NEW YORK, THURSDAY. MARCH 30, 1876. 
1 Chatham Si.(City Hull bqr.) 
Sor ForeM anil Stream. 
(ffvqrlmtd <jj£oha. 
NUMBER FOUR. 
FEW days afLer Mr. Link’s load of game aroused 
onr lmnling spirit to fever heat we left Manitou in a 
■ong wagon with a constant foreground of ears apper- 
Lning to two diminutive mules, and started for his ranche 
the Platte River, distant thirty-four miles. The day 
ta clear and crisp, the warm sun had removed all the 
ices of a recent snow storm except from shady nooks, 
d so warm were its rays that our wraps were soon thrown 
ck. Our route was through the famous Ute Pass, the 
}t of all the entrances to South Park, and an important 
irougbfare for mining, Indian, and Government supply 
ius. The old time-worn trail has been improvod by 
idern engiueerinc, and a road cut along the rocky sides 
the chasm for some miles, opening most beautiful 
mery. For some twenty miles the ascent was almost 
lBtaiit until at Hayden’s Park the road attained an alii- 
e of nine thousand feet and over. Pike's Peak was a 
istant object of interest on our left, here not a peak but 
.ong massive lidge of stone rising in abrupt cliffs. On 
i sky line wreaths of drifting snow showed against the 
e-like frayed edges. The timber line is very strongly 
rlted, all vegetation ceasbig at one line, no margin of 
r shrubs gaining a hold beyond the dark masses of 
uce and balsam growth. The limit is at nbont tweive 
usand feet, some eight thousand feet higher than on the 
tite Mountain Range. Ranches are built at nine and ten 
usand feet, and snow rarely remains long upon thesum- 
. of the pass where exposed to the sun. For lunch we 
ned our baskets by a clear spring, and made a fire for 
ting our coffee, sitting down on dry ground with no 
mg of chili, within six feet of a snow bank that re¬ 
ined from a recent storm. 
ust as the sun set, and the full moon rose, we corn¬ 
iced the descent into the Platte Valley, most enchant- 
I views opening before us of half wooded plains sur¬ 
ged by range upon range of serried mountain line all 
, ihing the last rays upon their glittering peaks. Guard- 
1 each side of the road are huge masses of rock one upon 
i titer, rising far above the pines, known as the twins, 
| looking between them the view was one suggesting 
i Iseape outline, so picturesque were the groups of dark 
is, and so clear aud broad the sweep of natural lawns, 
road was perfect, dry and smooth as those of Central 
, t, aud we spun along, our mules on the gallop, the crisp 
ling air fresh upon us, until with one lovely view after 
her the day passed away, and under the full moon 
y romantic feature of the landscape was entranced in 
d beauty aud unreal character. A few small cottages 
i scattered on the bottom land, where from open doors 
windows flashed the warm rich light of burning pitch 
, reminding us with its ruddy glow aud fragrant smell 
le evening views in the South. 
} impression of recent occupation is received from this 
liar land. The fields are as fair and free from stump 
round as English meadows, the trees stand singly, 
ring wide and free as trees only grow where there are 
•ivals for their share of sun and air; while all that art 
,d do in obedience to London’s rules nature has worked 
in long centuries with no eye to admire the graceful 
t, uuless some Indian felt an appeal to his better nature 
I e widespread wealth of beauty, 
on we came upon the Platte River, and were at the 
of Mr. Link’s ranehe, where we got slowly unfolded 
- our wraps, and soon were toasting before a huge blaze 
,ne that filled a wide throated chimney, 
e next morning, a fair, bright day, Mr. Link and I 
:d on horseback to hunt for deer. We rode up a wide 
y, and after a few miles came upon steep foot hills, 
itaius in our ideas; and now riding up, now leading 
horses over stony banks and ledges where it seemed 
nd the power of a horse to go, we wound our way 
among scattered pines, carefully scanning the slopes for 
our game. After a time Mr. Link proclaimed game in 
sight, and leveled his rifle for me to sight over, hut it was 
sometime before I could see the herd of deer. The air 
was so clear that the hill-side they were on seemed very 
near, so near that I looked vainly for large fawns, and only 
after close examination saw what looked like rabbits among 
bushes, really large black-tailed doer among pines, when I 
realized the distance that so deceived me. We urged our 
horses down the hill and along the valley, smashing through 
thickets of willow and quaking asp, eager to get the wind 
in our favor, well aware that these deer are far more de¬ 
pendent upon smell than sight or hearing for warning of 
danger. When we felt safe with regard to the note-bearing 
of the light wind, we turned up a spur of the hill where 
the deer were, and after a steep pull dismounted, lariated 
the panting horses, and started to stalk the game we had 
seen. No more beautiful ground can exist for this sport 
than these mountains, rising into a crisp high air that stimu¬ 
lates every sense, and braces every muscle, where fatigue 
passes away after a brief rest, aud new impulse comes 
with each hours’ effort; where the rooks and scattered 
trees afford concealment without shutting in the view, and 
firm rough ground givos firm footing for the scramble, hut. 
it is a fair fight with no favor, and he who gets game must 
work for it. No hounds can here drive the deer to easy 
shots from some concealed resting place, nor can a “guide" 
paddle up and hold deer by the tail until, after many 
misses, a ball terminates their agony of fright. They are 
free as air, keen and alert, calling for guarded but prompt 
action, and the hunters most profound strategy. 
Mr. Link was most proficient in the ways of all moun¬ 
tain game, uniting with remarkable physical energy and 
endurauce, a great fund Of information enabling him to 
tell wiih seeming instinct where game would feed, rest, or 
run, and be was rarely in error. These deer, be said, 
would work up the mountain, if not around it, before we 
could reach their pass, then to a second spur. To head 
them we made our ascent as rapidly as we could, halting 
at times for air. We were in time, for in the snow that re¬ 
mained in the shade there were no tracks, and sure that 
they were below us we full cooked our rifles and crept 
along a commanding ridge, watching eagerly every bush 
and opening. After a little we found their fresh trail, and 
followed it as it wound about the mountain, expecting 
every moment to come upon them, for they were evidently 
not hurried or alarmed, as at times they wandered slowly 
around evidently wishing to lie down for their mid day 
rest, but we crept after the trail a long time, up dry cliffs, 
and sliding down snowy banks where no sunlight fell to 
carry away the snow fall. We were disappointed to find 
they bad crossed an open gulcli, and ascended a second 
mountain, Mr. Link said be would climb it if I would 
watch a pass, which I did, but the herd evaded me by 
going just under a ridge out of sight, but yet very near. 
Rejoined by Mr. Link we slowly dragged our now tired 
limbs over the Tocks <ff the mountain to points where he 
had frequently found ueer, and at last concluded to sepa¬ 
rate, he to follow a ravine, I to cross a crest. We had 
hardly parted when from some low shrubs several deer 
sprang up, one a large doe, facing me at about one hun¬ 
dred yards. I drew a careful bead, and tired, and seeing 
her rear aud fall over backward, and go sliding down the 
bill with her heels wildly flourishing in the air, imagined 
her done for, and sent my second shot hurriedly at long 
range after a deer that was watching with wondering eyes 
the strange antics of its companion. This shot went 
wildly, as did one from Mr. Link’s rifle which cut a branch 
over my head on its way, and the remainder of the,herd 
disappeared with long graceful bounds. Turniug to bag 
the doe, great was my astonishment to find her non, invent'd#, 
with Mr. Link and his dog hastening along her trail, plain 
enough from showers of blood. She had gone struggling 
down the hill, gathered her feet under her at the bottom, 
and with last energy gone flying down the mountain side, 
going so far that we reluctantly abandoned pursuit, Mr. 
Link feeling sorno instinct would guide her to the riycr 
where we would find her. Again, on the summit of the 
mountain we divided to stalk different sides of a long ridge. 
Mr. Link was hardly out of sight before bis rifle rang ont 
once and again. I watched eagerly for flying game, but 
none came to my side of the range, aud 1 arrived at our 
rendezvous without incident, where I built a flic, and kept 
warm as the shadows grew long. After a lime Mr. Link 
came up bearing a tine venison, and said he had hung up 
another, leaving a mitten with it to frighten away coyotes 
and wild cats. Tired, we mounted aud rode home, enjoy¬ 
ing the moonlight on the valley of the Platte, 
Our second days’ hunting was about the same group of 
mountains, where we made a long detour among tbo 
busby ravines seeking to find the lairs of some bears that 
were reported as being in the vicinity. We saw no deer, 
but came upon elk tracks quite fresh, and after a long 
rough ride came in bringing the second deer, shot by Mr. 
Link, and my doe, which we found by the river, just 
where Mr. Link said she would run. She was shot hard 
iu the head, and it seemed incredible that she should run 
so far. 
A snow storm of some inches prevented any pleasant 
hunting for a few days, and made the deer move on so that 
we found very few signs in our tramps. When a fair day 
came we set out for a range not before hunted, and, sepa¬ 
rating, limited each side of several peaks. Lending my 
Old nag “.lohn” around one sunny mountain side I came 
upon tracks in abundance, and leaving John under a pine 
I set out guardedly upon the fresh trail, and gradually 
gained a summit commanding a wide view. No game was 
in sight, but I heard Mr. Link’s rifle speaking loud and 
fast, and after a little he came up on a return trail, and 
I found he had seen the herd on a ridge below me, prob¬ 
ably alarmed by my coming, and had shot two at some 
three hundred yards, bofore tiiey could determine the source 
of dauger. We secured these aud hung them up, and set 
out on the trail of two fugitives, a large buck and a doe, 
whose flying bounds over rock and log, often down many 
feet upon sharp stones made me wonder at the strength of 
their slender legs. We followed over a ridge or two, when 
Mr. Link said “they will probably go up to the next 
summit and He down where they can look hack upon their 
trail,” and carefully peering across the next ravine we dis¬ 
covered them watching their back track, so we drew back 
guardedly, left our horses, and made a long detour hoping 
to surprise them iu spite of their cunning precautions. 
Step by step we stalked their retreat, but the wind played 
us falsi?, and veered around for a storm, and shots at fleet¬ 
ing forms was all we had at them, but in a moment we saw 
two other deer bouud up an opposite slope, and when far 
up stop still and look back- They were a long way off, 
some three hundred and fifty yards, but we drew an aim 
and fired. They did not move, and 1 took a secoud shot, 
while Mr. Link wrestled manfully with a jammed car¬ 
tridge, and spoke his mind freely during the contest. I, 
with but one remaining load, having dropped my coat to 
get rid of weight, would not risk it again, so Mr. Link, 
having With his hatchet freed his gun, raised his sight aud 
fired again, a splendid shot, the larger deer falling dead 
from cliff to cliff. This made him three deer within an 
hour, all killed at over three hundredyards. Disappointed 
with my two shots, I tesied my rifle, a fine one by W. & C. 
Scott & Sous, and found that I had done it injustice by dis¬ 
trusting its power at such long range, and over elevated it. 
Had I fully appreciated its great range and power, I should 
not have over shot the deer as I did by tea feet. 
This hunt terminated our expeditions for deer, and we 
commenced arrangements for an elk and bison hunt, as I 
was anxious to see these fine animals, even if unsuc¬ 
cessful in killing them. 
I never saw more enjoyable hunting, or found a more in- 
terestiug country than Ibis. In October, or early No« 
vember, the sport would be better, and game less wild . 
The black-tail deer is very large, with sbftrp brandling 
antlers, quite in form like elk boms, forming aline trophy, 
L, W, L. 
Manitou, QuWrado, December 1875. 
