OUR ALASKAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



121 



No blustering gale to drive the fowl to 

 the quiet marsh; so I pick up my iloating 

 breakfast, and am off down the lake, well 

 content with the privilege of living if only 

 to breathe this glorious air. 



Fresh from Heaven it seems to come, 



bearing the fragrance of the woods just 

 awakened to life by the sunshine. 



"Tis life! pure exhilarating life, and as I 

 breathe it I rejoice that, unlike the air of 

 crowded cities, " it has never been used 

 before." 



OUR ALASKAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



A. J. STONE. 



Editor Recreation: I have just re- 

 turned from a trip into the Chee-on-nees, 

 where I secured a goodly number of sheep, 

 and those too the ones I most wanted. 

 Since my trip into these mountains last 

 year the Indians seem to have taken special 

 delight in hunting there and have driven 

 the animals back and scattered them badly. 



A Mr. Reed came out of these moun- 

 tains, just before I started in, having failed 

 to get even a single animal; but my ar- 

 rangements having been all made I deter- 

 mined to try. 



Two days of hard hunting, after main 

 camp was reached, served to justify Mr. 

 Reed's failure. Early on the third morning 

 we were preparing for a move. A few 

 pounds of rolled oats and a small strip of 

 bacon were taken for food. Some salt, for 

 skins; the camera and plates, one pair of 

 blankets each, and our guns constituted 

 our outfit. Everything else was left at our 

 first or main camp. 



We started directly back through the 

 mountains, having planned for a trip of 

 several days. Late in the afternoon of the 

 first day, while crossing the level top of a 

 high mountain ridge, we sighted a bunch 

 of sheep. 



Making a short detour we approached 

 them, from behind a low butte, to within 

 about 400 yards. They were quietly feed- 

 ing, in a beautiful little meadow, and the 

 surroundings were such that we could not 

 get any nearer; so we devoted some time 

 to watching them, through our glasses. 



There were 7 lambs and the rest of the 

 herd, numbering about 20 head, consisted 

 of ewes anc young rams. Two of the rams 

 finally came near enough for a safe shot; 

 but I declined the opportunity as ewes and 

 lambs were more particularly wanted and 

 we did not wish to alarm the band. Besides 

 I was anxious to study the movements of 

 these animals undisturbed. We retired 

 some 2 miles, where we found a small 

 brush thicket and camped for the night. 



We followed the sheep, from morning 

 until night, for 2 days before we turned our 

 rifles loose; but the time was well spent. 



Having now secured some good speci- 

 mens we once more returned to our main 



camp, from which point we continued the 

 hunt with good success. 



The last day out, while returning to 

 camp without hope of seeing anything, we 

 discovered 2 sheep walking along the crest 

 of a high ridge above us. With the aid of 

 the glasses we saw they were a ewe and a 

 lamb. I wanted one more such pair, and 

 this was the chance. Though very tired 

 and hungry, up that long climb we went, 

 Harry Pidgeon and I, the third man going 

 on to camp. We were so long reaching the 

 top of the ridge I feared we might lose 

 track of the sheep; but we ran on to them 

 in 30 minutes after gaining the summit. 

 The ewe and lamb were then in company 

 with 2 young rams and they were all good 

 healthy specimens, the ewe and lamb prov- 

 ing exceptionally good. 



Harry gave me the lead, after we located 

 the animals, and therefore failed to get in 

 at the killing. I was carrying my 30-40 

 Winchester single shot rifle, and Harry 

 was carrying my 30-40 Winchester re- 

 peater. The ewe was first to sight me and 

 started to run. Then she stopped and" 

 turned around to satisfy her curiosity. At 

 that moment she caught a bullet in the 

 sticking place and went down instantly. 

 Just then one of the young rams ran up on 

 to a little ridge to locate the trouble and 

 got a bullet in his shoulder. Next to come 

 was the lamb, and it received a ball in the 

 same place as did its mother. 



The other young ram had fled without 

 coming to see me, and when I again got 

 sight of him he was working his way over 

 a rough, steep, rocky ledge, about 400 

 yards away. I took a rest, adjusted the Ly- 

 man sights and fired, overshooting from 

 one to 2 feet. The next shot went home 

 however and I had the satisfaction of end- 

 ing that last day's hunt in the Chee-on- 

 nees with success. Next the camera, which 

 I carry all the time when hunting. Then 

 the measuring and skinning. 



Two very tired and hungry men reached 

 camp at midnight, with their heavy loads, 

 not having tasted food since 5 in the morn- 

 ing — 19 hours. 



We ate our supper, if supper it might be 

 called, went to the stream, washed our 



