156 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



The western side of my slope seemed specially favor- 

 able for mule deer, and in the hope of finding either 

 deer in the green timber or sheep near the cliffs, I hunted 

 far down. It was good to get on ground that was not 

 rocky, and to hunt through real " mule-deer country." 

 Find it where you may, in bad-lands, foot-hills or moun- 

 tains, the home of the mule deer is always a beautiful 

 hunting-ground. 



But I found no big game; and at one o'clock I 

 selected a lovely spot, in a clump of sturdy spruces, 

 chose a soft resting-place on a bed of dry needles, and 

 sat down to rest and eat my luncheon of Fry's sweet 

 chocolate. 



As I settled myself, I noticed that I was on the bor- N 

 der of an extensive bed of tiny huckleberry bushes. The 

 shrubs were only about six inches high, but were hang- 

 ing thick with very small, pink huckleberries, the size of 

 No. 6 shot. That species is very common throughout 

 those mountains. Usually the bushes grow so thinly it 

 does not pay to pick such small berries; but these bore so 

 abundantly that I combed the fruit off the almost leafless 

 stems, by the handful, winnowed it to clear away the 

 debris, and ate until my fruit-hunger cried, " Enough! " 



An appreciable supply of wild fruit or nuts gives 

 one a very friendly feeling toward the land that pro- 

 duces it. In the tropics, you can starve, at almost any 

 time or place, with rank vegetation all about you, be- 

 cause there is so very little that is edible. After nearly 

 five years spent in tropical jungles, I can count on the 

 fingers of one hand the occasions wherein I was able to 



