82 PIONEER LIFE* OR, 



the elk crossed the creek. I then left the track and 

 went home. When I arrived there I found all my 

 hands seated around the fire, talking about my elk- 

 hunting abilities. All but my brother Benjamin 

 said that I could not catch an elk. They said that I 

 was not like my father, but more like other men, and 

 all of my attempts to catch a live elk would be vain. 

 My brother, however, insisted that I could catch one. 

 I told them that I was not so discouraged but that I 

 should try again. I then sent my brother to a place 

 about twenty-five miles distant to procure a man and 

 good dogs, and some articles that I wanted, and told 

 him to join me with them at a place fifteen miles up 

 thj creek. 1 went to another brother who lived 

 three miles distant, and told him that I wanted him 

 to assist me in hunting, and that I would give him 

 the hides of all that we should kill, but if we should 

 succeed in taking one alive, I would pay him for his 

 time and trouble. He consented to go, and said 

 that another man by the name of Blackwell, who 

 lived some eight or nine miles above, had a good 

 elk dog, and would be glad to occompany me on the 

 same terms. We drove up there with a horse and 

 cutter, and engaged Blackwell. We started from 

 there with a two-horse sleigh and a supply of pro- 

 visions, going to what was called the Lower Round 

 Islands, where we encamped for the night, and sent 

 back our team. The next day we started on a west- 

 erly course, and after proceeding about five miles, 

 we found some old elk-tracks. They were so full of 

 newly-fallen snow that we could scarcely distinguish 



