ANOTHER CHANGE OF BASE 161 



canic pumice-sand, which shone white in the 

 sun. 



In our journeys to the different hunting 

 grounds where we spent from one to several 

 days, we frequently found places where the 

 pumice-sand showed on the sides of the moun- 

 tains, high up, where the light soil had given 

 away from a snow slide or heavy rains and 

 thus left the pumice-sand exposed. This was 

 the first spot, however, where we found the 

 bottom land partly covered with this vol- 

 canic deposit. On crossing the valley we saw 

 the mute evidences of a fierce fight that had 

 taken place between two large bull moose ap- 

 parently during the preceding night. Each 

 of the combatants had fought with all his 

 might. When two human rivals become so 

 bitter and vindictive as to warrant each one 

 in saying "I'll fight till from my bones my 

 flesh be hacked," we can have some idea of 

 the fury of the ensuing conflict. This was 

 the sight we saw that morning in the latter 

 days of September. 



The white pumice-sand was splotched with 

 blood. What little vegetation had been able 

 to thrive on the thin covering of soil over the 

 pumice deposits had been trampled to the 

 ground or torn up by the roots in the fury of 



