December, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
649 
I was by no means deterred from my 
purpose to get a pair of antlers, so early 
next morning started out to take up the 
trail. I had no difficulty on reaching the 
mountain-top in following the elk through 
the snow down across the range into the 
valley of the south fork of the Solduc. I 
followed the trail all day through a 
steady down-pour of rain, drenched to 
the skin. Late in the afternoon I came 
up with them. They were feeding in an 
open bottom near the creek. I came on 
them so suddenly I feared I had been 
discovered- I dropped on the ground and 
removed my hat Cautiously I raised my 
head and peered about There was but 
one large bull with the herd and he was 
a splendid specimen. He was devoting 
himself to gathering the laggards of the 
herd and he was full of importance with 
his new honors. Slowly the herd passed 
by me, feeding as they went. Finally 
the old bull came within close range. The 
rifle was raised, careful aim taken, and 
following the gun’s report the leader fell 
dead with a bullet through his heart. 
The others bunched around him and 
had I been so disposed I could, with my 
rapid-fire "Winchester, have killed and 
wounded a number of them; but I had 
won my trophy; and did not fire another 
shot. When I showed myself the herd 
moved off slowly. I felt happy in spite 
of the fact that I would have to spend the 
night in the woods, in the rain. 
There were no terrors in this for an 
old hunter. I could get a fire started. 
broil some elk-steaks and as early as I 
could see to travel, start for camp, for 
some one to help me carry out the head. 
It had been raining for ten days, almost 
continuously, and everything was com- 
pletely saturated. In spite of my utmost 
care I could not succeed in getting a fire 
started. There was nothing to do but 
take my medicine, dispense with fire and 
elk steak and console myself as best I 
could with my lonesome water-soaked 
sandwich. While there was still light 
enough to see I busied myself in skin- 
ning the neck and head, according to di- 
rections obtained from a taxidermist, be- 
fore starting, and in carefully removing 
the brain and flesh from the skull. When 
this was done and the trophies securely 
fastened up in a tree, darkness had set 
in and my long vigil commenced. It was 
too cold to sleep and I put in the night 
beneath a big pine tree sv^inging my arms 
and feet to keep up circulation. Once 
during the night there was a flash of 
lightning and then I heard the mournful 
cry of a panther. The sensation produced 
on mj' nerves was not agreeable. 
A S soon as it was light enough to see 
I started out for camp; but instead 
of taking the back track, which 
meant climbing a high and difficult moun- 
tain, I concluded to follow the south fork 
to its junction with the Solduc, as it would 
be down-grade all the w’ay and along well- 
traveled elk trails. 
Jones had told me this branch emptied 
into the main river twelve miles below his 
cabin. I started out at a brisk walk. 
After tramping steadily until 11 a. m., 
and finding I was still going due west in- 
stead of north, the creek not turning in 
that direction, as I had expected it would, 
I concluded to climb to the top of the 
steep mountain on my right and get my 
bearings. It took two hours of hard work 
to get to the top where I at once discov- 
ered the south fork still ran many miles 
westward before it turned toward the 
main stream, and that the nearest way to 
camp was to take the back track. The 
six hours’ tramp was worse than wasted 
for it would take me all day to get back 
to where I started in the morning, which 
meant another night in the woods. I was 
under the impression I was on the cre.st 
of the mountain dividing the north and 
south forks and that by following its 
backbone I would be saved the fatigue 
of climbing it again, the dread of which 
had deterred me from going that way in 
the morning. There was an elk trail along 
the crest which made traveling easy, but 
this trail would suddenly lead down the 
mountain side and in a short time the 
crest would narrow to a veritable saw- 
tooth not more than two feet in breadth. 
To climb over these organ-pipes was dan- 
gerous and slow work. After they were 
passed I would soon come into the elk 
trail again, and I had climbed two of 
these narrow places before I realized that 
the elk trails left the crest to skirt these 
impassable points. Much valuable time 
(Continued on page 683) 
Cow after cow passed at close range but finally a bull hove in sight 
