te, and though his eyes slowly bettered, he did
not remove the bandage until the Big Horn Basin was reached. They had
paused for the midday siesta, and Reddy inquired whether it would not be
safe to uncover the afflicted eyes, adding that he thought Will "would
enjoy looking around a bit."

Off came the bandage, and I shall quote Will's own words to describe the
scene that met his delighted gaze:

"To my right stretched a towering range of snow-capped mountains, broken
here and there into minarets, obelisks, and spires. Between me and this
range of lofty peaks a long irregular line of stately cottonwoods told
me a stream wound its way beneath. The rainbow-tinted carpet under me
was formed of innumerable brilliant-hued wild flowers; it spread about
me in every direction, and sloped gracefully to the stream. Game of
every kind played on the turf, and bright-hued birds flitted over it.
It was a scene no mortal can satisfactorily describe. At such a moment a
man, no matter what his creed, sees the hand of the mighty Maker of
the universe majestically displayed in the beauty of nature; he becomes
sensibly conscious, too, of his own littleness. I uttered no word for
very awe; I looked upon one of nature's masterpieces.

"Instantly my heart went out to my sorrowful Arapahoe friend of 1875. He
had not exaggerated; he had scarcely done the scene justice. He spoke of
it as the Ijis, the heaven of the red man. I regarded it then, and still
regard it, as the Mecca of all appreciative humanity."

To the west of the Big Horn Basin, Hart Mountain rises abruptly from
the Shoshone River. It is covered with grassy slopes and deep ravines;
perpendicular rocks of every hue rise in various places and are fringed
with evergreens. Beyond this mountain, in the distance, towers the hoary
head of Table Mountain. Five miles to the southwest the mountains recede
some distance from the river, and from its bank Castle Rock rises in
solitary grandeur. As its name indicates, it has the appearance of a
castle, with towers, turrets, bastions, and balconies.

Grand as is the western view, the chief beauty lies in the south. Here
the Carter Mountain lies along the entire distance, and the grassy
spaces on its side furnish pasturage for the deer, antelope, and
mountain sheep that abound in this favored region. Fine timber, too,
grows on its rugged slopes; jagged, picturesque rock-forms are seen in
all directions, and numerous cold springs send up their