XXIV 
RECREATI ON ~ 
LLL 
THE MARKET HUNTER’S STORY. 
KLATTAWAU. 
“Well,” said the old market hunter who 
had run across our campfire and invited 
himself to dinner, and who now felt called 
on to pay his shot with a story. “It must 
have been well toward January, 3 years 
ago, when one day I picked up a little 22 
caliber center fire, single shot rifle that 
was a fast favorite of mine, and went up 
the river, where I often picked up a few 
grouse and rabbits. These brought 6 bits 
each, and I sometimes made big wages. 
This day, about 2 o’clock, as I was wallow- 
ing through soft snow knee deep, half 
carrying, half dragging a bag of small 
game, I came on the fresh trail of what 
I concluded was an elk. He was going up 
hill toward the Southwest, and if he con- 
tinued in that direction would come out at 
an open point overlooking Missoula and 
the Bitter Root valley. That being the 
case, he would probably return along the 
ridge going back into the timber. 
_“I thought of going for a heavier gun, 
but gave up the idea, deciding to go 
straight up the hill, and if I found the trail 
there, to follow it carefully and take my 
chance of getting a favorable shot. I was 
not much in doubt as to what the result 
would be in that event. 
“T found the trail, but it was well down 
on the Southern slope, near the edge of 
the timber. The track led down through a 
little cove, and there the elk had loitered 
a while. Then he came out and went 
quartering down toward a copse through 
which an old logging load lay. There I ex- 
pected to put him up. 
“The track led direct to the wood. 
With my feet wrapped to smother the 
snapping of twigs and crunching snow, 
I followed noiselessly. The trail crossed 
the old wagon road and led up a slight 
knoll, then turned abruptly. I had not 
gone far on this knoll when I heard bushes 
moving on my right. I settled down on 
my knees right where I was, but try as I 
would nothing could be seen of the elk. I 
thought of waiting until he moved, as there 
were openings in which he might appear, 
but I was too impatient to wait, and be- 
sides he might have gone straightaway. I 
worked toward him as carefully as if 
he had been a weasel that I hoped to 
catch asleep. As I drew nearer, the un- 
certainty of the sequal because of the dis- 
proportion between the game and my gun 
gave me some little apprehension and my 
heart was hitting my slats pretty hard. 
“I know I opened the gun once to be 
sure it was loaded and I held the usual 
supply of cartridges in my mouth. I must 
have got within 4o yards of that fellow; 
I could make out a leg and had him cov- 
ered, ready to shoot the instant I could 
distinguish a vital spot. He was moving 
when I fired. Down he went in a heap, but 
was up and off instantly. I fired again 
where I had last seen him. There was 
blood where he fell. I hurried along on 
his trail, and in places the snow was 
crimson with blood that spurted at each 
bound from his left side. Down the slope 
he ran, straight ahead, a sure sign of a 
speedily fatal wound. Presently I came 
up to my game and found—a female mule 
deer ! 
“Investigation proved that I was on an 
elk’s trail when the doe attracted my atten- 
tion. My expectation of seeing an elk was 
so fixed that I would probably have fired 
at a horse or cow. I remembered having 
heard a crash or 2 behind me at the time 
I fired. Going back, I found that the elk 
was really as near as the deer at the 
time I left the trail. He had been stand- 
ing near a cluster of chaparral, some 2 
rods across, and lunged straight through it.” 

I received my premium, a Poco camera, 
all right and it is a fine instrument. I have 
already used it with great success. We 
who live in the home of the world’s camera 
industry know a good thing when we see 
it, and that is why we all subscribe for 
RECREATION. 
Fred V. Love, Rochester, N. Y. 

Wife—Before we were married you pre- 
tended that you liked to have me sit on 
your knee.. 
Husband—Well, you were a pretty good 
pretender yourself. You pretended that 
you preferred to sit on a chair.—Chicago 
News. 

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of the 
11-foot special King canvas folding boat. 
It is well made and of splendid design. I 
find it a handy little boat for duck hunting. 
Please accept my many thanks. 
H. H. Dean, Leavenworth, Wash. 

I received the Yawman & Erbe auto- 
matic reel, style B, and a’ 14-foot King 
folding boat and I like them very much. 
The boat is a complete thing for pleasure. 
C. E. Hale, Montpelier, Ida. 

I received the Ithaca gun you had sent to 
me. From the targets it makes I consider 
it one of the best of guns. I am much 
pleased with it, and you have my sincere 
thanks, 
T. R. Navarre, Monroe, Mich. - 

“Her husband is a thousand times too 
good for her.” 
“Poor thing, she has my sympathy! I 
have the same sort of husband myself.”— 
Town Topics. 
J 

I should like to see every man who car- 
ries a gun a subscriber to RECREATION. Its 
methods are drastic and it accomplishes 
much good. 
Dr. W. G. Fanning, Lubec, Me. 
