CHAPTER II. 



HUNTING THE ELK. 



In August, 1795, my father, Jacob Tome, Jerry 

 Morrison and myself started for an elk hunt. Tak 

 ing salt and flour with us, we pushed up our canoe 

 to a place called Hound Island. After hunting two 

 days among the islands, we became convinced tha< 

 there were no elk there, although they were some 

 times very plenty, collecting at this season in droves 

 Morrison proposed that we should proceed to i 

 point called Stony Lick, about seven miles back, on 

 the east side of the river, at the second fork of Pine 

 Creek, and twelve miles above their junction. My 

 father readily consented to the proposal, as Morrison 

 was an older and more experienced hunter than he. 

 When we arrived within two miles of the Lick, wo 

 discovered the tracks of two elks, a buck and a doe. 

 We followed the tracks about half a mile, when we 

 judged by the indications that they had taken a 

 great leap, as if suddenly frightened. The trails 

 from that place took a different direction. My father 

 and Morrison followed the buck, while I took the 

 track of the doe, keeping sight of my companions at 

 the same time. Before I had proceeded far, I found 

 some of the small intestines of the doe upon the 



