52 CAMP FIRE REMINISCENCES 
advanced cautiously, but saw nothing until noon, 
- when we met an old man who was also stalking, 
and who, while we were at lunch, described to us 
hunts he had had at this very place. I bagged 
a blue grouse, and afterwards Hayward went 
off with the stranger while we proceeded along 
the north side of the flat and beat all the cover 
we could find. Evidently deer had been there, 
but having been hunted had left the country. 
We descended a rock slide to camp toward dark 
and were ready for the dinner which we our- 
selves had to prepare. Our driver took little in- 
terest in sport or cooking and was of no service 
as a guide. Hours passed before our other man 
arrived. He had bagged a fine young buck and 
had employed the old hunter to take it down on — 
his pack horse, which caused the delay. The old 
man agreed with us that this place had been over- 
hunted, so we decided to try another, as there was 
no use wasting time. 
The hard day’s work warranted a good night’s 
rest, but as breakfast had to be prepared by our- 
selves, we were early astir, and we struck camp 
about 10:00 a.m. Going down a canyon is very 
different from going up and we travelled to the © 
mouth of this one before halting for lunch. At 
the railway one of the party, having killed his 
buck, left us, but Hughes and myself were deter- 
mined to try the Rio Blanco country in Colorado as 
we were so close to it. Our idea was to take the 
stage from Rifle to Meeker, and to shoot in that 
neighborhood. 
