108 CAMP FIRE REMINISCENCES 
Very small trees were scattered: about our imme- 
diate trail, and in places the crest was wind-swept 
and bare. We kept our eyes open for game and 
occasionally one of us would go off a little into the 
timber, but few deer’s tracks were found. Birds 
were scarce, only three or four Clark’s nutcrackers 
being seen all day, and perfect silence prevailed. 
Having travelled along the ridge for several miles 
we turned down a gulch to the left and came to a 
little creek, which we followed. The trail was now 
difficult, leading through scrubby timber by the 
creek, and the gulch was very narrow, there being 
barely room for both stream and trail. When we 
descended some distance the gulch opened a little, 
and about four in the afternoon we camped. ~ 
Taking Tex with me, I followed Five Mile Creek 
to where it joined another, and carefully examined 
the neighbourhood for game. There were no evi- 
dences whatever of deer, nor of anything else ex- 
cepting bear. 
I found a perfectly fresh bear’s den, but the 
owner was away from home, probably enjoying the 
berries on some hillside near by. No doubt if we 
had had dogs at this place, we might have secured 
some skins, but without dogs bear hunting at this 
season was rather hopeless. I also found out suffi- 
cient about Tex to know that there was little re- 
liance to be put in anything he said: the man was — 
evidently a prospector, as I found him several 
times looking for float instead of game. 
We were all back at camp before sundown and 
we had each discovered and decided that this was 
