58 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



mined to halter it. The next night found us about fifteen 

 miles from home. The third, the elk became worried and 

 hungry, as we had not allowed it to eat. During the day it 

 ran into a cleared field, and the dogs there stopped and held 

 it. It was a cow elk. I came up and caught my right arm 

 over its neck, and with my left hand I took it by the nose, 

 She soon cleared herself from the dogs, and I found I had a 

 wild colt to handle. She carried me with ease frequently 

 striking at me with her fore-feet. I managed, so that her 

 feet usually went one upon each side of me when she reared 

 and struck, so that I was but little hurt. I would then have 

 been glad to be out of that scrape ; but the difficulty was in 

 letting go. We soon arrived at the opposite side of the field, 

 where was a high and strong fence. With my weight the elk 

 could not jump the fence, and I here, with my left hand, 

 caught around a rail, and I found I was able to hold the 

 creature down until my brother came with the rope. When 

 this was fastened to her, both of us could her. With the aid 

 of a crotched stick, to keep her off, we led her to a log stable, 

 and there confined her. After getting help so as to have one 

 with a halter upon each side, and one behind to whip up, we 

 succeeded in leading her home, a space of twenty-eight miles." 

 Merritt says, that he has killed or caught with ropes, over 

 thirty elk, in and near this place. They have now, for more 

 than eighteen years, all disappeared from these parts, and it 

 will soon only be known by tradition, or from history, that 

 such animals ever roamed our forests. 



