RECREA TION. 



397 



plenty of game hung on the lower deck 

 of, the boat, such as elk, deer, buffalo, 

 bears, antelope, ducks, geese, swans, etc. 



Often, as we steamed along, the cry 

 would be given, " Game in the river !" 

 when each of us would grab the weapon 

 we liked best, and then would commence 

 a fusillade. When an animal was killed 

 the captain would send a boat for it, as 

 the meat was always needed to feed the 

 passengers and the crews. As some of 

 the Indian tribes were hostile at that 

 time, a company was organized for de- 

 fense and was drilled on the larger boat, 

 every day, in skirmishing, loading and 

 firing, by an United States officer. 

 Fortunately, however, we were not 

 called on to exhibit our prowess. 



The trip was in every way a most de- 

 lightful one. The days were full of in- 

 cident and adventure. Now a snag and 

 then a sand-bar to be lifted over ; next 

 Indians and other wild animals ; but the 

 nights were always quiet and restful, with 



the boats at anchor. 



* * * 



I killed my first elk one afternoon 

 when the boats were tied up to the bank 

 taking wood. With my two companions, 

 Lawrence and Cary, I went on a hunt. 

 About a mile from the boat we came on 

 three or four elk. They were kind and 

 gentle to us. They seemed to know no 

 fear of man, and probably had never 

 before seen one. I crawled up to within 

 about ioo feet of them, and taking careful 

 aim at the largest bull, fired : and was, I 

 confess, surprised to see him fall, for I 

 was not then a good shot with a rifle. I 

 immediately and foolishly laid down my 

 gun (unloaded), and drawing my hunting 

 knife, ran in to cut his throat. As I put 

 the point of the knife in his neck he 

 made a jump for me. His foot struck 

 my hand and sent the knife, ringing, 20 

 feet one way, while I was sent as far the 

 other way. Fortunately, he was too 

 badly hurt to follow up his advantage, 

 and I scrambled back to my rifle, loaded 

 up and shot him dead. It being in the 

 spring of the year he had no horns, and 

 to this fact I doubtless owe my life. 



We cleaned him and started to drag 

 him to the boat. When we had gone 

 about 10 feet we discovered that it was 

 a very hot night, and that the mosquitoes 

 were numerous ; so we cut off his head 

 and shoulders, and started again with 

 the hind quarters. By this time the 



night seemed hotter, and the mosquitoes 

 thicker than ever. We had only gone 

 about 100 feet with the saddle when we 

 cut off one hind quarter and started in 

 with that. We dragged this about 

 a quarter of a mile further, when we con- 

 cluded that there was enough game on 

 the boat, and that if the captain wanted 

 more he could send for it ; so we 

 dropped our load and started on a run 

 for the boat, leaving the mosquitoes in 

 possession of the ground. They were 

 too many for us, and I regret to say my 



first elk was wasted. 



* * * 



On arriving at Fort Union the boats 

 were unloaded, and the river being now 

 very low, only the small stern wheeler 

 was loaded to go to Fort Benton, and all 

 the passengers were crowded on board 

 of her. This was very unlike the ease 

 and luxury we had enjoyed on the larger 

 boat, where each had a good stateroom 

 to himself. 



One beautiful Sunday evening, after 

 supper, when we were enjoying our 

 smoke on the upper deck, a cry of 

 " fire " was raised, and on going forward 

 we saw the smoke pouring from the 

 forward hatch. One of the crew, being 

 thirsty, had taken a lighted candle and 

 a gimlet, and had gone below and bored 

 a hole in a barrel of alcohol. The 

 liquid coming out ignited, setting him 

 and the boat on fire. He was, with great 

 difficulty, hauled out, but was so badly 

 burned that he died some days later. 



As we all knew there were 300 kegs of 

 powder in the bow of the boat, we did 

 not want to stay on board long. A 

 panic ensued. The women and some 

 of the men lost their heads, and were with 

 great difficulty prevented from jump- 

 ing overboard. The shouts and screams 

 of the people, and the columns of smoke 

 and flame leaping from the hold up the 

 open hatchways, were enough to shake 

 the nerves of the bravest men. Several 

 of us rushed to our staterooms, grabbed 

 our best rifles and belts, and prepared 

 to escape at the first opportunity. The 

 engineer stood at his post and ran the 

 boat ashore. Our captain had the in- 

 stinct of self-preservation strongly de- 

 veloped. He stood on the prow in his 

 shirt sleeves, without a package of any 

 kind in hand, and as soon as the boat 

 got within six feet of land he leaped 

 like a wild man. In doing so he pushed 



