THE WAPITI 265 



when man was merely an infrequent interloper, the wapiti 

 cows had made their nurseries in pleasanter and more 

 fruitful valleys. But in my time the hunted creatures 

 had learned that their only chance was to escape observa- 

 tion. I have known not only cows with young calves, but 

 cows when the calves were out of the spotted coat, and 

 even yearlings, to try to escape by hiding the great 

 beasts lying like rabbits in some patch of thick brush, 

 while I rode close by. The best hunting horse I ever 

 had, old Manitou, in addition to his other useful quali- 

 ties, would serve as a guard on such occasions. I would 

 leave him on a little hillock to one side of such a patch 

 of brush, and as he walked slowly about, grazing and 

 rattling his bridle chains, he would prevent the wapiti 

 breaking cover on that side, and give me an additional 

 chance of slipping around toward them although if the 

 animal was a cow, I never molested it unless in dire 

 need of meat. 



Most of my elk-hunting was done among the stupen- 

 dous mountain masses of the Rockies, which I usually 

 reached after a long journey, with wagon or pack-train, 

 over the desolate plains. Ordinarily I planned to get to 

 the hunting-ground by the end of August, so as to have 

 ample time. By that date the calves were out of the 

 spotted coat, the cows and the young of the preceding 

 year had banded, and the big bulls had come down to 

 join them from the remote recesses in which they had 

 been lying, solitary or in couples, while their antlers were 

 growing. Many bulls were found alone, or, if young, 

 in small parties; but the normal arrangement was for 



