AN ENCOUNTER WITH A GRIZZLY 427 



earth in the morning. Into this he put the un- 

 skinned elk head, after removing the antlers and 

 covering it with ashes and coals rebuilt the camp- 

 fire above it. It was nearly thirty-six hours later 

 when the fire was raked away and the baked elk 

 head taken from its earthen oven. If the am- 

 brosia of the gods was any better food than that 

 baked elk's head they surely lived high on 

 Olympus. 



One morning we woke to find six inches of 

 snow on the ground and started out early on an 

 all day hunt. Ward and the Indian took one 

 side of the valley and the half-breed and I the 

 other. I carried my usual luncheon, a big slab 

 of hoecake in one jacket pocket and a slice of elk 

 tallow of similar size in the other. I don't 

 usually choose tallow for lunch at home but when 

 hunting in the cold of the mountains I have found 

 it delicious, for then the craving for meat and 

 especially the fat of it becomes an obsession. 



Throughout the day elk were in sight and often 

 within range of the rifle, but I saw no good 

 chance of stealing near one with the camera. 



