"February 19th--Pulled on twenty-one miles--trail bad--freezing night, no water, and wolves after our fresh meat.

20--Made nineteen miles over prairie; again only mud, no water, freezing hard--frightful thirst.

21st--Thirty miles to Clear Fork, fresh water." These entries were hurriedly jotted down at the time, by a boy who deemed it unmanly to make any especial note of hardship or suffering; but every plainsman will understand the real agony implied in working hard for two nights, one day, and portions of two others, without water, even in cool weather.

During the last few miles the staggering horses were only just able to drag the lightly loaded wagon,--for they had but one with them at the time,--while the men plodded along in sullen silence, their mouths so parched that they could hardly utter a word.

My own hunting and ranching were done in the north where there is more water; so I have never had a similar experience.
Once I took a team in thirty-six hours across a country where there was no water; but by good luck it rained heavily in the night, so that the horses had plenty of wet grass, and I caught the rain in my slicker, and so had enough water for myself.