294 CBUISINGS IN THE CASCADES 



evening a mile or more. He struck a picturesque 

 attitude and scanned the country in every direction, 

 trying to locate the danger but could not. After a 

 few seconds he made another high bound, stopped, 

 and whistled again. I stood perfectly still, and he 

 could make nothing animate out of the inanimate 

 objects about him. He leaped hither and thither, 

 snorted, whistled, and sniffed the air as we have seen 

 a wild colt do when liberated in a pasture lield after 

 long confinement in his stall. 



Although still unable to satisfy himself as to the 

 whereabouts of his foe, he finally seemed to decide 

 that that was not a healthy neighborhood for him, 

 and, taking his back trail, started to get out of 

 it by a series of twenty -foot leaps. I was tempted 

 to hazard a shot at him, but could see such a small 

 portion of his body when standing that the chances 

 were against making a hit. Besides, as already 

 stated, I felt sure of a shot at shorter range by 

 keeping still. I watched and listened closely in 

 every direction. The sun had gone down. Night 

 was silently wrapping her somber mantle over the 

 vast wilderness, and the only sounds that broke the 

 oppressive stillness were the occasional croakings of 

 the raven as he winged his stately flight to his 

 rookery, and the low, solemn sighing of the autumn 

 breezes through the pine tops. I was benumbed 

 with cold, and was tempted to desert my post and 

 make a run for camp. I raised my rifle to my 

 shoulder to see if I could yet see the sights, for 

 stars were beginning to sparkle in the firman en t. 

 Yes; the little gold bead at the muzzle still gleamed 

 in the twilight, with all the brilliancy of one of the 



