m 
Withdrew for repairs and went in again. The banks are 
almost continuously lined and overhung with willows, 
alders and black birch twenty feet high, making terribly 
hard work, The only way to half fish the stream is to 
wade it. and then the fisherman may count safely on get¬ 
ting wet all ova- and the coldest kind of n wot at that. 
T picked along from place to place, fishing a little and 
bushwhacking a good deal. Deer had taken refuge in the 
willows and weeds to escape the flies and were con¬ 
stantly numping up before me and crashing tlu'ough the 
brush, though seldom visible. In a quarter of a mile I 
filled my creel, which held over twenty pounds ; walked 
back to my horse; mounted and again took the wagon 
trail. Tt came on to rain. The camp was six or eight 
miles farther down the valley in a beautiful and very lux¬ 
uriant meadow, where most of the river banka are clear 
of brush and the fishing very comfortable. My eagerness 
had cost harder work, but secured, probably, more and 
liner fish. At camp they had caught quite a number, and 
among them several mountain herring (here called gray- 
hug). 
Sunday morning it was decided to remain in camp until 
noon, in order to hunt and fish. The Judge set out at 
daylight for a deer or an elk. Taking my rod and basket 
1 walked back up the river a couple of miles to a large 
grove of tall cottonwoods, where I had deckled tho even¬ 
ing before thorn must he Jots of big fellows. As it was too 
early for the fish I improved some of the leisure time in 
catching a few grassphoppers, hi order to give those of 
epicurean taste a little variety. Yet I was too early and 
waded wet grass and bushes to no purpose until drenched 
to the neck. Then I lunched on raspberries and sarvis 
berries aud rested. At length they began to rise and, oli ! 
what sport I hud. There are no lug holes aud inexhaust- 
able schools of fish ; hut ut every bond, uuder every over¬ 
hanging tree and behind every sheltering rock in the cur¬ 
rent were one, two, three or more, up to seven or eight, 
magnificent fiBh. The biggest one—from sixteen to twen¬ 
ty inches long — would generally be caught first, and then 
they would grade dowu. Sometimes after exhausting 
the Hy by putting on a grasshopper I would secure a big 
one, or two, that would not touch a fly. I filled my creel 
and my pockets and went to camp, tired enough of my 
load. At noon it rained hard. The Judge did not get in. 
After the shower I went out again three hundred yards 
up stream and tilled my basket again by the time I reached 
camp, Theu it rained again; the Judge came in empty 
handed and we had dinner. The shower over, I started 
in at camp. The first, fish I caught was a herring. I had 
not caught one above camp, but my evening catch was 
about half herring. At dusk ray basket was ueariv full 
again, making over sixty pounds for the day. A good 
many were taken by others of the party, aud by the men, 
and the next morning we had nearly half a barrel of 
dressed fish to salt down. Onr camp marked exactly the 
head of tho barring run, but the best trout were above it. 
Monday morning opened fair, hut the high mountains 
off to the west were covered with fresh snow. The road 
follows down the valley half a dozen miles further and 
then hears northwest across the arc of a great bend of the 
river over a hilly country. I stopped at the point of di¬ 
vergence for some more sport, but it was an “off day” 
with the fish and I got but few—about evenly trout and 
herring. Whilst loitering hero a terrific storm of hail 
and rain came on. The best shelter obtainable was a 
hunch of willows, re-enforced bv saddle and blanket, un¬ 
der the lee of which I shivered it through, holding my 
horse — driven almost frantic by the pelting hail stones — 
by the bridle. When it was over I roue out of that valley 
through two inches of hail to find the road over the clayey 
hills so slippery that my horse could not keep his feet 
and had to take to the grass. It was a long, chilly, cheer¬ 
less ride, relieved only by the discovery that the" balance 
of the outfit had been struck by a worse streak of the 
storm and had a terrible time with the big wagon among 
the hills. They had stuck, broken chains and Topes, un¬ 
loaded and "backed” the freight over one or two of the 
worst places, Just before dark I came up with the camp 
iu the. pretty little valley of Trout Creek. The storm had 
spoiled the fishing there, too, but the Colonel, the Judge 
and the Captain had knocked over a fine lot of grouse and 
a capital dinner was just about ready for attack. 
Tuesday brought nothing of note, The route was over 
a hilly country with but little timber. A number of 
grouse and sage hens were killed from the road. About 
three o’clock we reached the Yumpali below the canon, 
as the point is designated, and pitched camp. The river 
is lined with cottonwood of the balm of Gilead variety, 
very tall and Straight; the valley fertile with a great 
abundance of wild frui fc — currants, cherries, sarvis berries, 
and red haws — just then fairly ripe. A good supply of 
fish were caught, including a‘new variety to us, which 
we afterwards learned was called squaw-fish. It contains 
more bones to the square inch than any other fish tha t 
swims and is utterly worthless. Next morning was frosty 
and Mike found a snake in his kitchen cupboard—crawled 
in for warmth. 
‘ Wednesday we moved down the river six miles to Hay¬ 
den and spout the day visiting, examining the coal meas¬ 
ures and surveying the country. In the evening caught 
a few fish, but we were ahead of the fall rim and they 
were not plentiful. The river is here from one hundred 
and fifty to two hundred feet wide, with long reaches of 
deep Btill water, separated by short sharp ripples over 
bars of boulders ana gravel bn which the water is from 
one to two feet deep. 
Thursday we moved hack up the river to the mouth of 
the canon a,nd selected a most delightful camp. Some 
ducks were shot near camp. A rope was stretched across 
the river, the rubber boat got out and a ferry established, 
which resulted in a few duckings and lots of fun for the 
fellows on shore. The Judge went deer hunting but killed 
nothing. In the afternoon I took a basket of fish—trout 
and herring — and amoug them had the good luck to se¬ 
cure the largest one of the trip, aud a famous struggle I 
had with him. The river bank, about four feet high, is 
covered with brush so dense that it is almost impossible to 
get through it. The bushes are from fifteen to twenty 
feet high, and there is not a foot of open space, I hail 
stepped out upon a slender cottonwood tree that the 
beavers had cut down and the top extended some twenty 
feet over the water — the under branches in it. Had 
dropped my fly twice and allowed it to float down to the 
bniBU without seeing a fish, at which I was rather glad, 
because if I hooked one I didn’t knowhow I would secure 
it. But. I have a rule of casting three times and then, if 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
not successful, moving on. So I skipped the fly tip the 
stream for the third time. The current was like a mill 
race. As the painted feather danced over the ripples a 
cavernous opening rose up beneath, and the feather dis¬ 
appeared. He didn't flip it into the opening with his tail 
—not any. Then I realized that I had business on hand, 
aud I recollected that I had a frayed snell that had given 
way hut a few minutes before oil a big grayling. I had 
patched it. up knowing that I ought to throw it away, hut 
1 thought “it must do once more in this infernal brush." 
Well, at the first dash my new acquaintance went under 
the tree and I thought, tile game was tip and I was 
euchered, but the line held and I wanted that fish “ aw¬ 
fully." I edged out along the yielding tree top, an inch 
at a time, until the tip of my rod reached past its extreme 
branches and then began to lead him up stream. The 
strong current tired him fast, and it was not many min¬ 
utes until he was broadside on and I was holding his head 
half in the air, But then how to get him ashore was the 
question. I edged back along my friendly cottonwood 
pole until I got one foot on shore, and then I drew in my 
fish until he was gasping on the surface four feet below 
my toes. Slack was all in and rod perpendicular before 
me. I reached out and took the line in my fingers, aban¬ 
doned the rod to its lodgment in the brush aud then—rested 
and meditated. I knew that if I lifted the fish and he 
made the least “ wriggle ” that snell would part. At the 
same time. I knew the fish would not climb up the bank 
and into my basket. At last I eased him out of the water 
and he started up beautifully. Half way, a flirt of his 
tail, and down he went. But ho sunk to the bottom like 
a stone and lay gasping bet ween the boulders. I dropped 
almost as fast’. Feet and bands reached the river lied at 
the same instant, and with the latter I seized the fish and 
threw him upon the bank, In the dive 1 lost my hat, and 
the next thought was that there was not an extra tile 
within a hundred miles. I reached for my friendly cot¬ 
tonwood again, swing myself upon the bank, tossed the 
fish back into the woods, aud tore away down the river 
through tho brush; passed the bend and saw a black 
speck bobbing on the billows; seized a dry sapling as I 
ran, again jumped into the river and could just reach the 
fast vanishing head covering and steer it ashore. Then 
I found my basket that I had been carrying in my hand 
from place' to place through the brush, my fish, and the 
wreck of my tackle. Repaired damages, found a naked 
gravel bar at the foot of a ripple on which I took my 
stand and filled up my creel with grayling. Iu the even¬ 
ing my big fish weighed four and a quarter pounds—not 
large for a lake denizen, but good size for a small river. 
Just above camp in the river bottom was a wonderful 
orchard of sarvis berries. Many of the trees were fifteen to 
twenty feet high, and all bending under their loads of 
ripe fruit. 
Friday.—It had been arranged whilst we were at Hay¬ 
den to go to the mountains about the head waters of Elk- 
head river, ten or fifteen miles north of our present camp,- 
on a deerhunt. This morning Messrs. Smart aud Thomp¬ 
son of that place came up to join us. Under their guidance 
we crossed the river and struck direotly north, over high 
nigged hills, covered with dwarf oak and other shrubs. 
The primary object of the expedition had been to hunt 
bear in this very neighborhood, hut the unusually dry 
season had blaster! the fruit crop and bruin had migrated, 
Tn ordinary seasons the bushes which cover the hills are 
loaded with cherries, sarvis berries, acorns and other fruits 
and nuts. There bears are plentiful and easily found. 
Instead, we found the earth parched and cracked open so 
that in places it was dangerous to ride over. But little 
grass bad grown, and tho weeds were dry and rattled like 
corn blades in a winter gale. Most of the water had dried 
up which would account for the disappearance of game if 
there was no other cause. As we climbed higher and 
higher, the country became more favorable, and after rid¬ 
ing two or three hours, several deer crossed our course just 
in front and disappeared in the woods. Near the crest of 
the range, or spur of mountains that divides the waters 
of Elk river from those of the Elk Head, we found a spring 
and a little meadow of green grass where we camped. 
Took a hasty lunch and set out for an evening hunt. 
Three of us together crossed over the divide to the east, to 
the head waters of a creek near which it was said there 
was a deer lick, but we failed to find it, and agreed to beat 
up the valley, or ravine, to its head. One took the bottom 
of the hollow and one on either slope, three or four hun¬ 
dred yards from the gulch. We were to keep abreast as 
nearly as possible, and get together before returning to 
camp. I understood the rendezvous to he at the head of 
the hollow. The mam on the opposite slope got a running 
shot or two ; the others didn’t see a deer, I reached the 
top of the ridge about sundown, and waited for the others 
—who did not come. As dusk came on. I started back 
and began hallooing; got one or two answers away below 
me and then could get no more. I then struck over the 
summit of the mountain for camp, through the little 
1 ‘ sag " by which we had Come, as I thought. There was 
an old dim trail but it was too dark to find tracks or prove 
their absence. I found the descent ail right, seemingly, 
but the bottom of the “draw” was densely timbered, 
choked with brush and weeds, and dark as a pocket; so I 
took the slope, keeping the gulch on my left, wliieh would 
bring me all right to camp which was on that slope. That 
is, it would if 1 had been in the right hollow-—but IwaSn'l. 
There was a fire away off thirty or forty mileB in the west 
that was a good landmark, and I kept that on my “port 
quarter.” The “track" was not good, being filled with 
logs, brush, weeds, and rocks ; but I made fair time, hav¬ 
ing a down grade. I ran into a bunch of deer but could’nt 
see a. shape. They kept along parallel with my coursefor 
some distance. When I stopped, they would stop and 
stamp. If I then spoke or rustled a bush, one or more of 
them would make a leap or two and then stand still. I 
am not certain whether they escaped from me, or I from 
them. At length 1 BtruCk the oak belt, and then I knew 
that I was far below camp, and that I didn’t know where 
I was. Iu a little grassy opening beside a wall of rank 
oak and cherry bushes, 1 halted ; gathered a lot of wood 
and started a lire : made a bed of cherry boughs and lay 
down to sleep. Toward morning it became cold and I 
started another fire on the opposite side of my bed and fin¬ 
ished the night between two fires—had to replenish them 
almost every hour. At daylight I started up tho moun¬ 
tain again and soon came in sight of a basaltic peak that 
we had passed the day before and near which, on the op¬ 
posite side, I had finished my “ beat ” of the evening ; l 
struck for that, and near the summit breakfasted on rasp¬ 
berries. Around the point iu the laurel brake I came- 
upon my tracks of thejday before, and.soon after plumped 
into a band of blacktails that were feeding among the 
mountain ash; made a running shot in the bush and 
struck for camp. A mile from there met three of the party 
starting to look for me ; told them where I left my nerd, 
and we parted. At camp found the colonel and the cap¬ 
tain saddl i ng up to go back to the camp on the river. I 
got breakfast, saddled my horse, and struck for Herne’s 
peak mines on a tour of exploration j crossed over the 
mountains by the trail of yesterday, and followed down 
the creek. Four miles below our then turning-back point, 
found the deer lick — a number of salt springs at the loot 
of cliff, abovtt which the ground was tramped to the hard¬ 
ness of a sheep fold. At the debouchure of the stream 
into the valley of Elk river is a wide alluvial deposits 
planted with yampa, antichoke, sa-ga (you printed it sage 
m a letter of mine not long ago) and other edible roots for 
which the hears had been digging until it- was like a pota¬ 
to field that hogs had harvested, and this extended over 
hundreds of acres. At Elk river I turned up it, due north, 
and in two or three miles came to a hay ranche, where 
men, armed with a mowing machine, were putting up 
large quantities of that article. An invitation to dinner 
was not declined, and we had grouse, sage hen, trout, 
gay ling, (herring) and new potatoes. Four or five miles 
further up, and at the very head of the valley, passed 
Reed's ranch where grain and all kinds of garden vegeta¬ 
bles were growing luxuriantly. Then climbed up and up 
almost to timber line and the"mining camps, where there 
iB nine months winter and three months very early spring 
to the year. But you don’t care about mining camps. I 
spent Sunday there, and the only sporting event of the 
day was the appearance of a deer tl tat came to a salt spring 
three hundred yards down the MU in front of tho camp 
Everybody saw it and half a dozen went after it with guns, 
but nobody brought in venison. 
Monday I rode down the valley of the Elk to its junction 
with the Yainpah and up the latter to Steamboat Springs 
where I was to meet camp. It did not come and T put in 
the day and most of the next catcMng trout and herring, 
Tuesday evening the party arrived, and pitched camp. 
The day I left them they killed three or four deer and 
still had plenty of meat. They had also knocked down a 
large number of grouse during the day. In the evening 
the four story cooking range was fired up for the first time 
with grouse, sage hens, venison, and potatoes in the re¬ 
spective “ flats.” Though dinner was late, the result- was 
quite satisfactory, but after that first and only appearance 
the new fangled arrangement staid in the wagon. 
Wednesday—Breakfast at 3.80 and then off for bear. 
We were now so near the snowy range that drouth had 
not affected vegetation so seriously, though the berry 
crop was not luxuriant except in spots. We rode north 
three or four miles into a cove almost- surrounded, by 
steep, “ choppy” hills covered with oak and fruit bearing 
; Bhrabs. Left our horses, and at daylight were clamber¬ 
ing up a forty-five degree slope. The plan was to follow 
along the crests of the ridges as quietly as possible and 
scan the opposing slopes with field-glasses. The fall be¬ 
fore an English party, beaded by Sir George Prescott and 
accompanied'by the Colonel, ha”d killed five hears in this 
immediate neighborhood in one or two days. We walked 
over miles anil found nothing. At last, high up and 
where the brush was so thick and high that an elephant 
would have been Mdden hy it, we came upon the feeding 
place of a single bear. Fruit, was abundant and luscious, 
and his walks led in every direction through an orchard 
of several hundred acres'. At the foot of the slope, in a 
glen carpeted with grass and shaded by aspens was a 
spring, and here bruin had his drinking fountain, his 
kitchen, cistern and Ms bathing tub, as the boys named 
three separate pools that he had hollowed out. He had 
left Ms card, but the proprietor was out. We called 
again in the eve ni ng ; the next morning at- daylight, but 
there was no meeting. It was rapidly be'coming a 
“ ground hog case” with us and we needed that bear hi 
our business. So we moved camp up nearer to his lines 
and planted guns—an English double “express" with 
string and trigger attachment, intending that, he should 
be Ms own executioner. The first night he flanked our 
works and not a shot was fired. The plan was improved 
and the string carried along Bix inches above a log that 
he had to cross ; the gun planted a rod away. This was 
Friday Mght, and on Saturday we must start home, bear 
or no bear. It was thought we could hear the gun. though 
it was two miles away and behind a mountain ridge. 
Every body slept with an open ear to windward, but no¬ 
body heard anything. At 3 o’clock camp was roused, 
breakfast cooked and eaten, and the Colonel anil the 
Judge set out with the understanding that if the bear was 
killed or found they were to fire a signal. This others 
packed up oamp, and just as the last traps were going into 
the wagon and the rising sun was gilding the mountain 
tops, it came. Mike, with the wagon, rolled out toward 
home, and the balance of us went the other way with 
pack animal and butchering tools. The plot liad worked 
well. Bruin was very dead, though still warm anil lim¬ 
ber. He was a young cinnamon, though very black, and 
his weight was variously estimated at from five hundred 
to seven hundred pounds. Hide and head were taken off ; 
a quantity of fat and a few pounds of tenderloin saved. 
Then we set out, and late in the evening overtook camp 
near the head of the Yainpah on the very spot where we 
had camped two weeks before. At the bear camp we 
were away from any stream exeeptagroup of little springs 
that sent off a feeble rivulet for a few rode, where it disap¬ 
peared. About it were a thicket of willows, a grassy 
meadow and a grove of aspens. By the natural course of 
drainage it was full two miles to a running stream. 
Water was generally clipped from a pool five or six feet 
across, in wMeh was the main spring. Mike soon reported 
a fish in that pool and was laughed at . The next clay he 
referred to it again. Finally the Captain, who was going 
fisMng, stepped over to the pool and dropped in Ms fly, 
wMch was promptly taken, and he pulled out a trout ten 
and a half inches long. Beyond a ridge to the west and 
about a mi le distant was Soda Creek, a small stream in 
which trout were wonderfully numerous. Some of us 
fished there daily and caught great numbers, though most 
of them were small, 
Sunday, September 3 —A dreary cold day, with steady 
rain and snow intermixed at times in the afternoon. We 
did not move camp. The bear oil was tired out and served 
to fillsundry empty bags and bottles. A single large trout 
and two or tM-ee small ones were caught, The fish had 
