BEAR HUNTERS IN HOWLING VALLEY 



39 



and glistening Winchesters and boxes of ammunition, and 

 we had little doubt that the genius loci of Howling Valley 

 would soon change its tune. 



Some of us the next afternoon were exploring the 

 eastern half of the glacier, which is a vast prairie-like 

 plain of ice, when we saw far off across the dim surface 

 to the north two black specks, then two other black 

 specks, and in due time still other black specks, and 

 the conjecture passed that the hunters were returning, 

 and that the heart of the mystery of Howling Valley 

 had not been plucked out. Our reluctant conjectures 

 proved too 

 true. Just 

 at nightfall 

 the hunters 

 came strag- 

 gling in, 

 footsore and 

 weary and 

 innocent of 

 blood — so- 

 berer if not 

 sadder, har- 

 dier if not 



CAMP OF HARRIMAN PARTY ON MUIR GLACIER 

 FROM PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT 3 AM JUNE 9, 1899. 



wiser men. 



The undertaking involved more than they had bargained 

 for. Their outward course that afternoon lay for a dozen 

 miles or more across the glacier. They had traveled till 

 near midnight and then rested a few hours in their sleeping 

 bags upon the ice. One may sleep upon the snow in a 

 sleeping bag, but ice soon makes itself felt in more ways 

 than one. When the cold began to strike up through, the 

 party resumed its march. Very soon they got into snow 

 which became deeper and deeper as they proceeded. 

 Hidden crevasses made it necessary to rope themselves 



