AFTER BIG-GAME IN WYOMING 217 



wapiti heads to complete our season's bag, and accord- 

 ingly proceeded for a fortnight to explore a range of 

 mountains on the east of the North Platte River, this 

 time with a waggon carrying our stores and impedi- 

 menta including a tent stove in order to obtain 

 some of these truly magnificent trophies. 



In spite of all that I have written about the attrac- 

 tions of hunting big-horn, grizzlies, or buffalo no 

 matter what I may have said as to the delightful 

 variety of Rocky Mountain big-game in those days 

 I am prepared now to affirm that the finest wild 

 animal of them all is the mature wapiti bull, that 

 magnificent great red-deer that I have never yet 

 stalked in his native forest without a thrill of extreme 

 admiration for his appearance and great excitement 

 in his pursuit. 



Imagine Landseer's 4 Monarch of the Glen,' magnified 

 to about twice its size, with horns 60 inches long, 

 the three top points on each side of his twelve-point 

 head not as a crown, but in a plane the first tine of 

 the three being the longest and heaviest of all and 

 there you have the c Monarch of the Divide,' the 

 finest deer in the world. More particularly in the 

 autumn season, in the time of love and war, is he 

 a thing of strength, grace, and beauty. Lean in the 

 flank, with a great black ruff of long hair round his 

 neck, hoarsely whistling and bellowing defiance to 

 all comers till the forest resounds, occupied only in 

 guarding and fighting for his harem of cows, the old 

 bull elk in October is a joy to behold, and an irre- 

 sistible temptation in season and in reason to stalk 

 and to kill. 



4 Why kill him ?' perhaps asks the naturalist and 

 philosopher ; c why not admire and ride away ?' Echo 



