Terms, Five Dollars a Year. 
Ton Cents a Copy, 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY. MAY 11. 1876. 
( Volume 6, Number 14. 
) 17 Chatham 8l.(CitvHallbqr.) 
For Forest and Stream. 
jjjintiting Jjh npiH o i( tln> £tnt$, 
A T New Helena we stopped a few days to recruit our 
horses and prepare the heads of our game for mount¬ 
ing'. Here wc met a friend, Mr. Mathews, and through 
linl we formed thp acquaintance of Mr. James H. Ross, 
f/hose hospitality we enjoyed, and whom we induced to 
^Company and guide us on our trip to the Dismal River, 
JW only-five miles above. 
Belting out from Mr. Ross’, one bright morning, we fol¬ 
lowed the only trail visible, and a dim one it was, made by 
iparty of Government surveyors during the summer, up tlio 
Middle Loup to the Dismal. TYe often saw white-tail 
leer feeding on the river .bottoms, but as they espied our 
tfagon they would dash away with long high bounds to 
iome willow-covered island. Coyotes ■jvonld perch them- 
elves on some lonely prominence, take a loDg look, then 
'silently steal away” in their peculiar sneaking manner, 
in the sand bars, and flying up and down the river were 
locks of wild geese. Ducks of various kinds paddled 
bout in the still water, seeming to care little for our pre- 
ence. Covies of sharp tail grouse would break the soli- 
fi.de with the thunder of their wings as they rose from 
heir hiding places in the tall grass, making the silence 
vlircli followed seem almost oppressive. 
Beaching the mouth of the Dismal we passed up the 
beam, about a day’s drive, through a country still more 
tismally dismal. Lonely and desolate it lay, as if never 
tefore disturbed by the foot of man. Those Hues from 
ho “Ancient Mariner” recurred to me continually; 
u "I\vu8 sad as sad conld be, 
Wo wei'e the first that ever burst 
Into that s-'lent sea.” 
I Just as the situ was passing from sight behind the high 
indy bluffs we drove down to a bend in the river and 
itched our tent in a small grove of trees at the foot qf 
8S bluff, and oloso to the shallow, swift-running stream, 
a low banks being here thickly grassed to the water's 
Age, Oil every hand well-worn elk paths and deer trails 
;d back into the hills. Rising early on the morning of 
tov. 5th we found the wind in the northwest, bringing 
louds of mist, d i m ming but not obscuring the landscape- 
Notwithstanding this we arrauged that U. and myself 
lould make a detour through the bluffs, whilo Mr. Rose 
mulct bunt above and in the vicinity of the river. Set- 
tig out we led our horses over the many ups and downs 
itil we reached the first range of bluffs. When near the 
tramit I took a long survey of the brown grassy valley 
hich stretched before me, and far away on the second 
,nge, I saw through the mi3t two objects which, with the 
d of my glass, I decided to be either deer or elk feeding, 
ending our horses behind tile hill, and driving the picket 
us into the loose soil with our heels, we left them to crop 
e withered herbage while we went forward to take a 
user inspection. Keeping out of sight behind ridges we 
ached the low ground where I once more tried my glass, 
id how my pulses thumped when I “made assurance 
mbly sure,” and found them to be indeed what 1 long 
id sought—elk. One stood on a sharp peak of the chain 
itch fully scanning the country iu search of lurking 
•uger, while his mate fed below on the steop hillside. I 
uirl well see that they were both large stags, haying fully 
iveloped antlers. 
While observing with my glass the numerous deep ra- 
ueB putting out from the range, and trying to decide which 
take and how to reach them, the look-out joined his mate, 
d soon after both laid down. Always choosing good cover, 
d often plucking the dry grass and tossing it into the air to 
ike sure that we did not give them the wind. Creeping on 
ill-fours" behind low ridges, and worming ourselves on 
ir Stomachs over the more exposed places we reached the 
lge on which they were lying. I expected every mo- 
■Lnt to find myself foiled by jumping a mule deer, as their 
wish tracks, made in play that morning were all about, 
||d the many "blow-outs'’ afforded them their favorite 
Hiding places. 
H.’s ambition having been gratified, he here left me to 
go forward alone. With the aid of grass roots, and by 
pushing the toes of my boots info the soft sandy soil, I 
raised myself, inch by inch, until I could sec much of the 
body of one, and the head and antlers of the other, though 
they were at too great a distance to risk a shot. 
Turning to the right, behind a low ridge, I selected a 
small grassy knoll which lay between me and the quarry. 
On reaching it, I parted the grass and peered through with 
my heart thudding industriously, and saw the first oik 
scarcely twenty yards distant, his body out of sight behind 
a low bank with only the lips of his horns visible. The 
other' was a little farther removed, and I had ODly a back 
view of his head. As I could obtain no better position, I 
found I must risk a shot from tins point. With tbe inten¬ 
tion of calming myself, and to still the rapid heart-throbs, 
I lay quiet and looked at my game. I counted the prongs 
on each horn—five fully developed and unbroken points 
to each beam. The poiuts whitened as if by use, battered 
perhaps, the beams and other parts of a rich, dark brown. 
Drawing my hunting hat tightly down, and with extra 
cartridges in hand, I summoned my energies for the strug¬ 
gle, and slowly rose to a fair view. The click in setting 
the triggers of my .40 calibre Sharps caused him to swing 
his head with its wide-branching antlers slowly around, 
giving me a side view of his glistening eye. Taking a 
quick aim just below his optic, I fired. The 90 grains of 
Orange sounded weakl my shoulder did not even feel the 
usual recoil. On to my feet just in time to see him strug¬ 
gle for an instant on his side, then spring up, aud with one 
great bound disappear over the “break” and out of sight 
to be seen no more until himself and mate appeared on a 
distant hillside, where they halted, threw up their magnifi¬ 
cent heads and looked back, then taking their long swinging 
trot, were soon out of sight. 
Seldom have I felt more despondent, and ns H. and my¬ 
self went for the horses to follow the trail, I felt ns if I 
were doomed to go home without ray antlers. II. added 
to my chagrin, if that were possible, by chiding me for 
being over cautious. The mist had by this time cleared 
away, and the sun shone forth brightly as we reached their 
trail in the mellow sand, and traced them nearly three 
miles, often finding pools of blood and stained grass. On 
mounting a range of bluffs n. saw a black-tail deer in its 
bed, and never having shot one, I loaned him my rifle to 
try the buck, while I held his horse. On his way to the 
deer he saw the elk lying down on a distant ridge. Return¬ 
ing without frightening the deer, we again picketed our 
horses, and using every precaution we succeeded in getting 
within easy distance where H. again left me to try my 
fortune alone. 
Creeping along the ridge on which they were lying I 
reached a favorable point from which to sliqot. Reaching 
carefully forward my rifle, and resting the muzzle on a 
tussock of grass, with hammer drawn back, and heel-plate 
to my shoulder I slowly raised myself to find my wounded 
stag with his back toward me as usual. I could see his 
body dimly outlined through the grass, and I aimed well 
forward hoping to strike his backbone. Using my rifle 
without the set I commenced a steady pulL As it cocked 
the elk sprang to his feet and “took to his heels.” Run¬ 
ning to where 1 last saw them I looked over; yes, there ho 
was! standing head down on a h illsidc, his mate having gone 
on alone. Dropping quickly to the ground I tried to shoot, 
but my nerves were so unstrung that I could not have hit 
an elephant at ten steps, and before I could steady myself 
he fell, and running to him I found life extinct. With the 
perspiration streaming from every pore, I leaned on my 
rifle to rest and admire my prize as ho lay stretched out on 
the brown withered grass. I grasped his antlers, turned 
his head, and straightened his brown flossy mane, and could 
hardly make myself believe that I had at last shot an elk. 
II. joined me, and wo ripped him up to his dark bearded 
throat, removed Ms entrails, and tied a coat to his horns to 
keep the wolves away, intending to bring him in tbe next 
day. His antlers were of medium size; the foot stalks aud 
tines were long and symmetrical, every antler perfect and 
mating well with its fellows. 
The next day whilo we were going with team and wagon 
to bring in the dead stag, Mr. Ross saw a large band of elk 
across a divido a mile or more from our stopping place. 
Turning our team to tlio wagon we started ill pursuit. 
Taking their trail across the valley; and from the high 
range of hills succeeding it we could see them far ahead 
still moving and closely together, not unlike our domestic 
sheep. When wo w-.re about giving up the chase wo saw 
another herd of about seventy-five lying down on a spur 
to our left. So, turning our attention to tbis band, and 
making a long stalk, we wore so fortunate as to get within, 
easy rifle range. They were scattered along the Mllside 
singly and in groups, and were mostly cows aud calves, 
though I saw a number of males, having horns of various 
degrees of development. One, I noticed, had long sabre- 
like antlers destitute of prongs; a few had short beams 
and brow antlers, while some old monarchs carried full 
heads. 
While lying to get our breath a lordly stag with five 
points to each beam, rose to Ms feet, stretched Mmself 
lazily, and turned bis gray side toward us. I was to shoot 
the stag and II. and Ross were to shoot does; through 
some mistake If. fired before Ross and I could get our po¬ 
sitions. The herd sprang up at the shot, huddled close 
together, and ran at a furious pace over the ridge; though 
not until Ross had fired a random shot. I could not shoot, 
lying down, with my game speeding away at such a rate, 
and iu attempting to gain my feet, I slipped, to rise just as 
the last stag, with his long horns laid over his back, was 
showing us his clean-shaped heels. Following the flying 
herd we found a wounded cow standiug in the shadow of 
a steep bank. Almost simultaneously the sharp crack of our 
rifles rang out, and sbe fell literally riddled. Ross' random 
shot bad wounded her. Returning to the wagon we loaded 
the game, and reached camp in good season. We hunted 
ont a few days more, during which lime Ross killed a 
Virginia doe near the river, and H, a mule buck in the hills. 
The mule deer will, at times, stand aud blankly stare 
while shot at, and if not hit trot off a few steps and turn, 
giving the hunter another chance. One evening H. had 
sixteen shots, on different occasions, at mule deer, which 
acted in this manner-. He was then using a carbine having 
a curved trajectory and a twenty pound trigger-pull, which 
I suppose was tbe reason of his getting only one of the 
three at which he shot. 
On the last day of our hunt we came in early, and long 
beforo tbe shadows crept over the valley we were busy pre¬ 
paring for the homeward journey. One by one the stars 
shone out, and the full moon rose in the east throwing her 
silvory light over the great hills and winding river, as we 
began our supper. Broiling great slices of savory venisoD, 
and with steaming potatoes, warm biscuit and coffee, we 
ate our evening meal in the open front of the white-walled 
tent, made light and warm by the fire before it. The flames 
cast lotig shadows over ouf game, whioh were stretched 
out in full view oil the short, thick grass—the antlered 
stag, the glossy-coated cow, and the symmetrical deer. 
Our horses carnu to the canvas-covered wagon, and with 
low neigh looked wistfully in upon us, asking for their 
evening feed. Across the narrow valley rose one above 
another the serrated hills, while nearer, through the trees, 
came the glimmer of the river, whose low ripplings came 
to us “like a voice in the night." Several years ago a herd 
of five hundred Texan cattle stampeded during a storm, 
and their owner was never able to gather them. They 
retreated as settlers encroached, and those which have not 
been killed roam over this country. We saw fresh traces 
of them while hero, but none of tlio cattle. On our return 
journey, when near the mouth of the Dismal, we saw a 
herd of twenty-five wild horses feeding on the bottom, aud 
as they saw us they trotted up to within 300 yards, with heads 
erect. Then wheeling they galloped slowly away. They 
were of medium size and mostly bays, and hardly oame up 
to my expectations. 
We were gone from home just a month. Hunting less 
