422 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. 24, 1886. 



TO TUB WALLED-IN LAKES. 



in. — ON A MOUNTAIN SIDE. 



'T^HE next morning, though the sky was still dark and low 

 ering, I started with Tellowfish to climb a mountain and 

 secure, if possible, a little meat for the camp. Birds were 

 plenty, and there were fish in the lake; hut we all felt a 

 little longing for some good, fat sheep meat, and we were 

 going to the mountains where the Indian had said that the 

 sheep were so plenty that if we tried not to see them we 

 could not help doing so. A heavy mist, which now and 

 then lifted for a few moments and gave us hrief glimpses of 

 the black peaks beyond, stUl hid the tops of the mountains; 

 but we hoped that as the sun rose higher the skies might 

 brighten. 



We took a trail leading to the head of the lower lake, 

 crossed the inlet, which was up to our horses' bellies at the 

 ford, and began to climb the hills on the west side of the 

 upper lake. These hills, though smooth, are quite steep, 

 and are for the most part covered with a thick growth of 

 small aspens. A trail had been cut through these by a party 

 of Piegans, who had been hunting here a year before, and 

 the ascent for the first two or three miles was not very diffi- 

 cult. Every now and then we would ride out into a little 

 open park, in one or two of which we saw fresh elk tracks, 

 and as we mounted higher the aspens gave way gradually to 

 spruces and then to pines. The climbmg became more and 

 more difficult for the horses, and at last we reached the top 

 of a high hog back, above which the bare rocks rose in 

 an ascent too steep for our animals to surmount. Leaving 

 them here, we continued on our way through the snow on 

 foot. 



It was a rough and difficult climb up a slope so steep that 

 often it was necessary to scramble along on all fours, and at 

 first over smooth grass, made doubly slippery by the snow 

 which covered it. Then came the rocks, which in past 

 ages had tumbled down from the top of the mountain, and 

 over these our progress, though quite as slow, was less diffi- 

 cult because we had a more secure foothold. Half way up 

 this steep slope a few stunted pines grew among the ragged 

 rock fragments, and through their snow -laden branches we 

 forced our way. The top of the slope reached, we had 

 left all vegetation. Before us nothing was to be seen but a 

 wide expanse of gray rock and white snow which ran up to a 

 vertical cliff, whose top was hidden in the dense mist. The 

 clouds had all the morning hung about the mountain tops 

 and we were now fairly among them. It was impossible 

 to see more than fifty or sixty feet in any direction, and 

 hunting was out of the question. Any game that was not 

 moving rapidly would be sure to see us before we saw it. 

 We kept on climbing for a while longer, untU the mist be- 

 came so thick that it was useless to go further, and then 

 halted and waited for it to clear away. Suddenly we heard 

 a rattling among the rocks as of a stone roUing down the 

 slope from a great height, and strained our eyes to see if we 

 could detect through the mist any moving object, but it was 

 of no use. Then Yellowfish and I looked at each other and 

 nodded sagely and triumphantly, as who should say "there are 

 sheep there." A little later the noise was repeated, and we 

 felt confident that it was caused by sheep above us setting in 

 motion the loose stones. Through the dense fog we crept a 

 few hundred yards higher up on the mountain, but as noth- 

 ing could be seen, stopped again under the lee of a huge 

 boulder many tons in weight. Beneath this was a narrow 

 level space two or three feet wide and twenty long, where 

 the sheep had stamped out beds for themselves. A keen wind 

 was blowing and with the drenching fog had by this time 

 made us both very cold. Yellow fish's toes were sticking out 

 of his torn moccasins and I was wet up to my knees. The 

 cold damp mist penetrated to one's very marrow. We spent 

 an hour or two by this boulder, tramping up and down 

 and beating our arms against our sides in fruitless efforts to 

 keep warm. 



At length, seemingly disgusted, the Indian said, "Let's go 

 home." I made an assenting gesture and he led the way 

 down the slope. Just before we reached the top of the 

 steep slope on which the pines grew, there came a fierce puff 

 of wind, the fog below us disappeared, and gradually the beau- 

 tiful lakes with their immediate siuroundings were revealed^ 

 Slowly the curtain which hid the mountain sides was lifted 

 and in half an hour those on the west side of the lower lake 

 were free from clouds. About the tops of the higher peaks 

 beyond the upper lake little mist clouds still hung, clasping 

 them in a close embrace, as though unwilling to be torn from 

 them. 



At our feet lay the two lakes, the whole length of the 

 lower and half the upper ©ne being exposed to view. The 

 scenery of the latter is much the bolder of the two. The 

 slope of the mountains from its lower shores is at first 

 gradual, but a little back from the lake they lift themselves 

 in sharp timbered acclivities. About five miles from its out- 

 let, however, the mountains close together so as almost to 

 meet, and the lake lies in a gorge between them, the rocks 

 being nearly vertical on either side. It looks as though a 

 narrow and deep channel had been cut through the top of 

 the mountain range for the deep, dark waters to pass through. 

 On the east the rock faces are dark gray and bare of timber, 

 but on the west a timbered point of the mountain runs down 

 nearly to the lake's edge, where it breaks off into a precipice 

 two or three hundred feet in height. Here the shores dip 

 down so steeply that a few feet from them it is almost im- 

 possible to find bottom. Beyond this point the lake grows 



wider again, and here for some miles it is bounded by bare, 

 rugged mountains, snow-capped and seamed on their sides 

 with ravines, in which are great drifts, sparkling and white 

 near the summits, but gray and nearly dust-covered toward 

 the water's edge. On the east side of the lake a dozen 

 mountains, separated by deep gorges, stand boldly out over 

 the water, and in one of these lies a vast mass of ice, several 

 hundred feet in thickness and reaching far back upon the 

 mountains. What its length and width no one yet knows, 

 for its northern and southern ends are hidden from view by 

 the mountains on either hand, and it is far above the ob- 

 server, but the dark green face of the ice cliff several 

 hundred feet in thickness conveys some idea of its tremend- 

 ous mass. 



Something of all this we saw as we sat upon the mountain 

 side and watched the fog clear away. Down in the little 

 bay where lay our camp we could see the white glimmer of 

 the tent, and on the ridges beyond it were tiny dark dots 

 which we took to be the horses. 



I was enchanted by the beauty of the scene, and was slow 

 to respond to my companion's remark, "Fog all gone; let's 

 go back," and rather reluctantly rose from ray seat and fol- 

 lowed him up the steep ascent. Back we went, clambering 

 over the rough slope until we were nearly at the foot of the 

 great cliff which overshadowed it. We made our way slowly 

 around the north point of the mountain, and into the black 

 canon which separates it from the one next to the northward, 

 facing the bitter wind which now and then brought with it a 

 blinding snow squall. Often from the rocks at our feet came 

 the bleating cry of the httle chief hare, curiously like the 

 squeak of a penny trumpet, and the soft whistling twitter of 

 the gray-crowned finches made cheerful music, little in keep- 

 ing with the desolation that surrounded us. A ptarmigan 

 walked out of our way as we advanced toward it, and once 

 as I was sitting alone for a few moments on a rock, a martm, 

 resplendent in his glossy brown coat and whisking his black- 

 tipped tail, ran close by without perceiving me. 



The long and arduous climb was made in vain. We saw 

 no sheep, and at length turned our faces down the mountain 

 side and reached the horses. On our way to camp we saw 

 two or three ruffed grouse, a fresh elk track and a good-sized 

 bear track made since our passage earlier in the day. Just 

 before dark we reach camp, wet, tired and hungry. 



The next day the whole camp turned out at an early 

 hour, and, catching up the horses, made preparations for 

 another hunt. We were all to go, and only the two little 

 dogs would be left behind to keep camp. 



The route followed was the same which we had taken the 

 day before, but the prospects for success in finding game 

 seemed somewhat brighter, because the day was much 

 warmer and more pleasant. We rode across the inlet under 

 a bright sun, though we could now and then see the mist 

 clouds hurrying along high up on the mountain to which we 

 were bound, aiid sometimes its outlines were obliterated by 

 a snowstorm. 



We rode across the inlet flat and climbed the ridges, now 

 passing through dense thickets of low aspens and then out 

 into pleasant parks, and through dark forests of spruces, 

 always climbing higher and higher, until at length the hog- 

 back was reached, where we must begin to climb on foot. 

 Here we dismounted, unsaddled and tied up the horses. 



New snow had fallen since the day before, and we could 

 see a quarter of a mile away, on another hogback, a well- 

 defined trail where a number of large animals had passed up 

 or down, Yellowfish pointed to this evidence of the pres- 

 ence of game with an air of great satisfaction, and we set 

 out on our climb. 



The life of a sheep hunter is not one of luxurious ease. 

 He must bieast the steepest ascents, and must seek for his 

 game over ridges, along precipices and up peaks, and follow 

 it to its home among the clouds. Sometimes he can do this 

 by means of a trail made by the sheep themselves, and he is 

 fortunate if he finds such a path to the heights. More often 

 he has to clamber laboriously over rough beds of jagged 

 rock, along the faces of steep slopes, where a misstep would 

 send him rolling down hundreds of feet on to the sharp rocks 

 below ; or over beds of sliding shale that yield and slip under 

 the foot, often carrying him with them as the unstable mass 

 is disturbed by his weight; or along narrow ledges where 

 the vertical rock above and at the side offers no hand hold, 

 and the abyss beneath, if considered, would shake the 

 steadiest nerve. Worst of all are the steep faces of sUppery 

 clays sometimes encountered, where every muscle must be 

 brought into play to keep feet and hands in position. When, 

 as is frequently the ease, the mountains are covered with 

 snow and ice, the difficulties of chmbing are of course much 

 increased. The sheep hunter must have good lungs, tough 

 muscles, a clear head and an iron nerve if he wishes to be 

 successful in this difficult pursuit. Sheep hunting is no 

 boy's play, and in these mountains it calls forth all a man's 

 physical powers. There are— or rather there used to be — 

 localities where it was possible to get these animals without 

 such an expenditure of energy, but from most such places 

 the sheep have long ago disappeared. Nowadays the man 

 who kills a sheep usually earns it several times over before 

 he gets the meat to camp. 



Clambering up the rough mountain side just where we 

 had gone the day before, we turned off to the left instead of 

 to the right and followed along under the inaccessible cliff. 

 The climbing here was slow and difficult. The talus was 

 composed of cubical blocks, from one to four feet in diam- 



eter, with sharp edges and corners, and these were lying 

 tumbled about confusedly over the whole mountain side. It 

 was necessary to step from one to another of these snow- 

 covered masses, and often the stones were so nicely balanced 

 that a man's weight would cause them to tip and turn, and 

 the result would be an ugly fall on the sharp stones. Each 

 one of got two or three tumbles during the day from this 

 cause, and I think we all of us made up our minds that it 

 was an extremely uncomfortable place in which to fall down. 



The rocks passed, we had for awhUe easier walking along 

 a sheep trail which led us over some quite firm shale. 



We had not proceeded very far before we came upon the 

 track of a sheep made the day before in the snow, and Yel- 

 lowfish pointed it out to me with the remark, "IVIaybe the 

 rocks don't fall down for nothing." Now tracks were all 

 very well, but we could neither fry nor roast them, and so 

 they were not altogether satisfactory. Moreover the moun- 

 tain side where we were, while it was a capital lying ground 

 for sheep, was absolutely destitute of vegetation and so was 

 not a feeding ground. The best place to look for game I 

 have always found to be its feeding ground, and I was 

 anxious to get to this. Here the only places where feed 

 could be had was down on the hogbacks where the ridges 

 came up to meet the slope of broken rock fragments, or else 

 on top of the cliffs, at whose feet we then were. Moreover 

 I had several times that morning heard the noise supposed 

 to have been made by rolling rocks repeated, and had 

 at length satisfied myself as to its cause. The day 

 was clear and there was no mist in the air, so that we 

 could see the whole face of the chff above. At short inter- 

 vals along this rocky face small springs broke out and trickled 

 down it, and their waters, frozen during the preceding 

 night, hung down in long icicles. The morning was warm, 

 and as the ice melted, one of these icicles would every now 

 and then break off, fall down some distance and clatter 

 over the rocks with a sound very much like that which 

 would be made by a stone rolling down the same slope. Now 

 that the air was clear, one could distinguish, however, that the 

 sound made was not exactly that which would be made by a 

 rolling stone, that it was sharper and crispcr and not so dull. 



During our passage along the mountain side we crossed a 

 number of different strata. There was no straight up and 

 down climbing, but a great deal of slow creeping and 

 scrambling along places which, though not dangerous, were 

 sufficiently bad to promise a good deal of discomfort 

 if one got fairly started down the slope. Two or three 

 times we had to cross beds of fine shale fifty or sixty yards 

 in width. This shale was piled up just as steep as it wsuld 

 lie, and the addition of a little weight or the removal of a 

 few fragments would start a portion of the bed to sliding 

 down the slope. Now and then points of the firm underlying 

 rock projected through the unstable bed, and we had to get 

 from one such point to another as rapidly as possible. So 

 one by one we would stride along through the moving shale, 

 then rest a httle and pass on to another island of rock, and 

 at length reach what was really terra flrma on the other side 

 of the slide. As we crossed the moving mass we, of course, 

 went down the slope with it and would thus lose forty or 

 fifty yards in vertical distance in making the passage. These 

 slides, though laborious, were not so unpleasant to pass over 

 as some of the smooth dirt or clay slopes. These are often 

 extremely steep and very slippery, so that it required the 

 utmost care, on the one hand not to lose one's balance and 

 fall, and on the other not to have one's footing give way and 

 slide. In either case the result would have been the same— 

 an exceedingly rapid journey over the greasy clay for two or 

 three hundred feet and then an abrupt halt on the rocks 

 below. 



Over such ground we made our way for five or six hours, 

 rounding the southern point of the mountain, but seeing no 

 sheep. Sign was abundant enough, and some of it quite 

 fresh, but all the indications, it seemed clear to me, pointed 

 to the conclusion that this side of the mountain was the 

 winter range of the sheep, and that until severe weather 

 came on they must be looked for either on top or on the 

 northern slope of the mountain. On inqtiiry of Yellowfish, 

 who professed to have killed a number of sheep the year 

 before, just where we were iio\^ hunting, I found that it had 

 been late in November that he had done it, but before any 

 heavy snows had fallen. Turning back toward the horses we 

 retraced our steps, going along the mountain nearer its base 

 —a most unwise proceeding, for it obliged us to chmb ridge 

 after ridge. Before we had got down to the timber we stopped 

 to rest for a few moments, and the Indian, having nothing 

 better to do, shot at a little chief hare among some boulders 

 below us. Immediately after the shot, we heard, a couple of 

 hundred yards below us in the timber, the characteristic 

 cracking of sticks that told us that some elk were afoot. 

 They did not show themselves, and gradually the sound of 

 their movements was heard more and more faintly, until at 

 length it was wholly lost. 



We kept on our way, and at length, after a most discour- 

 aging walk over slippery, grass-covered hills and through 

 some very bad down timber, we reached the horses. I was 

 glad enough after saddling up to clamber on to old Jerry and 

 ride him down, even over the worst and steepest parts of the 

 trail. Yo. 



Tobogganing and Snow-shoeing, borrowed from Can- 

 ada, are growing in popularity as winter sports in this 

 country. 



