against each other with a sound like the clattering of a
multitude of castanets. We could see clearly enough to keep
our general course over the trackless plain, steering by the
stars where the prairie was perfectly level and without
landmarks; and our ride was timed well, for as we galloped
down into the valley of the Little Missouri the sky above
the line of the level bluffs in our front was crimson with
the glow of the unrisen sun.

Roosevelt rode down to Elkhorn a day or two after his return to the
Maltese Cross, and found Sewall and Dow busy cutting the timber for
the new house, which was to stand in the shade of a row of cottonwood
trees overlooking the broad, shallow bed of the Little Missouri. They
were both mighty men with the axe. Roosevelt worked with them for a
few days. He himself was no amateur, but he could not compete with the
stalwart backwoodsmen.

One evening he overheard Captain Robins ask Dow what the day's cut had
been. "Well, Bill cut down fifty-three," answered Dow. "I cut
forty-nine, and the boss," he added dryly, not realizing that
Roosevelt was within hearing--"the boss he beavered down seventeen."

Roosevelt remembered the tree-stumps he had seen gnawed down by
beavers, and grinned.

Roosevelt found that the men from Maine were adapting themselves
admirably to their strange surroundings. Dow was already an excellent
cowhand. Sewalls abilities ran in other directions.

We are hewing away at the stuff for the house [Sewall wrote
his brother on October 19th]. It is to be 60 ft. long and 30
wide, the walls 9 ft. high, so you can see it is quite a job
to hew it out on three sides, but we have plenty of time.
Theodore wants us to ride and explore one day out of each
week and we have to go to town after our mail once a week,
so we don't work more than half the time. It is a good job
and a big one, but we have lots of time between this and
spring.

Meanwhile, he stubbornly insisted that the country was not adapted to
cattle.

I think I already see a good many drawbacks to this country
[he wrote]. The Stock business is a new business in the Bad
Lands and I can't find as anybody has made anything at it,
yet _they all expect to_. I think they have all lost as yet.
Talked the other day with one of the biggest Stock men here.
He is hired by the month to boss. He said nobody knew