JOIN COLONEL P . 297 



for tracking, so I had very reluctantly to give them up and go 

 back. This seemed to have been a very large bear and would 

 have made a good commencement for the trip. On rejoining 

 Symonds and discussing the matter, I was convinced that he 

 had not been anxious to keep the bear in sight, as it was the 

 first he had ever seen, and he had a very exaggerated idea of 

 the danger of hunting them. 



We did not overtake Reed till he had reached our camp, and 



it was a very curious thing that the Colonel P , whom I 



only knew through the letter in the ' Forest and Stream/ 

 turned out to be a gentleman with whom I had shot grouse 

 four years before in Minnesota, though I had not learned his 

 name. I brought the tents with me, finding all the party 

 living under a waggon-cover, and we had to pitch them at once 

 as the rain had changed to snow. 



The report of game was very promising, as there seemed to 

 be a great many deer, some elk, and any amount of bear-sign, 

 which were what we had come for. The Colonel had two old 

 buffalo killed for baits, at two different points, and with the 

 fresh-fallen snow the tracking would be very easy. Reed left 

 us in the morning, inviting us to visit him at his ranche, 

 near which he said we should find plenty of bears, as no one 

 hunted them. 



The three men seemed good fellows, especially the guide, 

 who was a very quiet man and spoke very little, but seemed to 

 know the country well, and was willing to do anything you 

 asked him, which is not the case with all guides, some of those 

 I have had standing on their dignity and refusing .to cut wood 

 or to help with the horses. 



I had hoped to have found some more blankets in camp, 



