112 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



fall out, to drop into ash-covered soil — a place 

 where they will thrive the best. The fire has con- 

 sumed insect enemies and removed the cause of 

 shade. Most young trees will not grow without 

 shade, but young lodgepoles will not grow in it. 

 They thrive best in the full glare of the sun. Trees 

 of other species that come among them and grow 

 taller shade and exterminate them. 



I was particularly drawn to one old fellow in this 

 grove. It was without a limb for the first fifty or 

 sixty feet and tapered so little that its trunk at the 

 first limbs appeared to have a thickness about 

 equal to its diameter only a few feet above the 

 roots! This was a fraction more than twelve 

 inches. Eager to know the diameter at the first 

 limbs I climbed up. 



Seating myself comfortably on the lowest limb, 

 I was just in the act of measuring the trunk diame- 

 ter when below I caught sight of the three ap- 

 proaching prospectors. Near my tree they stop- 

 ped and stared up at me. Having no use for them, 

 in fact, feeling myself above them, I paid no atten- 

 tion but went on measuring. Presently one called, 

 "What in the blankety-blank are you doing up 

 there? Come down and be blank quick about 

 it." Down I slid. 



Plainly they were greatly put out. Though I 

 had certainly done them no harm, they seemed to 

 consider my incomprehensible performance a per- 

 sonal affront, and were likely to handle me roughly. 



