122 ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



and crept quietly toward him. I saw his great horns, his 

 black neck, his large gray body. I stooped down, and, with 

 my gun across my knee, aimed for his neck, which the shot 

 broke. As he fell back dead, three more elk ran out of the 

 cover below him, and I succeeded in also killing one of 

 them. I could not bring them in myself and returned to 

 camp to get help. We dressed these elk, cut the flesh into 

 slices, hung it upon a pole and dried it in the sun. When 

 properly dried, it is tender and delicious. 



We had several days of waiting before us, so Nickelson, 

 Mitten, and myself went off for a further hunt. We were 

 walking leisurely along when we espied above a sagebush a 

 large pair of antlers. We approached, Nickelson in advance, 

 but he -was in no hurry to shoot and kept edging nearer, 

 peeping at the animal over the brush, when suddenly the elk 

 scented us, and, with a bound, left us to ourselves. We 

 gave him a volley,, but missed him entirely. With my Win- 

 chester I had the advantage of the boys, who carried Sharp's 

 rifles ; when the elk was about one hundred yards off, I 

 threw in a cartridge, and gave him a shot which took effect 

 in his back. This turned him at right angles, and I shot 

 him through the lungs, but these wounds did not prevent 

 him from taking to the woods at a good pace. 



Just then smash, smash, went the bushes, as they gave 

 way beneath his great weight, and we caught sight of him, 

 struggling on, covered with blood. Three shots rang out 

 into the air, and he staggered,, reeled like a drunken man, 

 turned a short circle, and fell on his side at the water's edge. 

 His violent struggles were bearing him out into the river, 

 which was crimson with blood around him, when we drop- 

 ped our guns and dragged him ashore. Fourteen large 

 and well-developed antlers graced his shaggy head, which 

 weighed one hundred pounds. This was a great prize to us 



