An Elk-Hunt at Two-Ocean Pass. 193 



That night, as on more than one night afterward, a 

 bull elk came down whistling to within two or three 

 hundred yards of the tents, and tried to join the horse 

 herd. The moon had set, so I could not go after it. Elk 

 are very restless and active throughout the night in the 

 rutting season ; but where undisturbed they feed freely 

 in the daytime, resting for two or three hours about noon. 



Next day, which was rainy, we spent in getting in the 

 antlers and meat of the two dead elk ; and I shot off the 

 heads of two or three blue grouse on the way home. 

 The following day I killed another bull elk, following him 

 by the strong, not unpleasing, smell, and hitting him 

 twice as he ran, at about eighty yards. So far I had had 

 good luck, killing everything I had shot at ; but now the 

 luck changed, through no fault of mine, as far as I could 

 see, and Ferguson had his innings. The day after I 

 killed this bull he shot two fine mountain rams ; and 

 during the remainder of our hunt he killed five elk, one 

 cow, for meat, and four good bulls. The two rams were 

 with three others, all old and with fine horns ; Ferguson 

 peeped over a lofty precipice and saw them coming up it 

 only fifty yards below him. His two first and finest bulls 

 were obtained by hard running and good shooting ; the 

 herds were on the move at the time, and only his speed 

 of foot and soundness of wind enabled him to get near 

 enough for a shot. One herd started before he got close, 

 and he killed the master bull by a shot right through the 

 heart, as it trotted past, a hundred and fifty yards distant. 



As for me, during the next ten days I killed nothing 

 save one cow for meat ; and this though I hunted hard 



