RECREATION. 



Volume X. 



FEBRUARY, J899. 

 G. 0. SHIELDS (C0Q.U1NA), Editor and Manager. 



Number 2. 



A RACE WITH A BULL ELK. 



CAPT. S. A. LAW SOX. 



In September, 1895, I had just com- 

 pleted a hunting trip with 2 English- 

 men, for whom I had acted in the ca- 

 pacity of guide for 1 1 years. We had 

 bagged a splendid lot of bear, elk, deer, 

 and antelope, and were delighted with 

 our success. The time had come for 

 my patrons to start for London and it 

 was my duty to take them to the stage 

 station, a distance of 30 miles, and then 

 to return and take our outfit to the Lar- 

 amie plains, where horses can winter 

 without being cared for. 



September 28th dawned bright and 

 clear and we were awakened by the 

 cook calling, in his gruff voice, " Get 

 ready, boys, and fall in! " After break- 

 fast we started at sunrise with 3 pack 

 horses for the station. We made the 

 station before sun-down, and I gave 

 my horses a good feed preparatory for 

 the return trip. 



On the morning of the 29th the sky 

 was overcast, giving every indication 

 of a heavy snow before the day was 

 done. The Englishmen warned me I 

 was going to have a bad day in which 

 to make camp, but I felt I had the 

 " cinch " on them, for I had only 30 

 miles to go while they had 90 miles of 

 staging to do before reaching the "rail- 

 road. After bidding my friends 

 " Good-by " I put on the saddles and 

 " hit the breeze " for camp. 



I had gone but a mile when it began 

 to snow, a fine, round hail at first which 

 grew larger and more flat until the 

 flakes seemed as big as silver dollars, 



and they were as wet as water. The 

 28th having been such a beautiful day, 

 I had left camp without my coat and 

 my only protection was a buckskin 

 shirt. Those who have been in a simi- 

 lar predicament can realize how wet 

 and cold I was. My old bald horse 

 made for camp with all speed, and the 

 bell on the pack horse kept time for us. 

 All I had to do was to follow the horses. 

 They knew the trail and did not want 

 darkness to overtake them before mak- 

 ing camp, and so they kept on a gallop 

 most of the time. 



An old trapper friend of mine was 

 camped half way between the station 

 and my camp and I wanted to reach his 

 place in time for lunch. I made his 

 camp at 11 o'clock and found him in 

 his tepee. I turned my horses out in 

 the wild oats to feed while I stowed 2 

 pounds of elk steak under my belt. 

 When I was ready to start I changed 

 horses and mounted old Sorrel Pete — 

 the best hunting horse in Wyoming, 

 to-day. My pack horse with the bell 

 took the lead and down the trail we 

 went, every horse on the dead run. 



Soon I came to a large park, about 

 7 by 5 miles in extent. We were mak- 

 ing splendid time through this park 

 when I heard the " bugle " of a bull 

 elk. I paid little attention to this as I 

 was only thinking of reaching camp; 

 when, without warning, I saw an elk 

 close to me. By peering through the 

 thickly falling snow I could descry elk 

 all around me. Some came so close I 



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