Camping and Hunting in the Shoshone 



Adirondack guide we had with us, hunted 

 the lower woody slopes. Toward evening 

 I got back to camp, pretty well tired, hav- 

 ing killed a ewe, for we wanted meat ; and 

 presently the rest of the party came in, al- 

 most too breathless to speak. They had 

 seen a drove of bears, so they said ; five of 

 them, " and," added the Adirondack guide, 

 "two were big as buffaloes." He had 

 never seen a buffalo, and drew on his im- 

 agination for their size. This was excit- 

 ing with a vengeance. They reported any 

 amount of bear-sign on the slopes leading 

 to the river. It was just before dark that 

 they had seen this aforesaid family, which, 

 unfortunately, at once winded them, and 

 so quickly tumbled down the ravine, as 

 only bears can tumble, and were lost in 

 the canon. We were poorly off for bait, 

 but killed some porcupine and half roasted 

 them (under these circumstances, I would 

 have my readers remember that porcupine 

 emit a powerful odor) ; and to these de- 

 lectable morsels we added parts of sheep. 

 Still it was a very poor bait. Bear will 

 not, as a usual thing, come to a small 

 carcass. We waited and waited, day after 

 day ; all the sheep cleared out of the 

 neighborhood ; and we, not having at that 

 time one good hunter in the party, could 



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