DEER, BUT NO ELK. 285 



As it had taken forty- six shots to bring in the 

 men, the camp was called Camp Forty-six, and then 

 three days were spent in rounding up the horses and 

 waiting for the judge and Jim to become able to travel. 

 So much shooting had scared the game from that 

 immediate vicinity, and it was decided to find new 

 hunting-grounds. 



A day's journey over mountains difficult of as- 

 cent carried the party across the range. Just before 

 they reached a suitable camping-place a young buck 

 jumped up and started to run, but a bullet from 

 Dyche's rifle cut short its career. A day was now 

 spent in examining the country for signs of elk. A 

 trip of eight or ten miles west, through a section in- 

 terspersed with numerous little grassy parks, showed 

 that few hunters ever reached this part of the moun- 

 tains. Deer stood in herds, almost as gentle as do- 

 mestic cattle. More than a hundred were seen in half 

 a day, and the presence of man did not appear to dis- 

 turb them in the least. As Dyche was not after deer 

 he did not kill any, but devoted much time to watch- 

 ing their actions and pose as they stood or fed in 

 the parks. 



As there were few signs of elk it was determined 

 to retrace the trail over which they came and 

 return to the country north of Pagoda Peak. The 

 horses got through the forest with great difficulty 

 owing to the snow, which caused them to slip and 

 stumble. The progress was slow, but a beautiful lit- 

 tle park was finally reached. It was hidden away in 

 the mountains and was an ideal spot for a camp. 

 The tent was pitched and preparations were made for 



