306 Old Rphraim. 



Although it was still early in September, the weather 

 was cool and pleasant, the nights being frosty ; and every 

 two or three days there was a flurry of light snow, which 

 rendered the labor of tracking much more easy. Indeed, 

 throughout our stay on the mountains, the peaks were 

 snow-capped almost all the time. Our fare was excellent, 

 consisting of elk venison, mountain grouse, and small 

 trout ; the last caught in one of the beautiful little lakes 

 that lay almost up by timber line. To us, who had for 

 weeks been accustomed to make small fires from dried 

 brush, or from sage-bush roots, which we dug out of the 

 ground, it was a treat to sit at night before the roaring 

 and crackling pine logs ; as the old teamster quaintly put 

 it, we had at last come to a land "where the wood grew 

 on trees." There were plenty of black-tail deer in the 

 woods, and we came across a number of bands of cow and 

 calf elk, or of young bulls ; but after several days' hunting, 

 we were still without any head worth taking home, and 

 had seen no sign of grizzly, which was the game we were 

 especially anxious to kill ; for neither Merrifield nor I had 

 ever seen a wild bear alive. 



Sometimes we hunted in company ; sometimes each of 

 us went out alone ; the teamster, of course, remaining in 

 to guard camp and cook. One day we had separated ; I 

 reached camp early in the afternoon, and waited a couple 

 of hours before Merrifield put in an appearance. 



At last I heard a shout the familiar long-drawn Ei- 

 koh-h-h of the cattle-men, and he came in sight galloping 

 at speed down an open glade, and waving his hat, evi- 

 dently having had good luck ; and when he reined in his 



