THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 89 



went to the lower side of the rock, against which he 

 backed himself, and stood warding off the attack of 

 the dogs. I took a rope to that part of the rock 

 which overhung the elk, and threw the rope over his 

 horns, drawing it close down to his head. We then 

 attached the other end of the rope to a tree, and 

 proceeded to build around him a pen of logs, ten by 

 twenty-two feet square, and twelve feet high. When 

 it was completed, we threw in browse sufficient to 

 supply him four or five days, and then laid poles 

 across the top, which we covered with hemlock 

 boughs, forming a snug and comfortable shelter. 

 Before leaving him, we gave him about twenty feet 

 of slack rope. We then packed up and started for 

 home, encamping that night about five miles below, 

 on the west side of the creek. The next morning, 

 when we started, the snow was three feet deep. We 

 crossed Kettle Creek, and struck a direct east course, 

 expecting to reach a creek with which we were 

 acquainted, but missed our way, and struck Cedar 

 Creek, ten miles from where we had started in the 

 morning. As it was becoming dark, we provided 

 ourselves with torches of yellow pin^, and started 

 down the creek. After wading five miles through 

 water from two to ten inches deep, we reached Big 

 Pine Creek about two o'clock in the morning We 

 had now either to wade through the creek, then very 

 high and full of slush ice, or to go around a moun- 

 tain and reach the creek at a crossing place a mile 

 and a half below. We finally determined to cross, 

 jf possible, where we were, as we were nearer home, 



