THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 83 



The tiinlxM- oivw in tliick groves, on tlif slopes of 

 spruces, cliiefly of the Dour/las kiiul, ami, in the holhjws, of 

 cotton-u'ood — a sort of pt)p]ar, ][ere and tlicie were 

 "])arks" of .L^rass, now l)urne(.l to a light l)ro\vn. vVpart 

 IVoni huniing it is always a ch'lightful experience to stroll 

 lor the first time through sucli pathless woods, and make 

 acquaintance witli llic things that fly and run — the trood- 

 chucks, a little beast like a marmot, the squirrels and 

 their miniature striped counterparts, the cltipmunhs, who 

 squeaked at me from cNcry fallen tree. I found large 

 stones and stumps, which had been overturned by bears for 

 the oTubs that lie under them, ])ut saw nothino- larii'er tlian 

 the alxn'c-mentioned animals till rather late, when, from 

 a hi^li ridge, I spied far below a herd of prong-horned 

 antelope. They lay well on the way to camp, and would 

 at least afford fresh meat, even if theirs was not the tropliy 

 that I desired most keenly; so down I went for an hour 

 through till' [line forest, during which time they were, of 

 course, out of siMit ; but emeroino- from the covert 1 

 discovered tlicni again, feeding on a slope of sage brush. 

 Flat stalking in sage brush is not pleasant, but the sun had 

 set and there was no time to lose : and after a close crawl. 

 most of the way in \iew. I rolled over a good buck, ii 

 was too late to do more then than grallock him and cany 

 oil" ihc li\cr for immediate consumption. 



Arrived at cam}) 1 found 1 had not been the first to 

 draw blood ; Gerald had forestalled me in the matter of 

 meat, havinu' kille(l a bull wai)iti or '•elk" in ilie 

 vernacular. He- had had liis ups and downs, however. 

 The bull 111' had actually seeureil was iu)t tlic fii'st. The 

 first had run away after he literally had him in his grasp. 



