out under the line
of murmuring, glossy-leaved cottonwoods, across the shallow
river, to see the sun flame above the line of bluffs
opposite.

Almost every day he was off among the buttes or across the prairie
with a rifle in his hand, shooting now a whitetail buck within a few
hundred yards of the ranch-house; now a blacktail, in the hills
behind. Occasionally, rising before dawn, he would hunt in the rolling
prairie country ten or fifteen miles away, coming home at dusk with a
prong-buck across his saddle-bow. Now and then he would take the
ranch-wagon and one of the men, driving to some good hunting ground,
and spending a night or two, returning usually with two or three
antelope; and not infrequently he would ride away by himself on
horseback for a couple of days, lying at night, as he wrote, "under
the shining and brilliant multitude of stars," and rising again in the
chill dawn to crawl upon some wary goat of the high hills.

After writing his sister on the 7th of June, he evidently stayed at
the ranch for ten days to work on his Life of Benton. Then he was away
with the round-up again. His diary succinctly records his progress:

June 18. Rode to Medora on Sorrel Joe.

June 19. Out on round-up with Maltese Cross wagon.

June 20. Worked down to South Heart.

June 21. Worked up Rocky Ridge.

June 22. Worked to Davis Creek.

[Illustration: Catholic Chapel. Hotel Rough Riders. The "depot". The
company store of the Marquis. Bill Williams's saloon. Joe Ferris's
store. Medora in 1919.]

Early next morning Roosevelt was in Medora.

The round-up is swinging over from the East to the West
Divide [he wrote to Lodge]. I rode in to get my mail and
must leave at once. We are working pretty hard. Yesterday I
was in the saddle at 2 A.M., and except for two very hearty
meals, after each of which I took a fresh horse, did not
stop working till 8.15 P.M.; and was up at half-past three
this morning.

They worked next day down to Andrews Creek.

While the round-up was camped at Andrews Creek an incident occurred
which revealed Roosevelt's influence over the cowpunchers, not alone
of his own "outfit." Andrews Creek was not more than a mile from
Medora, and after the day's work was done, the cowboys naturally
adjourned with much enthusiasm to that oasis for the thirsty. As the
evening wore on, the men, as "Dutch Wannigan" remarked long afterward,