86 
THE SPORTSMAN’S AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. 
favorite sand-bar, or grazing grounds on 
the edge of the timber. I will guarantee 
plenty of game in the Missouri Valley, 
anywhere from Fort Benton to Fort 
Abe. Lincoln, or the western terminus 
of the Northern Pacific Railroad. One 
can go to Bismarck and thence by supply 
boats to any woodman’s camp on the 
upper “‘ Mesuri.” Woodmen and trap- 
pers are occasionally “ taken in” by the 
Dakotas or Sioux Indians, yet if one em- 
ploys a good hunter he can hunt in com- 
parative safety. The scenery on some 
parts of the Missouri River is grand and 
picturesque. Large cliffs rise perpendic- 
ularly out of the water, and their flat 
vertical sides cast gloomy shadows over 
the muddy waters. In many places the 
limestone and granite rocks loom up on 
both sides of the river, looking in their 
curious forms like the ruins of some 
giant city. Many rocks have spires 
running high in the sky, and others have 
natural windows and cornices which adds 
to the sight of delusion of a ruined city. 
Among these rocks the mountain sheep 
collect in large bands, running out in 
bold relief on projecting craigs, and won- 
deringly watch the passing boats. In 
the evening the wandering prong horns 
—antelope—are seen gazing from the 
tablelands above, or wending their way 
in continuous, though broken lines, down 
well worn trails among loose rocks, oc- 
casionally stopping to nip the green grass 
on the natural shelves or flats, prepara- 
tory to taking their evening drink when 
reaching the river. The white-tailed, or 
mule deer, are found in small bands, and 
singly in the willow bottoms, and the 
large wide spreading track of the pon- 
derous elk is seen on every trail. At 
night the bulls roam about bellowing—I 
cannot call it whistling as some people 
do — their continued bugle-like notes 
until the canons and valleys echo to their 
cries. Bruin is occasionally found; yet 
further back in the mountains he is most 
frequently met. The slap of the beaver’s 
tail is often seen to break the calm of 
“the rolling river,” and the numerous 
slides cutting into the river banks shows 
plainly where the beavers get their tim- 
ber for dams. In many places I saw 
minks skipping along the sand-bars in a 
playful manner until they reached the 
friendly banks. Was it not for the par-, 
ties of friendly (7) and benevolent red 
men who occasionally visit this hunter’s 
paradise, the naturalist and hunter could 
enjoy himself to the fullest extent. He 
could travel hundreds of miles through 
the most interesting country by “ bull 
boats,” canoes, or skiffs, and not have to 
pack a pound necessarily. 
Catfish are abundant in the river, 
though trout are only found in its tribu- 
taries and lakes in the mountains. There 
are too many Indians in the mountains 
for one to wander carelessly about, and 
they often turn up rather unexpectedly 
in the bottoms. 
In the Sierra Madre Mountains in Col- 
orado, a few score miles west of Denver, 
parties can hunt in safety, and find game 
in abundance. In 1873, I killed deer-—— 
mule deer—in the foothills in South 
Park, and in some localities they were 
common. On the range of mountains, 
running from Mt. Lincoln to the Horse 
shoe Mountains are plenty of antelope. 
and they can be reached from Fairplay 
in two or three hours’ ride. I have often 
left Fairplay in the morning, and killed 
and packed an antelope back to camp in 
season to have some of its chops for an 
early supper. 
Deer are often found along the South 
Platte above Fairplay, yet I never suc- 
ceeded in taking but one there, as the 
