280 . CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



start and run. Peering cautiously from his place of 

 concealment, he saw it going at full speed up a ridge 

 about four hundred yards away. Wondering what 

 had startled the elk, the naturalist went to the spot 

 where it had been standing and found the doctor's 

 tracks. The animal had evidently seen or heard the 

 hunter and had not waited to investigate. Darkness 

 now came on and Dyche returned to camp, where he 

 found the doctor and Jim, but the judge had not been 

 heard from. Supper passed and still no judge, and 

 then signal-shots were fired. For an hour this was 

 continued, and then the answer was heard and soon 

 the missing man put in an appearance, almost dead 

 from fatigue. He could barely walk, but was wild 

 with bull-elk fever. 



"See that blood?" he asked, holding up a snow- 

 ball on which were stains of red. " That came from 

 a bull elk which I shot." 



"Did you kill him?" 



" I don't know. I tried to. I saw two bulls and 

 tried to down one of them. I shot twice and then 

 followed the bloody trail until dark. If I had not 

 heard you shoot I would not have seen this camp 

 to-night." 



After a hasty breakfast next morning the whole 

 party started out to help the judge find his elk. 

 Dyche soon separated from the others and followed 

 the fresh track of a mountain lion. The animal 

 was going straight north towards Pagoda Peak. 

 At one place in the snow was a spot where the lion 

 had made a short run followed by several short 

 jumps and then a long spring of at least thirty feet. 



