ELK-HUNTING IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 55 



The horse continues his wild pursuit; the Indian, stand- 

 ing in his stirrups, drops a charge of powder, from a flask 

 that hangs at his side, into each barrel.* Then, sinking 

 into his saddle again, he takes from his mouth two bullets 

 that fit loosely in the barrels. Now, raising the gun in his 

 left hand as high as possible, he strikes a heavy blow on 

 the stock with his right, in order to settle the bullets in 

 their places; then, cocking both barrels, he quickly places 

 a cap on each nipple, striking the gun another heavy 

 blow in order to jar the powder into the nipples, and he 

 is ready to slaughter another Elk, if all have not already 

 fallen before the murderous guns and arrows of the other 

 Indians. 



This was the most exciting of all methods of hunting 

 the Elk, and many an old hunter, who reads this sketch, 

 will recall the wild scenes of the day when he rode on 

 such an Elk-hunt, in company with the degraded, filthy, 

 unprincipled Crees, whose only redeeming virtues were a 

 good seat in the saddle and a bright eye for game. May 

 this reminiscence also bring back the breezy freshness of 

 the boundless prairie, when the trembling hand that, per- 

 chance, is now weak and nerveless was strong and brawny; 

 when the step that now falters was bounding and elastic; 

 when the eye that is now fading was as piercing as that 

 of an eagle in its searching gaze. 



Still-hunting is now the most sportsman-like method of 

 hunting the Elk. True, it lacks the wild delirium of excite- 

 ment that is felt in madly galloping over a prairie with 

 such noble game in sight, vainly endeavoring to escape; 

 for this was a sight that must send the life-blood bounding 

 through every vein. Yet, the still-hunter, when he stands 

 over the fallen monarch whom he has followed stealthily 

 for many hours, when the match was cunning against cun- 

 ning, when it was reason against instinct, now has ample 

 cause to be proud of his work. 



* The guns used by the Cree Indians, in the hunt that I have described, 

 ■were muzzle-loading shotguns, 16 bore, and had the barrels sawn off until 

 only fifteen inches in length. 



