the Fourth
of July, and we all wished for a gun or something that would make a loud
noise wherewith we could celebrate--not so much the day as our
rejoicing at getting out of the wilderness. The men were in a deplorable
condition, wet and tired, for no one had been able to sleep the night
before because of the vicious mosquitoes and the stamping of the poor
animals. So, when Faye saw one of the drivers go to a spring for water,
and was told that it was a large, fine spring, he decided to camp right
there and rest before going farther.

But rest we could not, for the mosquitoes were there also, and almost
as bad as they had been on the island, and the tents inside were covered
with them as soon as they were pitched. If there is a person who thinks
that a mosquito has no brain, and is incapable of looking ahead, that
person will soon learn his mistake if ever he comes to the Missouri
River, Montana! The heat was fierce, too, and made it impossible for us
to remain in the tents, so we were obliged, after all, to sit out under
the trees until the air had cooled at night sufficiently to chill the
mosquitoes.

The chickens were let out at every camp, and each time, without fail,
they flew up to their boxes on the wagons. Charlie would put in little
temporary roosts, that made them more comfortable, and before daylight
every morning he would gather up the little ones and the mothers and
put them in the crates for the day. He is willing and faithful, but has
queer ideas about some things. Just as I was getting in the ambulance
the s