270 



RECREATION. 



near by there gushed from the ground a 

 stream of clear, sweet, vitalizing water. 

 We built a blazing fire, pitched our tent, 

 spread our cots, cut fir boughs, threw them 

 on the floor of the tent and on the cots 

 and we were ready to cook and eat dinner. 

 This consisted of biscuits, fried veal and 

 bacon, baked beans in tomato sauce and 

 last, but not least, a mince pie which had 

 been snugly tucked away in the outfit and 

 came out as fresh and crisp as if it had 

 been quietly reposing on a shelf all the 

 time. 



After dinner we started in search of deer, 

 but, although it was dark when we turned 



back from a deep coat of fluffy snow that 

 covered hillside and valley, and gave prom- 

 ise of royal sport among the mowich. 

 The Major shouldered his gun and started 

 down the creek, while I struck across the 

 narrow bottom in the direction of a tower- 

 ing mountain whose base lay along the 

 opposite bank of Wolf creek. For an 

 hour I wandered over side hills and gulches 

 until, hearing the sound of a shot near 

 camp, it occurred to me that possibly the 

 Major had killed a deer and was in need of 

 assistance. The prospect of finding deer 

 where I then was did not look bright, so I 

 headed toward camp. As I came out to 



DINING OUT. 



our steps toward camp, we did not see 

 even a cold track. The soft, fluffy snow 

 on hillside and ravine was undisturbed 

 save by the occasional track of a coyote or 

 lynx. We consoled ourselves by assuring 

 each other that if the snow continued to 

 fall during the night, there would be good 

 hunting on the morrow. The weather was 

 so soft and warm when we curled up in our 

 blankets that we let the fire die down; 

 but long before daylight the temperature 

 dropped to 10 degrees below zero, and we 

 were glad when morning came. 



As the sun made its appearance for the 

 first time in 36 hours, it was reflected 



the railroad track I met a man, followed 

 by a little black and tan dog. The stran- 

 ger was dressed in blue overalls, German 

 socks, rubber overshoes and a brown duck 

 coat. His face was covered with a scanty 

 growth of red whiskers; across his arm 

 rested an up-to-date .30-40 Winchester 

 carbine; and over his back was slung a 

 knapsack improvised from a piece of bur- 

 lap and containing his camp outfit. The 

 black and tan pup wore a coat of hair that 

 in a tropical climate would probably have 

 afforded sufficient warmth to keep his 

 little body from chilling, but as he stood 

 on that bleak and exposed railroad grade 



