362 



RECREATION. 



after using, any article belonging to the 

 camp. The women cherished a broom 

 which they evolved from juniper twigs and 

 various utensils which they manufactured 

 from birch bark for table use. Fresh bou- 

 quets of wild flowers adorned our dining 

 table, and when our granite ware service 

 was placed on the white oil cloth we ad- 

 mired the spread and congratulated one 

 another on its possession. At the point 

 opposite our camp the river was about 80 

 feet wide and one to 5 feet deep. Two 

 days were consumed in contriving and 

 building a foot bridge, which proved a 

 great convenience, and became a favorite 

 lounging place. 



The women wore short woolen skirts, 

 shirt waists, broad brimmed hats, heavy 

 soled shoes and leggins, while we men en- 

 joyed the luxury of flannel shirts, sweat- 

 ers and hunting boots. The woods 

 abounded in berries and wild fruit, and 

 their gathering made pleasant diversion 

 and added an agreeable variety to our daily 

 menu. Neighboring ranchmen and their 

 wives paid us frequent friendly visits, and 

 from their irrigated gardens we replen- 

 ished our larder with fresh vegetables 

 and luscious strawberries, while their dai- 

 ries and poultry yards furnished us a 

 bountiful supply of fresh, sweet butter, 

 milk, cream and eggs. Without excep- 

 tion the kind hearted people living in the 

 vicinity showed a desTre that our visit 

 should prove enjoyable, and their hearty 

 good will added much to the pleasure of 

 our stay among them. 



No more beautiful stream than the 

 Tongue river can be found in the moun- 

 tain regions of the West, and the canyon 

 through which its waters tumble their 

 way out of the mountains is, while less 

 massive and awe inspiring than the Royal 

 Gorge or Black Canyon in Colorado, even 

 more picturesque and beautiful than 

 they. Its verdured walls, many hundreds 

 of feet in height, are crowned with gigan- 

 tic rocks which the elements in untold cen- 

 turies have fashioned into wonderful imita- 

 tions of monuments, amphitheatres and 

 castle ruins. The river abounds in brook 

 and rainbow trout, and but little time was 

 required to provide our table with all 

 the toothsome fish we could use in camp 

 or present to our neighbors who found no 

 time to whip the stream. Some of us had 

 previously fished in the Gunnison in Colo- 

 rado, the Skykomish in Washington, the 

 Wood in Idaho, the Flathead and Lake 



Mac Donald in Montana, and the brooks 

 of Vermont and Wisconsin ; but in none of 

 them except Lake Mac Donald have we 

 found trout more gamy or plentiful or of 

 a larger average size than those of the 

 Tongue river, with its environment of 

 rugged and beautiful scenery. 



In the valley willow grouse were plenti- 

 ful; while blue, or mountain, grouse, with 

 flesh as white and savory as that of the 

 quail, frequent the higher altitudes and 

 love the shelter of the pines growing on 

 the mountains. Within ]/ 2 a mile of our 

 camp was a deer lick, and bear and elk in- 

 habit the whole Big Horn range. A pair 

 of saucy little squirrels grew familiar with 

 us; and at each meal waited impatiently for 

 our table crumbs, while numbers of mag- 

 pies, with galloping flight and fretful 

 scoldings, hovered near us all day. It was 

 wonderful how quickly, under the stimulus 

 of the pure air and out-of-door life, ap- 

 petites and strength increased. Mountains 

 that we at first pronounced too steep and 

 high to climb were ascended without dif- 

 ficulty later. Each day brought a change 

 of programme. Fishing, hunting, berry- 

 ing, mountain climbing, gathering flowers, 

 taking views and lounging in camp in easy 

 chairs and hammocks were all ours, and 

 we enjoyed them to the fullest. Target 

 practice with .22 caliber rifles became a 

 popular amusement, and in these contests 

 the true aim and steady nerves of the 

 women won for them many records which, 

 in comparison with those made by the 

 sterner sex, amply justified the chaffing 

 that followed. The day's enjoyments 

 reached their climax when, under the am- 

 ple awning of our dining room, the even- 

 ing camp fire was lighted. Then it was that 

 the day's experiences were related, stories 

 told, plans for the morrow made and jokes 

 indulged in, while songs and instrumental 

 music awoke latent echoes in woods and 

 mountains near and far. 



When the time arrived for breaking 

 camp and returning to our city homes, it 

 may have been imagination, but it seemed 

 as if the music of the water on that last 

 morning was more subdued and filled with 

 minor strains; that the eyes of our saucy 

 little squirrels looked regret for our part- 

 ing, and that the querulous notes of the 

 magpies were changed to protesting fare- 

 wells. As we turned our faces homeward 

 we realized how fully our beautiful sur- 

 roundings had contributed to the pleasure 

 of our short stay. 



The finest days in all the year, 

 With strange perversity appear 

 Just when we have, and can not shirk, 

 Some hideous job of undone work! 



— Detroit Free Press. 



