494 RECREATION 



luck to knock down three more and ards, mostly of a species known as the 

 miss two fine quartering shots. An In- chukawallah, are big, fat, lazy fellows 

 dian boy, who came to the pool late in that you think incapable of action as 

 the afternoon, helped me some as his you see them asleep on some flat-topped 

 shooting tended to drive the ducks my rock. But just try to hit one with a 

 way. They seemed to fear the roar his stick ; all you will see will be a gray- 

 old bored-out musket made more than black streak vanishing into a crack in 

 they did the crack of my much more the rock. They are from a foot to two 

 accurate nitro shells. He never shot on feet in length, over half of which is tail 

 the wing and seldom killed less than — thick, round, fat tail, and this is the 

 two and often more at his pot shots, principal part that is eaten. The flesh 

 He said his family — nine in number — when cooked is as white as that of the 

 would eat his whole bag, at that time finest young chicken, and, to my mind, 

 fourteen birds and apparently after- of a much better flavor, being some- 

 ward increased, as I heard him shoot a thing of a mixture between fish and 

 number of times after I left. I took my young tree squirrel. The Pahutes 

 seven into camp and they made a good wrap these lizards, head, tail, entrails 

 meal for the six of us that ate in the and all, in a sheet of clay and roast 

 head tent. Of course I had other duck- them in pits in the ground. I never 

 ing trips to this and other lakes, or tried one cooked in this manner, but 

 rather, wet weather sinks in Death Val- they are said to have a flavor all their 

 ley, but if I pause to tell you all of these own — which far be it from me to doubt 

 escapades I will not have time to speak or question. 



of the quail shooting or the bighorn At this place, which was one of our 

 stalking or the coyote stillhunting we two longest resting places on the trip, 

 did. I made the acquaintance of one of the 

 There were no quail near Saratoga most interesting of all North American 

 Springs, but there were any number of mammalia, the mountain sheep. Late 

 little gray and red foxes, not to men- one afternoon, and also early one cloudy 

 tion coyotes and wild cats, all of whose morning, we laid in wait for them be- 

 tracks appeared in the soft sand every side a wonderful spring, high up in the 

 morning. I presume they came to prey Funeral Mountains. Do not misunder- 

 on the gathered water birds as did also stand me that we laid in wait to kill — 

 another hunter of the darkness, a huge we had our guns, indeed, we always 

 horned owl. He, however, left no track carried them en this border of civiliza- 

 behind him save here and there a pile tion, but we made no attempt to shoot 

 of feathers beside some rock or in the where we could easily have slain two 

 shadow of a wide-spreading clump of apiece. They came down to the spring 

 mesquite. Many times in our hunting and drank, both morning and evening, 

 trips and on journeys after photo- and once I had the camera with me, but 

 graphs as well we found the shelter of was so rattled at seeing a band of the 

 this shrub very welcome. Indeed, I great sheep within twenty-five feet of 

 think a clump of it saved the lives of where I lay' hidden, that I forgot the 

 five of us one hot day. There are two machine entirely. That bit of forgetful- 

 species of this tree, one of which grows ness has cost me dear in regrets. What 

 as a tall, straight trunk surmounted a picture those three white rams would 

 with many branches ; the other a low- have made, surrounded by their half- 

 growing, scrubby thing, seldom over dozen mates and yearlings, the black 

 ten feet high and forming a thick, im- lava rocks of the mountain wall for a 

 penetrable refuge for rats, mice, lizards background, the spring in front ! Every 

 and rabbits, all of which are deemed day, almost, we saw or heard of bands 

 good game by the Pahute Nimrod and of these sheep, and farther over on the 

 killed and eaten accordingly. The liz- Nevada Desert, , at the base of the 



