Ted Strong in Montana | Page 3

perish of cold and starvation. But it
is no picnic to run a winter range, as we will all learn before spring
comes again."
"I understand now, and I'm sure I shall enjoy the experience. But I must
go back to aunt and jolly her up, for she is easily discouraged, and she
is no more used to rough winters than I."
"She'll be all right when we get to Long Tom, for there is a bully ranch
house there, and she'll be as snug as a bug in a rug when we get
settled."
The cattle were going forward over the gentle, rising ground, being
pushed by the punchers in the rear and the fellows on the side lines,
while Ted and Kit were pointing them in the direction of a tall butte,
which they could see in the distance, rising needlelike and black against
the gray sky.
This was Long Tom Butte, after which the ranch, which Ted had leased,
had been named.

Suddenly, Ted felt something wet on his cheek, and looked up. A
snowflake, big and floating lazily down, had struck him.
Others followed it, and soon there were myriads of big, wet snowflakes
falling slowly through the air.
The cattle began to hurry, and were lowing in a distressing way. Their
instinct told them to seek shelter, and they were telling their drovers as
much in their own fashion.
For a half hour the snow continued to come down, wet and soft.
But suddenly the wind changed in temperature. Before it had been raw
and damp. Now it became sharp and frosty.
The snow changed quickly from heavy, wet flakes, to small, dry, sharp
particles, which, driven by a strong wind, which had veered around into
the north, stung the faces of the boys like needles, and worried the
cattle, which seemed to want to lag in their pace.
"Kit, go back and tell the boys to keep pushing harder. The cattle want
to stop, and if they quit now it's all up. There's a blizzard coming. If we
can keep them at it an hour longer, we will be in the lee of the buttes,
and there's a deep coulee into which we can drive and hold them until
morning."
At Ted's command Kit dashed toward the rear, and repeated the order,
and the cow-punchers rode into the herd with shouts and with active
lashing of their quirts, and the beasts picked up their pace again and
hurried forward through the snow, which had begun to whiten the
ground.
Kit returned to Ted's side.
"What do you think of it?" he asked.
"If we had an hour more of daylight, I think we could make it," said
Ted.

"Any doubt of it?"
"Well, when it becomes dark we'll lose sight of Long Tom, and we're
likely to drift, because, unless the cattle are driven into the storm,
they'll turn tail to it and go the other way."
"I can't see Long Tom now."
"I can, although the snow almost blots it out. There it is right in the
northwest. I can just make it out. The herd is drifting south of it now.
Better get over on your point, and head them up this way a bit."
Soon the herd was driving forward in the right direction again.
But suddenly the darkness came down like of pall of black smoke,
shutting out everything, and the wind increased in violence, rising with
a howl and a shriek like some enormous and terrible animal in rage.
"It's all off," said Ted to himself, with a sigh.
The cattle came to a stop.
"Keep them going!" shouted Ted, riding back frantically along the line.
The cow-punchers dashed among the animals, shouting and beating
them with their quirts, and managed to get them started again, but it
was only for a short time, for again they stopped, bellowing, the leaders
milling and throwing everything into confusion.
"That settles it," shouted Ted to Bud. "They're going to drift all night if
we don't stop them."
"Dern ther luck, I says," growled Bud. "How fur aire we from ther
ranch?"
"The worst of it is we're right on it. The ranch house isn't more than
three miles from here, and if we could have got there we would have
been all right. By morning we may be ten miles away, if we let the herd
drift, and we'll have a dickens of a time getting the brutes back through

the snow."
"What aire we goin' ter do with the wimminfolks?"
"I'm going to try to get them to the ranch house. You boys will have to
make a snow camp, and hold the herd from drifting at all odds. Don't
let them sneak on you. Keep pushing them from the south. You see,