One of these ranges is very high, and Mount
Bridger, first of the range and nearest Fort Ellis, along whose base
we had to go, has snow on its top most of the year. Often when wind is
not noticeable at the post, we can see the light snow being blown with
terrific force from the peak of this mountain for hundreds of yards in
a perfectly horizontal line, when it will spread out and fall in a
magnificent spray another two or three hundred feet.
The mill is sixteen miles from Fort Ellis, and the snow was very
deep - so deep in places that the horses had difficulty in getting
their feet forward, and as we got farther up, the valley narrowed into
a ravine where the snow was even deeper. There was no road or even
trail to be seen; the bark on trees had been cut to mark the way, but
far astray we could not have gone unless we had deliberately ridden up
the side of a mountain. The only thing that resembled a house along
the sixteen miles was a deserted cabin about half way up, and which
only accentuated the awful loneliness.
Bettie had been standing in the stable for several days, and that,
with the biting cold air in the valley, made her entirely too frisky,
and she was very nervous, too, over the deep snow that held her feet
down. We went Indian file - I always in the middle - as there were
little grades and falling-off places all along that were hidden by the
snow, and I was cautioned constantly by Faye and Bryant to keep my
horse in line. The snow is very fine and dry in this altitude, and
never packs as it does in a more moist atmosphere.
When we had ridden about one half the distance up we came to a little
hill, at the bottom of which was known to be a bridge that crossed the
deep-cut banks of one of those mountain streams that are dry eleven
months of the year and raging torrents the twelfth, when the snow
melts. It so happened that Faye did not get on this bridge just right,
so down in the light snow he and Pete went, and all that we could see
of them were Faye's head and shoulders and the head of the horse with
the awful bulging eyes! Poor Pete was terribly frightened, and
floundered about until he nearly buried himself in snow as he tried to
find something solid upon which to put his feet.
I was just back of Faye when he went down, but the next instant I had
retreated to the top of the hill, and had to use all the strength in
my arms to avoid being brought back to the post.
