May 26, 1906.] 
PORES T -ANDESTREAM: 
831 

IN THE TETON 
bald-headed eagle perched upon a commanding 
eminence. His figure was clearly defined in the 
clear atmosphere, and although I knew he was 
quite a distance off, I was somewhat surprised 
when the guide computed the range at 300 yards 
at least. I reined up my horse and threw the 
lines over his head. As Jake saw me alight to 
take aim, a sort of weary expression came over 
his face. He was evidently thinking of the coy- 
otes. After carefully sighting the bird and 
gauging the range according to the estimate I 
had received, I fired. .For several seconds the 
wings fluttered, as the eagle strove to balance 
himself on his perch, and then he collapsed in a 
lifeless mass, a few feet below. 
Having watched the lifeless shape a few Sec- 
onds, I reloaded the rifle without betraying any 
signs of emotion or uttering a word. Although 
my eyes were turned in a different direction, I 
felt conscious of a penetrating gaze which seemed 
to go through me like an X-ray and read my in- 
most thought. Turning to mount my horse, I 
met the wide-open eyes of Jake staring at me in 
astonishment. Neither of us said a word for 
some time, but Jake was thinking, wondering 
whether it was an accident or a fair exhibition 
of my skill, The only data he had to work on in 
drawing his conclusions was the previous bad 
marksmanship in shooting at the coyotes, and the 

COUNTRY. 
telling recent shot at the eagle, which I seemed to 
regard as a matter of course, but I acted the same 
way when I missed the coyotes. 
Jake displayed the same resourcefulness that a 
curious woman will sometimes exercise upon 
receiving a letter, first she looks at the post-mark, 
then at the handwriting of the address and, after 
exhausting all the pros and cons to determine 
what the contents of the letter are, finally strikes 
upcn a happy idea—she opens the letter and reads 
it. After Jake had thoroughly turned the inci- 
dent over in his mind he finally remarked, in a 
tone pitched between an exclamation and an in- 
terrogation point: “I guess you were surprised 
when you fetched that bird down?” My presence 
of mind did not leave me; I gave Jake good ad- 
vice about marksmanship and shooting in gen- 
eral. He thanked me and said he hoped I would 
ceive him some points about guiding and outfit- 
ting, as he was trying to learn the business. 
Game being rather scarce in this section, we 
concluded to move camp and try our luck in the 
Jackson’s Hole country. For a short time I made 
headquarters near a ranch on Jackson’s Lake. 
This body of water is situated quite close to the 
Grand Tetons, which tower thousands of feet 
above its surface; the crest of these great forma- 
tions, like a mighty arm stretching a curtain over 
the horizon, keeps back the day until the sun, 
climbing well into the sky, suddenly pours its 
golden flood of light in one immense deluge into 
the lake. The transition from daybreak to full 
daylight is quite abrupt. 
The trout in the lake grow to a very large size 
and are very gamy. ‘There are a few hot springs 
in this locality which, however, do not affect the 
temperature of the water, which is very cold the 
year round. The lake derives its main supply 
from the melting snows of the surrounding 
mountains, 
[ concluded to enjoy a morning's sport fishing, 
and for that purpose secured a boat from the 
ranchman, who threw in his services as well, We 
poled up the outlet, which was a very clear and 
swift stream, The trout swarmed under the boat at 
times'in great numbers and many of them of con- 
siderable size. Flocks of wild ducks and geese 
winging their way to their feeding grounds, broke 
the stillness of the early morning, for it was be- 
fore daybreak that we started, when the stars 
were beginning to pale in the sky. The trout 
made their presence quite noticeable, frequently 
disturbing the ‘surface of the water, and some- 
times a big one would stir up an awful commo- 
tion. I soon had a 7-pound trout on my line, 
securely hooked, which I landed as soon as I 
ae able to do so, because I wanted a change of 
let. 
Although I had been in camp for a couple of 
weeks I had been unable to get a shot at an elk, 
and had only seen one making its way through 
the thick timber. The snow had not fallen as 
yet and the ground was very dry, which made 
hunting difficult. It was a welcome sight one 
morning to look out of my tent and see the 
ground covered with snow, and it is, moreover, 
surprising to notice what a difference it makes in 
hunting. I had not traveled more than two miles 
from camp on foot when I heard a long, loud 
whistle—a sound most pleasing to me. I 
directed my steps in the direction whence it 
came, and was rewarded by catching a glimpse 
of half a dozen elk disappearing through an open- 
ing in the timber. They were not going fast, and 
I do not believe that they saw me. 
I followed them as quickly and carefully as I 
could until I came to the edge of a steep descent, 
and. saw the bunch in the valley below. There 
was a fine bull in the herd who seemed proud of 
his authority, and occasionally whistled and 
bugled his challenge to any possible rival dis- 
posed to dispute his lordship over the cows he 
had assembled around him, which by this time 
had considerably increased in numbers. The dis- 
tance seemed too great to hazard a shot, and I 
thought I would circle around on the higher ele- 
vations to secure a closer range and better posi- 
tion. Although unperceived, the elk began to 
move off with a gentle ambling gait, which seems 
slow, but if one tries to keep up with it in a rough 
mountainous country, he will find his energy 
pretty well taxed. I soon lost sight of the game 
and stopped partly because. I was almost ex- 
hausted and also to locate the herd, if it were 
possible to hear it. 
At first I thought I heard the hoof-beats on 
the ground, but presently recognized that it was 
the action of my heart, which was beating so 
forcibly that I could distinctly hear it. The high 
elevation and the vigorous exercise will produce 
that effect upon one who is not used to the cli- 
mate. Other sportsmen have had a similar ex- 
perience. After pursuing my course some dis- 
tance along the side of a steep hill my attention 
was suddenly arrested by the sound of breaking 
branches in the spruce nearby. I had not long to 
wait before a spiked horned elk stepped out in 
front of me not more than twenty-five or thirty 
yards off. The large brown eyes were looking 
straight at me with a mildness and apparent ab- 
sence of fear, which removed all thought of 
slaughter from my mind, although at that time 
I had never killed an elk. 
The poor quality of the head as a trophy deter- 
mined my action. After gazing a few seconds, I 
turned my steps in the direction I thought the 
herd had taken its course. A long, shrill whistle, 
ending in a squeal, blended with a bray like a 
donkey, soon informed me of the whereabouts of 
the bull I was seeking. Climbing over the crest 
of the hill I finally caught sight of the old bull 
in the valley with a bunch of cow elk collected 
