86 PIONEER LIFE ; OB, 



to break it if he should hit it, and thus cut off our 

 means of returning. 1 called to my brother to bring 

 a pole with which to guide the elk, and then rolled 

 it out upon the crust. It flew down the snow, giving 

 the sapling a glancing stroke, and over the precipice 

 striking the ice below with a heavy plunge. We 

 retraced our steps and arrived safely on the ice. 

 The meat of the elk was so badly bruised as to be 

 of little value, but we obtained enough for our im- 

 mediate use, which we carried to the camp. The 

 next morning we skinned and cut up our elk, Black- 

 well securing the meat for his dog, and my brofner 

 took the skin. Soon after, Benjamin arrived with 

 the man James Gamble, and the two dogs he had 

 been sent to procure, in a sleigh, which gave the 

 other men a conveyance in which they returned 

 Home. Gamble, Benjamin and myself started again 

 for elk about one o'clock the same day. Afterreach- 

 ing the top of the hill, we struck a northwestern 

 course, and went about five miles when we encamped. 

 The next morning before we had proceeded three* 

 quarters of a mile, we found where three large bucks 

 had been feeding during the previous night. About 

 a mile farther we discovered them lying down, and 

 let loose two of the best dogs. One of the elk came 

 forward to meet the dogs, the other two started off 

 to the south. The one which remained maintained 

 his ground for a time, but the dogs were so furious 

 that he finally started off in a westerly direction, ran 

 eight miles, and stopped to fight the dogs. From 

 appearances we judged that he must have remained 



