4 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
coveted game of American sportsmen. They had per- 
severingly climbed the highest hills to their summit, 
after much exertion, many hardships and risks not a 
few; had crawled on hands and, knees along narrow 
alleys leading to spurs of the range and faced situations 
which were, to say the least, unattractive. In one in- 
stance the Doctor, when lying prone upon one of the 
slender pathways with his fat stomach distended over 
space on either side, looked down upon the jagged 
edges and pinnacles far below and became terrified. 
While in this state of mind he could not trust himself 
to move either forward or back. Tommy, compre- 
hending the situation, displayed presence of mind by 
singing "Mandalay" in a nonchalant manner, and by 
thus relieving the tension released his companion from 
an uncomfortable if not dangerous predicament. 
Finding no signs of life nearby, they were entertain- 
ing themselves with shells, from heaven knows where, 
curious mineral formations and petrifactions, when the 
Doctor's attention was attracted by a niff^ement on 
the opposite side of a coulee. Careful mvestigation 
with glasses revealed a band of six sheep, whose color- 
ing is precisely that of their feeding grounds. Then 
followed an arduous stalk of several miles while round- 
ing the head of the coulee, and this brought the hunters 
within an estimated 300 yards of the game. At the 
first shot the startled bunch fled with their character- 
istic recklessness, and speed along the steep side of the 
hill; a succeeding shot, fired when the sheep were 
probably 400 yards distant, dropped one of them, which 
plunged headlong down into the valley, where he, a 
ram, about four years old, was subsequently found in 
a disheveled condition. 
On the morrow the nimrods filled their canteens 
again, paired off as before and headed for the hills 
across the parched plains, where the prairie dogs sat 
on their haunches and anathematized the invaders of 
their village. Evening brought them home and with 
empty hands. It was not until they had moistened 
their parched mouths and soothed their aching limbs 
and sensitive feet in the river, that they told their 
stories. The tall ridges had been reached again, and as 
new difficulty — the wind — had aggravated the discom- 
forts attendant upon this lung-busting, heart-straining 
performance, a skilled equilibrist might not have 
thought it a hardship to ^walk along the sharp back 
bone of the range, holding fast to hat, rifle, camera, 
Resembling a Fallen Castle. 
etc.. while leaning from the perpendicular at a proper 
inclination to offset the force of the gale; but these 
four pleasure seekers did and they admitted that the day 
had yielded little else than fruitless toil. The Doctor 
had seen only tracks, but was hopeful of having ob- 
tained some good photographs of the surrounding 
country. The Colonel jumped a fine blacktail doe, for 
which he had no use, and had fired a parting shot after 
an alarmed sheep as it disappeared around the distant 
corner of a hill. 
The third and last day set apart for hunting opened 
with a beautifur clear sky, as :, had its predecessors. 
Rain would have prohibited the sport, for the reason 
that when these hills are wet, or as much as damp, the 
ascent or descent or travel among them is too perilous. 
Locomotion in any direction is accomplished by stamp- 
ing upon the indurated clay ?with every step for 
the purpose of obtaining a foothold, and where the sur- 
face moist and slippery this modus operandi would be 
impossible^ No one can know the avenues of ingress 
to the range from year to year, because the melting 
snows and summer storms effect a complete recasting 
of its features. Knobs of the present will become 
pe_aks, " and pathways will be reduced to knife edges 
by next autumn. Vegetation has, of course, a most 
precarious existence. On the morning referred to_, a 
flock of ducks delayed the outset for the hunting 
grounds until a dozen were fcagged, and then with stif? 
joints and burning feet the quartet departed. Doctor 
and Tommy feeling quite content with their legal al- 
lowance and admirable specimen of Ovis inontana, made 
no effort to do stunts. They scaled the bluff's at a 
point where a prominent rock could be examined, and 
were interested by signs of game, but seeing nothing 
more inspiriting, took some photographs and reached 
camp betimes. Darkness had descended before- the 
return of the others, and when tliey ultimately entered 
the ' circle of fire light they were seen to be laboring 
under the weight- of a trophy. Soon after leaving camp 
they saw a coyote pup, which the Colonel failed to 
hit, thereby making a bad beginning and robbing Jim 
of a $3 bounty. The ascent of an hitherto untried 
group of hills was the most ambitious work 
yet undertaken, notwithstanding their crippled condi- 
tion; but the sight of fresh sheep tracks during the 
climb had a buoyant influence. As the day advanced, 
.however^ with bo other result than some new bruises 
and increased fatigue,' the Colonel ansiounced tliats 
sheep or sre® shwp, this was positiwel^ Mi lasfe attempt 
to overtake these apparitions. With feet so tender that 
every step was a flinch, feverish from thirst and weary 
to the point of irritability, the thought or sight of the 
rehabilitating river in the distance was most alluring. 
Again, when with face pressed against the sides of a 
bluff, grasping a rifle in one hand while the other, 
stretching out far behind, clung to a tiny prickly shrub, 
fearing to take a step along the shelving ledge lest 
the other foothold be insecure, looking down, down, 
down, without discovering any place of lodgment short 
Here he is. 
of the bottom, at such times there seemed to be many 
more desirable things in life than mountain sheep. 
Well, in the early afternoon the Colonel's languid 
search was interrupted by a signal from Jim on another 
spur, and on joining him he received the pleasing in- 
formation that several sheep had just arisen from their 
beds and were feeding up hill across a chasm. Peeping 
from behind a rock they beheld, at a distance of prob- 
ably 250 yards, five of the coveted critters, and among 
them were distinguished, by the aid of glasses, several 
pairs of horns upon the respective heads of an old 
ewe, a young ram of tv^o years and a very large ram 
of five years. The latter, meriting preference, was 
selected as the target, and when he approached a level 
with the watchers, they fired; the band started to run, 
then, becoming confused as to the point of attack, 
paused long enough to permit another shot and were 
off at breakneck speed. The coveted ram was evi- 
dently wounded, but labored along at good speed until 
another bullet overtook him, and he fell out of sight 
into the deep coulee. 
The two fagged hunters sat down and looked at each 
other in silence for several minutes, wondering whether 
there was sufficient stamina left in their bodies to bring 
them out of the depths below, after descending into it 
in search for the game. It is safe to say that nothing 
less desirable than a Rocky Mountain sheep would 
have been resurrected by their aid. When homeward 
bound, by a new route, it became necessary to drop 
from one ledge to another, 4 feet wide, 9 or so feet 
below. Sheep tracks indicated that several of these 
animals had made this leap, leaving a lamb behind on 
the upper pathway. This little fellow had scampered 
about for a while and then deliberately sat on his 
haunches and slid over the edge. The impressions of 
his four sharp feet were bunched on the very edge of 
the precipice, where he had alighted. 
Early the next morning everybody was up and ready 
for departure hence, but a flock of sage hens chanced 
r The Castellated Heights. 
that way and the taking of some of these caused some 
delay. Then. too. immediately after pushing off shore 
the men's boat went upon a bar and there it stuck as 
though glued. The wind was fair,- however, and after 
freeing the boat there was still hope for a record break- 
ing mileage, until a tremendous bend in the river's 
course brought the wind dead ahead. For the pur- 
pose of making the succeeding reverse curve, all hands 
were piped on deck and ordered over the sides— ex- 
cepting the Doctor, who at such junctures usually had 
to go ashore to take important photographs-— the 
hawser was manned as in old times and the_ fleet moyed 
slowly forward. Quicksands were found without being 
sought, and to escape from them with both boats re- 
quired prompt and active measures, which afforded the 
Doctor, from his safe position, much amusement, and 
this merriment of his almost fomented a mutiny. 
Midst such difficulties it was easy to comprehend, the 
tremendous task of the first navigators of the 
river when cordelling their heavily laden boats 
against the current. In spite of besetting trials, 
32 miles were made on this day through Bad Land 
scenery. Hills were now lost to sight and bottom 
lands bearing groves of Cottonwood formed- the bor- 
der of the river, which widened, became corresponding- 
ly shallow and produced inconveniently numerous sand 
bars from which "sawyers" or snags protruded "like 
quills upon the fretful porcupine." Toward the close 
of day, deer tracks of recent make appeared on the 
sand, of both the shor'e and bars, in great numbers. 
Night came on and the nights in this northwestern 
country are not soon forgotten, for, when standing on 
the river's edge looking across the dark water and, 
past the brilliant stars, into the darker heavens, it seems 
as though one were on the edge of the universe; facing 
nothing but space. On the day following, the scenery 
was entirely devoid of interest. Head winds, Shallo'^ 
water, uncertainty as to the whereabouts of the chan- 
nel, to say nothing of sawyers galore, made navigation 
troublesome and afforded repeated opportunities for 
exercise while attempting to make haste. Rowing, 
pushing, prying, pulling and fending off were freely re- 
sorted to, until a change in the course of the river 
brought the wind to the rescue. 
The first prairie chickens were seen and taken here- 
abouts. These fine birds flew across the river in large 
flocks, and occasionally alighted on the bars, where they 
chatted and disported. The many deer signs indicated 
that venison might be easily obtained by those who 
needed meat. An aurora illuminated the whole land- 
scape in the evening and furnished an entertainment 
that delayed retirement until an unwonted hour. 
Twenty-five miles was the day's accomplishment. 
Jim was vindicated as to chickens on the morrow. 
Some of the bars actually seemed alive, and judging 
from the numbers flying across our bow, the bottonis 
must have offered fine shooting. They were nearly 
all old birds, owing to destructive storms at the last' 
brooding time, and wild; but none the less enjoyaljle as 
food. Port Peck Indian Reservation was now o'n the 
left shore, and the presumption was that game 'would 
Old Fort Benton. 
be entirely obliterated in this vicinity by the redskins; 
but on the contrary, chickens, ducks and deer signs 
were equal to Jim's most flowery stories. Subsequent- 
ly it was learned that the Indians are not allowed on 
or across the river until December, when a ticket-of- 
leave is issued for a few weeks, in which time they take 
a prescribed number of deer and such fur-bearing ani- 
mals as the game laws permit. In consequence of this 
protection the neighboring game is very numerous 
and tame. 
At 3 P. M. on the 26th, nineteen days after leaving 
Fort Benton, Wolf Point was reached, and the jour- 
ney of 395 miles was accomplished. The bank was 
lined with silent but observant Assiniboine Indians, 
who lead what would seem to be a humiliating exist- 
ence, although they profess and seem to be entirely 
satisfied with the reservation life. Their subjugation 
must be complete, since they point out the haunts of 
game just across the river and make no attempjt to 
pursue it until the annual leave of absence is officially 
announced. They displayed a lively interest in the 
firearms of our party, especially in the new Winches- 
ter .33 and automatic . 22, and used them with accuracy. 
The bead work of this branch of the Sioux nation dis- 
plays excellent. ;design and arrangement of colors; 
but less of it is made each year. The "tepee Indians." 
who are on the plains with their stock, apart from the 
debilitating influence of the trading post, and leading 
a more natural existence, are the only remaining pat-? 
rons of the art, who still continue to tan and decorate 
the buckskin. Some few decorated shirts, etc., were 
offered for sale; but prices were exorbitant. A resi- 
dent trader remarked that the only time for obtaining 
bargains is when the owners are hungry. As our 
train started eastward a doughty member of the tribe 
still squatted midst his possessions, consisting of war 
bonnet, tomahawk, head dress, etc., for whii h ail oiyr 
bids had been met with a shake of the he id. Evi- 
dently he wasn't hungry. 
LiPHNCOTT. 
Baitimoke, Md., Nov 80.' 
While the young woman was making a hurried toilet 
upstairs, her father was entertaining her caller. "By the 
way, Mr. Spoonamore," he asked, "how do ynu stand 
on this question of imperialism?" "Why," responded 
young Spoonamore, "I've always thought it was— er~ 
more becoming to most people than a goat€e."--^hicago 
Tribune. ' ■ 
