45" 



RECREATION. 



the boatman he would kill him if he obeyed. 

 The boatman chose possible death from the 

 shots of the rurales to certain death at the 

 bands of Clark, and soon landed the latter 

 Oil the American shore. 



They abandoned several hundred horses 

 on the range, and never dared go back to 

 claim their propert) . 



Intimate contact with such scenes as 



these so unstrung C 's nerves that he 



left that country and came to Denver. He 

 told the following anecdote illustrative of 

 his shattered nerves: 



Soon after reaching Denver he was walk- 

 ing up 17th Street one evening when a gust 



"A CHAIR AND A STORY BY THE CAMP- 

 FIRE ARE BEST OF ALL." 



of wind blew a newspaper out of an alley 

 directly across his path. He said he 

 never experienced such a shock in his life 

 as this gave him. Suspecting it was a foot- 

 pad he sprang back, whipped out his .44 

 and had the paper covered in less time than 

 it takes to tell it. 



C > told a very interesting anecdote 



about the superstition of the Mexican pe- 

 ons. Noticing a field of corn (having from 

 5 to 10 stalks in each hill) with a number 

 of small wooden crosses set up in the field, 

 he inquired their significance. The native 

 replied that the field was dedicated to the 

 Lord, and if it was God's will there would 

 be a good crop, otherwise they would know 

 that a poor crop was all for the best. The 

 iedicated field is never touched by any cul- 



tivating tool of any description. " Well,'' 



said C to the native, " You don't expect 



God Almighty is going to thin that corn, 

 do you? " The native replied, without any 

 idea of the humor of the situation, " If it 

 was thinned at all, He would have to do it." 



Our most strenuous efforts did not induce 

 the wary trout to bite. We fished assidu- 

 ously for several days, with no success, the. 

 entire extent of our catch being about half 

 a dozen, all less than l / 2 a pound weight. 

 No fish-hogs, we (when the fish don't bite). 

 However, the time passed very pleasantly 

 at the ranch, and we spent a good deal of 

 time in the saddle, galloping over the prai- 

 ries and hills in true cowboy style. Some- 

 times we hunted jack-rabbits and sage hens, 

 but the latter were too wild, and the former 

 too tame to make the sport interesting. In 

 fact Kittrell hypnotized one jack-rabbit and 

 caught him alive in the open field. After a 

 week at the ranch we went about 55 miles 

 West to King's hunting camp, located 

 about 6 miles Northeast of Halm's peak, 

 and in the heart of the game country. We 

 spent several days at this point, hunting on 

 high ridges over terrible ground. These 

 ridges are entirely covered with dead, fallen 

 timber. 



We spent 3 or 4 days here, and then with 

 a pack outfit, took a cook and guide and 

 crossed the Continental Divide to the Elk 

 river country, where we spent several days 

 hunting and fishing, enjoying very excellent 

 fishing for trout in the North Fork of the 

 Elk river. 



The parks, with which the country is cov- 

 ered, have an elevation of from 8,000 to> 

 9.000 feet. The streams are wonderfully 

 clear and cold, and the trout, although 

 small, are gamy, and take the fly with avid- 

 ity. The color of the fly seemed imma- 

 terial. Any old fly was as good as another. 



Our guide, during the latter part of our 

 stay in King's Camp, and on the Elk river, 

 was Cooke Rhea, already known to some 

 of the readers of Recreation. He was a 

 buffalo hunter for the market in the early 

 days in the Pan Handle of Texas, and has 

 followed the profession of hunter more or 

 less ever since. His adventures, if he could 

 be induced to relate them all, would make 

 an interesting book, but he is not fond of 

 talking of himself. The few stories he 

 told around the camp fire would make a 

 tenderfoot's blood curdle. He has a .45-60' 

 Winchester, model 1876, which is a curi- 

 osity, showing what long wear will do for a 

 gun. It is completely worn out. The stock 

 has lost every vestige of its original finish, 

 and almost of its shape, while the wood on 

 the fore end is worn down flush with the 

 barrel, from continual carrying across the 

 saddle. He has used this gun continuously 

 for the last 13 years, and treats it with al- 

 most reverent affection, although it is quite 

 useless as far as accuracy is concerned, and 



