440 BIG GAME OF NOETH AMERICA. 



took up the trail where they left it the night before, and fol- 

 lowed it all day, and again the next day, till they finally 

 trailed the beast to its lair, treed and shot it; In mount- 

 ainous, timbered countries, however, such heroic methods 

 are seldom necessary, for if one Tenas-Puss-Puss escapes, 

 another is usually soon found, without traveling days or 

 weeks. 



The dog most suitable for the purpose is a Deer-hound, or 

 a cross between a Deer-hound and a Collie. A swift dog 

 is not desirable; the main qualifications being, that he will 

 trail by scent, give mouth boldlj', stay to his work, put 

 the varmint up a tree, and keep him there. It is not ex- 

 pected thatany dog will be required to kill the beast alone; 

 so size is not so much an object as scent, voice, and staying 

 qualities. The hunter usually wants to do the killing him- 

 self. If the dogs have to do that, it will need a good pack 

 of them, well trained, who will worry, harass, and attack 

 him from all sides, aiming to get him by the throat or spine, 

 as his back is easily broken. The dog, in front of those ter- 

 rible claws and fangs, must have great sagacity, courage, and 

 knowledge of the science of self-defense, looking out for his 

 own skin, first, last, and all the time. 



One wild and stormy December night, a trio of hunters, 

 tired, cold, and hungry, in camp on the side of one of Mount 

 Baker's foot-hills, sat around the blazing fire, devouring 

 their evening meal of venison, bread, and cheese; a pot of 

 steaming black coffee hung above the blazing logs. The 

 wind whistled, howled, and screamed through the gigantic 

 fir-tops on all sides. The forest all about was mantled in 

 a shroud of white; the fine snow drifted in through the 

 cracks and crannies of the rude log cabin. 



The hunters finished their repast, put away cooking- 

 utensils, and those that used the fragrant weed filled their 

 pipes, lighting them with a brand from the fire, and settled 

 themselves down on blankets and furs, with their feet close 

 to the glowing embers. Then came the season of Myu-wah- 

 waTi — heap talk — each in turn relating incidents and advent- 



