There were, once, near Mr. Roosevelt’s ranch, three men who had been suspected of cattle-killing and horse-stealing.  The leader was a tall fellow named Finnegan, who had long red hair reaching to his shoulders, and always wore a broad hat and a fringed buckskin shirt.  He had been in a number of shooting scrapes.  The others were a half-breed, and a German, who was weak and shiftless rather than actively bad.  They had a bad reputation, and were trying to get out of the country before the Vigilance Committee got them.

About the only way to travel—­it was early in March and the rivers were swollen—­was by boat down the river.  So when the cowboys on Mr. Roosevelt’s ranch found that his boat was stolen, they were sure who had taken it.  As it is every man’s duty in a half-settled country to bring law-breakers to justice, and as Roosevelt was, moreover, Deputy Sheriff, he decided to go after the three thieves.  Two of his cowboys, Sewall and Dow from Maine, in about three days built another boat.  In this, with their rifles, food enough for two weeks, warm bedding and thick clothes, Roosevelt, Sewall and Dow set out down the Little Missouri River.

There had been a blizzard, the weather was still bitterly cold, and the river full of drifting ice.  They shot prairie fowl and lived on them, with bacon, bread and tea.  It was cold work poling and paddling down the river, with the current, but against a head wind.  The ice froze on the pole handles.  At night where they camped the thermometer went down to zero.  Next day they shot two deer, for they needed meat, as they were doing such hard work in the cold.

On the third day they sighted smoke,—­the campfire of the three thieves.  Two boats, one of them the stolen one, were tied up to the bank.  It was an exciting moment, for they expected a fight.  As it turned out, however, it was a tough job, but not a fighting one.  The German was alone in camp, and they captured him without trouble.  The other two were out hunting.  When they came back an hour or two later, they were surprised by the order to hold up their hands.  The half-breed obeyed at once, Finnigan hesitated until Roosevelt walked in close, covering him with a rifle, and repeated the command.  Then he gave up.

But this was only the beginning of a long, hard task.  It was often the way to shoot such men at once, but Sheriff Roosevelt did not like that.  He was going to bring them back to jail.  At night the thieves could not be tied up, as they would freeze to death.  So Roosevelt, Sewall and Dow had to take turns in watching them at night.  After they started down river again, they found the river blocked by ice, and had to camp out for eight days in freezing weather.  The food all but gave out, and at last there was nothing left but flour.  Bread made out of flour and muddy water and nothing else, is not, says Mr. Roosevelt, good eating for a steady diet.  Besides they had to be careful of meeting a band of Sioux Indians, who were known to be in the region.