148 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



mountains, getting under way at eight A.M. Our 

 party consisted of my wife and myself, our friend 

 W. M., Bob Graham our guide, Milligan the cook, 

 and Webster, who drove the waggon and later on 

 helped to pack the ponies and assist in all camp work. 

 A few days later we picked up another young fellow 

 rejoicing in the name of Jinks, whom Graham had 

 previously engaged, in order that W. M. and myself 

 might always have someone to accompany us when 

 hunting. Our goods and chattels were all packed 

 on the waggon, which was drawn by four strong 

 horses. Everyone but Webster rode, and our eleven 

 pack ponies were driven loose behind the waggon. 

 We followed a very good road that had been made 

 two years previously across the Bighorn range to the 

 broad valley, or basin, as it is called out West, 

 lying beyond, and which extends to the foot of the 

 main chain of the Rocky Mountains. By midday we 

 had reached the summit of the first ridge of the Big- 

 horn range, seventy-two hundred feet above sea level. 

 From this point we obtained a fine view of Cloud 

 Peak, the loftiest mountain in the Bighorn range, 

 which is upwards of sixteen thousand feet high. 



Twenty years ago the country through which we 

 were now journeying simply teemed with game, 

 wapiti, mule deer, and wild sheep being very abun- 

 dant in the mountains themselves, whilst white-tailed 

 deer were plentiful in the cottonwood bottoms at 

 the foot of the hills, and bison and antelope ranged 



