Hunting at High Altitudes 



Before entering the upper canon on the 2ist of 

 September it was necessary to decide on one of 

 two routes to Bozeman. One, and the shortest, 

 was over a high mountain divide to the head of 

 the West Gallatin River, and thence down that 

 stream; the other to continue down the Madison 

 River. I was tired of climbing mountains and 

 wallowing through snow, and chose to go down 

 hill, so we took the last route. 



Our camp on the 2ist was near a large fork of 

 the Madison, just above its junction with that 

 stream above the upper canon. It was a beautiful 

 valley, and on that day was literally full of ante- 

 lope; in fact, in my entire sojourn in the North- 

 west, I have never seen more antelope than in the 

 forenoon of that day. 



On the 22d we met the first white face since the 

 1 3th, a Frenchman, on his way as a scout to 

 Henry's Lake. With him Bean made a trade for 

 the army mule we had still all safe, whereby he was 

 to deliver the mule at Fort Ellis. After traveling 

 down the upper valley of the Madison during the 

 22d and 23d, we reached Whitney's ranch across the 

 river from the Bozeman and Virginia City road. 

 At this camp we got plenty of milk and thirty-two 

 eggs, which we divided equally between us. Bean 

 ate his half, sixteen eggs, that night and the fol- 



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