TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIES. 249 



as we had found no fresh signs, excepting Uncle Ed., who 

 claimed he had seen nine elks at a great distance on the 

 mountain. I now came to the conclusion that the game was 

 higher up and resolved to hunt there the next day. 



In the morning we started in different directions and 

 were soon lost to each other's sight. After a dreary climb, 

 I rested on a crag and cast a parting look at our camp, nest- 

 ling in the chokecherry trees by the creek. I noticed the rela- 

 tive positions of Heart Mountain and several other land- 

 marks, and then proceeded on my way. Higher and higher 

 I wandered up the mountain, where the pine cones and the 

 bunch grass formed a carpet of extreme softness. Finally I 

 started round the mountain and decided to cross a gulch, 

 where I could see in the distance some quaking asps growing, 

 for I knew there must be water in the vicinty. 



I had not proceeded far when I was delighted to hear a 

 stick snap. I sat down and waited until I was tired and out 

 of patience, but at length, indistinctly, I saw something move, 

 far below be. It proved to be a white-tail doe creeping along, 

 and I could soon see her glossy side near the water. Her 

 great brown eyes glistened like diamonds,, her ears moved 

 back and forth as she advanced gracefully and noiselessly, 

 scanning every object. Instinctively I could feel my arm 

 raising slowly and my old Bullard coming into a line with 

 the beautiful neck. In a moment a leaden messenger crashed 

 through the sleek neck and this queen of the hills was lying 

 bathed in blood. 



As I pulled her out of the dense wood I heard some of 

 our boys coming down the canyon. They stopped and in a 

 short time we had the deer on a horse and had started toward 

 camp. We were ravenously hungry and soon had a fine re- 

 .past, consisting of fresh venison, potatoes, canned pears, 

 dried fruit, boiled onions and coffee. 



