My First Summer 



ing. Where could lonely hunter find a better 

 solitude ? Game in the woods, gold in the 

 rocks, health and exhilaration in the air, 

 while the colors and cloud furniture of the 

 sky are ever inspiring through all sorts of 

 weather. Though sternly practical, like most 

 pioneers, old David seems to have been un- 

 commonly fond of scenery. Mr. Delaney, 

 who knew him well, tells me that he dearly 

 loved to climb to the summit of a command- 

 ing ridge to gaze abroad over the forest to the 

 snow-clad peaks and sources of the rivers, and 

 over the foreground valleys and gulches to 

 note where miners were at work or claims 

 were abandoned, Judging by smoke from 

 cabins and camp-fires, the sounds of axes, 

 etc. ; and when a rifle-shot was heard, to guess 

 who was the hunter, whether Indian or some 

 poacher on his wide domain. His dog Sandy 

 accompanied him everywhere, and well the 

 little hairy mountaineer knew and loved his 

 master and his master's aims. In deer-hunt- 

 ing he had but little to do, trotting behind 

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