CAMPING WITH THE PRESIDENT 57 



After gazing at them to our hearts' content, we 

 turned away to look up our companions, who were 

 nowhere within sight. We finally spied them a mile 

 or more away, and, joining them, all made our way 

 to an elevated plateau that commanded an open land- 

 scape three or four miles across. It was high noon, 

 and the sun shone clear and warm. From this lookout 

 we saw herds upon herds of. elk scattered over the 

 slopes and gentle valleys in front of us. Some were 

 grazing, some were standing or lying upon the ground, 

 or upon the patches of snow. Through our glasses we 

 counted the separate bands, and then the numbers 

 of some of the bands or groups, and estimated that 

 three thousand elk were in full view in the landscape 

 around us. It was a notable spectacle. Afterward, 

 in Montana, I attended a council of Indian chiefs at 

 one of the Indian agencies, and told them, through 

 their interpreter, that I had been with the Great Chief 

 in the Park, and of the game we had seen. When I 

 told them of these three thousand elk all in view at 

 once, they grunted loudly, whether with satisfaction 

 or with incredulitv, I could not tell. 



In the midst of this great game amphitheatre we 

 dismounted and enjoyed the prospect. And the Pre- 

 sident did an unusual thing, he loafed for nearly an 

 hour, — stretched himself out in the sunshine upon 

 a flat rock, as did the rest of us, and, I hope, got a 

 few winks of sleep. I am sure I did. Little, slender, 

 striped chipmunks, about half the size of ours, were 

 scurrying about; but I recall no other wild thing save 

 the elk. 



From here we rode down the valley to our third 

 camp, at Tower Falls, stopping on the way to eat our 



