Travelling in the Western Hunting Grounds. 25 



surprise to discover that the large hunting party of Soshones, which 

 we found one morning camped close to us, and amongst whom 

 there were several bucks we had met before, were, after a few days' 

 hunting and wasteful expenditure of cartridges, short of ammunition. 



The fact was, as I learnt later on, that they had given the greater 

 part of their stock of this highly-prized article to their allies the 

 Ute Indians, who were out on the war-path ; and, as no fresh 

 supply could be obtained at the fort, most of the .party were deprived 

 of the means wherewith to obtain their winter supply of meat, which, 

 of course, is the primary object of the great autumn or " fall " hunt. 

 This circumstance opened to me a most desirable chance of 

 shooting all the game I desired to kill without wasting more than a 

 few carcases of sheep, which tumbled down places where they could 

 not be easily got at, for the Indians were glad to make use of 

 all the meat I could procure for them. Had I desired, and had my 

 ammunition held out, I could have killed many hundred head, for I 

 have never, either before or since, seen so much game as on that 

 occasion. The bighorn, whose rutting season falls in November, 

 had come down from the high ground which the old rams seek 

 during the hot weather, and were now with the does and small fry. 

 These animals, though not quite rivalling the chamois in agility, are 

 bold rock climbers ; and there is a sturdy pride and consciousness 

 of strength about the pose of an old ram as he stands on some 

 crag overlooking his realm, which is most attractive to the man 

 fond of mountain sport. They take a great deal of killing too, 

 and fine shooting is often necessary, not only on account of the 

 deceptive nature of distances in the dry and clear atmosphere 

 of the Rockies, but also on account of their vitality. 



With wapiti* I was also very lucky, for, of course, there were 

 literally thousands upon thousands from 'which to pick and choose. 

 Had I had more ample means of transporting these bulky trophies, 

 and had not such unprecedentedly severe weather set in, the like of 



* It is probably hardly necessary to say that in America the wapiti is known 

 as the elk. A great deal of confusion has arisen in consequence, many English 

 authors believing the American elk to mean the European elk. 



