306 



RECREATION 



out difficulty, and, following a very bad long before we were enjoying a substan- 



trail, arrived towards evening on the tial meal, our jaws trying to keep time 



green slopes of the snowslides. There to the accompaniment of an orchestra 



is a certain mysterious charm that hangs of blue grouse. Their name is legion on 



like a haze over new country, especially these hillsides. The cocks are grand 



when it sud- 

 denly opens 

 before you in 

 loveliness 

 and splendor, 

 when one has 

 been strug- 

 gling all day 

 through hope- 

 less looking 

 timber and 

 scrub, and so, 

 as we emerg- 

 ed on a beau- 

 tiful green 

 hillside, I be- 

 held with a 

 thrill of pleas- 

 ure the val- 

 ley of the up- 

 per South 

 Fork, with its 

 great peaks 

 and gorges, 

 i t s emerald 

 slides and 

 dark forests 

 stretching be- 

 fore us into 

 the golden 

 haze of the 

 setting sun. 



We pitched 

 our camp in 

 short order on 

 a small level 

 beach in a 

 grove of pines 

 by a trickling 

 spring on the 

 edge of the 



slide, and turning our hungry horses 

 loose on the rich pasture, we lost no 

 time in getting the supper going, as we 



WHERE BRUIN LIVES 



birds, and 

 seem to run 

 to a larger 

 size here than 

 in other plac- 

 es. They strut 

 about like 

 tame turkeys, 

 and the eter- 

 nal hooting, 

 which the y 

 keep up night 

 and day, be- 

 comes monot- 

 onous. After 

 supper we 

 went for a 

 short stroll. 

 We prowled 

 around till 

 dark, and I 

 believe both 

 felt a little 

 disappointed, 

 at not seeing 

 any fresh 

 tracks. How- 

 ever, as a 

 matter of fact 

 there were at 

 least two or 

 three grizzlies 

 not far off, as 

 will appear 

 later on. We 

 smoked and 

 talked bear 

 till pretty late 

 but it was 

 early coffee 

 next morning. 

 During the day we discovered that a 

 party had visited this part of the ground 

 a short time before. So we decided on 



had had nothing to eat since early morn- moving farther up. We saw some large 



ing. Now Henry prides himself on be- bear tracks deep in the ground and wide 



ing, if not the best, at least one of the apart, but not fresh, before moving 



fastest cooks in creation So it was not camp. Henry found a bear on the op- 



