RECREA TION. 



i9 



have taken several short-hand writers to 

 have recorded my thoughts during the 

 few seconds it required to transfer a 

 cartridge from my left hand to the 

 chamber of the rifle. Fortunately the 

 wind, what there was of it, was in my 

 favor, as it drew up the gulch, and the 

 elk paid no further attention to the 

 sound than to turn his head in my direc- 

 tion and then continue his stately walk. 

 Now a quick aim behind his shoulder 

 and this time the rifle spoke in answer 

 to the pressure on the trigger. The old 

 fellow threw his head around toward the 

 side where he felt the sting of the bullet, 

 and as I sprung up he started off at 

 race-horse speed. Unmindful of Hofer's 

 advice, shouted at me from far up the 

 mountain side, not to shoot again as the 

 elk was hard hit, I sent a second bullet 

 after him, saw him stagger and throw his 

 head toward the wounded side. 



The elk now disappeared over the 

 next ridge, and impelled by a fear that 

 he might possibly get away, I tore madly 

 over rocks and through brush after him, 

 for by this time I was intensely excited. 

 I was reassured, however, on reaching 

 the crest of the ridge, to see him stag- 

 gering about in a little meadow in the 

 bottom of the canyon. I walked cau- 

 tiously toward him for I have been told 

 what an ugly creature a wounded bull 

 elk is when he turns hunter instead of 

 hunted. Just then I heard a fawn bleat 

 and looking off to the left saw one of the 

 prettiest sights I have ever seen. 



A band of about seventy-five elk was 

 coming over a ridge into the meadow 



where my elk now lay dead. Sitting 

 down quietly in the grass, which closely 

 matched the color of my clothing, I 

 watched them go by, not a hundred 

 yards away — cows, yearlings, fawns and 

 one fine old bull, the lord of the harem, 

 whose antlers I studied most carefully, 

 but finding they were not so large or so 

 fine as those of the one I had killed, al- 

 lowed him to go on with his band. How 

 they did leap and prance, all unconscious 

 of the presence of an enemy ! One old 

 cow, however, who was bringing up the 

 rear, finally seemed to scent danger, for 

 throwing up her head, with a snort, 

 away she went in the direction whence 

 they had come. For two or three min- 

 utes the old bull seemed to think he had 

 better go and bring her back, and the 

 manner in which he trotted a little way 

 after her and then returned, several times 

 in an undecided — " Yes, I will — no, I 

 won't " sort of way was very comical. 

 Finally he decided to let her go, and 

 marched off with his band, punching 

 with his great antlers, in no gentle mood 

 any of the others who attempted to drop 

 out of the ranks. As they disappeared 

 through a break in the ridge at the end 

 of the meadow I went and examined, 

 with pardonable pride and satisfaction, 

 the fine head, the magnificent antlers, 

 the great muscular trunk and the lithe, 

 sinewy limbs of my first elk. My aim 

 had been nearly perfect in both instan- 

 ces, for the two bullets had gone in be- 

 hind the shoulder, about four inches 

 apart and only a trifle too high to be 

 immediately fatal. 



