302 THE JUDITH BASIN. 



foot, as it would have been very difficult to see on account of 

 the showers of snow so we agreed to return to camp and 

 come back in the morning, bringing the greyhound, which 

 would let us know whether the bear was dead or not. 



In the morning, the Colonel, Symonds, and I started for the 

 Avillows, taking the dog, and on reaching them sent him in. 

 He went in bravely enough, but did not remain one minute, 

 coming out again with his tail between his legs, and making 

 for camp at his best speed, and taking no notice whatever of 

 his master's shouts. On this the Colonel and I tossed up to 

 see which of us should go in, and I lost the toss ; so he took 

 both horses and kept his rifle ready, while I cautiously 

 entered, shaking off the snow in front of me as I went. It 

 was difficult to see anything when once inside, but I had not 

 gone far, when I came on a big mound of snow, which I made 

 out to be the dead bear, lying with his head on his paws as if 

 asleep. He was a fine fellow and had a good skin, but the 

 body was already very much swollen and offensive though 

 covered with snow, and we found it necessary after this to 

 open any animal at once, even when coming back to skin him 

 within an hour or two. 



This snow only lasted a few days, and then began that most 

 beautiful of all seasons the Indian summer, which generally 

 lasts six weeks, and is simply perfection, being neither too hot 

 nor too cold, when a beautiful haze covers all the mountains, 

 such as one sees in Italy. The Judith Basin was one of the 

 most perfect hunting-grounds that I was ever in. It is a valley 

 about fifty miles long by twenty wide, and has seven small 

 ranges of mountains round it, all of them wooded, and at that 

 time full of game of all kinds, including buffalo, antelope, 



