CHAPTER IX. 



THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND. 



HUFFMAN KILLS A GRIZZLY A NIGHT IN WET BLANKETS A RACE 

 FOR THE AXE GRAND SPORT HUNTING THROUGH THE SNOW 

 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EXPLOSIVE BULLET. 



IT was with feelings of the greatest delight that we built 

 our camp-fire near the head of the Little Big Horn river, for we 

 were well aware that we had now reached the happy hunting 

 ground for which we had been toiling through hot sands, over 

 barren plains and fruitless bad lands for these many days. 

 From this time forward, for at least ten days to come, we 

 were to be in the midst of the haunts of large game, and if 

 we did not succeed in taking a reasonable quantity of it we 

 could only blame our lack of skill in hunting it. 



After we had made camp, Huffman and Jack got out some 

 fishing tackle, and took a few magnificent mountain trout 

 from the stream within a few rods of our camp, and we dined 

 off them with a relish begotten by the day's labor and the 

 fresh mountain breeze that swept down the valley. After 

 dinner Huffman and I took our rifles and sallied forth in 

 search of game Huffman going up the stream and I down. 



I returned to camp shortly after dark, empty handed, but 

 was glad to learn that Huffman, who preceded me, had been 

 more fortunate, having killed a large grizzly bear before he 

 had gone a mile from camp. He had jumped the old planti- 

 grade on the bank of the river. The bear showed fight at the 

 first shot, but some lively music from the Kennedy rifle soon 

 quieted his belligerent propensities, and laid him a corpse at 

 the feet of his foe. 



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