304 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



ing camp-out that I chanced to secure the finest 

 wapiti head I have ever shot. 



It happened in this way. 



I was out with Frank Earnest, and we had ridden 

 for a mile or more over a well-defined game-trail that 

 ran along the side of the Rim, and halfway up its 

 slope, through little groves of pine and quaking-asp. 

 There were elk about, it was certain, for fresh sign 

 was plentiful. Presently we came across a small band 

 of elk, suddenly, in a small hollow, and I killed a 

 moderate-sized twelve-point bull, as we were in want 

 of meat. 



We emerged on the open prairie above and thought 

 of making our way back to camp. Then in the 

 distance we saw three bull elk, one obviously a very 

 large one, making over the prairie from a distant part 

 of the Rim straight in our direction. Dendy and 

 Jefferson were out hunting on that side, and no doubt 

 had disturbed these bulls. We subsequently ascer- 

 tained that they had not seen the bulls, who had got 

 their wind. 



Frank and I promptly slipped into a convenient 

 hollow in the prairie, whese I dismounted, prepared 

 for action, and awaited events. 



The three bulls ran straight over the prairie to- 

 wards where I sat behind a convenient sage-bush, 

 then turned rather quickly and gave a fair, though 

 long, running chance, quartering from me at 200 

 yards. I got one steady shot in at the largest bull, 

 and the next moment the three elk disappeared 

 over the steep edge of the Rim into the pine- woods 

 below. 



I thought the big bull was hit. Frank was scep- 

 tical. We hunted in the woods below, saw no sign 



