THIRTY YEARS A HU.NTEB. 81 



and cheerful fire. In a short time the smoke filled 

 the room so densely that we were nearly suffocated, 

 before we could gather up our implements and leave 

 the place. It was now nearly dark, and a cold 

 blustering night. There was no pine or hemlock in 

 that region, with which to build a shanty, and we 

 stretched blankets across poles and made a tent. 

 "We then built a fire, and as the ground was covered 

 with snow, we procured bark and brush to lie on. 

 When every thing was prepared we ate our supper 

 and went to sleep. The next morning after eating 

 breakfast, we went to the rock, to take out our bear. 

 Two of us entered the cave and tied a rope around 

 „he neck of the bear. The three men on the outside 

 pulled on the rope, while we pushed, but we coukl 

 not raise it over the ledge. We then cut a pole 

 about twenty feet long, which we used as a lever, 

 and by this means drew him out. We estimated 

 that he weighed between four and five hundred. 

 We then skinned it, tried out the oil, and cut up the 

 meat* One of the party took the skin, and as much 

 of the oil as he could carry, and each of the others 

 took thirty or forty pounds of meat. The rest we 

 hung about twelve feet from the ground, between 

 two trees. We were then about three and a half 

 miles from home. We started again on the elk- 

 track, and kept it about two and a half miles, arriv- 

 ing at the top of a high hill, within sight of home. 

 .From there the elk turned to the northeast, when I 

 told my companions they might go home, but I 

 continued on the track for about two miles, when 



