282 Still-Hunting Elk. 



animal moves with labored bounds, which carry it along 

 rapidly but soon tire it out. 



After thrusting the hunting-knife into the throat of the 

 cow, I followed the trail of the band; and in an open 

 glade, filled with tall sage-brush, came across and finished 

 the wounded calf. Meanwhile the others ran directly 

 across Merrifield's path, and he shot two. This gave us 

 much more meat than we wished ; nor would we have shot 

 as many, but neither of us could reckon upon the other's 

 getting as much game, and flesh was a necessity. Leav- 

 ing Merrifield to skin and cut up the dead animals, I 

 walked back to camp where I found the teamster, who 

 had brought in the hams and tongues of two deer he had 

 shot, and sent him back with a pack-pony for the hides 

 and meat of the elk. Elk tongues are most delicious 

 eating, being juicy, tender, and well flavored ; they are 

 excellent to take out as a lunch on a long hunting trip. 



We now had more than enough meat in camp, and 

 did not shoot at another cow or calf elk while on the 

 mountains, though we saw quite a number ; the last day 

 of my stay I was within fifty yards of two that were walk- 

 ing quietly through a very dense, swampy wood. But it 

 took me some time longer before I got any fine heads. 



The day after killing the cow and calf I went out in 

 the morning by myself and hunted through the woods up 

 toward the rocky peaks, going above timber line, and not 

 reaching camp until after nightfall. In hunting through 

 a wild and unknown country a man must always take 

 great care not to get lost. In the first place he should 

 never, under any conceivable circumstances, stir fifty 



