o 



66 RECREATION 



to the thump, thump of my heart. I er was pumping about three shots a 

 had been tied down to my desk for . second at it ; I have seen antelopes, 



three years and had not seen a big wolves and jack rabbits run in front of 



game track during all that time, and grey hounds, and they set a good pace ; 



now realized that the "real thing" of I have seen the Grand National, the 



which I had so many times dreamed Derby and other races of the best 



was close at hand. breeds of horse, but never have seen 



I remained in a crouched position for any living thing move as this bull elk 

 at least ten minutes, intently listening did, coming to certain destruction. In 

 for further sounds, when far across the my excitement I had raised to a stand- 

 cafion I saw something move upon the ing position, which exposed my body 

 scene before me. Straining my eyes from my belt up, and while thus stand- 

 upon the spot for some further sign of ing with my gun ready to throw to my 

 animal life, I could at first make noth- shoulder, I noticed another object in the 

 ing out. In the meantime, however, trail directly behind the elk that seemed 

 I heard the deer on the other side of to be coming equally as fast. As the 

 the boulder give a snort and a stamp pursuer and pursued sped toward me, 

 and then bound from a position not the former seemed to be about fifty 

 more than 20 yards from my rock. How feet long, with the dust curling up be- 

 in the name of Nimrod did the thing hind like the smoke from an express 

 get so near without my hearing more train. From my eminence I could see 

 of it? that the space between the oncomers 



When the commotion began at my was closing up, and by the time the elk 

 back I again saw some movement down had reached the canon ditch and cleared 

 the trail in front of me, nearly a quar- it at a bound, it looked as though 

 ter of a mile away, and my excitement the pursuer flew straight over, but the 

 did not diminish when I saw something ground rose as they ascended the hill 

 like an inverted dining chair move into after crossing the canon, and it seemed 

 a more conspicuous position, carried by to rise as an eagle would skim the sur- 

 a 900-pound elk. He had been at- face of the earth in pursuit of a hare, 

 tracted by the fleeing deer at my back, I could now see that the gap had been 

 and there the splendid fellow stood, in entirely closed and the two animals 

 full sight, his head erect with nostrils doubled or came abreast in the narrow 

 distended, giving me an oblique view trail ; then there was a slight inter- 

 of his body. Oh, Caesar, what a beau- ruption in the beautiful rhythmic race. 

 ty! Did I have the buck ague? Well, The elk slackened speed, and the pur- 

 yes, just a little, and while he stood in suer, which I now saw was a mountain 

 such a magnificent pose, I wished that lion, was in front, but turned so quick 

 the distance could be cut in two! He that for the space of the tenth of a 

 was still safe from me. But he seemed second they were facing each other, and 

 to scent danger with the acute instinct while the elk had only slightly checked 

 of his fellows, and whatever his elk- his speed, he endeavored to clear his 

 ship's suspicions may have been, and antagonist at a bound, but his reckon- 

 whether he might have turned tail and ing was far short of success. He 

 scampered off to safer surroundings is hurled his majestic body many feet 

 ;i question, for while I was gazing at from the ground ; there was a swift 

 nim in open-mouthed wonder and de- move skyward on the part of the enemy, 

 light, he did the most unimaginable and when the elk came down he had 

 thing for his species. eight feet of lion suspended from his 



Suddenly he sprang forward in the neck. There ensued a short struggle, 



trail, laid his massive head-gear on his which brought them to a stop, not 



back, and apparently made straight for over ten rods from my elevated position, 



me. I have seen deer run when a hunt- The motions of the two animals were 



