36 Rod, Gun, and Palette in the High Rockies 



afternoon a species of brown-winged ephemerid was noted fly- 

 ing on the river, and trout rising to it freely. 



The clouds that had scattered in the early morning began to 

 gather again toward evening, and a gray sunset followed. Above 

 the firs that belted the western edge of the flat, the heights of 

 the Madison range showed in cold blues, the snow on their crests 

 and in the hollows in a chilly white, as nearly without color as 

 snow ever is. Behind them rose a great bank of threatening gray 

 cloud, slightly purplish in tone. A little distance above the high- 

 est crest, the clouds broke, and with their edges brilliant with 

 pale yellow light, permitted a golden sun to be mistily seen. The 

 landscape below fell into subdued tones of gray, which came into 

 positive color, still toned with gray, only in the near foreground. 



Coming toward camp, carrying the pastel sketch of the sunset 

 just made, with eyes still on the western heaven, the light changed 

 within sixty seconds. The erstwhile field of gray cloud broken 

 with pale yellow light where the sun broke through, became a 

 mass of striated somber crimson, dully flaring over half seen 

 deeper tones of violet gray. Over the subdued fire of this there 

 floated feathery flocks of cirrus clouds of flaming scarlet, so glow- 

 ingly brilliant as to cast a perceptible light upon the tops of the 

 distant pines, and on every light reflecting surface turned to the 

 west. Low down, behind the mountain tops, glowed a broad area 

 of red orange, against which the peaks were darkly defined. A 

 patch or two of clear sky, seen through openings in the clouds 

 glowed in luminous blue-green, with a depth of color and fullness 

 of light hard to suggest with either brush or pen. 



"Well, Jimmy," saluted Art, as with Bill he came from the 

 boat, " I think you had the best afternoon of any of us. You got 

 what you went after, and we didn't get anything." 



After dinner Fred produced a cribbage board which he had 

 manufactured during the afternoon from a stray piece of smooth 

 scantling that happened to be in camp, marking off the divisions 

 with a stub of lead pencil, and forming the holes with a four-inch 

 wire nail. It was a very satisfactory cribbage board, and set 

 upon the artist's drawing board, on a conveniently short length 

 of log on end, near the fire, furnished diversion for the guides 

 and the painter man. On the messtent table Art and Bill took 

 forward their own special contest a few hundred points further. 



