1 86 The Wilderness Hunter 



lowed as quickly as we could without making a 

 noise, but after the first glimpse never saw it again ; 

 for it is astonishing how fast an elk travels, with 

 its ground-covering walk. We went up the valley 

 until we were well past its middle, and saw abun- 

 dance of fresh elk signs. Evidently two or three 

 bands had made the neighborhood their headquar- 

 ters. Among them were some large bulls, which 

 had been trying their horns not only on the quaking- 

 asp and willow saplings, but also on one another, 

 though the rut had barely begun. By one pool 

 they had scooped out a kind of a wallow or bare 

 spot in the grass, and had torn and tramped the 

 ground with their hoofs. The place smelt strongly 

 of their urine. 



By the time the sun set we were sure the elk 

 were toward the head of the valley. We utilized 

 the short twilight in arranging our sleeping place 

 for the night, choosing a thick grove of spruce be- 

 side a small mountain tarn, at the foot of a great 

 cliff. We were chiefly influenced in our choice by 

 the abundance of dead timber of a size easy to 

 handle; the fuel question being all-important on 

 such a trip, where one has to lie out without bed- 

 ding, and to keep up a fire, with no axe to cut wood. 



Having selected a smooth spot, where some low- 

 growing firs made a wind break, we dragged up 

 enough logs to feed the fire throughout the night. 

 Then we drank our fill at the icy pool, and ate a 



