ROCKIES IX SEPTEMBER 129 



uncovering the mouth of a cave, and in he crawls, 

 liolding his Winchester afore him. Sure enough, there 

 there was the httle b'ar's eyes, and he slaps into 'em three 

 times, and he hears a groan. ' Guess I'll go and get my 

 pardner, and we'll fetch him out when the smoke clears,' 

 says he. For he'd had about enough of a dark cave, 

 though it were but a cub in it. ' Pete,' says he, ' I've 

 killed a b'ar cub ! Come and help us in with the hide 

 and the taller.' So back they comes to the cave, and 

 there they stood a-talking and smoking a pipe comfortable- 

 like, afore beginning. Well, of all the dog-garned noises 

 as ever you heerd, Pete says, it come out o' that cave. 

 Pete, he turned and run ; Long Island Bill shoves up his 

 Winchester, but it were knocked right out of his hand as 

 he pulled trigger. A reg'lar great old b'ar flummoxed 

 out ; Bill he jumped a one side, the snow gev way under 

 the b'ar, and there he were — caught, till Bill come to 

 enough to walk up and shoot him. For, you see, the 

 snow wouldn't carry the b'ar's weight, though the men 

 could go atop of it where it was froze. They'd got all 

 the grease they wanted that time, and some to sell besides. 

 For it was a terrible big old black b'ar — I seed the skin. 

 Bill don't mean to go creeping into a b'ar's cave again 

 though, even though it's only a cub." 



The next extract from my journal I find set down as 

 "a most enjoyable day." I had roused the camp at 4.30, 

 but no persuasion on my part could induce breakfast for 

 an earlier start than 6.30, by which time the sun had 

 already gilded the hills. Mind, our retiring hour was 

 seldom later than 7.30, or 8 p.m. at most ; so except for 

 the effort required in leaving a big heap of blankets to 

 turn to the camp fire, no particular hardship was involved 

 in breaking fast before sunrise, which, again, is the signal 

 for all game to move towards the timber. The nights, of 

 course, are at this altitude very sharp and cold, even in 

 September, though the days are warm and the sky ever 

 cloudless. On the plains, by the way, the cowboys on 

 round-up invariably breakfast at 3.30, and are in the 

 saddle about 4. 



At lenj^th Mat and I rode off, taking our course 



