Aug. is, 1886.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



43 



went to the door and fired four or five heavy charges 

 from my gun. No response. Then we ate our supper 

 and went to bed, having conchided to start early in the 

 morning in search of them. About dayhght, however, 

 they came in, completely exhausted, bringing each one 

 of them a pocketful of steaks. Belair was completely 

 fagged out, spitting some blood and immediately went to 

 bed. Norris's heels were frosted, and Ben said that he 

 felt 175 years old. After giving Belair some salt and water 

 to checlc the bleeding, we gave Ben and Norris a good 

 breakfast, and aftei'ward as they lay back on the robes 

 enjoying a mixture of pcrique and Virginia loaf, we 

 learned the liistory of then adventures. 



After I left them they sucneeded with much diflaculty 

 in reaching the head of the coiilie, and found that the 

 band of sheep had traveled over to the top of another 

 mountain still further back. Here the hunters separated, 

 Norris starting around the base of this mountain and the 

 others taJdng the trail of the sheep. After several hours 

 hard cUmbing Belair and Ben reached the top of the 

 mountain, and coming suddenly upon the band they fired 

 simultaneotisly and woimded a' fine doe, which ran over 

 a cut ledge some eight or ten feet high and fell over dead. 

 In the excitement of the moment they jmnped over after 

 her. 



After dressing the doe they put a rope ai^ound its neck 

 and started back, but found to their surprise that they 

 coujd not ascend the ledge. On either side of them was 

 a cut wall, below the side of the moimtain roimded so 

 they could not see the bottom. It Avas getting late. Some 

 move must be made. Pusliing the sheep ahead of them 

 they began to descend. Soon they came to where they 

 could see the bottom, and they were hoiTifiedatthe sight. 

 From here the moimtain was so steep that they could not 

 get a foothold, and far below at the bottom were numer- 

 ous boulders and stunted trees. They gave the doe a 

 push and in a second she slid to the bottom, never strik- 

 ing a boulder nor tree. 



''Better be killed than freeze to death," said Ben, and 

 lying down, he grasped his gun so the stock would scrape 

 on the snow and started down. Afraid to see how Ben 

 fared, Belau- followed. Ben said the sensation as they 

 descended was just horrible. Strange to say, Ben reached 

 the bottom Avithout a scratch or bruise; but Belair, less 

 fortunate, caromed against a pine, receiving a severe 

 blow on the chest and smashing the stock of his "Old 

 Eeliable" Sharps to splinters. Just at this time Norris 

 came along; and cutting a few steaks from the doe they 

 started for home. Night overtook them shortly after they 

 entered the timber,and,as they were completely exhausted, 

 they decided to camp. Having no axe, they were obliged 

 to build a fire of such dead branches as they could break 

 from the stunted trees. The snow here was six or eight 

 feet deep, and the fire soon thawed a hole to the bottom, 

 making, as it were, a well, and for the rest of the night 

 they shivered over the edge of it, thi*OAving on what 

 scanty wood they could gather, and narrowly escaping 

 freezing to death. We took Belair down to the Agency, 

 where, under the kind treatment of the doctor, he gradu- 

 ally recovered from the shock. 



The bighorns are probably the most numerous of any 

 kind of game in the Rockies. Every single moimtain, in 

 my experience, I have found to be the home of one or 

 more bands. I do not mean, though, that a band con- 

 fines its range to one mountain. I do mean that they are 

 so plenty that they are to be found on every peak. 



Long after tlie last elk and deer shall have disappeared 

 there aviII be plenty of bighorns left, for the simple rea- 

 son that not one sportsman in ten has the strength and 

 patience to follow them to their homes above the clouds. 

 Nor are strength and patience the only requisites of the 

 sheep hunter. The highest attribute is recklessness, for 

 often one must say to himself, "Well, I'll make the jump. 

 If I fall before I dash upon the rocks beneath, I'll say to 

 myself, 'here goes nothing.' " And then, if One falls, why, 

 what's the difference? It cannot be said that you com- 

 mitted suicide. For your tomb you would have the deep, 

 dark canon; the giant mountains would sm-round you; 

 and you would fall asleep in. the midst of that wild, 

 rugged nature which you loved so well. 



Two Medicine ! Isn't there a certain charm in the 

 name? Why so named? Because long ago the Blackfeet 

 and Bloods each built a lodge to the Sun, in one summer, 

 in one of its grassy bottoms. There the medicine men 

 made long and fervent prayers. The Sun and the Old 

 Man were implored to have pity on the people, to give 

 them health, food and shelter. One can imagine noAv the 

 opening chant, the chorus of a thousand voices, as with 

 bowed heads they sung Nl-dl! Nl-al! Ni-dl! (Mj shelter, 

 my covering). 



These people have a certain tradition that beyond the 

 lower lake the stream gushes out from the rocks. Not 

 that they had ever visited it, for they are essentially 

 prairie people, but they had heard the Kootnus say so. 

 No white man, so far as I could learn, had ever been to 

 the ujjper lake. That there was an upper lake could not 

 be doubted, because we had seen it from a mountain near 

 camp. One blight March morning three of us, Ben, Fred 

 and the writer, started out to explore the inlet, and, if we 

 had time, the upper lake. Our weapons were varied; 

 one carried an axe, another a rifle, and I took the shot- 



fun. Each of us had a fislihook and line and a chunk of 

 ighorn meat, for we were about to visit unknown waters, 

 and who knows what monsters of the fimiy tribe might 

 be lurking there? 



When we entered the deep swamp at the head of 

 the lower lake there was a. great rasliing of wings 

 as a flock of grouse flew up before us. I got four of them 

 and hung them up in a tree until oiu* retiu-n. A little 

 fm-ther on we struck the fresh trail of a mountain lion, 

 and as it led in our direction we followed it a way. By 

 a slough in the creek we saw the fresh signs of beaver. 

 The mountain lion had noticed them also, for the impres- 

 sions in the snow told us that he had crouched behind a 

 clump of bushes a long time in hopes that one of the flat 

 tails would come out. Mountain lions, I think, liighly 

 prize this kind of meat; at least I have often noticed 

 where they have cached by beaver workings; and several 

 times I have found the remains of the animals they have 

 killed; there was not much left of the flesh either time. 

 I think a hungry mountain Uon is able to eat a common 

 sized beaver at one meal. One characteristic of the 

 mountain Hon, wherein he differs from all others of the 

 cat family, is that he is not afraid of water, and at times 

 I believe he really enjoj^s a bath. In summer I have often 

 noticed where they have crossed broad, deep streams; 

 in each case the tracks led into the water on one side and 



away from it on the other. Again, tliree different times 

 in winter I have seen where they crossed the cold, rapid, 

 unfrozen momitain streams, once on this very creek 

 where the water was very deep and at least 12yds. wide. 



We traveled three miles through patches of pine, quak- 

 ing asp, and cottonwood, with here and there great parks 

 of alder brush. This in summer would be impossible, but 

 now weighted down with 5 or 6ft. of snow they were 

 easily crossed. We began to hear the unmistakable roar 

 of a waterfall, and after twenty minutes further ti-avel 

 came to the most peculiar freak of nature I ever saw. The 

 vallev narrowed and the spurs of mountains on either side 

 of the valley met in the loAvest part, forming a perpendic- 

 ular rock wall some 200ft. high. From a jagged hole in 

 this wall 40 or 50ft. from its base the stream Avhich Ave 

 had been foUoAving burst out in a mighty volume and fell 

 with a roar into a deep Avide pool beloAv. Here and there 

 on the massive wall jutting rocks afforded precarious 

 holds for stimted pines! Above great spruces leaned over 

 as if shuddering at the dark Avater into Avhich they must 

 some day inevitably fall. On the right a grove of pine 

 and cotton AA^oods came down to the Avater's edge; on the 

 left a steep hill covered Avith giant boulders rose from the 

 very brink. On either side, toAvering above the tops of 

 the'pines, the gi-eat Avall mountains guarded this gem of 

 natm-e, jealous, we thought, tha,t human eyes should ever 

 rest upon it. Nor were there lacking signs of life in this 

 grand wild place; several otter slides led doAvn the bank 

 into the deepest waters of the pool. Venturing close, Ave 

 could see, deep down, schools of trout and "pea mouth." 

 Ta\'o water ouzels darted in and out of the spray at the 

 foot of the falls. Along these mountain streams which 

 never freeze these somber-colored httle birds are to be 

 foimd every month in the yeaj-. In the very coldest 

 Aveather they may he seen diving along the riffles and 

 rapids, anon, perched on a spray-covered stone pom-ing 

 forth then- beautiful song melody. 



By making a detour to the right we found a place where 

 we could ascend the ledge, and in a fcAv minutes we stood 

 directly over the faUs. Ages ago, and perhaps even now 

 in times of freshets, the water poured its whole volume 

 over tliis waU. FoUoAving up this ancient stream bed, 

 lined on either side by frowning w^alls of limestone, we 

 came once more to the stream, half a mile or more dis- 

 tant from the falls. Here, Avith a mighty SAAnrland rush, 

 it disappeared beneath some huge boulders. FoUoAAang 

 up the stream from here another hom-'s tramp brought us 

 to the lake. At the outlet the creek runs very rapidly for 

 about fifty yards, when it forms a large pool 75yds. in 

 diameter. " Tliis is very deep as we failed to find bottom 

 with 50ft. of Une. Chopping holes through the ice, which 

 Avas very thick on the pool and lake, Ave caught half a 

 dozen teout. From the pool Ave went up on to the lake, 

 but OAving to the hour had not time to explore it. The 

 head is in a canon to the nortliAvest and the entire length 

 may be three miles. On the right a very steep moimtain 

 comes doAvn to the water's edge. Numerous sheep trails 

 led along its sides not far above the lake. Higher ui3 an 

 old ram Avas gazing down upon us in astonishment. A 

 bullet from the rifle ploughed the snoAV near him, and he 

 quickly gave us an exhibition of his agility in mountain 

 climbing. On the left of the lake is a valley hemmed in 

 by wall mountains, some of them at great height; one of 

 them has the highest perpendicular AA^all I have ever seen. 

 In the valley is some evergreen, mostly bull pme and of 

 stunted growth. Timber line, from all appearances, is not 

 over 500ft. above the lake. 



Just above the timber, under a rock wall, Ave saAv nine 

 large a.nimals walking along in single file. They AA^^ere 

 either elk or moose, but having no glasses aa'c could not 

 determine which. On our Avay home Ave saA'ed a mile or 

 tAvo by taldng a short cut over the spur of a mountain, 

 and reached camp just as the sun was setting. 



One day Ben , Fred and I went sheep hunting. It was 

 an exceptionally fine March day, not a breath of wind 

 Avas stu-ring, and the sky Avas cloudless. We left camp 

 before daylight and reached timber Une by 8 o'clock. 

 The mountain on which Ave hunted this day divides Two 

 Medicine and the South Fork of the Cutbank. As Ave left 

 the timber and conunenced to climb the steep ascent to 

 the top of the mountain, we found we had a difficult task 

 before us. Successive warm days had so melted and har- 

 dened the snoAV that it Avas almost like ice. In the steep- 

 est places Ave had to jab holes with om- gim stocks to get 

 footholds. After an hour of this kind of work Ave reached 

 the foot of the rock Avail, and here the dangerous part of 

 the work began. Fred, avIio was a novice in mountain 

 chmbing, declined to go any fm'ther, and said he Avould 

 wait for us to come back. 



From the base of this rock Avail a sharp trail led up 

 toward the point of the mountain, and this Ave determined 

 to follow. Before reaching the top we passed several 

 narrow and dangerous places, a,nd twice Ben's collie dog- 

 stopped and howled dismally, hesitating to take the neces- 

 sary leap. However, Ave ascended safely and reached 

 the top of the mountain, which Avas wide and covered 

 with a series of ridges of rock. We immediately sighted 

 a large ram, AA-hich got out of the Avay as quickly as pos- 

 sible. After half an hour's Avalk over this broken ground, 

 we came to, or rather directly OA^er, the North Fork of 

 Cutbank. Here the mountain ended abruptly in. a canon 

 of immense depth and not over one himdred yards in 

 Avidth. Ben, more adveutm-ous than the Avi-iter, crawled 

 to the edge and looked over. I was hanging on to one of 

 his legs, and he had no sooner glanced at the great depth 

 than he cried out, ' 'Pull back!" I exerted all my strength, 

 and half pulled and half slung him away from the edge. 

 "I AA^ouldn't look OA-er there again for anything," he said; 

 "just the glance I had made me faint." Close by us was 

 a loose boulder. We pushed this over the wall and Us- 

 tened. It was a long time before we heard the faint thud 

 wliich told us it had reached the bottom. 



EveryAvhere on the mountain were fresh signs of sheep, 

 and as we turned l^ack Ben decided to make a detour to 

 the left, while I was to go back to Fred by the Avay Ave 

 had come. I made the descent safely, and as soon as I 

 came in sight of Fred he cried out, "Did you see them?" 

 I was about to ask Avhat, Avhen I heard firing above us, 

 and. looking up saw Ben on the very verge of the cliff 

 firing du-ectly doAAm. Between us and him was a broad 

 terrace, and I concluded that Avhatever he was firing at 

 must be on this terrace. 



"Didn't you see them?" again asked Fred. 



"See what?' 



"Why the sheep, of course. They came down over the 

 cliff right where Ben is. There were two of them." 

 "Why didn't you shoot?" 



"I— I don't know," said Fred confusedly. "I— I— I wa« 

 watching the sheep." 



The terrace toward which Ben was shooting was not 

 over fifty yards above us, and I managed Avith much dif- 

 ficulty to climb upon it. Just then Ben came in sight 

 along oiu- sheep trail, and I waited for him to come up. 

 When he had regained his breath he said that on the 

 exti-eme left of the mountain he had Bur[uised a doe 

 and yearling, and that they made directly for the cliff 

 above us. When he reached' its verge he saw them directly 

 below him and wounded them both. A short walk led us to 

 Avhere the sheep had come doA\'n the cliff. It looked as 

 if nothing but a bird could have come down there: but 

 there Avere the fresh trails and blood on each one. The 

 larger animal, the doe, had left the terrace and reascended 

 the mountam'to a little shelf just above us, upon which 

 she was undoubtedly lying. This shelf we could not 

 reach either from above "or from the terrace, so we turned 

 to follow the trail of the yearhng, which led off to the 

 right. Turning the dog loose, he soon disappeared around 

 th'e point of a ledge, and in a minute or two we heard him 

 barking and soon came in sight of him. On a little level 

 place the sheep was standing, head doAvn, and the dog 

 ti-ying to grab it in the rear, but as fast as the dog moved 

 around the sheep wheeled also. As it turned we could 

 see on each side a bright red spot, and knew that the ball 

 had gone clear through it. Ben shortly put it out of 

 misery by shooting it through the head. When he fired, 

 the animal made a leap, fell off the edge of the terrace 

 and rolled down to AA^here Fred was standing a most inter- 

 ested spectator. By digging footholds in the snoAv Ave 

 managed to get down also. Fi-om. there to timber line 

 we went quickly, and on the less steep places I straddled 

 the animal and 'took a glorious slide. Arrived at timber, 

 Ave cut up the animal, shouldered each his share and 

 trudged wearily home. 



Not long after this hunt the geese and ducks began to 

 come, and packing our wagons Ave hitched up and sti'uok 

 out for civiUzation, leaving with regret the little cabins 

 where w^e had so pleasantly passed the winter. 



J. W. SCHTJLTZ. 



Montana, January, 18y8. 



THE OLD MAN OF THE HILL. 



I LOVE to doze here in my cosy chau- now that the old 

 tyrant, Rheumatism, has laid such violent hands upon 

 me, and since I cannot get about in my physical self, I 

 am fain to stroll off with Memory for a companion and 

 take long, retrospective journeys such as old men delight 

 in. You may be sure it does not take us long to shake 

 the dust of tlie city from off our seven-league boots, and 

 we never slacken si')eed imtil the last graded, curbstoned, 

 picket-guarded street is far behind, and Ave are out upon 

 the country road Avhere the cows brow^se mnnolested by 

 the Avay, and you may stumble to your heart's content 

 over boulders that Avere" there when Adam dAvelt in Eden. 

 I cannot mention all our strange adventures, nor pre- 

 sent you to all the interesting people by the way, nor call 

 your attention to all the noble landscapes we stop to con- 

 template. 



Nor do we always pursue the same road in om* joiu-ney. 



Sometimes Ave are floating on a stream where at first the 

 landscapes are easily recognized as recently visited, but 

 soon the journey takes on all the little excitement of a 

 trij) tlxrough a strange country, and more, as frequently, 

 around some distant curve, comes floating into viCAv a 

 long-forgotten scene. 



We pause a while in a quiet cove where the waters 

 seem to eddy and rest beneath an ancient willow, which 

 they have almost undermined, whose branches OA^erhang 

 a f eAv cinmbling tablets, on Avhich the inscriptions, lichen- 

 bound and time-eroded, we can scarce decipher. 



When the mists lift again other landmarks are visible, 

 and quickly-recurring mile stones, which seemed so far 

 apartsolong ago, are flitting by, while our guide is getting 

 more at fault, the stream getting narrower andf more 

 narrow, until at last— but we have been dreaming. 



They have dubbed me here the "Old Man of the Gar- 

 ret," but I choose rather to call myself the "Old Man of 

 the Hill," for had Ave not a moment since been interrupted 

 in our journey, you Avould have seen how, eventually, we 

 AA'-ould reach a quiet New England village Avhere we 

 could not pause, but passing through and up the hill a 

 mile beyond, would come to where a farmhouse stands 

 with open gates and doors just off the road. Behind the 

 house a path leads up from the garden Avicket across the 

 pasture to the great bald summit of the hill where, at the 

 highest eminence, a magnificent boulder looms up as 

 majestically as any Sphinx or Pyramid, and yet Avith such 

 a gentle inclination, I may with ease ascend to the apex, 

 whore the other sides fall away, a beetling precipice. 



It is evident this boulder is a prime favorite with old 

 Dame Nature, too, for see how she is taxing her resources 

 in its adomment. Over all the bald places she glues a 

 myriad wafers of lichen. These form the basis for a hardy 

 groAvth of moss, and some day a belated insect toihng 

 homeward becomes involved in the miniature forest, re- 

 linquishes liis burden of seed, and the barren rock has 

 become fertile. Avaricious clumps of briers are reaching 

 out in all directions, emulating possession of the Avhole, 

 and meeting with little opposition except an occasional 

 bunch of primrose and Avhortleberry, with here and there 

 a solitary juniper. There is a tangled fringe of barberries 

 about the base, the woodbine and Avild ivy are clambering 

 up the sides investigating all the clefts and crannies, AvhUe 

 a thrifty sapHng has even found a foothold in a rift half 

 Avay up, and is nodding his plumes over my head. The 

 Avoods form a dark background, but before the eye may 

 hover at will over an infinite variety of landscape, while 

 far to the south a thick haze on the hoi-izon indicates the 

 busy city. It looks peaceful enough from here, not a 

 sound of its commotion reaches us, and the pigmies we 

 can almost see craAvling about are as mute as so many 

 toilers on an ant hill, but AS^ell we know if we descend 

 among them they Avill become a struggling, sweating, 

 jostling, snarling throng, and those structures, which 

 from here are pasteboard toys, will rear themselves in 

 massiA^e piles of masonry, resounding with a hoifible din 

 of clanging hammers, creaking pulleys, panting enginea 

 and the myriad sounds of weighty bulks of merchandise. 



It is fitting enough that men should get together here 

 in pursuit of business or science and art, while nature is 

 driven out and takes her stand upon the hill, but r£ you 

 could only know as I knoAv the pleasm-es she has in store 

 for her disciples you Avould find a home like this "upon a 

 hill." Then at evening of a struggling, disappointing day 



