ground, falling on one knee I was about to fire, but feeling 
j 
still doubtful and not wishing, to fire at a stump I called 
to Gannett to ask what he thought when Tom spoke up and 
said, ’’why that’s only a root.” I rose to an upright position 
and at the same moment the strange object which was really 
a magnificent elk with huge branching antlers turned leisurely 
about and trotted across the ford, climbed the opposite bank 
and stopped in the timber. Being exceedingly out of humor 
that such a chance should be missed, such a chance as don’t 
come twice in a season perhaps I immediately fired at the 
obscure form amongst the pines but my gun was sighted for 
100 yards and the ball fell at the animal's feet. He turned 
leisurely and trotted through the opposite mountain slope,. 
Almost without a hope of getting a glimpse of the old fellow 
again I crossed the ford, hitched my mule by the Lake shore 
started up through the forest afoct, bury in- •.loa n by 
attention was called to what appeared from the similarity 
of sound to be a wolf or fox barking* This sound came from 
several hundred yards above me and to the right. _■* little 
farther on I happened to remember that elk have a curious 
call when searching for or expecting companions and at the 
same time I observed that the sound was much more sonorous 
and musical than the bark of a wolf and immediately arrived 
at the conclusion that the old buck had not fully determined 
our character and that he was calling with the hone of 
extracting a reply. Creeping up a little gully, guided 
