"Well," said Hugh, "it's no time to climb the mountains to-day, unless the weather clears, and it seems to me that it's mighty cold. Maybe we're going to get snowed in here."
"That wouldn't be very nice," said Jack. "I hope we won't have a big snowstorm."
"Well," said Hugh, "you boys go out and look after the horses. We've got to keep our eyes on them; it would be pretty bad to be left afoot and, if it does snow, the horses will be wanting to get down to the prairie again."
The boys went and did as they were told, and changed the two horses that were picketed to fresh grass, saw that the others were all near at hand, and then returned to the fire.
Meanwhile, the snow began to fall more and more thickly and, after breakfast, Hugh said, "Now, boys, I believe we're going to have a real snowstorm. Let's get these ropes, blankets and saddles covered up as well as we can, and then we'll go down to the point where we came out of the timber and build some sort of a fence there, so as to keep the horses from going back to the prairie. We'll have to picket them all to-day and they're not likely to pull up their pins, but we'll make it as hard for them to get away as we can."
The riding saddles and pack riggings were soon piled under a tree, where they would be protected from the snow and covered with blankets and mantas, and then Hugh began to cut and sharpen a number of pins, while the boys collected lash ropes and lariats enough to tie all the horses. After the animals had been securely picketed, the three men went down to the end of the valley and, after Hugh had cut some tall, but slender, dead pine and spruce trees, the boys dragged them out of the timber and made a fence, which sufficiently barricaded the trail and one or two open places, where the horses might have gone into the forest.
By this time the light snow was two or three inches deep and, when they returned to camp, they found that all the horses were busily at work pawing away the snow, in order to get at the grass beneath it.
"There," said Hugh, "I guess they're all right, and this thing is just a flurry. As soon as the sun comes out again, this snow will all melt."
Joe went into the tent, and covering himself with his blankets, went to sleep, but Jack wanted to be doing something, yet there was not much that he could do, unless he went out to hunt, and, as all the foliage was covered with snow, he could not hunt without also getting wet.