146 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
absolutely impassable. I recall one instance where we had to shovel 
our way through in order to pass with team and sled; in one place the 
road was so obstructed from a large tree, or might mention several 
trees, which had fallen across the roadway, that we were compelled 
to unhitch and lead the horses a long distance out of the way, and had 
to take the sled apart and carry it a piece at a time over these logs, 
and in many places the snow had drifted so high that our team had 
gotten down where the snow was over their backs, so in order to 
get them out we took one horse out by shoveling a way for him and 
pulled the other horse out with the horse that had been taken out. 
This to a new game warden was about the toughest ordeal, outside 
of being shipwrecked off Cape Horn, which experience I also had, so 
I feel myself equal to almost any emergency. 
Along with all of this hard privation came some very kind and 
thoughtful treatment upon the part of some of the residents of 
Columbia County. After having been out in the cold for hours at a 
time, we were lucky enough to run across people who have feelings 
and warm hearts for the wayfarer, as in many cases when we least 
expected it we were taken in out of the cold and treated to warm 
meals, all of which will be always remembered by your deputy game 
warden. 
On all my trips I found plenty of pheasants, especially along the 
bottom lands, and they had become so tame that they really came 
toward us when we were distributing the wheat for them. 
The Rainier Rod and Gun Club, as well as the other Rod and 
Gun Club, did nobly in furnishing feed for the birds in ample quantity. 
I will not dwell to any greater extent upon the personal hardships 
encountered on numerous trips taken during this severe winter, as 
it would consume too much space in the Sportsman, but will give 
you a brief idea of the worst trips I had during the heavy snow. 
In one of the routes from St. Helens to Warren, a distance of four 
miles; from Warren to Bachelor Flats, a distance of three miles; 
from Bachelor Flats to Houlton, a distance of nine miles, and from 
Houlton to Columbia City, a distance of three miles—I covered all of 
this in one day, feeding the birds as I went along. 
The next day I traveled with a team from Rainier to Apiary, a 
distance of nine miles, and from that point to Deleaner, a distance of 
six miles, and from there to Clatskanie, a distance of twelve miles, 
and from there to Mist, a distance of 10 miles, and from Mist to Pitts- 
burg, a distance of twelve miles, and from Pittsburg to Houlton, a 
distance of twenty-one miles. This consumed about three days’ time 
in all. On all above distance I fed wheat along the roads. A part of 
the distance from Pittsburg to Houlton the wagon broke down, so I 
was compelled to walk about 15 miles into Houlton, and the last bird 
that I saw was one pheasant in the road at Mist. 
After all of this hard experience I feel that I have been more 
than doubly repaid, if in no other way that I have the satisfaction of 
knowing that I have saved a great many birds from perishing for want 
of food, and while this has been new work to me, I feel if another 
winter occurs of equal severity and I am still game warden, I will be 
able to improve from my past experience. The work is very interest- 
ing to me and I have been successful, I believe, in imbueing the 
sporting element in Columbia County with enthusiasm and regard 
