LETTER IX. 107 



and was having them gralloched. I should have 

 felt happier if the Indian had killed them before 

 he and his master began gralloching. As no 

 amount of philosophy could make a man on a 

 broken-winded horse genial under such circum- 

 stances as these, I fear poor C. found my con- 

 gratulations somewhat wanting in warmth, and, 

 to my delight, betook himself to the top ground, 

 he and his Indian riding away in full view along 

 the ridge. However, the rifles now were ringing 

 out in all directions, and as I had kept Toma 

 with me, I felt there was still a chance of getting 

 a shot at some beast which my friends might 

 miss. The top ground at the crater is a succes- 

 sion of little circular hollows, filled up in places 

 with large round ponds ; here and there are 

 stunted forests, or rather spinnies, of pines, con- 

 torted and dwarfed by cold and the barrenness of 

 the soil in which they grow. Here once Toma 

 and I had watched a wolverine, apparently 

 hunting in the snow ; and though the sly beast, 

 the trapper's worst enemy, is rarely seen in broad 

 daylight, we let him go. Here, too, we stalked 

 and spared the biggest mule-deer buck I ever 

 saw, principally because, in spite of his size, he 

 carried no antlers. 



But now the rattle of rifles was echoing amongst 

 these mountain sanctuaries, and we down below 



