278 Still-Hunting Elk. 



very centre of a mud-hole, and we spent the better part of 

 a morning in fishing her out. 



It was on the second day of our journey into the 

 mountains, while leading the pack-ponies down the precipi- 

 tous side of a steep valley, that I obtained my first sight 

 of elk. The trail wound through a forest of tall, slender 

 pines, standing very close together, and with dead trees 

 lying in every direction. The narrow trunks or overhang- 

 ing limbs threatened to scrape off the packs at every 

 moment, as the ponies hopped and scrambled over the 

 fallen trunks ; and it was difficult work, and most trying 

 to the temper, to keep them going along straight and 

 prevent them from wandering off to one side or the other. 

 At last we got out into a succession of small, open glades, 

 with boggy spots in them ; the lowest glade was of some 

 size, and as we reached it we saw a small band of cow elk 

 disappearing into the woods on its other edge. I was 

 riding a restive horse, and when I tried to jump off to 

 shoot, it reared and turned round, before I could get my 

 left foot out of the stirrup ; when I at last got free I 

 could get a glimpse of but one elk, vanishing behind a 

 dead trunk, and my hasty shot missed. I was a good 

 deal annoyed at this, my opening experience with mountain 

 game, feeling that it was an omen of misfortune ; but 

 it did not prove so, for during the rest of my two weeks' 

 stay, I with one exception got every animal I fired at. 



A beautiful, clear mountain brook ran through the 

 bottom of the valley, and in an open space by its side 

 we pitched camp. We were entirely out of fresh meat, 

 and after lunch all three of us separated to hunt, each for 



