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-^2-\

THE

Big Game of North Amertca.

I "te

ITS HABITS. HABITAT.

HAUNTS, AND CHARACTERISTICS; HOW, WHEN,

AND WHERE TO HVNT IT.

JfDOK John Dkak CatoM, Nkwton HibbrC'Roxkv Nbwtou"), W. A. Pcbrv ("SiLLAUri'M"),

Wm. p. Lktt ("Aivn)N(jfiN"), Arthi'h W. I)u Bray ("Uai'cho"), Waltbr M. Woi.ki:

("Bhoshonb"), Rev. Joshia Cookk ("Boonb"), T. 8. Van Dykk, Vm. B. Lep

riNowBu, T. a. Farrku^ Db. R. B. Caktreli, Col. Geo. D. Auounder,

M. E. AU.IHON, Key. Ur.W. H. Rainhporo, C. A. Cooper ( "Hibyllene"),

Dr. M. G. Ei-lzey, J. C. Nattbabs. Ohin Belknap ("Uncuj

FULUEU"), H. BlEDERBICK, JoHN FaNNIN, SEROT. FrANCIB

Lono, Daniel Arrowbiiith ("Sanoamon"), Cvrub

W. BUTLBR, AND A. Q. ReiJUA.

Edited by O.'o. SHIELDS ("Coquina"),

ADTBOB of "CRUWIN08 IN THE CASCADW," "BUSTUNOH IN THE B0CKIE8," " HUNTINO IN THE
OBKAT WEST," "CAMPINO AND CAMP OUTPIT8," "THE BATTUC OP THE BIO HOLE," ETC.

LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON

LimU«a

dt. Ounstiui's Jtjoiist

Fkitkr Lank, Fi.ekt Strret, E. C.

1890

232694

.^ ifton iiY G. O. SiiiEi'D"-

CorYHItlHT, low, "T "• "•

All right* reierved.

mg UM

v^rU

Piinttd by

U. S. A.

I desii-e to expmss thus publicly my patimdH f„ n.y

collaboratoi-s for tii« prompt and generous mniiiiHr in which

they have responded to my re(pie.sts for contrii)iitions to

this work. For any one man to produce a hook of the

scope and size of this, would require the work of many yeai-s,

and then it obuld not l)e so complete as this. It is only

by the heaHy and 8ymi.athetic cooi)eration of such ardent

sportsmen, trained natundists, and big-hearted num as those

composing my staff, that 8<> comprehensive and valuable

a work as this is possil)le. They have dfuie the world a

service of givat and lasting value, and one for which all

lovers of nature bhouUl feel as grateful to them as does

The EDinut.

Chicaoo, May, itm.

(»)

•.v>i

A'^.X

/V/^1:

CONTENTS.

PAOC.

INTRODUCTION. Th.- Hoxorabijc Joiis Dmm C'aton, It
Aiillior i>f "Tin' Aiitflo|it- aud l>»vr nf Auwrk-n.'" " A Kiimiiikt
ill Sorway." vw.

MOOHK-HrXTINU IN TIIK K<K.'KY MOl'XTAIXS

SrwMN HiBBM ( ■• Koxcy .Vcirfoii ")■ 17

KUKIIfXTISO IN THt: <»L.VJiriC' MUCNTALVS. W. A I'ehkv i- Silhiliriim"). 45

THK WAl'ITI il'm"lii> ■■ WAlMUIIMIill. " 71

THE CAKIBUU Wiluam Pittiiah Lrrr (•■.(/f/(»iif;iiiH ■). 73

THE WOODI^ND CAMBOU In- K 11. (ASTHiCfX. m

THE MULE DKKK R«v. Joshva t'<«>KK (" //-...ii. "). I:IT

THE MULE DEER OK SOUTHERN CAUKOKXIA. . . T. S. Van Dyke, 173
Author of -Tlu-Ktill Hunter." >-U:

THE roU'MBiA BLACK T.ULED DEER. Thomas (>. Karhkix. 115

THE VlHdlXIA DEEU.
A DEER HUNT (roein).
HUNTIXd THE <fRIZZI,Y BEAR.
THE r >I,AU HEAR

Walter M. Wolfe ( " Shuihum: "). 185

"WAHBAll-mUl. " 801

w .s. rain-fohd, d. d. nm

SKIIOT. KlIANIlx I.ilMI. -Mt

if till- (Jrwly Arctic Expe<litiou. ainl (iKoHOK S. McTavihii, of
till' Hiidaou'M Bay Cuniiwiiy.

A IHJLAR HEAR HUNT.
THE BI.Al'K BEAR. .
THE BUKKAl.i >.
THE MUSK-OX.

•Ui

CoI,. OKOIIQK I). ALEXA.NUEH. 'J-17

< mix Hr.LKNAI- ( •' CiiWc h'^tllrr "). •JTlt

H. HiEtiF.RIIK'K. :»W

of the Greely Arctic ExihnIUIoii.
STILL HUXTIXt) THE ANTELOl'E Arthir W. nr Bray (■ (,'.n(r/i.r). SI.1

CX»UR8IXG THE AXTEUJI'E WITH tJREYHofXDS.

THE DEATH OK VENUS (Poem).

THE KOUKY MOUNTAIN GOAT

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP.

(«)

. M. E. AI.MHON. ;m.s

WiLLLAH P. Lett. Ml

John Faxni.v. .143

O. O. Shields C Coijitnni "). 8C8

PMB.

r.AN Caton. U
A Hummer

.Wiifoii '"). 1"

iUuUcuiH '■). '^

-BAIIXI-M'' " *>

11. Canthki.i,. U>7

S, Van Uvke, 1":»

CONTKNTS. 7

THEPEtVARV x.u.n^v/"'m

™^^^'^«^ '. w.A.,.K„.u m

THE LV5X. , ,. f,j^„^^^ ,^

"•^^^■'"•'" ■ ■ ■ W,U.U«1..K.1T ivi

(HURHrNu THE .JIUY WOLF. I.. S. ,a..k 175

THE Wc.LVERIXE C. A Poor.H r«6W/.„.' " > ITT.

THE Mil lM*iT

*' Daniki. AitKcWMiiiTM (••.S.iii,/(i»i<m "I. 508

OM.NHUXTIX«IXH.>miERXILLIX,)I8. . Lasu.. Ahbowh„.th .V»

K..X.HUNTLXU IX VIWilXJA. ... I.h. M. () Eu...v. .V.M

ALUOAT.>R^Hm^X« IX FLORIDA <v,uh W. I„ t..m.. .M«

THEETHK«oKnEU.sp.,RTS. .I.noK .I,.„v „..s Catus, 567
■ml WiujAii B. IjonrnrowKU, 'iitlior .,f "Wllil Ko«l siii»)i
!■»."■ •Shootinic <m Upluml, MarKli. mui Htrcmii.' .tc.

»(l. Fahhki.i.. 11.'.

.H BAHMJ"'.

«0I

KRAS<I« 1.0XI1. *«'

(. McTavihii. i>f

1). Al.EXASl>KK

•H7

Vncle f'ii"<'f ■■)• '^

II. BlEDERIlUK, 308

M. K. AU.IHOS. 'W*

WILUAM P. LBTT. :M>

John Fasnis. 343

LD» (.••<.'<«;'<"'" >•

SG3

PULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAOK.

rROSTIHPIKCK, ....... It

A uri.i. MiKtH*:, w

riKOWKINU OpiXMiti- 3M

THK lUTTLK OK THE IlVLlJ*, " 86

BIO CARIHOt' HdKNH. » tt

CrRIOHITY HATlHKIKIi " UB

THK U1'><L'I.T. .... " MS

A HT.\SfH roiNT. " 178

CHKIHTMAH KVK AT A CATTI.K RANCH " 198

A Rri>K AWAKKXINU. •' US

HARD PRESSED " Ki

r)EI.nJKH.VTION. ... •• 880

A NOVEL CHASE, • 888

HEiVI) OF MUSK OX " 808

A ROfNULT ON THE MISSOURI " MB

THE FINISH, . .... . . " 849

WANTED -A FKIENDI.Y HAND. " 888

CAMPWaRD bound, " 886

AT BAY " 8BS

ONLY WAITINO " 408

SURPRISED " 408

POACHINO •• <M0

"ENFANT PERDU," '• 488

IN AT THE DEATH " 808

TALLY-HO! . •' MO

FORWARD ON! . " M4

A PUQNACIOUS PASSENQER. . " 60:1

(•>

§:

PMC.

tpiMMltl'

19B

140

178

»6

>74

aso

188
808

aae

840

888
8W

408
40«
440

4U8

noH

510
M4
0(U

OTHER ILLrSTRATlONS.

KLK CALF. ... ''*"*^

WOOI)I..VN'lJ t'AUIBiir . 74

HAKKE.V-OKOU.N'K CARIBOU y.

UI'>4TIN(),

A I'OUTKAIT .„

• • • uv

ON Ot'AKI) ,_

I8r

SHII'I'KD . -_

aBS

OOATS-FKJIALE ANI> YOUK(J ^^

MOTHKR AND HON, ... .^

••'•••..., BOO

THK HLLTAX « iK CHOI'ACA, ... -..

oil

COCdAK AND YOUNd ^^

\VOI,VKKINK. ... _

UAt'COON,

BIO

BLOWN (JUT, .

• 510

(9)

INTRODUCTION.

By Jons Pean t'ATON,
Author of "The Antelope and Deer of Aineric<t; " "A Summer in Norteay," etc.

AM requested to write an introduction to Mr. Shields'
booli, "The Big Gimie of North America," and it
affords me great pleasure to comply with this recjuest.
Yet, the first question I asked myself when I read the
editor s letter was, " Why introduce such men as these to
American readers?"

What need is there to commend, to reading sportsmen or
to naturalists, a book written l)y such able, conscientious,
indefatigable workers in the interests of natural history,
field sports, game protection, and sportsmen's literature as
the men whose names ajjpear as contributors to this workil
Why should I write in behalf of the noble, the pathetic,
the conscientiotis "Shoslume;" the careful, painstaking
"Roxey Newton;'" the eL-quent, the enthusiastic, the
poetic "Algonquin;"" the gallant champion of the hounds.
Doctor Ellzey; the venerable lover of Nature, Colonel
Alexander; the genial, big-hearted "Uncle Puller;" the
nature-loving *' Sibyllene;" the careful naturalist, But-
ler, or the ever fresh and interesting old hunter, " Sanga-
monT' Their numerous and fascinating contributions to
the sportsmen" s press have made their names household
words throughout the land.

Why should I introduce the sturdy, cautious Van
Dyke; the eloquent, the beloved "Boone;" the flowery
"Sillalicum;'" the earnest, enthusiastic^ "Gaucho," or the
arduous mountaineer, '"Coquinar" I need not; I will not
l^resume to do so. They are known thi-oughout the Eng-
lish-speaking world; and the man who has not yet read
The Still Hunter,"" "Cruisings in the Cascades," and

(.11 ;

ur]

mo OAMK OF NORTH AMERIfA.

" Rustlings in tlie Uockie.s," liiis tlius far missed the most
intense happiness tliat could possibly be crowded into a
few hours by his own lireside.

All these and many other well-known names appear as
contributoi's to the present volume— that of the last-named
writer as the editor thereof. Ejich writes of a species of
game that lie has studied ir years, not alone in dust-cov-
ered books, but in that grander school, the realm of Nature.
These men have spent days, weeks — aye, in some cases,
many years — in the wilderness, sleeping on the trails of the
animals they now write of — watching their movements by
day, listening to their calls by night, and, after the fatal
bullet has done its work, dissecting and studying the
stnicture of the bodies of their victims (m their native heath.

But this book is not desigmnl to interest the sportsman
alone. While it does not assume to be a strictly scientific
work, yet the piofessional naturalist will tind much in it,
not only to interest, but to instruct, him. The natural his-
tory of an animal does not consist alone of his bones. As
sliowing a re(!ord of the past, these contain the only
reliable data to tell us of the animals that lived long ago,
and to identify genera and classes of existing fauna; but,
at i)resent, other parts of the animal deserve our attention
as well. He ionsists of flesh and blood, as well as of bones,
and can not be thoroughly understood without a careful
study of all these constituent parts.

From a scientific point of view, the osteology of an
animal is undoul)tedly of prime importance; but in a prac-
tical, utilitarian consideration, the broader field of general
morphology, and especially of myology, is of equal and even
greater importance, while the psychology which is developed
in various animals, in some respects, interests us most of
all. Nature has endowed all animals with a certain meas-
ure of mental capa(^ities, and these ctmstitute a i)art of
their beings. So they alike come within the domain of
natural history.

None of these are beneath the study of the scientists.
While the component parts of the dead animal may be

-1

INTUODUCTIO.V.

most
into a

ear as
named
I'ies of
st-oov-
sature.
! cases,
i of the
ents by
le fatal
ing the
t> lieath.
ortsman
icientific
L'h in it,
mill his-
les. As
he only
)ng ago,
na; bat,
ttention
:)f bones,
li careful

tv of an
a prac-
general
land even
leveloped
niost of
liin meas-
k part of
lomain of

licientists.
may be

studied with the aid of tlie dissecting knife, othrr facilities
are required for the proper study of the mental tndowments
of the animal, and for this, observations of the aninuil in
life are indisi>ensable. Here, then, especially may the natu-
ralist find many valuable le.ssons in the seveml papers col-
lected and given to the world in this volume. The hunter
alone has complete opportunity to study the habits, char-
acteristic'3, and capabilities of the animals whicli he pur-
sues, lie observes and studies carefidly the sag;ici.y and
cunning of the Fox, the Wolf, and many other animai.s, in
securing a supply of food or in avoiding danger, showing
capabilities with which they are endowed for their well-
being. In the American Anteloi)e, for instance, he sees a
curiosity manifested which often leads it to destruction.

The sportsman, I say, studies and observes all these
characteristics, not alone because they interest hin» and fur-
nish him food for thought while on the hunt and for dis-
cussion by the camp-tire, but because he is aware that he
must know all the resources of the game in order to hunt
it successfully.

I repeat, therefore, that he who would scientifically
study natural history, will find much in the i)apers, written
by these skillful, practical hunters, and given to the world
in this volume, to aid him to a full understanding of this
vast subject, for which he might look in vain elsewhere.

And, then, what an array of subjects is here ])resented for
study! Every species of Big Game inhabiting this conti-
nent is here served up; and several species that do not strictly
come within that classification are treated, because they
occa.sionally affoi-d sport or incident to the hunter when in
search of other animals. Amf)ng the most important paj)ers
are those on the Buffalo — now, alas! practically extinct— in
its wild state; those on the Polar Bear and the Musk-ox,
furnished by survivors of the memorable (ireely Arctic
Expedition, who hunted and subsisted largely on these
and other wild animals while battling with icebergs,
starvation, and death in the frozen North. The Rocky
Mountain Goat, that mysterious and little-known habitant

BIG Ci.VME «»F N(JUT1I AMKUICA.

of the snowy cliffs, is written (»f l>y a man who has lived
half a life-time beneath the shadows of its Alpine home, and
who has inol)al)ly killed more goats than any other man,
living or dead.

Then there is a most interesting and valnable chapter on
the Peccary, or Mexican Wild Hog — an animal that few
Korthei'ii sportsmen have ever seen, and yet one that
swarms in certain portioiis of Arizona. Texas, and onr sis-
ter liepul)li(\ Its habits, habitat, and lange are accurately
describfd, and thrilling accounts are given of sevei-al hunt-
ing e.\ [(editions after this animal, in which large numbers
of them were killed.

We all have read many articles descriptive of Moose-
hunting in Maine and Canada, but heie is a novelty. Mr.
Ilibbs has given us a i)aper on Moose-hunting in the Rocky
Mountains, embellished witii valuable notes as to the habits
of the great ruminanl, under its rugged environment, and
with such thrilling episodes and adventures in hunting it
as could only have been exiJtriem'ed in that strange and
pictures(pie land.

"Sillalicum" has given lis a .sttidy of the Cougai', and
Nattra.ss one of the Lynx, n»ner before ecpialed by any
writers, and which could not have b»'en produced by other
than the enthusiastic huntei's and naturalists that they are.

Mr. Lett's i)aper on the Caribou throws much new light
on vhe habits and character of that strange denizen of the
great northern wilderness. lie has lived half a life-time
in its woodland home, .nd has had exceptional opportuni-
tit's for studying it in its wild .state.

Mr. Cooi)er contributes the most complete and comi)re-
hensive numograph of the Wolverine that has ever been
written. He has lived in the various portions of the
country which it inhabits, for twenty-tive years, and, in
addition to his own exi)erience with it, gives many inci-
dents and anecdotes collected from other hunters and trap-
pers. His paper conii)ri;ies over seven thousand words, and
will prove of inestimable value to all who wish to learn the
true life history of this, heretofore, little known aninud.

INTKODUOTION.

lived
e, and
r man,

)tev on
lat few
^e that
>ur sis-
\iiately
il liunt-
lunibers

Moose-
ly. Mr.
e Rocky
u' habits
lent, and
imting it
inge and

There are many other names and subjects tliat I shouUl
like U) spt*ak of in detail, but time and sjiaee forbid.

Tlie editor of this work has not overlooked the fact
that this is preeuunently a practical age -an age of object-
teaching. He lias, therefore, illustr.jted his l)ook in a way
that he and his contributors may justly feel proud of.

Altogether, there is ^iven liere such a study of the
natuial history of our game (luadrupeds, and of the tlirill
ing incidents encountered in hunting tliem, as has never
before been offered to the reading world. Each chapter in
this l)ook is in itself a couiplete work, and the book, as a
whole, is a most valuable library.

Any one of the names on Mr. Shields' list (»f contribu-
tors should insure the .sale of an entire edition of his book,
and when wo multiply this po.ssibility by twenty-six, the
whole number of names on hits title-page, the result
obtained indicates the magnitude of the success that should,
and that we hope will, crown his labors and tliose of his
collaborateurs.

igav, and
by any
by other
they are.
new light
,Mi of the
life-time

,ppor

tuni-

ever
Ins o

Il compi'*^-
l)een

[ the
and, in
^lany inci-
nnd trap-
ds, and

Ivor

learn
animal.

the

bk; (iamk of nokth America.

MOOSE-IIUNTIN({ IN TTIE ROCKY MOUXTAINS.

Hv Newton lliiiiis (" Hoxky Nkwton").

Where C'clioes sleep in deeiiest forest sliade,
Wliero legend says the chiel'laiii slew his bride,
And airy ]>haiUi;iiis tloal from side to nide,
'I'lic nioiiareh of the inouiitaiii ranges madu
His home. In coal of somhre hue arrayed,
With e3'es of li(iuid, beauteous brown, and wide,
Ih' stood sujireme, a liing of power and jiride.
From beaten paths a sturdy luiiiter sirayecl
Tlirough silent, shadow haunted, ancient wood;
And near the lair he came. An antlered head
Was raised, the nir wa.s sniffed, anil then the sound
Of heavy hoofs Wi's heard, lie stamped — he stood
In stupid awe. A > v^ish! The monster, deail.
The hunter's ])rize, lay weltering on the ground.

N Ilia far western habitat, the Moose usually lives higher
up th<^ iTioiiutaiii sides than either the Elk oi" the Deer,
thoufih on some parts of the western slope of the Rockies
^ he is migratory, and changes his abode as the .seasons
change. In summer, lie is found only in the little i)arks at
the sources of creeks, as near the summits of the snow-dad
ranges as he can find the peculiar foliage phmts suited to
his fastidious ttiste. He will .seek the food he likes best, even
at the risk of his life. Shy and wary as he is, he has been
known to defy men and dogs in order co spend an hour on
the bordeis of a swamp where grew water-lilies and other
herbs and plants on which he was wont to feed.

On one occasion, a party of hay-makers were camped
on a prairie, near a lake, high np in the Bitter Root Mount-
ains, fourteen miles from the timber. A lone bull Moose
wiis seen to pass near the workmen, and between the
wagons and the kitchen tent. His trail was within thirty

yards of the fire that blazed np and sent its curling smoke
a (IT)

ni<} (lA.MK OK N'OIMIJ AMKItrCA.

heavenward, yet lie iiassfd sldwly al(iii<r, reirardless of
sceiilH ()!• noises. Tli»* mowers wnre nmninir with tlieir
clattt'i', and sonn' of them were ncnr <'nonfrh to observe his
movcmt'nfs phnidy.

At (irst, tlie ungainly beast was believed to be some
prospector's juwr nude seeking water, and then returning,
alone, to a probabh^ owner, who was believe<l to be digging
in the gidches above. Day after day the black ol)ject came
down the mountain with stately tread, and with clock-like
regularity. After ii week, one of tlie boys chanced to be
in camp while his comi)anions toiled in the hay, and was
aroused from his imagined illness by the approach of the
Moose to the very camp. There were guns enough in the
tent to resist a formidable Indian attack, if jiroperly
liandled, but tlie surprised hay-pitcher rushed out with a
l)itchfork to battle with the Moose. The broad-antlered
moiutrch, however, had no desire to cultivate the a( quaint-
ance of the sick man, and, with the great speed of his
swinging trot, passed on, never swerving from the well-
worn trail that he had traveled, i»erhaiis. foi- years.

On returiungto cam]>. I was slow to believe the invalid's
story; but he insisted, and reiteiated. and 1 was at 1 ist c(m-
vinced. The need of meat and the love of siiort combined
were sufficient to send me (Men in i)ursuit of a forlorn hope;
so. exchanging the i)itchfork for the rilie, I started toward
Uie supposed feeding-ground of the great deer.

It was in September, 1888. The season was dry, and in
that country there were no swamps, even in the tim))er, on
or near the summit of the range, as is usual at the head of
water-courses; so I thought it not imi)r()bable that a Moose
might seek the hike for a feeding-ground. 1 ajjproached it
cautiously, and began to skirt the bank, witli eyes and ears
strained for the faiidest evidences of game. After an hour
of hard work, wading and creeping through willows, around
and about the arms and sloughs which ( rept out liere and
there from the main body of the lake, I saw a dark object
above tlie flags, or cat-tails, about four hundred yards away.
I knew at once it was tlie game I was in seaicli of; but it

.«I(K»SK-!IUNTIN(* IX Till'. I!0( KY MOlNTAINS.

less of
I their
rve hia

„> some

ock-like
mI to be
i\\\i\ was
\\ of tlie
■h in ihe
proi^'i'ly
lit with a
l-i»utlt'VHd
n((iiiiiii^^-
^ed of ids
tlie Weil-
l's.
,. iiivnliiVs

t 1 St cm-

CMwbined

lovu hope;

ted toward

|\ry. and in
timber, on
Ihe head of
i;it a Moose
Lroaehed it
res and ears
Iter an hour
Avs. around
lit here and
Idark object
^-ards away,
•h of; but it

was too far away for a surt; shot, and li(»\v to uet nearer— a
little nearer, at least — was the puzzle I niiist solve.

I had learned well tlie lesson of the cunning' of the ani-
mal I must outwit. Even if he iiad been Ixild on the liail,
in his run of fourteen miles for a feed upon ids favorite
lily-i'ads, he would now start at tiie snap of a twi^^ or the
first breath of air that came to him from me, or even from
the tracks I had left beidiid. and would soon j)ut miles of
pi'airie between himself an<l me. Tiiere was a stretch of open
deep water between my cover and the <iam<'. To i)ass that
would be impossible, and to skirt the lake, throufih thewil-
h)ws, offered tiie dani-ej' of a noisy course. I knew his
(pdck ear woidd never fail to catch the least sound, so 1
went back to the open, beyond the fringe of brush, and
traveled a ndle thronyh them. Then I was compelled to
guess, without guides, the location of the cluster of Hags,
in whicii I had last seen the Moose. I came up to the j)oint,
creei)ing like the Panther that seeks a vantage-ground from
whicli to sjiring upon the Fawn, to the edge of the cat-tuils.
They were (U'lise, and higher than my head.

I ])roceeded. I thought, as noiselessly as the snow falls,
and with more caution than I ever possessed before oi'
since. I parted the yielding cover, atid the open lake was
revealed to me. I knew that was the spot, right before
nie, where the great brute was feeding when I last saw
him. \'es; the water was still mu(hly and disturbed where
he had been wading; but the Moose was gone! lie had
stolen away silently, but swiftly and surely. Had there
been in that spot any other living animal, my skill ami
determined effort would have surprised it; but the Moose
had fairly outwitted me.

Then, the next thought was that the great fleet creature
woidd hie himself to yonder dense wood, whence he came
two hours before. To do so, he must run over an oi)en
prairie fourteen miles wide, and could not avoid being
seen, at least. I looked in vain, however, and satisfied
myself that he had not yet left the willows and weeds that
bordered the lake.

,,?

\' 1

f '

m(» (iVMK OF Ninnii amkhka.

I BUiiiiiioned the boys from tlie i»raiii»'-;xrasn iiu'iidow,
and tlun' tried to drive liiiii out forme; but all the noise and
diligent search they and I niad«' failt-d to rouse the Moose
from his hastily chosen lair in or about the hike. He knew
the situation, and was master of it; he siniidy dclit^d us.
The noisy hiiy-pitchers ivtnriu'd to work, and I, jt-crcd and
ridicidt'd by them, walked sadly back to the tent, too much
al)asht'd to be able to convince them that I luid rcnlly seen
a M(»ose; y»'t the next dav the same dark object passed
the trail that threads the prairie from the mountain to the
lake.

1 liastened to the scene of my foniier disnpitointment,
and walked upright to within forty yards of the Moose, as
he stood crunching the root of a lily. I tired, jind the
plunging of that great beast in three feet of wsiter was
like the e.\i)losion of a submarine torpedo. He stoji^u'd
after a few jumps, and stood broadside again. 1 lired again,
when he pitched heavily foi-ward. dead -shot thiough the
heart— and floated out from shore, projtelled by his insen-
'sible sti'iiggles.

This Afoose was about four years old. He was b.hu'k and
glossy on his sides, while his buck vas yet brown with
coarse tatters of his last winter's coat. His hoi'iis were clean,
white, and new— ready for the warfare of the ai)pi'()aching
mating-season. He was fat. and would have weighed,
dressed, about seven liundred and lifty pounds.

Afy companions now apologized for their skepticism of
the day before, and congia tula ted me on my skill and good
fortune. Some of them even went so far as to say that they
knew all the time the Moose was in there, for I never made
a mistake in matters pertaining to game, but that they
simply wanted to have son'e fun with me. •

Judge Caton, in his grand work, "The Antelope and
Deer of America," accurately describes this great nuimmal
in these words:

Largest of nil the Dwr fiimily, and most ungainly in form. Head long
and narrow, ej-cs .small and sunken; nose long and tU.xible, and covered with
hairs, except a spot between the nostrils; ears very long and coarse; antlers

I
I

iH Moose
lit' kin'W
l.'ii.Ml us.
.».1V(1 iuul
t(»(> nmcU
'iiUy stH'ii
el passed
lin to the

)()intnient,
Moose, us
I, jind the
water was
[e stoppt'tl
tired auain,
iivon^h the
' his insen-

bhu'k and
)i()\vu with
were clean,
ppioaching
e weighed,

epticism of

11 and good

i,y that they

never made

t that they

ntelope and
at mammal

•m. lleail long
ul fovereil witU
I i-oarse; autlcra

(81)

! •

ill! I

;
1 •

MKi (iAMi: <>y NniiTII AMKItK A.

lat'vc mill >-|iri'ii<liiii;, liiniiilly paliinilril wiili iiiiiiici'iiii- sliiiji |iiiitil-<; neck
ftliiH't iiiiit stiiiii, mill iM'iirly liiiri/.oiiliil, IiIl'Iici' lit tlic wiilici'' llimi iit the lii|)H,
Hml}' .slmrt ami rouiid. I.i ;;s jdiijriiliil sliuil, I'lirc Ic;;'. Ilie limu'c"!. Accessory
hoofs Imi-jtc and loosi ly attiiclicd. No iiic't:ilar>iii! fjland. Tnixal ^liiiid Inside
till' liock |iri"-iiii. lull Mii.ill, mil! covind wjili \>\:uk i-cvci^nl linii. Iliiir lonjj,
coiii'M', :iiiil rMtlii r lirilllc. Iiiii,l'i'>I iilioiit liic iirck; colur v:irlmil I'mni liliick to
brown and ycllowisli ^.tiiv. Atillcrs whhiIiil'' mi ilic Iciiialc. which Is snialkT
than till' niiilc, mu! liuhlcr inlnrc'l in winirr.

'I'lic vcnisdii of the M(i(»sf is uood. winitM' or snTiiiTior. It
is coarse-^MaiihMl even iiiorf so than lliat oI'iIh' Klk- but
])()s,sf'ss«'H SI flavoi' iK'ciiliarly ilsowii. I liavc licaid it jtro-
iKtiiiicfil musky in llavor. hut the I'licnds of tin' animal —
tlic men who lovi' to hunt it in its t'oicst home -do not
(lt't<'ci the miisk. When, in niidwinti'i'. tlic Deer aic too
l)oor to t-at, tht' nionntaiiii't'i' ^(H's in search oI'Moosr. which,
owiiiic to tlicir o;reat si/cand stren^tli. can procnif their food
despite the (h'cp snows and Mi/.zards. lie knows that the
Hesh of the ^reat ruminant is dark and uninviting' to the
eye, hnt sweet and jnicy to the palate.

The liiinip of the liulfalo is a (h'licacy widely celehrnted
jimoiiu' spoi'tsmeii. Tlie Moose has a hnni]) on Ins nose, and
for a delicious m(»rsel it excels any other meat dish I have
evei- had the jtleasnre of sampling. The Jieaver's tail has
many admirers, and the nose of the Moose resembles it in
some ways. l)ut is far better. 1 never knew any other ver-
dict from those who had enjoyed a dinner with that best of
game dislH's as a meat course.

The >foose, the killinu' of which is described above, was
devoted to tli(^ delectation of the deserving laborers in the
hav-lield, and was, without dissent, voted tlie best meat
in the world. Thei'e is. however, I will admit, something
in the air that surrounds a camp, far away from civilized
homes, that iits the palate to the enjoyment of wild meat.
This unaccountable jteculiai'ity may be reason foi- the public
to look upon t!ie indorsements of spi)rtsmen with a degree
of allowance.

The head of tln^ ^Moose was cooked in the best style of
the hunter's art. It was coated with clay all over, by rub-
bing the sticky, putty-like substance into the coarse, long

MOOSlMirXTINti IN llli: 1:<M KV MiMNI AINS.

'->:}

|M)»ui»; neck
at tlif li'l"*-

jriaiiil iuHiile

lliilv lontf.

nun l>li>»k '"'

It'll l« siuuIKt

miiui'V. It

IMT illi' t(H)

I,, tl It'll' l"<'<>*^
ws that tlie
, iliii^' ti) t^ie

V ccli'bvnted
lis Most". iHid
(lisli 1 l>-'>ve

vt-r'st-ail UiiH
cniMt's it in

V otlU'V Vt'V-

tlmt best oC

'd -above, ^vi^3
(oivvs in tlie
u- Ix'st inetit
ii, soiuetUing
I'loiu civilized
,1' wild meat,
ior llie pii\)lic
with a degree

le best style of
1 over, by nib-
lie coarse, long

lijiir, till it was inclosfd. cuiiiiilcti'ly, in a I'a^e ol" iiiiid two
indies thick. I niiiilit icnmik thai it was iiut |i;iilicularly
Wfll dressed, aflei tlie manlier »d' niodein civilized Idilclieis,
bni was coated and cociked with lotiuue intact. Tlie pro-
cess ol' removing the Ikuiis was :iii excuse lor saving tiie
biains jis a sepiirate dish I'or the com plain! iiu' meiiiber of the
<'nmpanv. Yon liave;ill heiiid of the ^ie;it dish of brains
jirovided from the Moose. TIk' writer who repeats that
Well-worn story never knew ninch, ]»ersonally. about the
^loose. lie has either been deceived by the cook, and
believed th»^ '•liiinip" was the biain, or he has written
about that of which he saw nothing. The Moose has no
more brains (in (pnmtity) than the beef .ste«'r. but w ith tlnit
sweet meat from the hnini) a (juantity could be ]»repared
that would make theuninithited think the head, horns, and
all were tille(l with brains.

But to return. Our Moo.sediead was coatt^l with clay.
In the meantime, a hole was shoveled out, large as a i>ork-
barrel, and was hlled up with dry wood, which was made
to burn like a furnace till the sides of the oven were almost
white with heat. The lu-ad was dropped into the liole and
covered with live coals of lire. Over all was thrown the
loose dirt dug from the liole, and the Moosediead was left
to roast till the next morning. We all retired, feeling like
a <'hild on Christnnis eve who longs for the coming of
Christnnis morning.

When that head was lifted to the temporary table, after
ten hours of roasting, it was steaming hot, and the aroma
made us ravenous as wolves. The clay was baked like a
brick, and w'len cracked and torn off it removed the skin,
and left the c. an, white, sweet meat ex})()sed. The flavor
of the juicy h mp of the Moose 1 could not desciibe, but it
had enriched every part of our roast with its deliciousne.ss,
and few such breakfasts have been eaten by hay-makeis as
we ate that morning.

It is not the custom of the resident hunters,' in the
Rocky MoK'itain region, to preserve the skins of Moose
they kill, for these are of but little value. They are not

II i

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

r^^l

^^>fl

liil''

materially diffei'ent from those of the Elk — coarse and
porous when dressed for leather. They are used by the
Indians, however, for saddle-bags and for tents. They are
heavy, and consequently regarded as worthless when the
hunter has a long, rough Journey before him. The antlers
are heavy also, and even more cumbersome; but the average
hunter takes pride in the careful preservation of them.

The largest pair of antlers I ever saw was taken from
the head of a Moose tliat was killed in the Teton Basin,
near the head of Snake River. When standing on the
points, they encircled the tent door, and a man could walk
under the arch by slightly stooping. They measured, from
tip to tip, eight and one-half feet. The monaich which
carried them was a grand specimen of the ruminant divis-
ion of the animal kingdom. His weight was never known,
but, as he lay on his brisket, his withers were higher than
any horse in the outfit. An ordinary man could barely
"chin" the Moose as he lay on tlie ground, as the horse-
man would express that simi)lest way of taking a measure-
ment. He was ' ' fifteen hands ' ' high without his legs under
him.

In the fall of 1884, in company with a hunting party of
three gentlemen from an Eastern city, I shot and wounded
a two-year-old cow Moose, in a small lake in the Cd'ur
d'Alene Mountains. The ball passed through one shoul-
der, and, of course, disabled her; but any man would have
been foolhardy to have approached her.

One of my companions had a well-trained dog, which
was sent into the water to drive the Moose out of a clump
of willows in which she concealed herself after being
wounded. The dog swam to the little island, only to be
driven back into the water. The enraged Moose followed,
with lunges that were terrific. The dog was a strong swim-
mer, but he could no more escape the mad Moose than if
he had been chained. He was borne down, and would have
been killed only for the depth of tJie water. As it was, he
was well-nigh drowned, when a quick shot killed the cow,
and thus made it possible for him to swim ashore.

MOOSE-HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

>arse and
ed by the

They are

when the
he antlers
he average
them.

aken from
ton Basin,
ng on the
could walk
snred, from
uc'h which
inanr divis-
ver known,
liigher than
ould barely
i the horse-
f a measure-
is legs under

ing party of

id wounded

the CciMir

one shoul-

would have

dog, which
of a clump
[after being
1, only to be
[se followed,
krong swim-
loose than if
. would have
Ls it was, he
the cow,
Dve.

-t

The coat of this Moose was almost black. Along the
back, however, was a brown tinge, where the coat had begun
to fade from exposure to the weather. The Moose, in his
best form, is black; but I have never found one over two
years old which did not carry some faded tufts of his
old coat till his new coat became rusty from wear.

A hunter, whom I timidly dispute, not because I do not
know him to be wrong, but becau'e Lis records of hunting
adventures are widely read, tells of killing ]\roose with a
hand-ax, after running them down in the deep snow.
This may have been done in Maine or Canada, but if so,
it pro'i'es to my mind that the Moose there do not possess
the same wild, savage, pugnacious natures as those found
in the Rocky Mountains, for surely no sane man would
dare to attack one of our vicious mountain Moose, single-
handed, with any weapon short of ii. repeating-riHe, and
before doing that he should be sure that he can control his
nerves perfectly in the face of danger. In one instance,
some men attacked one of our wild bulls without a ritie,
but it cost two of them their lives.

A few years ago, a party of river-men wounded a large
Moose near the bank of Clear Water Kiver, in Idaho, and it
took to the water. The eager, but -imskilled, hunters rushed
upon the wounded animal with a bateau. It was a large boat,
and was manned by six strong and fearless men. They were
either without a gun in the boat, or scorned to use one,
but determined to kill the Moose with axes, cant-hooks,
and other woodsman's implements. They bore down by
the si le of the swimming Moose, which was kept in the cur-
rent by walls of rocks, and dealt him a blow. This inter-
ference made him more desperate, and he turned to light.
The men w ere brave, in a bateau that would stem the rapids
of Clear Water River with a cargo of three tons aboard; so
they rushed to the battle with shouts of deliance. The
Moose struck the boat with his antlers, and raised it
clear out of the water, turning it upside down so quickly
that the men were all fiightened and stunned, and two of
them were either killed or drowned. The other four were

BTO OAMK OF XOIMir AMKIMCA.

,(i

lii

rescued 1)y tlieir coinpiinioiis on shore, after the Moose had
been shot several times. These iiu'i(hMits convince nie tliat
a man c:in not successfully battle with a Western Moose
liiind to hiind — nt l-'ast. not in the water.

The {Question of the best ritle to use in hunting Moose
can not be settled to the satisfaction of all hunters by any
one writer for there is a gieat diversity of opinion on the
.sul)ject of guns. There are, however, some essential re-
quirements that may be stated in general terms. 'J'he ritle,
to give satisfaction to the Moose-hunter, or any other
hunter of laige game, must be accurate, effective, and
capable of rapid maiiiimlation. Hunters of long experience
sh(K)t mechanically, andu't with conscious deliberation. For
such marksmen no gun i , like the old gun, avoiii and rusty
from faithful service. To such veterans I raise my hat, but
offer no advice. Their success makes them honorary sports-
men in every society, and also makes their word law with
amateurs. There is, however, one maxim that no thinking
man will dispute, and that is, that the new guns are
better than the old ones, simply because modern rille-
makers have prolited by the ex})erience of iheir piedeces-
sors. The improvements in litles in the past few years,
have been the greatest success of the scientilic world. It
is unnecessary to note here the steps in the evolution from
the old ilintdock to the i)erfect repeater of to-day. This
has all been gone over in other Avorks. Being called ujion
to choose the best gun for Moose-hunting, my vote would
be cast for the new Colt's Lightning Rei^eater, forty cal-
iber, using sixty grains of powder and two hundred and
sixty grains of lead, twenty-eight-inch barrel, ten ptMinds
weight, and carrying ten shots. This gun I unhesitatingly
pronounce the most perfect in balance, the safest from
pi'eniiiture explosions, capable of the most rapid work,
and the least apt to fail to lire when subjected to the
test of heat and to the manipulations of unsteady hands.
The arrangements for working the gun with the left hand,
Avliile the right hand and right shoulder support it, almost
without disturbing the aim, is the most important advan-

MOOSE-IirXTINO IX TIIK UOCKY MOUNTAINS.

vioose 1uk\
•e me tlmt
3ni Moose

ing Moose
eis by any
lion on the
sentiivl re-
The riiie,
any other
-ctive, and
experience
■ration. For
n and rusty
my hat, but
)rary sports-
rd hiw with
no til inking
iw guns are
lodern riHe-
ir predeces-
l few years,
c world. It
olution from
o-day. This
called upon
vote would
r, forty cal-
lundred and
. ten pounds
nhesitatingly
safest from
rapid work,
ected to the
steady hands.
le left hand,
ort it, ahnost
ortant advan-

tage this gun has over any others that 1 liave seen. It
enables tht> operator to shoot more rapidly, when accuracy
is cousidei'ed. than the common lever-actions do.

With any of the new repeating-rilles, howevei'. all that
is needed to do good work is good judgment, a good eye,
and a steady nerve. I do not believe in the heavy guns of
large caliber. Even for a Grizzly Bear, 1 would use no larger
than a forty calil)'n'. This, however, is a disputed point.
Men with morii experience than I have had use the larger
rifles.

It is genei-ally admitted that the best place to shoot
any big game is through the shoulders. The 13ull'alo-hunt-
ers discovered long ago that those large aninuils were most
certainly secured by tiring at their strong and bulky
shoulders. With the Moose this is suiely the best ])olicy.
Their shoulders are massive and their chests aie very
deei), so that there is danger of shooting too high. Tlie
advice of the most successful hunters, with whom I have
associated, is to shoot low, and well forward. A ])ullet
through the lungs is nearly as effective as one through the
heart. 'I'his rule should govern in shootuig Deer, Bears, and
all other large game.

In the winter of' 1884, I estal>lished a camp in the Tet(m
Basin, at that time an unsettled region. The high, tim-
bered 'J'eton liange of mountains was, and is yet, well
srocked with game, and the wild meadows of rhe basin
afforded then, but not now, excellent winter range for
Moose, Elk, and Deer. In the fall, the Deer came to the
low lands with the first snow; tlie Elk followed them as soon
as the depth was im'reased to two feet or more; and then
the Moose would come when the crust formed on the snow
in the mountains.

The Moose is as thoroughlv at home in soft snow as he is
in the water; but when the heavy crusts foi'm, he retreats,
and seeks more favorable feeding-grounds. My cabin was
the first landmark of civilizati(ui in that now thickly settled
valley. We had killed Deei-, in season, till we were sup-
plied with meat to last all winter. Then came the Elk, and

i!
i'
M i

i !■

ill!

BKi (iAMK OF NORTH AMERICA.

they were so tempting that we were moved to go in search
of tlie lirst that appeared. We killed two of the choicest
to be found. This meat, too, we ijlaced in our larder, for the
sake of variety.

A month later, Moose were reported, by one of the trap-
pers, to be plentiful half a mile up the creek. The story
he told of the great, shaggy beasts lilled us with the ^\niit
of the chase. We must have a Moose's nose. No other
article of diet that we could think of possessed such charm
for our party, just then, .-.s the Moose's nose; and a Moose's
nose we must have. The snow was only about a foot deep,
so we trampeil out along the trails, in the old-fashioned
way, for a still-hunt. To our surprise, we found the game
very plentiful, and as tame, almost, as domestic cattle.
They evidently had taken jjossession of the winter range
tliat had been theirs exclusively for ages, and seemed
undisturbed by intrusion.

The first Moose encountered was a cow. She wore a
shaggy, faded coat and a sickly look, so we did not kill
her. She nK)ved lifelessly, like a poor domestic cow. She
moped about, and secluded herself in the willows where she
had been browsing. We considted, and decided that she
mu>st be sick; but imagine our surprise when the next one, a
bull, was discovered trying to conceal himself in a clump
of willows.

We were all so near together that each waited for the
other to propose the manner of attack; so one of the
boys, being inexperienced and noted for his bad marksman-
ship, was detailed io shoot the poor old bull, some of the
more generous sportsmen declaring themselves too kind-
hearted to shoot a sick animal. At the crack of the boy's
rifle, the gi-eat, rough-coated mountain monarch reeled and,
with a groan that was ludf a cry of agony, fell heavily to
the ground. He was found to be in tine condition for the
winter season.

We feasted on liump, and discussed the peculiar action of
the game we saw that day, until far into the night; they
were so different from the sly animals we had hunted in

MOOSE-HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

) in search
le choicest
cler, for the

)f the trap-
The aUnj
L the spirit
No other
such charm
id a Moose's
n, foot deep,
d-fashiuued
lid tlie game
BStic cattle,
duter range
and seemed

She wore a
aid not kill
ic cow. She
,vs where she
led that she
le next one, a
in a clump

laited for the
one of the
d marksnum-
some of the
es too kind-
of the boy's
jh reeled and,
1 heavily to
lition for the

diar action of
night; they
Id hunted in

other seasons, and amid different surroiuidings. ^Ve after-
ward noted, however, that the Moose, when driven fiom
his timbered mountain home to the valleys, where he
remained a few weeks, seemed to leave his shyness l)ehind.
This characteristic has been noted several times since.
There were forty Moose counted near our cabin that winter.
On one occasion, a bull Moose passed through Hexbiirg,
Idaho, a town of considerable size. He went on through
Elgin and other thickly settled neighborhoods. He was
followed by more than one hundred men, and killed without
more than the trouble necessary to butcher a beef steei.

Mv conclusions are. from these seeminnlv conti-adiclory
traits of this animal, that he loses, to a great (legre(\ the
sense of fear upon changing from the familiar haunts, where
he passes the greater i)art of his life, in the solitude of the
forest, to the scenes so different in the valleys, when^ ilie
marclies of hunger enforce a temporary sojourn. During
the winter that 1 was the only householder in the Teton
Basin, the Moose became so faiiiiiiar with the surroundings
that they i^assed around the house at night so closely that
we could hear them trauii)iug in tlie snow, and their fi'esh
tracks were seen every morning within easy gunshot range
of the house. They became so tame that the trappers
often encountered them in their morning rounds, and they
made no (r-ft'ori to escape.

They were feeding on the dry grass and willows along
the little river. They would wade in the water where it
s})lashed over the rocks and did not freeze, in search of the
sprigs of green water-plants and strings of moss that
trailed in the water below the submerged rocks. The Moose
would wade about when the cold wind blew, and icicles
would hang from their coarse, long hair in gi-eat white
spears. It is the delight of the Moose to paddle in the
water even in winter.

One of our trappers, while time rested heavily on his
hands, in our camp on the Teton River, decided to try to
catch a Moose in a snare. He i)rovided himself with a one
and a quarter inch manilla roi>e, and selected a trail a

liiiil

» ■ t

^ll

nUi (JAMK OF XOIJTH AMKltlCA.

hundred yiuds from the house us tlie phice to make the
experiment. The rope was secui'ely fastened to a cotton-
wood tree, and the noose was hung IVom snuill willows,
directly over the well-tramped trail, at such a heitihr as to
jillow the ^[oost' to pass liis head through and at the same
time to carry the lower i)ai't of the noose t'orwai'd above his
knees till it caught him securely around the neck. The
first night rewarded the lucky trapi)er, inasmucli as the
success of his scheme was (h-monstrated. liis work was
well done, hut the game was too stron- for the trap. The
roi)e. which would have held the strongest tt^im of horses,
on a dead pull, was snapjied by the Moose, and the fright-
ened beast ran over hills an<l plains, dragging the I'ope after
him. The nuirk it made was seen up and dov.n the valley,
wherever the tiappers went, for a month. The Moose, in his
rounds of feeding, dragged the long rope through the water
and through the snow in turns, till it became a rojje of ice
that made a track in the snow as if he were dragging a log.
It must have been a great burden for the Moose to pull
around, yet all winter the t;"ick was seen, where it ci-ossed
and recrossed the Teton liasin. IIosv the poor brute ever got
rid of his trade-mark, or whether he is still wearing it, no
one knows. It was a new rope, and woidd last him for years
ii" not uidoaded by some lucky chance.

The Clear Water HiverUasits source in the heavy forests
of the Hitter Root Range of mountains, and its many trib-
utaries drain the best feeding-grounds for the Moose to be
found in any i)art of our country. The gold-hunters, in
their excursions, pass through the silent wilderness, but
they go and come without disturbing the game. So rugged
are the rocky canons of these mountains that hunters sel-
dom penetrate to the region of the lakes along the summit,
a:Hl the Moose breed there year after year in comparative
safety. From these game-preserves the Moose never
migrate in winter in herds, as they do from the more bar-
ren regions farther south. There are no little valleys to
invite settlement high up in the Bitter Root Range, so the
encroachments are not so destructive to the game in these

MOOSE-IIUXTIXCi IN TIIK !!(»( KY .\l( UNI AI \S.

I make the
) a cotton-

II willows,
Aiiht lis to
t the same
d above liis
neck. The
ueh as the
i work was

trap. The
1 of liorses,
I the i'ri-iht-
e I'ope after
L the valley,
loose, in his
>li tlie water

rope of ice
iggiiig- a k)g.
oose to pull
■e it crossed
[rute ever got
■a ring it, no
im for years

leavy forests
s many trib-
Moose to be
-hunters, in
derness, but
St) rugged
hunters sel-
the summit,
comparative
loose never
le more bar-
le valleys to
ange, so the
ame in these

northern ranges as they uve near the National Park and in
the feM'tiie valleys of the Snake Rivei'. It is upon the trib-
utaries of Clear Water River that the sportsman, ten years
hence, may expect to find Moose in numlu'is tiiat will insure
good sport to reward endurance and patience. Any man
who can lay claim to the nanie of sportsman can reasona-
bly expect to find a Moose in two or thi'ee days of still
hunting in the Clear Water region, either now or ten years
from this date. The Moose supi)ly in that wildernes.'. will
be practically inexhaustible — as much so, at least, as in the
forests of Maine.

The best season for Moose-hunting in the mountains of
the Far West is October and November, The first snow-
fall, on the mountains, may be expected in Noveml)ei', and
if the hunter is not discouraged by the hardships sure to
come with the first storms of winter, he would do well to
take advantage of that season, as that, too, is about the time
the bulls go forth to battle for the favors of the females.
This is the season in which the native hunters, in the north-
eastern woods, are said to use the l)irch-l)ark horn with such
terrible results to the unsuspecting game. The horn has
never been used in the Rocky Mountains, to my knowledge,
and 1 have never heard any such noise here as is attiibuted
to the Moose in the woods of Maine and Canada. The cow
Moose, 1 have reason to believe, never utters a cry of any
kind, here, and the bull of our region simply whistles, like
the Elk and Deer. 1 have often heard them make their
challiMiges and utter their calls, but it was simply a whistle,
such as a boy might make by blowing between his fingers,
though coarser, and not prolonged or rejieated.

My first experience with the call of the Moose was on the
Upper Clear Water River, ten years ago. 1 was in canii) in
the dense cedar forests of that great wilch-rness, and was
not expecting to see large game. 1 thought the whistle
which echoed from the canon, a quarter of a mile away,
was the challenge of a black-tailed buck, and I went out to
meet him with an antiquated Henry rifle of the lightly
charged pattern. The gun was old, as well as lightly

: III

I'll 4

BIG GAMK OF NOIITII AMERICA.

charged, and was kept coated with dust and rough with
rust by the owner, who did not know tliat better guns luid
been made in later times. I went forth to secure \'^nison,
uncertain as I was of the accuracy of the siglits, as well as
of tJie powers of the ritie's execution, and, hall" in a spirit
of experiment, blew upon my hands as I had learned to do
when a boy, after I had failed to locate the game just where
I expected to find it.

'I'o my surprise, I heard the crackling of the brush
within gunshot, the animal that caused it coming nearer.
"1 will kill the Deer," I thought, and was soon in position,
with the ai)proaclies well guarded. Sure enough, a dark
form passed in view, but it was too large and too daik for
a Deer. "It is a mule," I thought; but no! his gleaming
antlers appeared in full view. I knew the stranger then, but
was undetermined what to do. It was folly to shoot so fur at
a Moose with that little old pop-gun, so I waited. The Moose
came blindly on, snifTing the air and beating the brush with
his wide-spread antlers, as if enraged aiul ready for battle.

He came within thirty yards, standing with his great,
bulky form above a log which lay between lis. He stood
stock-still, as if listening, and I feared he would hear my
heart beat; but I controlletl myself, drew a steady bead
witli the coarse sight on the butt of his ear, and fired. The
bullet penetrated his brain; he dropped like a beef, and was
dead when I reached him.

This Moose came at the call, but 1 believe he would have
come at any other signal just as promptly. In fact, I have
since heard of a bull Moose approaching camp apparently
in response to the bray of a mule. These beasts are full of
light when they are on these excursions, and they would
almost tight a buzz-saw if it came in their way. I offer these
suggestions in explanation of the success attending the use
of the bii'ch-bark horn. The Moose approaches the source
of the noise in a lit of rage at the intrusion, not knowing or
caring what or who it is, and not because he is deceived, nor
yet because the noise of the horn is an imitation of the
Moose language.

MOOSE-IirNTTNa IX THK KOCKY .M(M\'1'AI\>

:j3

ougli with
f^'iins luid

rt' x-iMiison,

as w«4l as
ill ii spirit

i-ned to do
jiistwliere

the brush
iiii;- nearer,
in position,
igli, a dark
)0 dark for
is gleaming
er then, but
oot so i"ar at
. The Moose
^ brush with
y lor battle,
h his great,
(. He stood
Id hear my
teady bead
liied. The
eef, and was

would have
fact, I liave
apparently
s are full of
they would
I offer these
ing the use
the source
knowing or
[eceived, nor
ition of the

The cow Moose (hjes not grow bold lik<' iIk; bull who is
so ready to l)artle for her in the fall of tht^ year. !''iirlh<'r-
niore, it is only during one short month that the antlered
nioiiarch of the woods is brave to deft'iid his mate Affci'
the ruttiiig-season he abandons thf cows, and, in company
with other bulls as sullen and ungainly as himself, retires
to the most secluded lairs, and there skulks in cowardice
-—afraid of his own shadow.

All winter long the bulls are found in jiairs or in herds,
with no cows or young about. They I'emain sepaiate(l till
the calves are Avell grown and are able to run from danger
by the side of the mother.

While the young are .small, they do not depend upon
flight to escape an enemy. They are effectively guarded
from beasts of pi'ey by th*^ mother. She will drive Wolves,
Bears, and Mountnin Lions in disorder from the field. When
a man approaches the secluded bedding-ground, the mother
silently steals away. She leaves the helpless young to
hide in the ferns or chaparral; and well it liides, too. At
the signal of the departing mother Moose, who caresses it
with her nose, and may be breathes her "God bless you " in
its ear, the little creature becomes, in looks, a part of its
surroiinilings, and the hunter might step over it as a life-
less, moss-covered stone or piece of wood.

In 188'), I spent the month of June on the St. Joseph
River, in the Canir d'Alene Mountains, and 1 had there an
experience with a ycjung Moose whidi might be oi interest
to sportsmen. It is a beautiful counti'y for a hunter to
spend the summer in. There are great forests, dark and
c(j()l with shade; there are lakes and streams alive with
mountain trout; and there are Deer, Bears, Elk, and Moose
in numbers to make glad the heart of the most sordid
plodder. An English gentleman, with enthusiasm and cash,
lilled me with the desire to find a Moo.se in the velvet and
in the gloss of a summer coat. We procured a camp outfit,
and sought the head-waters of the little St. Joseph River.
There we found a great park of giant pines, the ground
beneath all carpeted with soft ferns and velvety moss. The

I pi

!.:il

BIO OAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

sun had no power to darken the pale-green ferns, and the
wind never blew to tangle the slender fronds. The moist
ground was untrarked, excHi)t by rli*- cautions feet of the
wild creatures of the wviods, and all was silent, as if no
echoes slumbered in those bowers. \Ve spread our camp
on the soft, sweet floor of the green-canoi)ied and tree-
studded home of tlie gods, and rested. Rich was the ])eace
of solitude for a night.

In the moi'ning we were longing for adventure, like rest-
less si)irits in a new world, and went forth commissioned to
exi)lore and to conquer the denizens of that Arcadian-like
land of summer loveliness. We tramped far, far through
an outstretched, unchanged expanse of forest, without sat-
isfactory results as to the finding of big game. There were
dozens of that species of grouse kiutwn as the fool lien,
with its staring red (!ves and stuitid habit of sitting like a
bronze image on limbs and logs, even within reach of our
hands. There were other wonders for the a]>preciative
Englishman to admire, but he was determined to see a live
Moose in its native haunts, and nothing less would satisfy
his longing.

Finally, when he was separated from me about a quarter
of a mile, I heard his deep voice in tones of agitation. I
hastened to his aid, and found him standing with gun
presented, a model for an artist, demanding an answer to
his unintelligible " What is it '." He was pointing into a
tangle of ferns near his feet, that was as dense as the rank
clover in a rich meadow.

I, as with an echo, answered. ''What is it T' when by
his side I saAv a crouching little animal, with glossy brown
coat, lying low and still as a frightened fawn. We could
not at first determine what it was, but its innocent; eyes
stayed our hands before we i^uUed the trigger. Xo, we
could not shoot the crouching, beautiful cieature.

"Ah," said the athletic foreign sportsman, "I will
capture the bloody thing! "" and handing his rifle to me, he
sprang upon it like a lion upon a lamb. A cry went up
and echoed through the trees, plaintive, like the voice of

Mtiu^K-IU-XTIX*. IN Tin; KiM KV MolN'TAINS.

:C)

Lnocent eyes

n child ill •listivss. Tt was not roai'sr, lil\f tlif hlcnf of a
cair, but st'eiiu'd to havf a softer and more patlictic tone,
8u^j;eslive <»f humanity. Its stni^igies were vain in tlie
arms (»f its caittor. It was hfinn; subdued raiidly, wiieii a
rusji was lieard. and thf mother Moose aiipcared with a
I'ury that made us sic/k at heart. 'IMie mad lieast was siii'-
l)rised, liowever. at the nianner of foe slu' encountered, and
slie stojiped in treniblinsr doubt before rushin<;' to battle in
defense of her itieadim.' ofFspriim'. In seU'-defeiise, I shot
the ohl Mofise dead in iier tracks, and felt <iuilty as of a
crime a moment hit^r.

We retaine<l th*^ ralf captive. ,Our pet was brown in
color, with a tinp- of nist along the back and down lialf-
way on the sides. The parts (.f the body less exposed to the
weather were nearly black, and lellected a silky glossiness.
The color, as a whole, wa-s not pleasing. Like all the other
iMoose I liave seen, it luid the dingy look of a ])artly faded
coat. It was as large a** a nionlh-old calf. Its head was large,
and had the apiie-aramv oi being too heavy for its long neck;
and its nose had a weli-tleveloped. ungainly lump. Its
head and ears were deridefHy mulish in a])[)earance. Its
legs, especially the liind legs, were long, and did duty with
a drag of tardiness: Init the hind legs seemed to furnish
nearly all the motive |>ower. It would stand sometimes on
its liind legs, like a Kang:»roo, and look about, and bleat in
that pitiful, halt-human tone, which often caused us to
regret that we ha<l not left it with its mother.

It was restless, and seemed to be untamable. We
detained it by luiilding a i>en so designed as to guard
against injury to its tender body, but it literally "beat
against the bars" every moment of its captivity. We
hastened out of the mountains with it to a ranch, and pro-
cured milk for it. Thei-e we arranged a good stable, and
gave it tender care: but it kept up its fretting ways. It
would walk from one end of its stall to the other continu-
ally, never resting and never slee^ung, to our knowledge.
At each end of the inchisure it would rise up on its hind
legs and bleat, and then turn about to repeat the same dh-

hUi <1AMK (»I' NOirni AMKItlCA.

tressin^ adion iind i)itifiil cry at tli<* otlicr cxlu'inily (»f its
prison. It livi'd l\v(» weeks, and died of a broken lieai't.
'I'iie Hoirowiii",' I'iiiuiisliiuan ^ave it a hiirial in a pretty,
Hliady place, sucli as he tiioii,i;lil it lonued for in lil'e.

Near tile noi'tiiein lujundary of Idalio is wliat is Ivnovvn
as tiieiialie Region. Witldn a radius o I" seven niiiesniaylw
seen I'oui'teen heautil'id laiiis, e\ cry one tiie I't'sei-ve source
of a liisjiing, mad, mountain river, whicli lias a deep, locky
euiKm for a Ijed, leading' ultimately to tiie same destina-
tion—to the great wide and \vindin<i,' (/olnmhia, that redeems
a l»roa<l desert and linds rest in ihe sea. Near tliese lakes
is a wilderness that gives the Moose the solitude andslielter
he loves, and line groves of deciduous trees to feed upon,
when water-plants are locked in winter's keeping.

The Moose in the Lake Region of Idaho do not seek the
valleys in winter. Here, as in Canada, they foi'm yaids,
and heat down the snow in the (piaking aspen groves. They
have never been hunted there in winter, to my knowledge,
the Indians pi'i^'tM'i'ing to subsist on the meat of the Elk
and Deer, wliiclt ure found not so remote from their valley
homes.

The India?; i;' not an epicure. He enjoys most the food
that is easiest to secure. Any liesh is meat for an Indian's
larder, the only fear he feels being that- he may not get
enough of it.

In the winter of 188;), I crossed a mountain divide, from
a mining-camp near Cceur d'Alene Lake, in search of
a Moose. I went alone, as no other idle man in cam}) was
willing to climb a mountain, on snow-shoes, that would
require a circuitous run of seven miles to gain the sum-
mit The snow was only about fifteen inches deep, and
the mild weather warranted the belief that a Moose would
be fat and the best of fresh meat. In fact, like other
lovers of the dulse, I was prolific of arguments that con-
vinced me that I should go a-hunting; and a-lumting I did
go. When, after five hours of hard labor, I gaineil the
bleak summit, a cutting wind cooled my enthusiasm. I
shuddered at the horrors of a winter blizzard nine thousand

M(H»Mio-mrNi'iN<; i\ iiii: i;<m kv MorNTAiNs.

;?7

iiy (.!' its

fU lu'tUt.

11 pretty,

is knowi^
Icsnuiybe
vvt' source
I'H]), rooky
,,. (Ifstina-

hese lakes
•nul shelter
ieed upon,

lot seek the
form yards,
■ov.'s. They

kuowledjie,
t ^jf the Elk

their valley

|iost the food

•an Indians

I may not get

divide, from
liu search of
ill camp was
that wonld
lain the snm-
les deep, ''^^^^
J^loose woukl
|t, like other
Ints that con-
lh\inting \ did
]l gained the

lithusiasm.

nine

thousand

feet ahove t lie st';i. I could now I'liu one \\:iy and reach
tlie cami) again in an lioiii-. or I could tiiin the other, face
the gale, ami prolial)ly lind a Moose.

I decided to coiitiiiiie the hunt. Tile liiti,h mountain
nliere 1 siooil was without liinltei, biil on the little plaieaii a
mile away was a dense growth of willows and small (piaking
aspen trees. It was ail i(h'al winieiing-ground loi a Moose.
I conld risk a run of a mile or two. even in a l)li//,ard; so 1
took a cautious turn through the wind-tossed and sighing,
lealless little trees. One mile, then two, were covfMvd, and
no game to encourage nie; hut just as I ))asseil the point I
had fixed foi tne place to tuiii back, I fouml a Moose-trail.

Of course. I knew the next de[)ression and the next,
clump of hushes was the hiding-place of the ganu'; so I
sped on and on. At last I routed a lone Moose, and the
direction he took was favorable to my early letnrn to camp
should 1 -hoose to abandon the chase. After a. turn over
the bleak divide. I saw the animal going on that deceptive
swinging trot, but he was making for the low land and the
river. There was a fa\ orable incline for a snow-shoe run
that no horse could e(pial for speed. I was conlident that I
could run near enough to slujot the Moose, even if the snow
was not deep enough to interfere with his Maud S. gait.
1 was successful in cutting off his course toward the woods
and in turning him down the hill.

I nerved myself for a territic run, and deternunt'il, if
possible, to approach near enough to shoot the big brute
while at full speed. The mark was large, and I was armed
with a go(Kl re[)eatlng ritle. In ten seconds 1 could shoot
four or live bullets into vital i)arts of such a large animal.
1 made the run. with the wind against me, and ai*er the
greatest elfoi't came up to the side of the frightened Moose,
but. to my great consternation, found that 1 could not shoot.
I could not even let goof my pole, fori was unable to stand,
so the Moose gained the valley, and before 1 could steady
myself to shoot he was far out of range. I do not believe
a horse rould have run as fast as that Moose lan across
that valley to the timber along the river.

ill

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMKHICA.

I was too tiled to return to camp tliat night, anri fortune
favored me to the extent that I was given shelter by a, kind-
liearted Indian. I was fed on smoked lisli and smoked
venison, and slept in a bed of sniolved skins; but fatigue
and hunger give Havor to food, and make even an Indi'in's
bunk a. soft and sweet bed.

On Curistmas-day, 1883, and during the following week,
I had some thrilling experiences with Moose in tlie deep
snow on the mountains at the head of Warm River, one of
the tributaries oi the Snake, in Idaho.

I had established a winter camp in that isolated but
picturesque mountain region. The snow was four feet deep
on Christnuis-day, and soft and level as the grass in a
meadow. Our meat-supi)ly was reduced to a limited quan-
tity of strong bacon, and that was incentive sufiicient to
hasten my movements to secure some fresh and choice
roasts suited to the tastes of a hunter. Only a man accus-
tomed to the snow-shoe would undertake an excursion over
mountains and canons with four feet of soft snow on the
ground; but, with the experience of the mountaineer, no
better ccjnditions coidd be desired when Elk or Moose are
the game to be hunted.

I was out earl}', even in that liour when trees and rocks
snap the most with frost and tlie full moon is palest and
looks the coldest, just before the "sun-dogs" appear in the
east. A riiie swung lightly over my shoulder, held in
l^lace by a leather strap. My Norwegian snow-shoes cut
the crisp, velvety, glistenini; carpet with the slightest
'' whish-whish '" iniaginabh , and my speed was at least six
miles an hour as I skirted tlie bald mountain at a slight
descent.

On, on I went for five miles, and then turned to clind)
to the gi'eat White Pine Park, more than a thousand feet
above. By the use of my pole, 1 made the winding ascent
as fast as a man would walk on a good road on an up grade
so steep. The mountain side was barren (»f timber, v/ith
many walls of basaltic locks standing \\\) in inii)assable bar-
riers, frowning and dark above the snow. Around these

(i fortune
)y a kin*!'
I smoked
It. i'atigiie
1 Imli 'Ill's

ing week,
1 the deep
ver, one of

olated but
r feet deep
grass in a
uited cpian-
iiflicieut to
:ind choice
man accus-
;ursion over
now on the
ntaineer, no
;Moose are

s and rodcs
palest and
Ippeav in the
Uh', held in
w-shoes cut
le slightest
at least six
at a slight

lied to climb
jionsand feet
lading ascent
an up grade
limber, v/ith
Diissable bar-
round these

•CI

« a

MOOSE-IIT'NTIXO IN TIIK HOOKY MOUNTAINS.

overhanging ledges I worked my way, tired and lialf-dis-
couraged, to th'^ green forest-line that crowned the canon
wall.

Having gained the snmmit, I found the park to be a
beautiful level plateau, with large, straight pines, their
smooth, limbless trunks standing like pillars sui)porting an
endless canopy of interlacing boughs.

The grand old trunks were so far apart tliat my progress
was not imi)eded, and I made a rapid cruise in search of
Moose-trails. I was not long in linding a deej) road crossing
til? park in a line as straight as a railroad. ^ examined the
well-beaten trail, and found fresh foot-prints, indicating that
the game had gone in the direction that took them farthex'
from the cam}). I reaolved to follow, and my speed for an
hour would have done credit to a racer of record.

After the pines grew thinner, and I could see the canon
off to the right, a slight descent and a turn around a point
of a rocky cliiT brought me to a cove, thick with quaking
aspen trees and brush. On these the Moose had been feed-
ing, and the snow was tramped as on the feeding-ground of
a hundred hungry cattle. They had twisved and broken
down trees fifteen feet high. The split and broken limbs
reminded me of the work of Bears m a berry-thicket. The
Moose will walk upoa a bush witli his breast, and bend it
down, eating all the twlp^s off as he passes over; and
again, he will i\a.v]i up and bend down a large limb with
his nose. Ovei- the bent limb he will throw one fore leg,
and hold it, as with a hook, till it is carefully trimmed.

As I skirted the leafless thicket, I saw many eviden(!es of
the great strength of these beasts, of distinct and strange
habits. I could see where they had plowed through the
snow in search of a broad-leafed plant that grew in the
mountain swamp, which was then solid, having frozen
before the snow came. The Moose had not attempted to
remove the snow by pawing, as the Deer do, but had rooted
:ibout like hogs, or as they (the Moose) hunt for food under
water' The snow, seeniingly. was not the least hindrance
to them in their search for food on the ground.

liljl

4.0

lilQ GAME OF NOKTli AMEIUCA.

Not a Moose could I see; not a sound could I hear.
Tliey liad evidently scented me before I entered the head'
i" 'he gulch, and had silently stolen away. I found their
trails; they liad separated, two and three going
to^, ihtr in tlieir flight. I estimated tl>at not less thiin a
dozen or fourteen had been feeding in the thicket and
on the fi'ozen swamp when the alarm was given of my
apijroach.

1 singled out the new-made trail that indicated a flight
in the direction of camp, and started on a desperate run on
the down-grade. The Moose will, when chased in deep
snow, and especially if closely pressed, choose a course that
gives him the advantage of gravitation, if there is an incline
to be chosen. I shot through the trees at a reckless speed
for at least live miles, but never sighted a Moose. They
were breaking a neAv trail in the soft snow, and how they
could cover a distance of five miles in so short a space of
time was a mvsterv to me.

At the end of that straight run they turned up a ravine,
and made for the top of the mountain t.gain. These tac-
tics surprised me; but I soon observed that they were fenced
in by a wall of rocks to the lel't, and the ui)-hill course was
the only means of escape from a pocket. From this I
reasoned tliat the quarry was hard-pressed, and I used my
pole with tMiergy for a long, tiresome climb. I knew, then,
the game was far ahead of me, but their course was toward
camp, with an assurance of a down-grade run.

So steep was the incline, that the speed I made on my
snow-shoes was only limited by the fear of obstacles to be
encountered. I was reckless, and I indulged in a terrific vuv,
barely missing a crag here and a precipice there. Alas! I
did not miss every obstruction. The new-made road I was
keeping just below me, to the left, turned through a pro-
jecting ledge, at a sharp angle, in a narrow cut, and I
plunged over the wall. I shot out into the air, and down,
down, with the momentary horror of a nightmare! My
speed hurled me into the soft snow, benumbed with fright,
but withoiit a bruise.

MOOSK-III^NTIXC IX Till-: ROCKY MOrNTAIXS.

a I hear,
tlie head
iinid their
L-ee going
88 than a
k'ket and
en of my

ed a flight
\te run on
d in deep
•ourse tliat
i an incline
idess speed
ose. They
1 how they
a space of

ip a ravine,
These tac-

[vvere fenced
ourse Avas
oui this I
I used my

mew, then,
as toward

lade on my
u'les to be
terrific n!r,
Alas! I
oad I was
)Ugh a pro-
cut, and I
and down,
mare! .My
dtli fright,

I recovered my snow-shoes and my pole Avith hnnentahle
loss of time. I ruslied on, to fall again within two minutes.
I slowed up, but in tlie excitement I ivpeated the acrobatic
feat on(^e more in a disagreeably short time. If I had not
fallen, I would have surely killed the two Moose 1 had
singled out; for I came up to them, and was pi'eparing to
shoot, when I fell — the last and hardest fall of the day. After
that the course was more level, but I was too neai'ly
exhausted to regain my lost advantages. I had run those
Moose at least fifteen miles, in snow four feet deep. They
were tired, and I knew they were failing; but 1 was even
more tired than they. By the time I lost confidence in my
ability to run them down, I was very near camp, and I
slowly poled myself along to the place of needed I'est, pre-
senting the aspect of a hungry, tired, and disai)pointed
num.

The snow continued to fall for four days after the day of
disaj)poititment, the incidents of which are recorded above;
and at the end of that time the little log cabin on the banks
of Warm Kiver was completely hidden from view, except
the shack chimney and the sooty line that marked the
direction of the wind and smoke.

The snow lay, soft and even, seven feet deep all ovei- the
mountains and valleys around. With an enthusiasm inten-
sified by the demands of appetite, I renewed my efforts to
comply with my t;ontract to supply the camp with fiesh
meat. Willi a riHe that weighed nine and three-fourths
pounds strappei,' on my shoulders, and a very light dinner
at my belt, I again buckled on my snow-shoes, again grasi)ed
the hmg, light propelling-pole, and again started in search
of the great ruminants. The depth of snow, when one is
faiily launched upon it, does not enter into account when
snow-shoeing. On that occasion, the great carpet was
luuisually soft for so great ade[)th; but I was every way
e(pnpi)ed for easy ami rapid traveling. Around the pole I
(■allied was a disk of rawhide, stret<'hed upon a hoop like a
(bum-head, that £)revented its sinking into the snow, and
afforded a saving of jjropelling powei".

■M\

4-2

JUO (SAME OF NOUTI! AMKKICA.

I hiid leivnied, by fonner experience and observation, that
as long as the snow remained soft the Moose wei-e loath to
leave the haunts where tlie quaking aspen and willow grew.
In the region of Wai'uj River tiiey grow at the heads oi the
little spring brandies; on the border of the psirks in the
high regions. 1 began the task, always laborious with snow-
shoes, of climbing the great, frowning mountain.

As the engineer works out a switch-back for a railroad
over a mountain summit, I wound my way up — how nuiny
hours I do not knoAv; but after attaining an altitude of two
thousand feet above the steaming river, I could look back
at the black smoke from the cabin-fire, and it seemed only
a stone's throw away. Yet I was rejoiced, for the feeding-
ground of the game was even then before me.

The furrows, broad and deep, partially tilled with the
snow-fall of a day, told plainly that the Moose had been
there only the night before. They had wallowed about like
hogs in a meadow; they had broken down the brittle, frozen
bushes, and had left the deep-marked roads to lead me to
the next grove, a half
the pine park.

I moved silently, cautiously, and swiftly — full of hope
that I might surprise this shyest of game in its lair; but I was
doomed to disappointment, as I had so often been before.
As silently as I moved, over the most noiseless of courses,
I found only the beds and fresh trails left, in a hurried
Hight, by two large Moose. They had plunged into the
depths, and had left a I'oad such as a rotary snow-plow
would leave — ten feet wide in places.

These beds were on the snow, packed and hard, in the
way to allow them to hear and see to the best advantage,
by supporting ther/i as near the surface as possible. The
coat they wear, of coarse, long hair, makes the best of
wraps for a snow-bed, so that they suffer no hardships from
cold or wet. Prom the evidences of hasty flight and speed,
I judged that I must have been very near them when
they started. Their plunging must have been desperate;
but even on that still morning, and in a fleld suited for a

nile over a low hill and through

.MdOSK-lirXTlNO IN TlIK UUCKY MOIN'TAIXS.

4'.^

tiou, that
loath to
low jirew.
ids oi the
■ks in the
•ith snow-

a raiU'oad
low many
de of two
look back
jmed only
e feeding-

1 with the
} had been
abont like
ittle, frozen
lead me to
id through

ill of hope
r; but I was
)een before,
of courses,
I a huiTied
ed into the
snow- plow

lard, in the
iidvantage,
^sible. The
the best of
dships from
t and speed,
them when
n. desperate;
suited for a

fair view, I lu^ard n(it a sound nor saw the least flurry of
snow. 1 felt rejoi(!ed, however, over tlie prospect of success
in a run of a few miles, and bent to the chase with a will.

The deep, wide road they made led across the undulating
pine park, and I followed at one side, straining my eyes to
select the best track and to locate the game; but in a run of
tw(j miles, at fair speed, only the same new-made road and
the same evidence of desperate flight rewarded me.

At the edge of the great pine forest, the course led, at a
gradual descent, toward the river. My speed was acceler-
ated to the limit of safety, but the two Moose had also the
beneflt of the down-hill cour«e, so that it was not an easy
task to run them down; but I soon saw them pass over a
ridge, and knew they were failing. As they were going by
that time in the direction of the camp, I felt the thrill of
exultation that comes with the certainty of victory.

One rush down the smooth slope would bring me within
range. My rifle was unslung and carried in my hand as I
shot through the keen wind. Steadily I held my course,
though it tried my nerve to guide my surging shoes, now
around a curve, then past a i)rojecting crag. I was within
a hundred yards of the struggling quarry. They were
steaming and puffing like overworked engines. They
snorted blood from their noses, and stained the snow
on either side of the trail they left, but their speed was
unchecked.

My pole was dragging behind; I was steadying myself
to fire, when the game turned to the left, around some over-
hanging rocks. The mountain was steej) above, and the
river was at a dizzy depth l)elow. I was all eagerness to
make a good shot, when, from neglecting to watch my
course, I rushed upon an obstruction of rocks, and fell.

I was injured, but was on my shoes in a few seconds.
Anotlier run brought me up to the game, and only thirty
feet al)ove them. I fired at the great bull. He staggered,
and kept on; but a ghastly line of blood on the trail told of
the deadly effect of the shot. The second shot was aimed
at the shoulder of the smaller Moose. He fell at the crack

:||n.,|

l;!^i li

llKi (iAMK <»l" NOUTII AMKUR'A.

of the rifle; but the otiier struggled on, hleedinij, snorting,
from a deadly shot through the lungs. I fired four shots
into him before he fell, lie had grown frenzied, rigid, and
would not fall till 1 api)roac'hed to within twenty feet and
sliot him just back of the ear. He plunged forward then,
and ))uried himself in the snow.

I stood above the fallen monarch, stupid from exhaus-
tion, and gave no further thought to the animal that I sup-
posed lay dead four or five rods back. Suddenly I heard a
loud snort and felt a rush from l)ehind. xis I dodged to
one side, the Moose I had thought deatl charged upon me
and fairly buried me in the snow. His rush carried him
past me, but he turned and charged again before I recovered
sufficiently to shoot; but his broken shoulder failed him
whea he turned, and he tumbled down-uill so that he nussed
me when he charged the next time. As he came toward
me again, his eyes were green and his body was all shaggy
Avitli bristles. I had, however, recovered my position and
my nerve. My aim was true, and I placed a bullet fairly
between his eyes.

Although the snow was seven feet deep, and this Moose,
had a broken shoulder, it was more good fortune than any
advantage I had that saved me from being cut to pieces by
his feet. I am satisfied that no man can safely battle with
a Western Moose, in any depth of snow, with any weapon
other than a rifle, and a good one at that.

These Moose were both bulls. The smaller one had shed
his antlers, but both were still in good condition, and our
larder was enriched with a thousand pounds of the finest
venison that the Rocky Mountains afford.

^»*>'

snorting,
bur shots
•igid, and
yT iv-et, and
ard then,

n exhans-
hat 1 sup-
• 1 lieard a
dodged to
L upon me
arried him
I recovered
failed him
t he missed
inie toward
; all shaggy
osition and
lullet fairly

Ithis Moose,

.e than any

to pieces by

battle with

,iny weapon

ne had shed
)n, and our
the finest

ELK-HUNTING IN '^IIE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

By W. a. Pkuuy (" Sillalicum").

not

^ONARCH of the wildernes§! Lord of the mount-
ain! King of the plain! What hunter, who has
sought thee in thy pine-embowered home, whose
heart-beat does not quicken and whose eye does
))righten at the mention of thy name! Foi- with it
comes the recollection of boundless prairies, grass-robed
and llower-decked ; of pine-clad, snow-capped mountains;
of sweet breezes, gentle melodies, grand trophies. I once
lieard a dying Indian speak his last words, and they
were these: "To-morrow, in the Spirit Land, again sliall
I chase the Wapiti." Many a wliite hunter, unstained
by the vices of society and the snares of civilization, hopes,
as did the dying Indian, that, when he shall leave the camps
of earth for those beyond the unknown sunset mountains,
in the happy hunting-ground, he shall again dnise the
Wapiti.

Eixcepting the Moose, the Wapiti is the largest of all the
Deer family, and was formerly found in nearly all parts of
the United States, in Mexico, and in British America as far
north as the sixtieth parallel of north latitude; but he has
vnnished before the approach of civilization, and is now
found only in the remotest mountain fastnesses west of
the Missouri River or in the great forests of British
America. The largest herds now remaining, outside of the
Yellowstone National Park, are found in the Olympic
Mountains of Washington, and among t' e mountains of
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. There are still many
remaining in the Cascade and Rocky Ranges, but they do
not congregate there in vast herds, as they do in the Coast
Ranges.

(45)

ni« GAME OF NOUTII AMKHICA.

The color of the Elk is: IIhjuI and neck dark brown, the
head ii nhiulv lif,diter than the nt-ck; sides, l)ack, and thi<-'hs
creain-c(jlore(l gray: under the i "lly, J)lack; legs are seal-
brown; on the riin>i) is a large sjxit of white that extends
down on either side of the tail, joining the white between
the legs. This white spot is bordered with black on the
lower edges. These shades, however, vary at ditlerent sea-
sons, and on different individuals.

The Elk h:is a bejtntifnl head, small and well-foi-nied.
The antlers are cylindrical, with tint's long and slender.
The pedicel, on which the anth-r rests, can be plainly seen
on the calf at live months of age. This pedicel never
appears through the skin in ?^lk of any age, and will vary
in height fiom one to three inches in Elk of dilVei'ent ages.
At one year of age, the antlers sprout from the base, and
at eighteen months of age we have a spike-buck, an incip-
ient bull Elk. These spikes sometimes grow to a length of
thirty inches before the si)ike-buck is two years old. The
siiike-buck drops these horns, not as his elder brothers do,
in the last of December or early part of January, but in
March or April. lie is proud of them, and after the old
bucks h.ive shed their horns, does not fail to remind them
of the fact by goring them frecpiently. In traveling at
such times, he assumes the old buck's place at the head of
the column; and should the band be attacked by Wolves or
Cougars, a circle is at once formed, with the spike-bucks
around the outer edge, and a Cougar oi- Wolf who makes
the accpiaintance of the young warrior will remember the
introductU)n to the last day of his existence.

In the summer of the second year, the antlers develop
two points, in the third threp. in the fourth four, and in
tl'.e fifth five. After this, it is impossible to estimate accu-
rately the age of a bull Elk, as there is no further regular-
ity in the occurrence of points. In some instances, there
are more i)oints on one antler than on the other.

The older bulls usually .shed their hoins in the last
of December or the first half of .Tanuary. When the time
comes to droj) his horns, the bull leaves the herd, seeks a

ELK-nrXTIXti IX THK OLYMPIC AKMNIAINS.

Di-owu, the
iuul tliijJilis
;s art' st'ul-
at t'xt»Muls
te between
ick on the
tl'ereut sea-

t-ell-foi'iiied.
ind slender.
[)lainly seen
(licel never
1(1 will vary
IVeivnt ages.
lie base, and
•k, an ineip-
>ak'ngth of
ITS okl. The
brothers do,
uiary, but in
il'ter the okl
eniiud them
traveling at
the head o£
V W(jh »"H or
spike-bncks
wlio makes
emember the

tiers develop

lour, and in

stimate accu-

ther regidar-

tances, there

t^r.

8 in the last

hen the time

herd, seeks a

secluded tliieket. and nibs his horns against a .small tree
until they drop off, wben he at onct^ rejoins ihe lierd. '"lie
to]) of the i>Hdic»'l, fn>m which the antlers have been
diopped, will soineiinies show sores as large in circumfer-
ence as a silver dollar. These siiots, however, soon heal
over, and llie antkTs .sprout anew in March or A])ril. About
the muldle of July tbey are in the velvet, when tln^ bull
again leaves the henl, and seeks an open meadow on some
lonely mountain-i»ejik. wiiere there are plenty of bushes.
He then dev<ttes niiicli of his timt? in the morning to thrash-
ing and rubbing the bushes with his antlers, thert^ evi-
dently being some inirrolie or insec-t in the velvet that
irritates the animal. There is always plenty of blood to
be found on such tlini-shing-grounds.

In the afteriKXjn, when the sun is shining fiercely, the
Elk will lie down in the open, exposing his antlers to its
rays. Hunters «ill this hardening the horns. iJy the
middle of August the horns are haidened and ])olished;
Then his Elkship l»-avt-H the higher ranges of the mountains,
declares war ag:iin>t all other bidl Elk, strides up and
down the canons and mountain -sides, and collects a harem
of cows, over which he rules with Turk-like severity, unless
deposed by some stronger and more formidable bea-; oi' his
kind. If so dejKjsed. he loses no time, but starts at uace in
search of another harem, that is, perhaps, ruled over by a
weaker Elk Than himself. A battle royal now takes place,
and if vicT<»rious. the roamer is iiiler once more; if not, he
continues his search for a weaker potentate whom he can
dethrone.

In May, the Elk leave the foot-hills, and seek the higher
ranges of mountains, going as near the snow-line as pos-
sible, and yet not so high as To be beyond the timbei'-line.
The cows leave the herd, and seek tangled thickets, where
the calves are drfjpped. The cow is a tender and affec-
tionate mother, and is immensely i)roud of her graceful,
si^otted infant. She ^vill fight for it to the death if need
be. Should a Cougar or Bear appear, or a Wolf come
prowling near, she will at once utter a loud call, stamp her

\ );

UrO OAMK <.K NOIlTir AMKHIOA.

fct't, and grind lier teHli .sjivagvly. At the sound of lici*
cry, all llici Elk in tlic vicinity (^nnd the bulls at this time
iirt^ never I'ar awayjconiH rushing in wild haste, and woe
betide the inti'iider; I'or, although their horns are at this
time but feeble weapons of offense or defense, their hoofs
are sharj), and, surrounding the intruder, they Iea]» uiiou
and trample him to pieces. ]iy a wise ])i()vision of Xatuie,
the calves endt no scent to attiact prowling carniv •', and
so such attacks are not fretjuent.

Should the cow be alarmed while feeding in -I'any
with tile calf, she will at once stamp her foot, and the calf
will diop to the ground and lie motionless. It will also
"'possum," and should it Ix; lifte<l in the ai'ms of a human
being, it will lie limp and motioidess. Only the beautiful
eye will betray it, as it forgets to shut its glistening orb,
and so reveals the sham.

The cows rarely i)rodiioe more than one calf, though
occasionally two are dropjjed. The calves remain with the
cows until four or live months old; then, in company with
their mothers, they join the larger bands. During the rut-
ting-season the calves remain with the cows. The cow Elk
usually droi)s her iirst calf at two years of age.

The natural gait of the Elk is a walk. They trot or gal-
lop when alarmed, but can not sustain the latter gait for
any great length of time. During the rutting-season, or
shortly before it begins, when traveling, the bulls are always
in advance, the cows and fawns in the center, and the rear
is brought up by the spike-bulls. No body of trained
soldiers could move with more discipline or regularity than
a herd of Elk. The band lii'./ays acknowledges one leader,
the largest and strongest bull in the herd. Should he be
shot, the band falls into hojieless confusion, and rushes
about like demented creatures. The Indian hunters, aware
of this fact, will follow on the trail of a band day after
day, often refusing good opportunities to slay other mem-
bers of the band, until an opportunity is afforded of shoot-
ing the leader. Wlu^i. this is done, the remaining members
of the band fall victims one h\ one.

KI-K-Iir\l'IN'(i IN' TIIK OI-YMI'IC MoT N lAl XS.

4S)

nd of her
this time
', iiiul woe
iirt' ill tliis
heir hoofs
leap upon
of Niituiv,
liv •', and

I -I'iHiy
lid tli<' calf
It will also
of n human
e beailtiful
tening orb,

alf, though
lin with the
mpany with
ring the rut-
Hie cow Elk

trot or gal-
ttcr gait for
-seasou, or
ui re always
nd the rear
of tramed
uhirity than
one leader,
hould he be
and rushes
nters, aware
-1 day after

ther mem-
led of shoot-

iac members

Nothiug is uior<' iuleresting tlian to witness a battle
betwei'U two old bull Elks. The challenger, when approach-
ing a Itand, oi" haiem, blows a loud whistle of dt'liancc (^TaUe
a halt'-i)iiit bottle and blow strongly into it, aud the sound
so pi'oduc<'(l will be similar tolhe call of the bull Klk during
the iiiiting-season.) 'Phis whistle is at unce answered by
tilt' ruler of the herd, who steps boldL forth to do battle
with the intruder. With heads lowered between liieir fore
feet, the two adversaries walk around waiting I'or an
opening, and when one is thrown off his guard, the otin^r
makes a savage rush; but his opi)onent instantly regains,
counters the charge, and as they rush together, the horns
strike each other with nnch terrilic force that the rej)ortcan
l)t' hciivd for a longdistance. Slowly retreating, bellowing,
grumbling, and grinding their teeth in a paroxysm of rage,
they again circle around, and when an opportunity is
iilforded, make another charge, which is countered as
before. Tliti challenging Elk usually does most of the
offensive fighting until he finds (if such bu the case) that
he is the weaker; then he sullenly I'etires, bellowing as
he goes. These battles are seldom fatal, and during rut-
ting-season are an every-day occurrence. Ugly wounds
often result from them, and sometimes a prong of an
antler is broken in the affraJ^

There has been a great deal of controversy in the various
sportsmen's papers concerning the relative size and weight
of the Elk. On the Pacific Coast they grow larger than in
the Rocky Mountain regions, and will average, for cows,
about four hundred pounds; for bulls, about seven hundred.
Of course there are exceptions to this. I have seen an Elk
that would weigh at least eleven hundred pounds; but he
was the Jumbo of his species, and would stand .^ least
seventeen hands high, as they measure horses. The Elk is a
deceiving animal in regard to weight, being short-bodied
and having long legs.

For so kingly an appearing creature, the Elk is a very
common feeder. He does not hanker, like his smaller
brother, the Black-tailed Deer, for the potato-patch, the

TUT

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

i I

clover-field, the springing wheat, or the bark of the apple-
trees that grow in the ranchman's iiehls or orchards.
True, wl^'i'U in severe winters the dee^) snows thai have
fallen on the mountains drive herds of Elk down inio the
settled valleys, they frequently join the settler';^ cattle, and
remain on good terms with tlie latter, l)ut usually soon fall
victims to the ranchman's rille.

Their principal food consists of grasses, mosses, and
lichens. In times of continued storms, they browse and
kee]) fat for weeks on the boughs and bark of maple, alder,
willow, and cottonwood trees; but if the snow is not too
dee)), they paw the ground bare, in order to procure grass,
lichens, and mosses. In the spring, they follow the receding
snows until they reach tlie higher mountain valleys — their
sununer tpuirters and br -<^ding-grounds. Here the grass,
nipped weekly by frosts, is s\\<.et, and just to their taste.

No sight could be more interesting to ihe hunter-natu-
ralist than to watch a herd of Elk feeding in one of these
secliuled mountaii; valleys. If there be a stream rur'iing
through the valley, bordered by a sand-bai', the e^icire
band makes this their sleeping-place; and the bands always
assume the same [position in sleeping — the calves, cows, and
yearlings in the center, and the backs around the outer
edge of the circle, so that in case of a night attack by
Wolves or Piinthers the strongest will meet the iirst onset
of the foe.

Unlike others of the Deer tribe, the Elk do not often
feed at night, but are stirring with the earliest dawn.
Nothing is so indescribably beautiful as the motion of the
head of an Elk when grazing. It is the very poetry of
motion spiritualized. When the band is feeding, the leader
will, every few minutes, stop grazing, elevate his head, and
scan the valley for signs of danger. They feed until about
eight o'clock in the morning, and then retire to their sand-
bar; or if it be in the time of rubbijig the velvet froni their
horns, tlie bulls seek their thrashing-grounds, and rub their
horns vigorously. Then they lie down on some op'U south-
ern hill-side, and exjiose their horns to the rays of the sun.

tlie apple -
orchards.

that have
,vn inio tlie
1 cattle, and
ly soon fall

[Tiosses, and
browse and
naple, alder,
vv is not too
L-ocure grass,
the receding
alleys— their
•e the grass,
:) their taste,
hiinter-natu-
. one of these
■eani ruining
,r, the entire
niiuls always
es, cows, and
Ind the oiicer
it attack by
he lirst onset

do not often
lirliest dawn,
liuotion of the
k'y poetry of
Ing, the leader
his head, and
Id until about
To their sand-
let from their
Imd rub their
le oi>t:>n south -
Ivs of the snn.

ELK-nUNTIXG IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

.f)l

While resting in the middle of the day, they can be
easily approached. About four o'clock in the afternoon,
they leave the sand-bar, or sunning-ground, and again seek
the nieado- /, where they graze until dusk, when they retire
to the sand-bar for the night.

In winter, they gather in large bands, and are constantly
on the move; v/hile they may not travel out of a small
valley, yet they are in motion, seeking food. At this time
they develop very hog-like characteristics for so grand an
animal. With them it is the universal rush of the strong
against the Aveak; and if the tiny calf of the band paws up a
tender mi/rsel of lichen, the grandest bull in the circle does
not hesitate to drive her away and appropriate it himself.

The feeding-ground of a band of Elk, in winter, often
resembles a farm-yard, the snow being trodden down, ar.d
packed as hard as ice, and the trees, if aspen, birch, or
willow, have most of the bark eaten off. All the smaller
branches within reach are eaten, the animals often standing
on their hind legs in order to reach the highest.

A popular method of hunting the Elk when he inhab-
ited ihe great i rairies was to run him on horseback. He is
usually still-hunted in the forests and mountains, dogs
being but seldom used. The weapons u.- ■! by the Indians
were bows and arrows, spears, and giui-,. Since this noble
game lias been driven from the prairie , there remains only
the still-hunt and the Indian method of waiting on run-
ways, surrounding the band, and then driving them over
some ])recii)ice.

In iovmer d:>ys, when Elk were hunted on horseback,
almost anything in the shape of a gun (or large caliber
pistol) was considered sufficient for the i)urpose, as the
trained horse would bring the hunter so near that he could
place his gun against the animal, and could h.trdly fail to
bring it down; but in the mountains this condition of things
is reversed, and in pursuing this game the very best arm
obtainable sliould be used.

True, when compared with others of the Deer family,
the Elk is easily killed. A shot that a Black-tailed Deer

Ill

ill

I ''i

f)3

mo GAME OF NORTH AMi:HrCA.

would carry for several miles before lying down will lay
an Elk out in one-third the distance. In winter, whtn
tli«n'e is a good tracking snow on the ground, a wounded
Elk may l)e followed, though at a great expense of tim^^ and
labor, and will sometimes be found in a phve where it is
almost impossible to secure the antlers or meit, as when
Avounded they will endeavor to reach the most inaccessible
places.

In my opinion, the best arm for hunting the Elk is the
Winchester, in the larger bores — 40-8:2, 4y-*J(), or, best of all,
the new 110-3<»(» Express. I have given this gun an exhaust-
ive trial on large game, and do not hesitate to pronounce it
the best rifle for big game hunting that human ingenuity
has yet produced. Liglit, strong, and rapid ol" manipula-
tion, terrific in killing power, there is no aninud on this con-
tinent that can escai)e from a cool, nervy uum armed with
one of theije superb weajjons. Some s])ortsmen object to
the heavy recoil of tins rifle, but a recoil that is uncomfort-
able when shooting at a target is never felt in the excite-
ment of game-shooting, and it is evident, from my own
experience, that a wound from one of these bullets leaves
such a trail of blood that it can be followed over bare
ground by the veriest novice.

The 40-82 is a good substitute, when tlie Express bullet
is used. So is the 45-90; but while tliey will do the Avork,
I do not consider them as sure as the 110-300. One of my
hunting comptuiions, a man who has killed more Deer and
Elk than T\ny man of my acquaintance, uses a 44-caliber
Winchester, iModel " 78. Witli liiiu that gun v as the only gun
Avorth owning luitil he tried my Express. Since then, when
a diftlcult shot is to be made, when we are hunting together,
he stands back, and calls me to use the " thunderbolt.''

One disadvantage in using a common small-bore rifle is
that, in moments of excitement, the novice frequently for-
gets to elevate his sights, and so frequently undershoots
his quarry. With the Express, I And that it is aliuost point-
blank up to two hundred yards, so that uo olianging of ele-
vation is necessary.

ELK-IIUXTING IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTA)NS.

vn will lay

.;,:

inter, when

a wounded

of tin;^ and

''Z

e where it i^

•it, as when

inaccessible

he Elk is the
ir, best of all,

I an exhaust -
pronounce it
lan ingenuity
of nmnipuhi-

II on this con-
n armed witli
nen object to

is nnconifort-
in the excite-
froni my own
bullets leaves
A-ed over bare

.xpress bullet
[l do the work.
One of my
iiore Deer and
■s a 44-calibei'
jis the only gun
Lce then, when
ting together,
liderbolt."
lu-bore rifle is
jrequently for-
y nndershoots
almost point-
.auging of ele-

■4

The principal Indian me»^hod of hunting the Elk, in the
Olympic Eange, is by driving them over jirecipices, Select-
ing a well-kn; nu spot, on a "well-trav'dt^d Elk-trail, they
will lie in wait for weeks, until a band appears coming down
the luountaiii. The place usually selected '*s one where the
triiil curves around some great rock, just at the edge of
a precipice a hundred feet or more in height, A scout,
stationed high up the mountain, gives notice of the approach
of a band, and then the Tndians mass at the lower end of the
curve, while others conceal themselves above the curve.
As soon as the baud passes these latter, th^■> spi'ing to their
feet, rusli down the ti'ail, yelling and tiring guns. The
Indians at the lower end of the curv<' do the same, and the
Elk, linding themselves surroundea. :ip over the cliff and
are crushed on the rocks below. Tli< Si wash is hiz\ and
cruel. Sometimes, after driving a large hei<l '\er a cliff,
some of them will be found alive, near the Indians" -ani}*, a
week later, with every limb shattered. At one time 1 exjiost-
idiitcd with an Indian on this needless cruelty, when he
M'lilit'd: ••.\reat keeps better living than dead. When 1
waul to eat him, I will kill him."' In that case it was iu»i.
tliH survival of the fittest, for the Wapiti is far the Jiobler
animal of the two.

Many years ago, when the Elk were abundant on thf
lilains, the favorite method employed by tlie Indians of
limiting them was on horseback. When information was
iu'oiiglit to an Indian village that a band of this favoi'ite
game had been sighted, all was excitement, confusion, and
eagerness. The best Biiffalo-liorses were at once caught and
saiMleu, and the most expert hunters mounted on them.
Like all other species o^ Vtrri(la\ Elk are pron.' to run in a
circ'e when alarmed. Taking advantage of this habit, tiie
hunters wonld divide in two or three bodies, and would
riilc in different directions, always keeping to windward,
until the band were partially surrounded.

Then one of the hunters who rode a fleet horse would
bi' sent to startle the band. As soon as he appeared, the
Elk would start oft", on their long, sweeping trot, and

;,'.'!

www

BIG OAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

1 ill

1 !

f
i

1 1 i.

slioiild there he a conical mound or hill in sight, would
make for it. Reaoh'ng it, they would halt on its summit,
and loolc back at the pursuer. No sooner would they
catch sight of luiu, than off they would go again, sweeping
down, the hill witli the same s vift stride. AVhen they
reached the foot of the hill, a hunter would rise, like
an apparition, out (>f some coulee, or clump of bushes; then,
the tt'rrllied Elk would turn and run directly up the hill
again. The hunter who had chased them down would now
turn and gallop up the hill and doAvn the other side as fast
as his horse could carry him, and at the foot of the hill he
would hide in a clnni]) of bushes, a ravine, <u' other (Tover.

Swifi:y down the hill would sweep the Elk, with their
seemingly t-ntired stride, and, when near the foot, the
api>arition that had so terrified them on the other side
would lise before them again; swiftly they woidd wheel
jind head up the hill again. Great spots of foam now clot
their sides, and is wreatln^l about their mouths. The leader
chnnges his sweejnng trot to a lumbering gallop; the
hunter in pursuit utters a ringing whoop, which is faintly
echoed l)v hunters in the distance again and again.

Soon, mounted luiuters are riding up the hill from
every (quarter. The lumbering gallop of the Elk grows
slower and slower. Presently, the proud leader falls, pierced
by an ari'ow or a bidl; the.i,the band falls into confusion,
and gallops aimlessly al)oui in all direcrions

Nearer come the riders. ISo well do they sit in the sad-
dle, that the horse and the rider seem to be one creature.
They rush tipon the doomed l-'lk. Then, the trainod Buf-
falo-horse selects his victim .md gallops alongside. If a
cow, the frightened animal hastens its speed; if a bull, he
lowers his head between his fore feet, and charges his pur-
suer. Ills mad rush is, however, easily eluded by the
trained horse, who leai)s away, and in another second is
again at the side of the panting Elk. The Indian places
his gun at the Elk's brisket, and tires. If the victim does
not drop instantly, he fires again; and the noble brute falls,
dying, cm the grass.

ELK-IIUNTING IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

;ht, would
ts summit,
'ould tliey
1, sweeping
V'lien tliey
. rise, lilie
shes; then,
up the hiU
would now
side as fast
I the hill he
other Cover.
;, with their
e foot, the

other side
'ould wheel
am now clot

The leader
gallop; tlie
ch is faintly
a in.

hill from

Elk grows
[alls, pierced
■J confusion,

t in the sad-
iie cri^ature.
;rainod Buf-
;side. If a
If a bull, he
i his pur-
fded by the
'r second is
1(1 ian places
victim does
brute falls.

-•s

The horse continues his wild pursuit; the Indian, stand-
ing in his stirrups, drops a charge of jiowder, from a tiask
that hangs at his side, into each barrel.* Then, sinking
into his saddle again, he takes from his mouth two bullets
that lit loosely in the barrels. Now, raising the gun in his
left hand as high as possible, he strikes a heavy blow on
the stock with his right, in order to settle the bullets in
their places; then, cocking both barrels, he quickly places
a cap on each nipple, striking the gun another heavy
blow in order to jar the j^owder into the nipples, and he
is ready to slaughter another Elk, if all have not already
fallen before the murderous guns and arrows of the other
Indians.

This was the most exciting of all methods of hunting
the Elk, and many an old hunter, who reads this sketch,
will recall the wild scenes of the day whefi he rode on
such an Elk-hunt, in company wath the degraded, tilthy,
unprincipled Crees, wdiose only redeenung virtues were a
good seat in the saddle and a bright eye for game. May
this reminiscence also bring back the breezy freshness of
the boundless praiiit;, when the trembling hand that, per-
chance, is now weak and nerveless was strong and brawny;
when the step that now falters wiis bounding and elastic;
when the eye that is now fading w^as as i)iercing as that
of an eagle in its searching gaze.

Still-hunting is now the most sportsman-like method of
hunting the Elk. True, it lacks the wild delirium of excite-
UK^nt that is felt in nuidly galloping over a prairie with
such noble game in sight, vainly endeavoring to escape;
for this was a sight that must send the life-blood bounding
through every vein. Yet, the still-hunter, when he stands
over the fallen monarch whom he has followed stealthily
for many hours, when the match was cunning against cun-
ning, when it was reason against instinct, now has ample
Cuuse to be proud of his work.

* Tlio guns used l)^- the Creo Iiuliiins, in llic hunt tliat I liuve (lesrribed,
wore nuizzle-loiiding sliotguns, 10 bore, uiid had the barrels sawu off until
only lifteeu inches in lenijth.

W> ■!

' 1

' i!

ik-'r

'h I

HI(} (JAME OF NOKTII AMEHICA.

The Elk, tliougli not so wary as Vlie Black-tailed Deer, is
far more difficult to approach than the Virginia Deer. It
has sharp scent, and unusually good eyesight; and, in
stalking it, these facts should be remembered. If in level
v/oods, work against the wind; when you sloi^, scan every-
thing within the range of your vision. Then, if you fail to
see what you are in search of, look for a tree in line with
you that is easy of approach; make for it as swiftly and
noiselessly as possible. When you reach it, keep behind
it and take a view, first on one side, then on the other.
If you see nothing, select another tree in advance,
and keep on as before; avoid springing on or over liigh
logs. .

If yon see the slightest motion, stop instantly; the Elk
has a large, mule-like ear, that it is constantly moving
during insect-time. When you see what you think to be
the shadow of a passing bird or a leaping scpiirrel, stop.
If, after intently looking, you can not distinguish what it
is, try and get another tree in range, and approach nearer.
Look close to the ground; your Elk may be lying down.
Cautiously approach still nearer. When you reach the
spot, a covey of blue grouse rush into the air with a
startling whir. Fooled, weren't you? No, you were not
fooled; you did just as every experienced hunter would
have done. Again you i)roceed just as before, dodging
behind the trees, with the wind in your face. Soon you
reach a pebbly brook. You lay your gun down, stretch your-
self at full length, and imbibe; then you smack your lips.
Never was wine so sweet. When you raise your head,
an odor, subtle and sweet, greets your nostrils. It is the
breath of the balsams; yet no balm from Araby could be
more grateful. What is that sound that comes sighing
like the song of the sea? Nothing but the gentle breeze
among the cedar and fir branches overhead.

As you step across the brook, you see a track in the
sand. You start! Yes, he has been here. Again you look
intently. The firm imprint of the sand defines the track
as clearly as if it had been carved there by a sculptor.

■■%

KLK-IIUNTINO IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

1 Deer, is
Deer. It

and, in
f in level
an every-
■oii i'ail to
line with
aftly and
ip behind
the other.

advance,
over high

y; tlie Elk
ly moving
hink to be
irrel, stop.
Lsli what it
acli nearer,
ying down,
reach the
air with a
Avere not
ater would
e, dodging
Soon you
retch your-
your lips,
y^our head.
It is the
)y could be
les sighing
■ntle breeze

lack in the

1 jon look

the track

I sculptor.

A quiver of excitement thrills your frame, old hunter
though you are. Then you begin to advance quickly and
swiftly against the wind. Recollecting yoiu^ell", you stop,
look around, and then advance slowly, keei»ing concealed
a.s much as iiossible. The single track has multiplied into
many. See, the moss has l-een pawed olf that log, and
there a little branch has been torn from a bough of that
birch.

Yet you move slowly onward. ^ Half an hour has passed
since you saw the foot-print by the l)i'ook-side. In all that
time you have not come more than a hundred yards.
What if you haven't* you have done just right in moving
slowly. Presently you reach a little opening. You stand
behind a tree, and look on one side; then, turning, you look
around the other. What was that that caught your eyeJ
Was it the shadow of a birdi! No, it could not be, for it is
repeated again and again. Looking intently, you are able
to discern, through the tangled undergrowth, a small head
crowned with branching antlers. You m'>ve a step to the
right, and now it is clearly dehned against the green back-
ground of lir-bouglis; there is another, and still another.
Your heart gives a great bound, and then grows almost
still. The Elk are too far away for a sure shot, \'et they
are within one hundred yards of b^'ing in line with you.
Every moment you expect to hear the shrill whistle of
alarm, and to see your long-sought-for quarry vanish in
the greenery beyond.

Like a shadow you sink to the ground. Over the sward
yoii creep like a serpent. You grasp a stick that lays in
your wa\% but drop it like a flash. It is only a "devil's
war-club," old and dry, but it has left a hundred spines
bristling in your hand. If you are human, you will swear,
but softly, and with bated bieath. Onward you creep.
The stream is reached. You spring to your feet, and swiftly
move, at right angles, away from the point where you saw
the Elk. As you move, your angle grows less. Then you
stop, turn around, and again, like a shadow, flit from tree
to tree. You fear you may have failed to mark correctly.

iilii!

■''i;

BIG GAME OK NORTH AMERICA.

ill

■i !

lint no! See that towering dead cedar? Just to the right
of it is the spot where liis regal antlership stood. Tliat
tree is yet a hundred yards aAvay, and between it
and you the hranc^hes are low and interhieing. Your
steps grow painfully slow. You can heai' the beating
of your heart. Even silence makes a sound. Slowly you
advance. Again does that, deadly fear cause your heart
to beat slo 'dy, faintly. They have heard you, and have
lied!

Suddenly you stop, then start as though you had
received an electric shock. There, standing not twenty-live
yards away, is the monarch. Such a picture he is, too!
Standing sidewise, with his head turned and his nose
elevated so that his horns lie directly over his shoulder,
he snilt's the tainted air. He has not seen you, but he has
scented you. Ilis large ears flip forward and back. You
become aware that other forms are behind him; that other
eyes are looking for the danger the i)atriarch has signaled.
Quick! They will be away in a moment. Up with the rifle!
See his shoulder!! There is where his heart is— an inch or two
behind it. Hold but a fraction of a second. Think; some-
times he will run for two hundred yards if shot through
the heart. Bang! He won't go far. Click! click! bang!
A good shot. The sjiike-buck's neck is broken. A still
better shot, for he was stopped at full trot.

Click! click! See those funny white jpatches that are
vanishing, and then appearing over where the old
buck galloped; Don't stop to cut the bull's throat. Find
the old fellow. What great splotches of red on the ground!
The Express has done its work well. Run! you can't alarm
anything now. Swiftly you dart away. Ha! what's this;
Struggling iu death lies the fallen monarch. Over him,
looking intently at him, is a large cow. Beyond are several
pairs of horns and ears. Eyes are peering at you from the
underbrush. The cow sees you, and, with a squeal of alarm,
starts off on her long, swinging trot. You see the least
glimpse of light on the ivory bead, and press the trigger.
You held just half an inch in front of her fore leg. She

ELK-IIUNTINO IX THK OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

sinks down in lier tracks before you liear the report, shot
through the heart and lier shoulder shattered.

Now out with your knife; seize her by the ear and sLasli
her aci'oss the tliroat. Pick up your gun. Now do the
same for tlie okl l)ull. Not much bh)od in lunu eh J Well,
he pumped lots of it out in making those few jumps. Pick
up your gun. Now for the spike-bull. Hark! A crashing
in the bushes, and a bull as large as the monarch comes
striding along, with his nose pointing straight out and his
horns Hat along his sides. BangI bang! lie stops, wavers,
reels, then falls, shuddering, to the ground. Confess the
truth. You were startled. You are not sorry you brought
your gun with you, instead of leaving it where you cut the
cow's throat, are you? Fill up your magazine, and then
cut the throats of these two. AVhen you reach tlie last
1)ull, Avhat do you see* Blood gushing out of four wounds,
and all of them fatal. Now cut the throat of that spike-
bull, and sit down on him.

What is that crashing you hear among the bushes in
various directions? Only Elk hunting for their leader. You
rise and seize? your gun. Sit down. You, are a gentleman;
not a prowling market-hunter; nor yet a filthy reprol)ate
of a skin-hunter. Haven" t you heads and antlers to adorn
your home richly, and beef enough to last two families a
whole yearf Sit down. What more do you want? H' you
are a cuss as writes, you will send a description of this
scene to some s].)ortsman's jiaper. You will tell how guilty
you felt, how you blushed, when those bright, appealing
eyes were turned on you, Avhen their owner felt the cruel
knife. (They were all dead Avhen you reached them.) Then
you will wander off, and gush about rose-tinted forests, and
the winds sighing requiems through the pines. All these
brilliant and intricate lies you will tell, Just because it is the
custom to tell tlieni. Try and be manly about it. You did
kill those beautiful creatures. You are glad you did so.
It was a difficult thing to do. It was intellect against
instinct. It was reason against cunning. You have won
your laurels; and as the eyes of the monarch gaze down

1 '

¥ >

! 1'"

i '

WW.

i I

llKi (iAMK OF .vomit AMFltK A.

niton you I'loni the walls, yon proudly tell your boys the
story. As u skillful woodsnum, an expert hunter, they will
always have cause to revere you.

If you are hiiutiuiu; in company with others, and are not
too far J'roui cauip, go to where the cow lies. Cut around
her hock, split the skin up to the center of the body, above
and then below. Don't be afraid of spoiling the skin, for,
exce})! as a memento, the skin of the Elk is worthless. Then,
from the round, cut a plentiful supply of rich, juicy meat
for all hands at camp. Then start olf on your homeward
way.

But stop. Consider a moment. Hadn't the intestines
better be removed? Yes; a good idea. If you are a practi-
cal hunter, this won't take you long; but if you are a novi(!e,
it will bother you considerably. When done, no matter
how roughly, you will feel better satisfied. Now, can any-
thing else be done< Yes; set the big cedar on tire, if the
woods are damp, so that there is no danger of the tire spread-
ing. It will serve as a beacon to guide you back to your
game, and wall also serve to frighten jjrowling AVolves and
Panthers away. To think is to act. The great c(\lar is
hollow. A few dry branches piled in the cavity, the flash of
a nuitch, a cloud of smoke curls up, and the tire roars like a
furnace. Now you may start for camp.

Arriving there, you approach with all the dignity that
becomes a victorious warrior. When your companions see
your load, they will cluster around you. and beg of you the
tale to unfold. But this is no time for unfolding; so you
calndy state that you are ahungered. and likely to die of
starvation, and that a thrilling tale will be lost to the world
if you are not soon fed. Then your comitanions will bring
forth the standard food and the thickest drink that the
camp aflfords, and you Avill dine like a i>rince.

After dinner, you will take a seat near the fire, on some-
thing soft, with your head pillowed on a convenient tree.
Then willing hands will fill your pipe, light it. bring it to you,
and vou find that you, who were this morninir abused and
chafed as a tenderfoot and a sorrv hunter, are the honored

ELK-IirXTIXG IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

l)oys the
;liey will

are nut
t aioiind
y, above
ikin, i'ov,
s. Then,
cy meat
jniewaid

utestines
a i)rat'ti-
a novi(!e,
) matter
can any-
te, if tlie
e spread-
to your
)lve!s and
cedar is
i tlasli of
rs like a

ity that
liions see
you tlie
; so you
die of
lie world
[11 bring
Ihat the

in some-
[nt tree,
to you,
sed ;ind
honored

one of the whole outfit. Then, as the smoke of your pipe
curls slowly upwanl. you will relate, in measured cadences,
the story of the Wapiti that fell victims to your skill
in the odorous foivst jn-een: and, as you close, you point to
the lialo of light that rnldt-ns in the t'vening sky from the
great cedar, and sjjv: "Now to rest, for to-morrow at day-
break we must go forth and bring in the meal'^aud heads."
Your friends do not n^tire. however, till near morning; and,
as they tarry by the camp-tire, oft and again is h<'ard the siz-
zling of steaks over th*' coals. Long will the flavor of those
juicy steaks be rememliered, for there is no animal that
iiins on legs whose tl^'^h is so d:iinty, so tender, and so
nutritious as that of the Wapiti.

Mr. L. L. Bales, an old-time hunting companion, sends
me the following description of an Klk-hiint in Sultan
Basin, Washington:

'• It was on the lii"sr day of June, 1887, that my compan-
ion and self arrived at the Horseshoe Bend mining-camp.
We were surprise<] to find a good log house, well sui>plied
with 'grub," and all the mining-tools necessary to run a
hydraulic mine, where we expected to iind nothing but
a 'lean-to.' We were on a cruising expedition for the
purpose of locating hunting and trapping grounds for
the ensuing season. After a short consultation, we con-
cluded to send our pack-animals back to the Skikomish
River, and make the camj> oiu' headquarters for the next
month.

•* We were puzzled over the appearance of everything in
and about the camp. It looked as though the occupants
had left but yesterday: but from knowledge we had gained
in the settlements, and fr«j»m a few lines written on a piece
of iiaper and tackt-d on the door, we learned that the last
occupant had left just six months before; also that we were
welcome to the use of the house, Init were cautioned to be
careful of fire. With this understanding, we pulled the
latch-sti'ing and walked in. when a wild-looking house-cat
rushed out.

' 1 ■ ■' i

! ii

h''

' I

■ I

01 HKJ (iAMK (IF N'OKTH AMi;i{I(\\.

"In a Hlun't time we liad cooked and eaten .supper, and
be^^in to i»lim our luoveuicnis for tlie morrow. My com-
l)anion concliidt'd to cruijse near (liiiuj), while 1 was to
tul<e a light pack and start for Sultan Hasin, the head of
Sultan lliver, twenty-.wo miles distant, through a rough
coiinti y. The undei-lirush was of a dense, lank growth,
and there was no sign ')f a trail. Daylight the next morn-
ing found uie ready f<.r my trij). Somehow (»■ other, I
found my partner's hand in mine ns I said: 'If I am not
back here at five o'clock in tue afternoon, ten days hence,
you c!in go back to the settlements, as something will have
hapjiened to me, and in these tnu'kless, evergreen forests it
would be useless to N(^arch for me.' I felt the honest grip
of his hand as he said:

'"If you are not back here in eleven days, I will start on
the twelfth to hunt you up. So long! '

"With these parting words, I turned my face to the north
and started on my long and lonely tramp. At ten o'clock
on the morning of the fourth day I found myself on a high,
wooded mountain, just below timber-line. Away to the
west (jf me I could hear the roaring of some stream, while
north of where I stood a giant snow-peak reared its mighty
head. While I listened, [ could distinguish the distant
roaring of tiiree dilferent rivers. What is that stream to
the northwests That is the Sauk, a tributary to the Skagit.
And that on the westi! That is the Stillaguamish. And
that on the southwest^ It is the Pillchuck, or Red Water.
And this great valley lying at my feeti This is the Sultan
Basin, a valley six nules long, two wide, hemmed in by
great high mountains — a great big hole in the ground, just
twenty-two miles from nowhere.

"Flanking a huge washout on my right, I began tlie
descent into the basin. By dint of rolling, tumbling, and
sliding a distance of over a mile, I reached level ground
on the banks of what was left of Sultan River. It was
quiet enough here in comparison to a few miles below,
where to look down on the river, between the narrow
walls of the canon, would make you dizzy, while the river

KLK-IIUNTIX(» IX TI!K (»LYM1'I(; MOUNTAINS.

t"J

iper, and
yiy com-

was to

liead of
a roii^h

ffrowth,
xt iiiorn-

otlier, I
I am not
^•s luMice,
will have
forests it
)nest grip

[1 start on

the nortli
n o'clock
ni a high,
ay to the
im, while
ts mighty
e distant
stream to
e Skagit,
sh. And
(I Water.
le Sultan
t'd in by
and, just

legan the
J)ling, and
|l ground
It was
i below,
narrf)w
the river

appeared like a white ribl)()n below. I soon niiide my camp,
caught a few line trout, had supi)er, jiud turned in for the
night.

"The next morning T started early to explore the basin,
look for game and fur signs, calculating to use my first
cami)as a home-camp while stopping in the basin. The river
was low, as the dune freshets had not yet come down, and
in every bend of the river, either on one side or the
other, were great gravel-bars, sometimes one hutuUvd and
tiftv vai'ds wide and one-foui1h of a mile long. I soon
struck one of these bars. Elk-signs were jjlenty; also the
natural enemies of the Elk, the Cougar and Timber Wolf,
had been there.

"There were some Cinnamon and Bald-faced Bears, and
very few Beaver signs. As 1 calculated to stay in the basin
a few days, I wanted some Elk-meat. I kept a shai'i) look-
out for that kind of game. I would take a few steps, and
look carefully at everything within my range of vision,
occasionally looking over that portion I had just passed
that was still in range.

"Thump! thumi)! thump! Listen! Isn't that a Deer
jumping^ (Jh, no. my boy! that is your heart beating.
And, reader, if thei'e is a heart in you, and you had been
with me, your heart would have beaten too; for what had
looked like a mass of dead tree-limbs, I just then discov-
ered was the velvet-covered horns of six bull Elk.

"And now to stalk them. I felt satisfied that I was, as
yet, unobserved. They were fully three hundred yards
away, in plain view, lying down with their heads toward
me. They were on the opposite side of the river, near the
water. You will recollect this was about ten o'clock in the
day, and how I had come into full view of those Elk with-
out their seeing me, when there was not so much as a twig
between us, is something I never could answer satisfac-
torily; but T did take ten minutes to get from a standing to
a lying position, and twenty more nunutes to roll off of tliat
gravel-bar to the friendly cover of an alder-thicket near by.
The rest was easy. In another lialf-hour I was within forty

1 'i]

nfn

LIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

yards of the Elk, with nothing but the river and a salnion-
l)erry biisli between us.

"And now for a hall'-liou)' of cdose obsei v'ation tliat
money can not Imy. There they were, six noble fellows,
tli(^ smallest being a spike-hi'.'' and the largest a six-
])()iiiter. Do Elk. chew the ciid^ Yes; just the same as
th)inesti(' cattln. I now perceived why tiie Elk were lying
neai- tlie wate»' There seemed to be a cold strata of air,
kept in motion by the water, that drove the mosquitoes
fi'om the open bar bi'.ck into the brush.

"The Elk were all lying with their heads down-stream.
How grand they looked in rep(»;-oi How 1 did long for a
canieral There vera sets of antlers there (in the ^•elvet)
that would have weighed seventy live pounds. How leis-
urely the old chaps clunved their cuds! How unconscious
of danger tlun* seemed! 1 leveled niv nlie at the h.uid of a
thre*' point bull (being tlie smallest I could get a shot at),
and pressed the trigger.

"The othei's never ceased chewing iheir cud. They
seemed to think the sound luul been caii-^ed by the break-
ing and falling of some dry lindt of a tree. A defect-
ive cartridge^ Nc, I guess the ^•ights of my ritie must
have got moved some way. No, they are all right. May
be the gun is excited^ No, it .seemed to be as cool as
j)()ssil)le under the cii'Mimstances. I then began to exan;
ine myself. I thougut I was all right, too; .so I tried
again.

"Now all was confusion. Yes, I hit the Elk, l)ut too
low down on the In^ad, breaking the lower jaw. The Elk
were turning in all directions, yet I kept my eye on m}'
Avounded bull, and iired again, breaking a fove leg. A nothei
shot broke a hind leg. This kft him tlourdering in the
wate.". I hurried across, and as I approached him, he
turned his hair forward and nuide a lunge at nu'. As his
lower jaw was l)roken. his mouth lookeil as large as an alii
gatoi's. I finally succeeded in killing him. I skinned him.
and took about forty pounds of meat; and that, with th-'
hide, was all I could carry.

salmon-

tion tlitit
; fellows,
it a six-
: same as
^•ere lying
Ta of air, .
losquitoes

'u-stream.
long t'oi' a
he velvet)
How leis-
iiconscious
! h.^ad of a
a shot at),

■ud. They
tl>e break-
A defect -
litle must
ght. May
as cool a>
to exam
so I tried

[k, but too
The Elk
^xe on my
.\nother
ling in tln'
Id him, h''
le. As his
las an alii
inned him.
with thf

KLKIIUNTIXG IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

"By this time thi^ sun was nearly down, and I started
for camp. I had just crossed back to the other side of the
river again, and had sat down to rest near an Elk-trail, in
an alder-thicket, when I thought I heard a light foot- fn 11.
I could see about twenty feet back on the trail, and there
sat a liungry-looking Timber Wolf. lie had struck my
trail, smelt tbe fresh meat, and follow<.-d me. I quietly
unslung my pack, leveled my rifle, and shot liim in the
neck. As I took his scalp I gave a good old Comanche
yell; for if there is anything I like to scaliD, it is a Timber
Wolf and a Cougar.
The next day I killed
six Timber Wolves
around the remains
of that Elk. I have
often killed two or
three Ell<. in one dav,
and could have killed
more, yet I never
was on an Elk-hunt
thill I enjoyed as I
die. diat one.

" At four o'clock
in the afternoon of
the tenth day, 1 was
back to the mining-
canip, and found that
my partner had killed two Bears and caught ten Beavers
while I was gone.''

And now to relate another piece of my own experience
in W^apiti-hunting. In the fall of 1887 1 went, with a party
of friends, on a hunting expedition to a large lake that
nestles among the pine-clad foot-hills beneath the shadows
of snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains, Washing-
ton. The Makah Indians, whose village, Osette, stands at
the mouth of the niuon up which the only trail to the lake
leads, guard this beautiful sheet of water with supersti-

Elk Calf.

i.t' 1

It. •

yfl

ii»l

BItt GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

tious veneration. No white man had ever before been per-
mitted to visit it, and it was only bj^ the exercise of a great
deal of diplomacy that we were able to overcome the objec-
tions of the chief and gain his consent to hunt on the shores
of tlie lake. He finally consented, however, and sent tliree
of his young men to guide us in and carry our camp
equipage.

On arriving at the lake we separated, two of our party
going on one side, and 1 on the other.

I soon came to an arm of the lake that extended at least
two miles into the woods, and that was a quarter of a mile
wide. While looking toward the opposite sh ore, I saw water
splashed high in the air, and began to wonder if whales
inhabited the mystic lake. Keeping in the cover of tlie
woods until I reached the bank opposite where the disturl)-
ance was, I saw a band of eighteen Elk, sixteen of them
standing in a body, watching a territic battle between two
large bulls. Although the lake was at least a quarter of a
mile wide, I could hear the clash of their horns when they
rushed on each other. A grander sight than these two
majestic forest monarchs i^resented could not be imagined.
Whirling round and round went the two gladiators, each
endeavoring to find an unguarded point on his adversary's
side. When one was off his guard, the other would rush at
him, and the report would come plainly to my ears. I
grew excited, and determined to have a hand in the fray.
The only way in which I could reach them was to circum-
vent the lake; so I started on a run round the head of it.

The beach afforded a splendid running-ground, and 1
lost no time until I reached a i)oint within half a n:ile of
the place where I knew the Elk to be. Stopping a moment
to catch my wind, I could not resist the temptation to look
and see if the Elk were still lighting; but the battle was
over, and the defeated Elk was walking ui) the beach toward
me, roaring and bellowing as he came, while the victor had
rejoined his liareni.

The conquered Elk then turned off tlie beach into the
marsh. As a xjath led from the beach to the marrh, from

een per-
i a great
le objec-
le shores
Jilt three
ar camp

)ur party

i at least
3f a mile
saw water
Lf whales
er of the
e disturb-
i of them
tween two
arter of a
v'hen they
these two
imagined,
tors, each
.versary's
kl rush at
ears. I
the fray,
o circum-
lead of it.
id, and 1
'. a n:ile ol"
a moment
on to look
l)attle was
•h toward
,ictor had

li into th«'
\w\u from

m
O

1 1 I

KLK-IIUNTINO IX THE OLYMl'IC MOUNTAINS.

where I stood, I started on a run to head him off. I
reached the center of the marsh just as he emerged from
the woods, not more than one hundred yards distant. He
stopped, and began to bellow and jxiw up the ground; then
turned and looked in the direction of the herd he was ban-
ished from by liis younger, stronger, and more active rival.
At last he turned and came slowly up to within thirty
yards of me. I tired five shots, each of which took effect
beliind his shoulder; but the little 44 Winchester, with
which I was then firmed, was too light a weapon for such
heavy game, and not until I ran up and planted the sixth
ball at the butt of his ear, did he stop. Then he reared on
his hind legs, his horns looming up like a small tree-top,
ami fell backward, driving them deeply into the soft ground.
My dog now inished forward and grasped him by the ear.
The bull tried to struggle to his feet, but his imbedded horns
held him fast, with a twisted neck. I ran up to him, cut his
throat, and secured one of the finest pairs of antlers I have
ever seen. This was a large animal, and would have weighed
at least eight hundred pounds.

Leaving the Elk, I went cautiously np the trail, and
found that the others were not alarmed by my tiring, but
were standing in a group near the place where I first saw
them. Creeping up with noiseless step, and keeping behind
a large fir, I drew within one hundred yards of them, and,
selecting a fat cow, tired, and broke her back. At the
report of the rilie the herd started up the beach, with their
long, swinging trot, the cavalcade headed by the victor in
the late unpleasantness. I lired several shots at the leader
of the band. He fell behind the herd, broke into a clumsy
gallop, and went crashing off into a thicket. That was the
last T saw of him, for the underbrush was so dense that it
was ini[)ossible to follow him after he left the beach. My
•log by this time had the herd at l)a.y, on a point about two
hundretl yards below. Reloading my magazine as I ran,
when I came within one hundred yards of the confused
mass of Elk T fired a shot at them; a yearling buck left the
group, rushed into the water, and fell dead. The band

i; : II

4 -^

-.:'>

BIG (;ame of NOKTii amp:kica.

ran around the bend, closely pursued by the dog, and in a
short time I knew by his barking that he had them at bay
again.

Running in the direction of where the dog was barking,
as soon as 1 rounded the bend I saw a beautiful sight.
About one hundred and lifty yards distant, three Elk were
in ihe water up to their knees. They were standing in the
form of a triangle, with their heads outward, and the dog-
was circling around them. Their method of protection was
complete; it was death to the hound had he dared to
venture within reach of those horns or hoofs. Raising the
sights of my ritle, I fired three shots, each of which fortu-
nately found vital spots, and the three Elk soon lay dead
in the water.

As the majority of the herd had run up the Elk-trail
which wound, broad and well defined, up the banks of a
creek that emi)tied into the lake at this point, I started in
pursuit. I had not gone far when I heard the dog barking,
and a few moments later an Elk came rushing down the
trail, with the dog howling at his heels. I sprang into the
bushes, and holding my rifle at my hip, fired, striking him
in the heart. He was so near me that the burning i)owder
singed the hair on his side. After I cut his throat, the dog
lapped the blood, and then started off into the bushes.

As it was near sunset, I concluded not to venture farther
in the woods, but to sit down on a log and rest. In a short
time I imagined I could hear the dog baying faintly. Tlip
sound gradually drew nearer, and at last I could hear ;i
great crashing in the bushes. This finally ceased, and all
was still save the distant baying of tlie dog. AVhile watch-
ing the trail intently, I saw a large object come swimming
down the creek. I stepped toward it, when it saw mr.
turned, swam to the other side, and began to ascend the
bank. This proved to be another Elk, and with three tell-
ing shots I brought it down.

I now walked down the lake, and on rounding a bend in
the shore saw a camp-fire blazing, half a mile below. I went
to it. and found mv friends bivouacked for the night. Thev

-m

JCLK-IHXTINO IX TlIK OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

(i9

had also been fortunate enough to kill three Elk. We liacl
no desire to kill more, and early the next morning dis-
patched a runner to the Indian village for men to come and
cai ly in the meat.

^Vllile \ve were engaged in skinning and quartering the
game, toward noon a shout heralded the approaoli of a
l)hito()n of dusky packers, and before sundown we were at
the village with all onr trophies. We gave the natives
nnarly all the meat, we reserving but a small quantity of
that, together with the heads and skins.

I !

i i'

THE WAPITI {Cei-ms Canadensis).

By WAnnAii-Mi-.Mi.

ROWNED king of hill and woodland green !

With lionis branching wide,
In majesty he bounds along,

Peerless in antler'd pride !
lie stands in beauty all alone,

" The monarch of tlie glen " —
A giant, dwarting into naught

The lordliest stag of ten.

The Elk of Scandinavia's hills.

His congener, the !Moose,
Tl>e graceful red Virginia Deer,

The &nnl)uv and the Rune,
The gentle, smooth-horned Caribou,

The Reindeer, tame or free,
The Fallow, nor the Axis-buck,

Can match the Wapiti!

i !

The springing Black-tail of the wood,

The White:tail of the plain.
The Mule-Deer and tall forest stag.

May flaunt their forms in vain —
Hum, Tarandus, liusina.

Aires and Ringifer,
Sink into insignificance

Before this conqueror.

On Ottawa's shores he roamed of old.

Before the white man came.
To cut the shadowy forests down,

And frighten back the game.
He's going, like the Indian race,

Toward the setting sun.
And yet he finds no resting-place

From the hunter's deadly gun.
(71 J

m^f

::fti

IJKl (JAMK (»K NOKTII AMKHICA.

The pldwsliiiri' turns iij) liis iKiriis —

Gniud icllcMof the piisll—
Coeval with the iniglity tree*

Which heiit l)eiiLiith the liliwt; »
C'Deval with the stately trihes

Which trod the Ottawu's shore,
Who, with our fadiug forestn,

Shall soon be seen no more.

THE rARIBOU.

T3y William Pittmax Lett ( " Aloonqiin " ).

fllE Woodland VarWitnii Jtnni/ifi r y'/rr/z^r///*?) is simi-
lar, in t'eneric character and Tonn, to the Barren-
ground Carilxm, but averages nearly twice as hiige,
«r(^» and lias shorter and stouter horns in prt)poi'tlon to
its size. It inhaliits Ltfihnidor and Northern Canada, and
thence may be found south to Xova Scotia, New Bruns-
Avick, and Newfoundland, the northern part of the State of
Elaine, and Lower Canada on lK>th sides of the St. Law-
leiice; thence westerh'. in the country north of Quebec, to
the vicinity of Liike Sujierior. It never migrates toward
the north in sunnner, as is the habit of the T((raii(Ji(S
Arcficus, but makes its miirration in a southei'ly direc-
tion. In this jtarticularit acts in a manner directly oppo-
site to the course pursue^l V)y the smaller s])e('ies.

Following is the description given of this Beer by Audu-
l)on:

Larger and less gruceful than ihe ciimmon American Deer. Body short
and heavy; neek stout; hoofs thin aotl tiattened, broad and spreading, exca-
vated or concave beneath; acooxuy lMx>rs large and tldn; legs short ; no gland-
ular oi)ening, and scarcely a perx^piible iniifT tuft on tJie hind leg-*; nose
smiifwliat like tiiat of a cow, but fully covered with soft hairs nf a somewhat
moderate length; no beard, but on !Le under side of the neck a line of hairs,
aliout four inches in length, hanging down in a longitudinal direction; ears
small, blunt, and oval, thickly c-'iverwl with hair on both surfaces.

Horns one foot three and a half inches in height, slender, one with two and
the otlier with one prong; prongs about five inches long; hair soft and woolly
underneath, the longer hairs, like \b'r* of the Antelope, crimped or waved, and
about one to one and a lialf inches long.

At the roots the hairs are whiiirh. bt*oming brownish -gray, and at the tops
light dun-gray, whiter on the neck than elsewhere; nose, ears, and outer sur-
f;ue of legs brownish; a sliglit shade of the Sijme tinge behind the forelegs.
Hoofs black, and throat dullwhii*; a faint whitisli patch on the side of the
shoulders; forehead brownisL-white: tail white, with a shade of brown at the root

C:3>

■■ :

,1 :,

"" ill

lira (lAMK OK NctKIII AMKItlt'A.

uiiil oil tli(' wliiilcuppur siirfiici;; oiilNidc of lev's liniwii; a liiiml of wliilc iiroiind
all the IcfTs iirljoinliii.' the lionfs, mill cxlcndiiig to the siiiiill siiondary lioofst;
horns jillowMilniiwii, worn white in jiliites.

Tliis (Icscriiition is, in tlif- in;iin, ronwt, Tlif latlipr
arbitniiy (liint'iision.s ^ivcn of the lioni.s is scai-ct'ly l»orne
out or corrobomlecl by tlie practical iiatui'alist liiiowii as

Woodland Caribou.

tlift liunter. Tlie horns measured by Audubon for this
description were probably those of a female, which are
much smaller than the antlers of the male. I have two sets
of horns of the Woodland Caribou, l)otli of which came
from the vicinity of the Kakabonga Lake, above the Desert,
on the (ratineau River. They are singularly dissimilar in
ajjpearance, and, from the size, I judge that both belong to
male heads.

•5

THE CAUTBof,

I s!i\v a pair ol" (Jarilxjii-horns some years ngo wltich
weie iiiuch luiger, more massive and wide-spreading, and
liad many more and longer prongs, tiian eirlier of these,
liil^f cvciy other variety ol" the genus rVyvvVA/, tlie horns
of the (Jariboii are ih'cidnoiis. (^aribon drop tlicii" iioins
between tlie first of Jannaiy and tlie end of iA'l)ruary.
The new liorn.s then commence growing sh)wly until
tin* advent of wai'in spring weatlirr, when they slioot up
witli amazing rapidity, and reach their full si/e by the
first of September. They are then covered with velvet,
which the aninuil gets rid of by rubbing them against
small trees. Both male and female of this species have
horns. Those of the J'emale are much iiuer and lighter
than the horns of the male. I saw, recently, a beauti-
ful I'enmle Cavibou-head, which was killed in .Fanuary,
and I have, also, the head of a tine doe, killed within
the month of .Tanuaiy, ISi»(», from which the horns had
disappeared, leaving the usual indications in the skull that
the antlers had dropped naturally. I shall refei-, further
on, to the largest Woodland Caribou ever killed in this
countiy, whicli carried the grandest set of antlers I have
ever seen.

The height of a full-grown Woodland Caribou is about
four and a half feet, and the weight of its carcass about
three hundred and iil'ty pounds. Large l)ucks ire occasion-
ally met with that weigh nearly four hundred iwuuds. The
food of the Caribou consists of mosses, lichens, and creej)-
ing i)lants found in the swamps in summer, and in seardi
of which, and certain grasses, it ])aws up the snow with its
broad hoofs in winter. The tlesh when fat is most deli-
cious venison; wIumi lean, it is dry and insipid. The Cari-
bou is the fleetest of American Deer. In galloping it makes
most extraordinary bounds. As a trotteA the slow-uoing
two-tifteen horse that might attempt to compete with him
would be simply nowhere.

Like his useful congener — some authorities believe them
to be of the same species — the Reindeer of Northern
Europe, the Caribou is possessed of great powers of endur-

i!l. -i;: ,!

liKi (i.VMK Hi' NdlMlI AMEUU'A.

!i:

Mt:

nurt'. iiiaiiy tiiut's f'sciipin^j;' I'ioim iln' Iiidiitii IjuiitiTs nfter
tlu- Hifi^niH ami stai'vnfion inseiiantV)]^ from four or tiv«
(lays (if a re iitimicil followin.ir-up hunt. Wlien the liuntf^d
iiniiiial ^'Hts iipoii uiaiv-icc. ovt'i wliich li<- can trot at a rate
tliat -.v(»iil(l iloiihlt' tii)oii tli<' tlt'etest skater, tin- luintt'r is
oliliLrt'fl to ahainloM tlu' ciiase.

Tlif t'ariboii is ;i ,shy and exceedingly wary animal, and
is most difliciilt to still-iiun!; neitliei' can he be successfully
liunted in deei) snow, he being enabled to go ovei- its sur-
face, ui)on his broad, tlat hoofs, like a hare. So far as I
have been able to learii, it is oidy time lost .o attemjit to
hunt the (jariboii with dogs. The hounds might follow the
scent, but they would scarcely ever be in at ;h ^ death, as it
!:. a wt'll-known fa-t that dogs can not drive them to
Avater. They ar*-, however, successfully still-hunted by
Indians, and also by white humers skilled in the craft.
Large numlx'i's of them are sometimes slaughvered. when
discovered swinnnl'ig across a. lake or river, m ilieir migra-
tions. I have heard of fourteen having been killed l)y a
citinp of Indians, as they were crossing the River du
Lievers. in a few minutes.

The Caribou i^ still to be found in considerable numbers
nn the last-nan-ed river as close as sixty or seventy miles
from its confluence with the Ottawa; also on the Gatineau
Rixrr I'bove the Desert, and in more limited numbers above
Pembroke, in the neighborhood of lihick River, and on the
shores of Lake Jsipissing. They are also plentilul on both
sides of the St. Lawrence, beyond Riviere du Loup, below
Quebec, and are abundant on the northern shores of Lake
Supierioi'. 1 have no recollection of Ca)ibou having been
niet with in any numbers on the south shores of the Ottawa
River. Odd ones have been occasionally .seen many years
ago. In each of such cases the aninuils had evidently
strayed from the north side, which has always been their
true and natui'al habitat.

'''he skin of the Caribou, wnen tanned, is made into moc-
casins, and in the ra-w state is used in the manufacture of
snow-shoes. Ic is line, thin, tough, and dr-able. Frank

! /«

TIIF. ( AKIIiiir

I'lUTosttM' has (If'S(M'il)tMl huiiiiim- tai- Woodland Caiilxtii in
tilt; following ti-rnis:

As to its liuliits, wliilc lln' Laiiland 111' Sihormii Rciixlcci- i^ llir liiini'-ii ;iiul
must (Idiilo of its L'ciius, tlic Aiut'iii mm ( Miiboii i- llic Hen i-^l, llci'icst, wilor^l,
.slivist, aiul niosl uiit:iniiilili'; ^^o imiu li >o tliiit lluy iili- t:iiily piirsiuil liy wliili>
liiiiitt i>, or shot liy thciii, I'Xcipl !!ii"n.;li cmsumI good foriiiiif, IiuUmiis nUine
liMving the iKitiuiiic iuul iiisliiutivi' ('.mH which ciialili >> tlirm Io iiawl uhsicmi,
iiii-MKlt— for till' liosi.' of llif ( 'iiiitioii cMii (hti( I liu' siii:illisi laiiit iiiioii llii' nil',
of iiiiyiiiiiii; Iminaii, at least two mik's up wiml of him— ami uiisiisiu'cti cl. If
111- takes alarm, and starts on the run, no one driams of pursuing. As well
put sue till' wind, of wliich no man kiioweth whence it cometh or whitlierit
goetli, Siiow-slioes against iiiin. alone, avail little; for, proppid up on the
hroad, natural snow-sliois of his lung, elastic |)a>leriis and widcclifl, clacking
hoofs, he shoots over the crust of the dci'iiist drifts uiihrokeii, in wiiicli the
lordly Moose would soon lioundcr, siHUildcrdeep, if hard press<'d, and tiie
gracefid Deer would fall despairii.'/, and Ideal in vain for mercy, Jjut he. the
ship of the winter wilderness, cutstrips tin wind among his native pines aiui
taiiiaraeks — even us the desert ship, the Dromedary, miitrots the red simoom
oil the terrible Sahara; and when ouce started, ma;- he seen no more hy human
ej'es, nor run down hy the llectest feet of men— not if tin y pursue him from
their nightly easual camps unwearied, following liis trail liy the day, liy the
week, by the montli, till a fresh snow effaces his tracks and leaves the luuiler
at la^t as he was at the first of the chase, loss only the fatigue, the disapi)oint-
ineiit, and the folly.

While \ve luivt? no liistorical record of the Woodland
Cai'iltou ever having- been fonnd in any t'onsitlt'ral)le nnm-
bers on the wouth .shore of the Ottawa, I thiuk thert* <';in be
little donbt of its having benn qnite plentiful on the north
.side of the stream, within ;i few miles of its ))anks, in the
l)ast. As mentioned before, stray members of the family
have been, to my own knowledge, seen on the ,sonth side of
the Ottawa, one ha\ing been killed at L'Origintil about
twenty-five years ago.

The Caribou migrate.s in herds of from ten. to one. two.
ev^n five hundred: and it is ji notable i'tict that a concealed
hunter, with the wind in his favor, if he doe.s not show
himself, has ammunition enough, a good rifie, tind the m:in
beh'nd it is llu^ riglit m:in in the right placi'. can slaughter
;r wiiole herd. Under ordinary conditions, the Woodland
Caribon is the most di.thciilt to approach of all the Deer
g(?nus; but wdien accidenttilly encountered, under circum-
stances such as I htive mentioned, the tmimals seem to be

4{.

Wir OAMK <>!" Ni.lfTir AMERICA.

(■i>iiii»lHtely panic-fstrickHii mikI unul)lf' to make any attempt
t<» t'scaiH'.

I^'^l)|•(■tin^• iutt only tlif ililftM'emv in size between the
Aiftic ;iii<l tilt- \V(»(kII;iii<1 Caiiliuii, but also the ^n-at dif-
feieiicf ill tlif shape and weight of the antlers of tlifiwo
species, tlii'if is iiiucli to hi- >;ni\. The BaiTen-groiind
Caribou Ims liorus sut-cpiim liarkwnid with a long, grace-
ful curvf. usually with few points twcept near the suniniit
or crown, which bends forward. The antlers of this species
arc small in diameter, almost round, and uniform in thick-
ness up lo t lie palmatiou at 1 lie crown; and, u. it withstanding
their great length and general extent, ai'e not mucii more
than one half the weight, of those of the Woodland Caribou,
The horns of the Woodland Caribou are shorter in the
beam, flatter, more mass'.ie in build, more vertical and
erect in jiositiou, and very Jiiuch heavier and thicker than
are those of his les.ser congener. Jiesides, they biancli otF
on both sides, a short distance fi'om the .skull, or .somewhat
faintly defined burr, into extensive iialmations, with many
jioiuts around the npiier and outer edges.

In both s[)ecie.s the horns are smooth and of a yellowish-
brown color. In the strange and almo.st grotesqne tortuosi-
tie.s of the brow antler.s, they are singnlarly beantiful and
interesting. In rouchiiui' u[)on the ])oints of difference
between the Arctic and Woodland species, 1 shall have
occasion, in a snb.secpient stage of my subject, to refer to
the positive difference in the antlers, as being, in my
()l>inion. sufficiently well defined to indicatt^ a distinctness
of species.

While on this subject, or rather on that of horns, I may
mention an incident related by an old to//ar/ei/r of the times
of Doctor Kane, Captain Biick, and Sir John Franklin.
While traveling in the habitat of the Barren-ground Caribon,
he relates that he found the carcasses of two large bucks with
horns interlocked, having become so while fighting. The
skeletons only were to be seen, the Wolves and Foxes having
eaten all the flesh. This, as the reader is aware, is a com-
mon occurrence amongst every species of the genus Ctnu'die.

!? !1

TIIK CAlMIior.

EvHii tilt' males oi tlu' giaui Mouse have frequent and
deadly combats.

It may not be out of jilace to state lit>re that the 'Moose
has fre(itiently lu-en vanquished liy tlie buck of the \'iii:ini;i
sjiecies. The cuntlk't soon ends when the red l)nclv is a
s]iike-h(nn.

The Woodland Caribou, altliorifjh somewhat more shy
and wary than its sinallrr congener of the Arctic^ wastes,
is, nevertheless, uiuler certain conditions, a very stupid
animal. J)nring the periodical migiations of a herd, they
are easily killed iu vast nund)ers l-y taking advantage of
the wind, and shooting them as they pass ahmg. They are,
also, frequently surprised crossing- rivers or lakes that
intersect their line of nuirch, when they become an easy
])rey to hunters in canoes.

in winter tiiey are often seen upon the ice (m iidand
lakes. On such i»ccasions they can be easily .>hol, as referred
to elsewhere in this pajter, providing they neither see nor
siriell the hunter. The instant, however, they catch the
scent of their hidden foe, they vaiush like a, streak of light.
I have lieard it said by those who have seen them scudding
ovei' the ice, like shadows, that in an incredioly short sjtace
of time they appeared to the luiked eye not larger than Rab-
bits.

'i'hey are shot sometimes at long range by hunters
on (he barren plains whii'h they frequent, in !New Bruns-
wick. Newfoundland, the Province of Queliec, and other
places, liy a keen and careful hunter, nuiiiy may be thus
killed out ui a herd.

It is much more difficult lo approach a. single Wood-
land Caribou than it is to stalk a herd. When two or
three aie killed in a iierd by a concealed hunter, the
remainder seem to become comi)letely demorali/ed, losing,
for the tinn being, their natural instinct of self-preserva-
tion; and instead of fleeing, a.-> they Avould from a vis-
ible oi- otherwise ]»erceptible enemy, like a solid stpnire
of heroes in battle, they stand their ground, inspired,
howevei', ])y a dilt'erent and unaccountable impulse, until

HKi i.AMK OK N'OIMH AMKIMCA.

tln' last oiu; is shot dcnvii. Under the loregoiiiu' roiiditioiis,
hn>;<' numln'is of tlie.se line aiiiiiials are. to say the least,
wantonly and iniprovideiuly slaughtered.

li«'t me say here, by way of digression, something with
whicli I believe all true sportsmen will agree, and it is this:
In my opinion, especially in the pursuit of large game, no
true sportsman will ever niake a practice of shooting merely
for count) .■ a large l)ag. Even in ihe (pie.st of featht>red
game, the true sportsman can always be distinguished from
the mere butcher who hnnis for game alone, or from him
who slaughters to win the (piestit)nable reputation attached
to the exterminator who boasts of being able to kill a
greater riuniber than his mcjre conscientious neighbor.

Xo true si)ortsinan will ever kill large numbers of either
large or small game which can not be turne<l to necessary
and useful a<'count. Mo true s])ortsman will kill a Bison
for his tongue, a Wapiti for his head, or a Moose f jr his
skin.

Had the hunters and Imlians of the United States and
Canatla, for lii<' last thirty years, been guided by such rules,
there woidd be at the pi'esent time, on the Continent of
America, one million liutfahx's. ten thousand Wajtiti, and
ten thousand Moose for one of e;ich species now existing.
On the part of the governments of the United States and
Canada, the needless and lamentable extermination of the
American BisoM— the monarch of American game :<nimals —
1 uoihing short of a national crime, a national ciilamity,
a national disgrace.

Si)ort is sport. It means recreation, exer.-ise, puie air,
health, and invigoration; but wanton, thoughtless, and rep-
rtdieiisible slaughter of game ought to lind no rpc(,rd in
the formula (jf action which guides true and, kgitimace
spcn-tsmen.

The AVoodland Cariboti has sometimes been driven by
hounds, as is fretiuentlv done in the case of the A'iru'inia
Deer; not usuall\ , however, with the same degree of suc-
cess. It is well known by hunters, that Mhen hunted by
doii's the common Deer will circle around the bush in

Till; ( AIMISOI',

^' II

wliicli iIh'V aro start»Hl a in hiIxt of liim^s hofoiv inakiiiu' olf
f(»i iuiotlici' iu'i;i;lil)()iii()()(l, ('spfcially if l'i)llo\vt'(l hy a slow
lioiind. Tlu' Carihoii. on tlic (Mdirraiy. wIkmi Niailfd by
liuiiiuls, .stt't'i's slraiulit away for a niii of iii'iliaiis tliiity
or I'oi'tv milfs Ix'l'oi't' iiaiisiiii;' Uw mmv Icimili ol' liiiic.
Should tlin hunter l»t^ lucky ('nou<ili to liavf hiiiiscll' posted
oil tli(( liiu^ taken by u lienl of ()aril)ou i)ursu«'d by lioiind.s,
lie may conyratuliite liiiuself on the lact that few spoits-
iiieii can Jiiid 1 heiuselves in a more "xcit iii^ iiosilioii.

Some lew years a.uo, a sporting friend of the writei', Mr.
Campbell ^[aciial), of Uiviere dii Loup, in the Province
of Queliec. had a rousing climax of exciting s[i(»rl com-
pressed into :i few minutes. He had wiih iiiiii a single
liouudthat had been well trained upon oui'comtii<m Diu'i';
ind his master had determined, at the jirst opporluniiy, to
iiy him on Ciiribou. Having iu'iived on the groiiiid, some
miles back from t lie bunks (d" tlie St. Lawrence, where hi.s
Indian guide had reported the presence of the noble game,
the latter was sent out on ii laiiie plain to [mt out the dog.
jMaciiab had stationed himself near a gorge between the
hills, down which, if stai'ted, he expected tli«* Deer to run.

A few minutes after having l>een cast loose, the good
dog, "Curr" — so called from the twist of his tail sotm
scented the game; and forthwith the melodious music of his
tongue, coming down the ravine, was heard, as, with fierce
howls and ra|)id strides, he followed in tiie wakc^ of nine
magnilicent bucks, in rapid lliglit before him. On I hey
came at a swinging trot, the voice of stanch old Ciui
increasing in distinctness and volume at every stride. At
li'iigth, in single lile, headed by a grand buck \vith wide-
branching antlers, they burst upon tlu' huntei''s \ iew. Sud-
denly, from the edge of a tliicket, rose a i)ulf of smoke,
followed by a loud report, and the king of the startled
herd fell in his tracks, a.s a heavy bullei from a l)reech-
louch'r tore through his .shoulder.

The remainder of the Jierd instantly heciime demoralized.
Some of ilieiu stood stilly while others jumped about in con-
fusion. As rapidly as the ritle coukl be lired and reloaded.

^ m

Hl(. (.AMK <>1' N<ii;i II AM l.UK A.

tliM riisilliid*' wt'ut (III, until finlit ctl" the .spU'iidid aniniiil.s
wt'iv laid low. Tin- ninth, wunit'd 1)y tht> tongue of the
aiiiiioachiii^ dog, llfd and escapfd. The ei;Li:ht Deer were
killt'din pi-ohably n(jr more than three miiiiites, IVoni a dis-
tanee of one hundred yards, the hunter not havinu had to
move fiom the spot on which lie "stuud to discliarge tlie lirst
sliot.

Wiiile stilldiuntinu' on anotiier occasion, Macnab dis-
covered ;i herd of al)our eighty Woodland Caribou feed-
ing on ii large, open [ilain. After < ousiderable strategic
maneuvering on diliicult ground, he managed to approach
within three hundr<'d and lifty yards of the herd, and, from
a well-concealed covert, opened lire. After discharging
tliiee or four shots fruitlessly, he finally got the range, and
in a shoi't time dr</j»])ed seven of the largest bucks, and
then fliscontinued liring. He assured me tliat had he desired
slaughter alone, and not legitimate, lionest sport, he could,
with little difficulty, have killed the entire herd, for they
could not set' him, and so made no effort to escai)e. In
accounting for his success, I nuiy say that Macnab is an old
and expert target shot, who, with either the shotgun or the
ritie, takes rank as one of the most ac(^omplished sports-
men in Canada.

I have never been al)le to learn, from any authentic
source, that Caribou, Imiued l)y dogs, will take to water, as
is the habit of the CV/vv^v Vir;/! niidins. I imagine, how-
ever, that when i)ursued by dogs, silent o" otherwise, they
will swim across any river or lake in the diivcf line of their
flight. Aided by their stout legs and broad, concave hoofs,
they are rapid swimmers; and from their natiual capacity
for enduring cold, siijfer little, even from pi'otracted immer-
sion in cold water.

The Woodland Caribou is a lafi^" and powerful animal,
nearly, if not quite, double the size of the Virgiinal>eer, and
possessing great speed and iinnieuse vitality. It requires a
strong, paralyzing shock to kill, sudth'uly, such lormidable
game. Consequently, taking for granted the expertness
and nerve of the hunter, a repeatiiig-ritle f>f not smaller

■I

•7

III

THE CAKIHor.

tliiiii titty ("ilil)t'r, ciirryiii^' tin- maxiiiuiiu (<!' powder niiil
Itail ('(tiiipatiblt' with tlic .sal't'ty of tli»' arm; and also that
of tiiH man Itt'hiiid it. would naturally ai)[K'ai' to In- the
ju'opi'r arm for this rxritiui; sport.

I'arkcr (tilluiort', a t'fh-ljratcd sportsman and practical
expt'rimt'iital naturalist of no ordinary ability, speaking
of the ("aribou, says:

.MtlioULrli tliurc arc iiixdi tlic .Viiiorican Cfiiitineiit two very disiiiicily
iiiiiiktMl vurlL'tiis of tlie Hcindirr, I ciiii not iiddpt llic idia of iiiuiiy travoliTs,
tluil, NO coiispiciious IS tliL'ir (lissiiiiiliirity, tluy me ciititk'd to lie considiTcct
divtiiut siiccies.

\Vc arc all aware tliat dilTcri'iut' of clirnalc, local causes, and abundance or
|)Huclly of food, work wonderful altcralions on animal life — more especially in
n^'ulatinir Uieir slature; for instance, tlie Moose Oeer of Labrador seldom
exceeds sixteen and a lialf hands, while that of Nova Scotia and New Hruuswick
has lieen known to attain a heii:ht of t",;iiIy-one. or even twiiily-two, hands
{'•nil' .Vudulioni. Now, the groinids ihat are taken for asserting (hat there are
two specie,'* of t'ariliou are e.\iietly the .same, and would e(iuul!y justify the
decision that there are two species of I'^lk. The Woodland t'arihou leads a
life of eoini)aralive idleness, amontj the dense swamps and pineclad hills,
where fond is I'onslaiitly to he found in abundance. The Barren ^Tound Cari-
bou, on the other hand, inhabits the immense Hats or mountain-ridges clo.se to
the .\retic Circle, where vegetable growth is sparse, and little shelter is allorded
from the biting, coM winds and snows peculiar to so high a latitude. So great,
ofii'n, are 'he straits the latter variety are suliinilled to from the inhosjiiiable
niitiiie of their habitat, that in some districts the,v are compelkd to Ucome
miuraloiy to obtain the necessaries of life. Is it, then, to lie wondered at that
there should ln' a marketl diiTere.ire in si/e between the inhabitant of the shel-
tered forest and the wanderer upon the barren upland waste?

While agreein,y in the main with the rationale of tte
foregoinu' iirgnmeiit. it seems to me, neverthele.ss, thtit the
e.xistence of such a p;ilp;ibly marked diiference in the
shape, size, tmd weight c<f the horns of the two varieties
woidd natnniUv indictitethat thevare distinct and seiiarate
specie.s, each formed ;ind constituted iieciiliarly for the
habitat in which, in the grand ecouomy of Ntitiu-e, it has
Itt'cii placed. The difference to me :ii)pears more apjtiirent
tliMii that existing between the Wooil Bntt'alo and the Bisou
of tile plain.s.

The Arctic Caribou hits loni:. spivading, slender horns,
specially formed for traveling upon the open plains
.titd ihiidv wooded hills of the Arctic Circle; while the

l!l(. I. AMI-; nl- NiilM II A.MI.IIK A.

ill t

ill

Ikhiis fil' I lie l;irn<'i' s|M'cit's arc «'(tiiiii:irali\ dy sliorttT.
Iiravifi', lliick'rr. and iimhi- palmalfil. Sir .loliii IJii-liai'l-
son and .liid^*' (.'atoii an* lioili nl' (i|iiiii<in ilial iIh' tuo
Uind> of Aiii'Ticaii Ufiiidi't-r art- disiinci in .s|M'cics— an
o|iiiii(»ii sjijiciiiidiiccd not oidy r!<nii t lie (liM'cri'iu'c in si/c.
x'paialc iM'culiaiilifs in llif antlrr-.. and iiiaikfd dissiiid-
larity in lial)its. Iml also on acfonni nf ilic alixiluif
noli inl<'ic(iui>f liflwcfii the two varieties, alllioiiuh tlie
sontliriii niiLi'iatoi'N' limit of tin' one ovcrlajis the noil hnn
ini^iiatory limit of the oiImt.

Hevond t'Vfii this, natmalists uciUM-allv auicc that the
food Ix'si suited lor tlif liai'i'en ui'oiiml ('aiil)on. of the
most nntiilious (jiiality. is aliiindant in its northnii hai>itai ;
notal)ly the Heindeer moss and lichens which constitute its
stajile diet. The nu.urations of th<- noi'thei'ii vaiit'ty aie
doubtless regulated, as are the migrations of I'irds, l)y the
climate, and m)t sjiecially l)y the scaicity ol' I'oftd. The
saini- cause induces the pei'iiHlical iniiiiatioiis ol" the Wood-
land Cafil'oii northward. On this tlispnted point, \ shall
close w itii a (puitation ftoni .ludge Caton's history of the
Barren uromid (-aril)o-M:

Tlic slMlciuciit of l)«K!or Kiiitr, as quoted l)y T?Mii'<l, for llii' jnii-posc of
Nhowiiig a sjiccilic (litTi Alice Ivlwccn tliu Barren -ground and Ilie Woodland
Caribou, is tins; ''ThMl the Harren-ground species is preuliar, iioi only in the
lonii of its liver, Hdii in noi i)(<ssessing a reeeptacle lor bile. " This iniplies,
Certainly, thai IVntor Kiuir had fouuil. on exannnation, thai the Wiiodlaiid
('aril>ou has the ualll)laddri' alliu lied lo the liver. This eerlaiiily»i- not so;
for the gall hladiler is wanliiig in the Woodland ( arilioii. as «ell as in all olher
nieniliers of the Deer family, a fail long .since ii||s|>j-v|'|| iljllj itt!i[*^lf"l I'i' sevetal
naliiralisis, and (ifleii eontirnied l>y ediieill t'^!ll|lt|ti|i|llj| Nili<vililslaiiiiiiig
there are iniiiiy slrmig similitudes lielween our two klllds ol t'aiilioii, Ihere
are numerous wi'll iiiithenliealed dilTeri'iiees, whiih, when \m'|| eoihideieil. not
only jiislify, hut eoinpel us to i lii>s them as di'llliel spei ie>.

In a paper lead some yejirs auo liefoiv the J^''|e|i| Nii|l|-
riilist.s' Clnh of the Cily of Ottawa, on "'\'\\^ |leei of llie
Ottawa \'alley," I stroniiiy iirue(l my belief tliat jhcie is n
dilVeielice, liol yet rationally iiccoimted for, belweell the
branching and spike horned Ueerof Iherv/vv/.y Yirii'tuia-
////.v species. 1)1' this as it may, llie dls|illc|U(^ss ilJnl ills-
similarity, ill many iiaiticiilars, between the t'arren gioimd

TIIK CAIMllt'l-

S.'»

] P

nn<l W xxllaiid ('arilxui. :irt'. in my (>]iini()n, .siifli<ii'iiily
positive to l«';i(l to the (•t)n(-'liisioii that they are sepiirale
ail'l ilistilict species.

W'lirii pmsiit'd by hunters, tlx- Woodlaml Cariliou
almost invariably inalies for a swamp, and follows tin- mai-
,i;in in its course, taking the water, and freipieiitly ascend-
ing' the nearest mountain, crossing;' it liy a gorn'e or ravine. If
chtsely ]iressed by the hunters — who o<'casionaIly follow u[»
the chase four or live (hiys, camiiinu' at niuht on tiie trail —
the hunted animal scales the hi<iliest peaks of the mount-
ains for secuiity, wlien tlie pursuit l)ecomes laborious, ami
the chances of success very uncertain.

< )n one occasion, two hunters followed a small herd of
Carillon constantly for an entire week, and when com-
pletely tired out they gave up the chase, which was ilien
continued by two other hunters, who at last succeeded in
killing two of the aidmals at long range. Occasionally,
however, when fresh tracks are found, and the hunter is
well skilled in his craft, Caribou are surprised lying down
or browsing, nnd easily shot. When the snow is not deep,
and the iidand lakes are covered with ice only, the animal,
if closely ]iursue(l, runs ovei' the ice with such sptH'd that it
is unable to stop if struck with alarm by any unexiiected
object presenting itself in front. It then siiddeidy scpiats
upon its haunches, and slides .'i.long the glare-ice in that
ludicrous [losition until the momentum ceases, when it
jumps up again and moves off in some other direction.

As a matter of (-(Mirse, when the Caribou takes to tlie ice,
the hunter, if he Icnows liis game, always gives nj) the
chase. f>())netimes. when the mouth and throat of a fresh-
killed Caribou iiie examined, they are found tilled with a
hlnck jnoliiijg nmciis, leseiribljiig thin mud. This sub-
'<|||||('(', hoW'MVf*/', Js Hilprnmnl to Im of/ly ii portion of the
piiilliilly dlgemled bhick mosses n|/o» wUU'U it h/w) fed,
probably fo/ved MpNvnrd into the throat and motifh In its
death-struggles.

It the necoiints given of the speed and endurance of the
European Uehulner aie correct — f^f] animal (o which the

i^i'l

St;

nui (i.wii: <i|.' Noinii .\mki:i< .\.

! I'

t.'l

iJlilli

Caiilioii is so (IospIv iillii'd tlit-n it may !»• naturally
iiiiauinftl tliat the liiiiitiii;;' of iliis |i(i\v*Tful animal must
lif a laliiiiiiitis iiiidt'i'takinfi'.

.I(»iirii<'ys of oiH- iiiimlit'il and tifty milrs aiv siid to bf a
cuiniiKHi |M'i'f(iniiaiirt' of 1 lit' ([((tiifsiicalt-d Iit'in(l»'»T. an<l in
till' yi'Mi' i'V.iii. (till' animal is aliii'mcd t<> iiavt* <lra\vn an oiii-
ri'i. caiiyiiiu imiKiitani disjiatclit's. ilic astnni^lting dis-
lanct' of fi;;lil liiindit'd miles in I'oity-eiulit Ikhh-s.

I'.y Iniiitcis. citliff wldtf (If it'd, liic Caiilxtu i> folldwcd
only on those lai'e occasions when snow of nnn>nal deptli
is ciiisted o\ t'f to the ipoiiit at which it is not siifliciently
slr(»n^' to siiifport the game. Then the toil is too gieat
e\i'n for his iniiihty ])oweis of endiuance. and In* can he
iiiii down by men. on sn(tw-shoes. innred to the spoft
and lo the iiai'dshijis and jirivations of the wilderness, Init
hv such men oidv. Indians in the Canadian Provinces, and
many linnteis in the Eastern States, can take and keep his
trail, in suitalile weather, under the <'ondilions referred to.
The liest time for thisiiKuleof hunting is the hitter end of
h'eliriiaiy or t he heginidng of March. The best weather is
when a light, fresii snow of three or fonr inches lias fallen
on top of deep drifts, with a crust nndeineath snHiciently
strong to l)ear tlie weight of the hunter on liis broad snow-
shoes, enal)liiig him to follow the trail with swiftness and
silence. Then the hunters crawl aronnd. silent antl viirilant,
always np-wind, following noiseh'ssly the well-detined foot-
jirints of the wandering. i)astiiring, wantoning herd; jndg-
Mig, by signs, unmistakable to the vetenin linnter, undis-
tingnishable to the novice, of the distam-e or i»roximity of
the game, nntil at length, as the reward <if jiatience and
perse vei'a nee, tlu'V steal iijion the herd nnsnspected. and
either finish the hunt with a, sure shot and u trinm}tliant
vvlioo]), or, as is frequently the case, discover that the
game, fr<Mn some nnimagined cause, has taken alarm and
started on the .jiim[). and so give it n]» in desjiair. An
undoubted authority lias said: " Of all AvtM>d-cnift, none is
so difftciilt, none requires .so rare a combination as this, of
quickness of sight, wariness of tread, very instinct of the

THE r.\KIBt»r.

cnift, iind i»»'rfH<-tioii of ju«luin»'ni." I''iiiiiiii.itt'ly, linw-
ev«M'. llif WfjitluT ndi'lilioii'* that favor llii>. MKiilf of litiiit-
\n>i usually roiiit' only within tli»' dose .si'iisun, so that it
i.s scMoiii ifsoritMi i<» hy t\u- trii»' s|iori>nian.

ill idt'iitifyiiij.' tile rvliiiion-liip lni'twcfii tlii- wild Itriii-
clt'tT (jf Kuriii>»' and tli*- \V<MKll:ind ("aiilxm (if Anifrica,
.lud^e ('aton's adniiniMf \H^tU. is tlic most pit'cisc and
exliaustivf trratis*' that 1 h:iv»' ni«*t witli. 'i'o my mind, it
provts practically, fiom |»'i>.onal study and carcfnl cxann-
iiaiion, iliai tht^iv *^x\>t many similaritifs and iii-ciiliar
ciianictfiistics in both of th»*s^ tine animals. The ant It-is,
liowtvcr. ol' the Anit'riojin >|*-<'i»'s wonld appear to he somc-
wliat li<'a\ ier and nioiv ]i:ihnated than are those of the ani-
mal of the Old World a.-* ninch more massivp, at least, as
the American \V<MMllaud Carihoii is larger and heavier than
liis Kiii'opean convener.

Doubtless, if turned to account, from his great strength,
speetl, and enduraiK-e. tli»* Wcjodland Caribou of America
could be donie.sticateil. and hi^* services made available in
iiKiny ways a<lvantageou* to man. Perhaps his i!uil)ility to
endure the heat of warm summer weatlnr might, in some
degree, ojjerate agaiuf-t the i>ossibiliry of utilizing those
qualities which, in L:ii*himl and (rreenland, have made the
iieindeer so valuable, and fven so indispensable, to the exist-
ence of the inlial)itant!* of those cold iiortluMU countries.

I have already ivferrvd to the speed and endurance of
t lie Reindeer w." Kiirojie. an animal so closely allied to the
Woodland r'arib-ji; and from knowledge gleaned from
authentic soi vc-'s. of the *ii>ee«l and stayinii' (pialities of the
latter, 1 am in- !in' d to lielieve that there is no exaggtM'atiou
used or intended. When fbe robust build, clean-cut, bony
limbs, and general active make-up of the Woodland Cari-
bou are taken into account. I find no difHcnlty in believing
that one of those animals, in full health and in good travel-
ing condition, in Ms wild state, could easily trot twenty or
twenty-five miles an hour, aiid keep up that rate of s[)eed, on
favorable ground, for at I»<ist four or five hours, or longer.
The great, luraljeriug Moos*? is a luaguilicent trotter, but the

= ^J M

IMAGE EVALUAriON
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

4?y

1.0

I.I

1.25

til

C ug

1.4

22
20

1.6

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY MS80

(716) Fi/3-4S03

<f'

'i^

C.^

(/j

6"^

HKi (JAMK OK NOIMII AMKHKA.

rMfiboii coiiM jrt't beyond liis riiiitr*' of vision in liiilf nn
iioiir. 'I'lit'i*' ran !••• no iloubt that the C'jiril)ou is thechnni-
l)ioii trotter of AinerifJi.

The <;enei'iil ehanu'tev of tile ishind of NewfonndhnHl is
thiit of ii in^'.m'd and hanen countiy, with hills neveiexceed-
ing one thousand feet in liei<;ht. I^jirixe lakes and jxinds,
tlie hreedin^-^n'oiinds of p'ese, frulls, and ducks, aie so
nuinei'ons that proiyaMy oiie-ei^hth of the entire island is
under water. The uneven sui'i'aee of the land is covered by
woods, marshes, and barrens. The trees c(»nsist (»f tir, si)rnce,
pine, juninei', birch, witch-hazel, mountain ash, aspen, and
ahler. The inarslu's are as often upon the slojtin^ sides of
the hills as in hollows, the mcdsture l)einj; held iit suspen-
sion by a deep coating; of moss, which renders walkinjr,
under a load, extieniely laborictus. The barrens are in many
jdaces interspersed with larp* patches of " tuckin^-bushes,"
or dwarf junii»er. which ^row al)out breast hi^rh, with
strctni:: i>ranches stifHy interlaced— so tirm that you can
almost walk on them — and the labor of sirugglin^^ thi(»ugh
them be;x;rars description.

The ••Heihiik," or "H(i»othic" — the aboriirinal "Red
Inilians" — so named from tiie Deer's fat and red ochre
pigments with which they anointed theii- bodies- a le now
extinct, althoiijih the miles of Deer-trap fences made by
these people, and which are still in a fair state of jjreserva-
tion. prove them to have been numerous in the «'arly part of
the present century.

During the summer months the Caribou are to be found in
the woods to the north w^jrd; but every fall they migrate, in
vast herds, to the barren hills near the southern shore, where
the comjiarative less depth of snow and the winter thaws
enable them to obtain the moss and lichens upon which they
chiefly subsist. It was duiing such migiations that the
Indians used to slay the jinimals necessary for their winter
use, as they followed within the fences until the outlet ter-
minated in a lake, when the animals fell an easy \hv\ to the
arrows and spears of their ambushed and cano»'tl foes.

Tin: cAKinnr.

S!>

Tin* r»'cl\I«'ss sliiii>;lit«'i'of ('iiiil)()U fur spurt oiilv— iln'car-
ca.sM's Immii^ It'll to i(»l oil t Ik' ^froiiiid liiis foiii|M-l|i-i| tliH
Goveriuiu^nt of N«*\vfouii(llaii(l lo ciiart Ntiiii;;fiit lav\> for
tl»«'ir i)r(»t«'c*tioM; but it is still a^raiul comiiry for tin* trin-
Hportsiiiati, as Im' is certain to liixl ;:'aiii)' in al)un<lan<-«- in tin-
iiiiin*-(liat(' vicinity (»f llic conntlcss lakes anil streams,
wliicii enable lihn to transport the tropliies of the ••has*' lo
sjilt-water navi^Mtion without the fati;;ne of liackin^ it f«)r
miles, ankle-deep in so<ruy moss.

The following exciting sporting incidents are jotted down
after a itivoiiac chut with one of Canada's crack sh«»ts
with a rilie. ut either running or living game. Few per-
sons, outside of the family circle, have any kn<»wledge
of the skill and experience, as a sportsman, of Mr. Fred-
eric Newton (fisborne, F. H. T. C, Canada's wiilejy known
engineer and electrician — an experience gained in the
Hwamp glades of Central America, the Kaniraioo haunts
of Australia, :ind the barrens of >i'ew found land an«l Can-
ada.

A remarkal)leand unusually pondeiouspairof Woodland
Caribou-horns, now being remounted l)y Mr. Henry, taxi-
dermist, (»f Ottawa, happily (»btained for the writeithe fol-
lowing brace of interesting ane<'(httes connected with their
possessor.

When crossing Newfoundljin<l, in the 'Hos. Mr. Gisltorne
was pi'eparing to camp some lilty miles west of the |{ay of
I'espair. and thirty miles iulan<l from the southern coast.
He wa.s accompanied by half a dozen men. among whom was
his faithful follower and friend, .loe l*aid. a Micmac Indian
from Conn Hi ver. Paid was one o*' Nature's gentlemen, a
grand hunter, and an intense admirer of his master's skill
with a twenty-inch mu/zle-loading ritle, of 44 calilM'r. .I(m*'s
keenness of sight was j)roveibial, being almost etpial in
l>ower to that of an ordinary lield-glass.

" Me see one. two, three, four Caribou! " exclaitned .b»e,
gently. "Come this way;" and the binocular conlirnied his
statement.

i)(>

lUO OAMK <»K NORTH AMKUICA.

Tlit'v were advancinif (l()wn tli»* sidc^ of a liill fully two
niiU'M distant, on a loiiK. Hat niaish int»'r.sj)('rs»*d with
d*M>p pools of still wat*'!- and unknown depths of bo^ mud.
Tin* beatiMi l)«M'r-|»atli tmv«»rsHl tli«* ct'iitiT of the marsh and
sl\iit»'d llic t'i\!H' of th»' lariicst pond. Tln'if was no slit'ltcr
(•r cover of any kind, «*xci'plin^ a little ^love <»f d\\..if
HpiMU'f, in which was the camp, distant a (piaricr (tf a mile
from tlu! path; and when the lierd ivappcaied jipoii the
marsh, and proved to be one old stag, one live-year-old stag,
and two does. ,|oe added:

" Fine meat, white stag, but no man can stalk him! "

Nevertheless, Mr. (tisborne jirepared for the attemi)t,
despite the half-scornful look of .loe. ('rawling along on
his siMinach, he slipjied into the ice-cold water, feet first,
holding on to the lotten edge of the bank, which was about
a foot above the water; and with his body lloating, he
quietly slid his ritle along the edge, and thus advanced to
within two hundred yards of the J)eer-path; when, linding
himself chilled to the bone, he with the utmost difliculty
cravled out behind a slight rise in the gntund which
ha PI leiied to !)«• between himself ;ind the herd, then eight
hundred yards distant, and quite beyond the range of his
Lilliputian ritle. The old stag, lutwever. sniffed the air,
and then walked gently down to and around the pond; but
the other animals .sauntered on, quietly feeding, until one
of the does noticed the hunter, who lay with eyes nearly
closed, as still as a log. and at once moved after the old
one; the second doe then follow«'d down the path. No
doubt, .loe was muttering, "Ah! Me say no uiau, no Indian,
can stalk that white stag! Now he run!"

But the two were running -the stag, and the liunter
i\\<i). t(> shorten the distance f(»r a Hying shot at one hundred
and si.vt.v yards. Then came an almost imiudible crack, in
the intense excitement of the moment, and away bounded
the noble animal, with his nose high in the air, ahmg the
pathwa.v.

'•Ooh!*' shonted J(>e. "Ilim hit— mon Wen!" (all of the
Conn Indians speak better French than English; "him hit!"

Tin; < AIMMiM

And. suiv «MKm;^'li. nl'fei' ninniiij^ sevpriil liimdivd yards,
tlw siii;r ulu'flcd loiiiid. ran l)a<'k nii tin- niarsli. and IVll
dead, with a Itall lliioiiuh liis licarl. within ten yards ttf
tilt' sjxir where in- leceived th»^ fatal Itnllet.

"Yon all some Indian — y»in ' Waaheck All»int»'"
(Aiit//ii-'\ "While Intlian"). said .Foe, with his eyes on
tile, as he pat led (iishorne's wet shoulders, with the nlTec-
tionafe jiride of ji youn^ maiden fctr a vietorioiis lover; and
then lioth fell to work cookiiiir venison steaks.

* f

N'(»w. .loe Paul and I'eler .leddoie

ai«l Mr. (Ji.s-

horne's young hride, in the year 1S.'»7. to the dev(»ted
Indian servitors (not servantsi. who were a,uain to nccoin-
pany her husband ui)on a uiineralo.uical survey inir trip north
of Trinity Hay. Xewfoundlaiul. " mind you bring iiie home
a line set of Cariboir-hoi'is."

Siipposi' the Captain (the synonym of boss in Ne

f(niiidland) kill him. me carry him,"" resp(»nded.loe. reuard-
ing her not too allectioiiately. as the worthy fellou was it

" wee bit '■ jealous of her iieiitle aillllolitV.

In <lue course of time, one line afternoon in Sejtteinber,
(4isborne and .l(M' miglii have been seen sitting on ilie side
of a hill twelve miles inland from the Hay of i?ulls. Trinity
Bay. liear-s])(M»rs weieplentiful. and Deer-paths innumer-
able, but no gjinie in sight.

"Snitj»ose we go bjick to camp at harl>or — soon dark,''
said .loe. Standing erect on a large boulder, clean-ci'l
against the sky-lines, .loe gazed long and earnestly north-
ward.

"('aril)ou coniel"" he said, gently; "come very (piick —
believe frightened; n(tw me see — Wolf after iiim.""

.loe subsequently shot a line buck that was being chased
by a Wolf at Deer Harbor. (»iily a few miles iidand from l?ay
of Jiulls, and always insisted that the same Wolf had iwice
driven game to their lardei-.

In a hollow beneath the hunters ran a stream, the banks
of which were skirted by alder-bushes and a broad -triii of
juniper anil sprut-e trees on either side; and down theoppo-

n '\

'^mhj'f:"'^.

mo (i.vMK OF Noirrii amkkh a

sit*' liill-sidt; lushed tlu' Dwr for cover at the liead of tlie
ilrokr (Newfoiiiidlaiid fenii foi- ^rove) of iiiul)er. wliich
coiimiaiKh'd almost lialf a mile (h»\vii-streain, and for wliich
point (lisl)orne ran "for all he was woi-tli." whih* Joe
started for the upper end for a chance shot if the Deer was
turned from below.

It was a nii»-and-tuck race; for, wlien (tisborne reached
the brook and proceeded ui)ward, tiie freshly splashed
boulders proved that the stajj; had been turned. Hi<ii(l an
di'ath, he listened attentively, awaiting; Joe's shot— when,
without a moment's warnin<;, the al(h*r-bushes waved. an«l
the great stay ai>i>eared in mid-air as he cleared the broi>k
at a bound and dashed into the opposite growth; but not
until a ping fi'oni (fisborne's rllle had placed a bullet a little
behind his shoulder, which landed him, dead as venison,
upon his mossy bier.

A few niinute.s later Joe waded down the stream, with a
(piiet look (»f exultation in his eye.

" Me know you git him." he said. " Wolf sit top of hill
— watch if he come out — but he dead somewliere. OhI" he
added, "one shot — <lead! Now Gisborne's squaw say, 'All
right, Joe.' "

What a noble brute! and what magnificent antlers — fifty-
four p()intsl And the horns are here in Ottawa to prove tlie
correctness of tlit^ count.

Now, however, came the tug of war— the ti'iinsport of
the carcass from the glen to camp. .Joe was ill with a
spi-ained back, caused by slipi)ing olf a wet boulder; but he
nobly bore the head and hi(U*. while .Mr. (lisborne staggered
along under the weight of th«' hind ipiarters in one piece,
and. afterinuumerable iesting-s[»ells. ultimately reached the
harbor, I'layed out, but elated; and no w(tnder, his total
load, as scaled at a store at Heart's Content, having been
one hundred and eighty pounds. The haunch, which Mr.
Gisborne presented to his friend. Sir Alexandei- Bannernian,
Governor of Newfoundland, turned the scale at sixty-four
pounds. It was covered all over with a coating of fat two
inches in depth.

BIGi CAKIBOU HORNS

1,4 i

r ;

TIIK < AlMMol

!):t

Tlu' liist-nieiUioncd Ih'Hinnist have Ixvi, far al><>v»' tlie
ordinary size and wfiglit «»v»'ii of N»'\vfoiin<lland CarilMMi,
wt'll-known to 1«' the largest in Anu'rica, I iliink, consider-
ing lln' si/H and weiglit of tin* lioriis, an illustration of
whirli is sul)joint'd, an<l «'siiniating tlif total wi'iglit l»y liie
.stal»'iM(iits of Mr. (xislHtnit', as wfll as the weight of the
liide, that this iiiagniticent animal would weigh at least
live liuudred and lifty jtounds. The shooting of such a
grand animal is an event of never-to-be-forgotten interest
an<l iiniiorlance in the cai-eer of any sportsman, anil our
friend, Ml-, (tishorne, is to be congratulated upon having,
by keen insight and true sporting patience and strategy,
succeeded in laying low j)erhaps the largest Caiibou ever
killed in Anieiica.

On reading the far-back history of the large game ain-
nials of the liritish maritinu' pr<»vinces, one linds it diflicult

to believe that

liny

numl>er of Moose or Carilxui can still be

found near the eastern coast. The Micmacs, or

Hed

Indian^

of Newfoundland, in ancient times were in the

liabit of destroying both species foi- their skins alone, leav-
ing tiie carcasses — tlie liuest veinson in the world— to rot
where they fell, or to be devoured by the cariiivora of the
woods.

In Cape Jireton alone, the Indians destroyed, in (»ne
winter in tiie olden time, live hundred Moose, taking away
nothing l)ut the skins. This shameful slaughter of Caribou
was accomplished in the following mann<>r: Brush fences,
miU's in length, were constructed on each side of their line
of march in their autumnal ndgrations. These feiu-es
narrowed at SI jtoint where there was a lake or river to be
crossed, wichMiing out laterally for many miles through the
wilderness. The i»oor animals unsuspectingly passed along
through this fatal defile, which ende(l at the edge of the
water. The day, even the hour, of their ari'ival was known
through the agency of the scouts: and wIh'U they entered
the water, they were set upon by the con<'eale<l huuteis in
force, in canoes, and hundreds wore thus mercilessly butch-
ered in a few hours.

[ ''I

i: ;

i.!S

'- Hi'f

ill

l\U, GAMK (IF NOHTII AMFItK A.

Althoii^'h tliH iiiiu'biiieiy fur tlie eiifoirenieir of gtMiie
laws, gt'iieiiilly spciiUinj,', is miserahly iiu-ffij-iei.., ! uiu ^^lad
to Ix'licvf iliiit any mucIi inipiovidHnt and wanton (b'struc-
tidii \v((iil(l not Iw toh'rated in any civiliz^'d part of the
AiiM'iifan C'(»ntinrnt to-day.

In tin* foi»'^f<>in;^ sketch of tlin Caribon— the Ileindeer of
America — wliile adlierin;; strictly to zcndotjical facts, I liave
endeavored to make the jiaper as interesting to natnralists,
iscientilic and jtractical, as I iutpe it may jjrove to sports-
men, wiio liave liad many oitportiinities of learning, amid
the wild haunts of our larg»* game animals, minute and use-
ful particulars beyond the reach of the mere scientist, whose
reseai'clies have been <'onlined t(» i)0()ks.

I met recently with an article <'lassifying black and silver-
gt-.jy Foxes as distinct species, as well as distinct from the
large red Fox, which, if commonly accei)ted history is cor-
rect, is not a native of America, but has descended from
English ancestors, imported i»y Sir Guy Carleton in the
Colonial period <>f the I'nited States, who had found that
the small, grayish-colt)red native Fox had neither the
speed nor endurance to hoUl his own before a pack of Fox-
h(»unds. From the fact that (me hundred and tiftv vears
ag(t there was a greater number of black and silver-gi'ay
Foxes in the Canadian part of this continent than red ones,
I was always <tf the opinion that they were distinct in
species from the red variety of a later date.

My faith, however, in the above theory met with a some-
what staggering shock a few years ago, when a boy in an
adjacent township found a pure l)lack, a pronounced silver-
gray, and four red Fox pui)pies in the den of a she-Fox of
the real led variety, in color, the three varieties were as
str(mgly maiked as possible. This strange result may not,
liowever, shake the theory of distinctness of sjtecies; but
jtossibly might b«' accounted for — as sjich incidents are
exi)laiiiable— as diiference of color and other peculiarities
are accounted for, in the frequent antagonisms existing in
one litter of the young of the canine, or rather domestic dog,
species. The black and silver-gray alluded to were kept alive

TlIK CAUIIUJU.

!»:.

until nearly full-grown, ami, when killed, tliey were in all
points still (Uirerent and distinct in tiie color ol* their fur.
pouhtless there are many pei'uliaritie.s relating to some of
the Deer family yet to l)e revealed hy careful future investi-
gation. And there is no more valunhle source fi-om which
the naturalist may draw for information than on these
same simple dwellers in the IVuest, the men who live by
hunting and by woodcraft.

Hitherto, the standartl naturalists of the world have con-
tributed to the fund of general infornuition a vast amount of
useful knowledge, which will in future be supplemented
by numy strange revelations which are at i)resent in the vale
of mystery.

No single writer, so far as my researches have gone, has
devoted so nuich time, numey, and talent to the history of
the Deer family as Judge John D. Caton, of Ottawa, Illinois.
Few, if any, have had, or rather nuule, such ample ojtpor-
tunities of studying and observing the characteristics of the
(Jerifidie of the world. In my opinion, no other writei- or
investigator of this most interesting group of animals has
turned his grand opportunities so persistently, patiently,
and practically to such good account.

-IK

TIIK lUKUKX-CillOUND C.UtinoU.

Thisf animal is snuiller than the comnu)n Deer {Cermis
Vir<jiiiiaiiuH). General color, clove-bi'own in summer,
whitish in winter. Inhabits the "Barren Grounds" and
Arctic regions of North America.

There are two species of Reindeer — commonly called
Caribou — in North America, confined in their geographical
distribution, to the eastern and northern portions of the
continent. The Barren-ground Caribou is abundant, in
the summer season, in a tract of bairen, tieeless country
bounded on the south by the Churchill River, on the west
by the Great Slave, Athabasca, Wallasten, and Deer Lakes,
and the Coppermine River, while toward the north its
range stretches away quite to the Polar Seas. Fiom tlie cir-
cumstance of its being the only Deer found in this desolate

''■■^

i ::■,!'

II-,

IU<J r.AMF. OF NoIITII AMIIMCV.

rHffioti, tliH Han«'n->;romi(l ('iiiil)()ii lia.s <l«'ilv«'(l its rom-
iiioiily ivr«*iv»'(l iiiiiii*'. 1 t'Xliact tin* siilijuiii('<l I'unt-notw
Ir'tiii ** UilliiiKs' Naturalist and (T«'o|(t;.nsi," to wliicli fxcfl-
lent work I am iii<li-l)ifi| for iiiiicli ol' llit* valiiahlf iiifonna-
tioii coiitaiiu'tl ill this skt'tcli:

NoTK. — Tlu' UfindciT liiivc fi;;lii iiiciior*. nr Smut iccili, in ilic lower
jaw. mill Iwi'lu' iiidIiii'. nr L'l'iiiiliiii: lei'tli. -i\ on ciicli sidr. In ijn' u|i|«'r jiiw
tlii'v liMV)' nil inciMir.s. Imi tWDsnntll ritnhir tcrlli imil twelve iiii)lai'H, six df tin-
luttir ami one of thi- former on I'licli Hide.

Til III ml 'in, w Heinileer, .l/i7/''/« ( I.i(iin), Arctic, In the "Xiitiiral IIMory
(if New Viirk." this unhnal i> nillnl l,'iiii;/it'i r TiirtiniluK; in Aiiilulii ii and
liiK linitin- " CJiiailrii|ii'ils of Norlli Ann lira." Itiiiii/ij'i r I'liritKni ; liv many
uiillior.x, Crniin 'I'll III ml UK ; liv IlnCrei' Iniliaii". .Ulilik; liy llic ('liip|ie\vyiins,
hllhii.; Ei«klm<m, 7'""X7'«»; (inenlanilert. Tnklii; French C'anmliuii.H, CuinlMnij',
or r(//'(V*>«— lileriilly, a "si)imie o.\."

'riii.H animal is not. howrvt-f. strictly (onlinnd to tli«> tHi--
riloiy !il)()Vt' mciitioniMl a- its pfrsistt'iit ami pt>i'ii)>tita1 lial)-
itat. In lli«' atiliimii it migrates tovvanl tli«' south, iiml
Hpcnds th<' wintfi' in the woods; and !i>;ain, toward the
northwest, it iaii,i,n's nearly across the c(»ntineni.

This is the Deer so l"ie(|iientlv nieiitioned hv the hardy
adventurers who have i)eri(»<lically, and often disastrously,
braved tlie danocrs of the Arctic Seas in search of the
northwest i)assao:e. Its tiesh and skins have kept many
of them from starvation, and furnished the m(tst servicea-
ble and appropriate clothiiii;- to protect them from the
intense cold (tf tlie Arctic regions.

From accounts furnished by many travelers who liave
visited tile liarreii (froiinds. we learn that TniniKhis Arrti-
ctt.s is a small Deer, the laip'st. when in the hinhest condi-
tion, weiijhin.u only from ninety to one hundred and twenty
l)ounds, exclusive of the olVal. In proportion to its size,
its It'ifs are shorter and stouter than those of the common
l)e«'r, and th«' nose and front part of the head resemble
more the head of a cow than that of any of the more <irace-
ful members of the '^t'lms Cert^idte. The horns tire slender,
and palmated at the crown. Near their bas* ,; ey send out
brow-ant ler.s, sometimes of singular irii ■ /.jrity, which
incline downward in liont ol" the iorehead, uid are tiat-

, I ;■

have
|l/v//-
)ii(U-
.'iity
size,
liiuou
inble
liice-
ider,
ll out
liich
tlat-

TMK rAIMIUM-

tened laterally, 8o tliat the paliiiatcd ixntioii Is Vfith'al
iM'Tori' and ItftwiM-n lln'«'V«'s.

liolli males ami l')>iMalt>.s lia\«> i ins, \v|ii<-li tall oil' and
aiv r('iif\v«'d aiiiiiially, as in otiitr |)t'»'r. 'I'hf ••ars arc
Mmall and oval, and are covpivd, cxtfrnallv ami iiitei-iiallv,
Willi tliit'k hair. TIm- I'c«'' uv luoad Hal, and roncavH
hi-nt'ath. and Wfll a<laiiit'd Tor diuuiny in thi- siiow. and,
from the sluupnoss u! the ouU'r "d^o, admirahly liitt'd lor

Barren-Groun 1 Carib()u.

ruiinin<? npon glare-ice. The tail is of moderate lens^th,
the hair in winter beinj^ long :in«l (coarse; in .s.immer, short
and smooth. The general <v)lor is grayisli-brown, with the
belly, inside of legs, and under ])art of the neck, white.

According to that eminent naturalist, .Indge Caton, and
other relebi'att'd writers on natural histoiy, th(^ Caribou is a
true Heindeer. This fact has been .satisfactorily and .scien-
tifically proven by the learned and experienced author of
"The Antelope and Deer of America," not only by a

••Mi

i J

•- h

aaa^MHWHII

lii-h: I

If i!

BKi (JAMK nv xoUTir AMKIIFCA.

thornn.irli nctiiiiiintaiicH with tlie Xortli American Caribou,
but also hy a prolou.iitMl .sojourn in l.-npland, devottul to tlie
study ot'tlie Reindeer ol' the Old \V(»rld amid their native
ice and .snow. With many writers, however, the point of
identity between the Rein(h'er of Kurope and the Ciiriboii
of America remains still doubtful. It has been contended
that, althouuii the Caribou of America is a true Reindeer,
it bi'lougs to a tlistiiict species from tliose of the Ukl World,
althou<ih in generic cliarsicter and habiis identical.

Sir .John Richardson, the celebriued explorer of the
northern portions of America, in his work on the animals
of the country, says:

III the inonili (if .Inly lliu Carilxiu sheds its wintor covcrinp, nml ncfuiiri's a
.«liiii'i cd.it of liair (if a color coinposcd of clovfbrowii miiiLrliMl wiUi (Ui'p rcd-
(lisli , -111(1 y(.ll(i\visli Ijrown, till' uikIci- surfiKx.' of llic ii-'ck, the belly, and lliu
iiiiK'i sides of the cxlreinilii'S rcmaiiiiiiu; white at all seas(,-s. The hair at first
is line and llexiMe. Iiiii as it leiiLrllieiis it increases irradiuilly in diameter at its
roots, lieeoiniiii,' at the smie lime while, soft, eoinpressilile, and lirillle, li;-"
the hair of the .Moose. In the course of the winter the tiiickiiess of the hair at
tlair roo s lieeoines .so great thai Ihey are exceedingly close, and no longer liu
down smoothly, but stand creel; and they are then so .soft and tender below,
tliat the llexilile c;ilored lips are easily rubbed olT. and liie fur niipears while,
especially on the llanlvs. This occurs in a snialler degree on Ihe back; and on
tlie under parts tlie hair, although it ac(iiiires length, remains more Hexible
and slender at its roots, and is (■onse(iuenlly not so subject to break. Toward
the -|iriiig, when Ihe Deer are tormeiile(l by the iarri.- of the gadlly making
their way through the skin, ■hey rub Iheniselves again-t rocks unlil all Ihe
colored lips of Ihe hair are worn oil, and llieir fur api^'ars of a .soiled white
color.*

The closeness of tlie hair of the Caribou, and the lightness of the skin,
when properly dressed, render it the most appropriate .trticle for winter cloth-
ing ill high latitudes. The skins of the young Peer make the best dresses, and
they should be killed, for that purpose in .Vugu-t or September, as, after the
latter date, the hair becomes too long and brittle. Tlie prime parts of eight or
ten T)ecr skins make a complete suit of clothiiiu for a grown ])er.' :)n, which is
so i . pervious to the cold, thai, willi the addition of a lilanket of the s.ime
material, anyone .so clothed may I)ivouac on the snow with safely, and even
with comfort, in the most exlreme cold of an .Vrclic winter's night

* Mr. Otrilvie, rnivineial I»inil SMrvr,v<ii'. nf ditawii. who ri'frnll.v si«'nt iipwHcil nf a
year survi'.viiit; mill taking ulisiTvatiDiis for the ('miailiaii (foveniniciii. hiforiiu'il nic ihiit
wh.ii' in the IIiiclsou s Hn.v Territory. whi'U in want of fri'sh meat for his nieii. lie has shot
iiinnv of till' Barrrn ;rronii<l siH'iics. tli- sl<ins of sonieof wliioli, killi-il in the early |inrt of
antniMn. wrre |»'rforati'il h.v those ili'strmtivi' insi'ots so uh not only to ri'iiiler llirni <oni-
pletcly nsi'less. Imt also thai tin- animals so HfTiMti'.l vM'ie niiscrahly thin ami tot.ill.v niiflt
for fiMMl. I have iii'vi'r iiotiei-1. in any Deer of the Virginia sjieeie-s, the luvseuce of warbles,
as the ri'sult of the ailaeli of pariisitic Imvii-.

nil-: rAiMiKir.

;•!»

Tin Biirrt'iiirn. 1111(1 C'ariliuii, wliii li i

ii' 111 ilic roast of the Arctic Sci

uiL'ra

ill ''Uiiiiiicr. iciirc in winter to ilic woimIs l_viii;'licl\vccn tlic >ixiy iliinl and sixiy-
sixth <lcjjri-i' of latitiidi', wlu-iv they fectl on the Umf! gru»w of the swamps.
Alioiit tlic ciiil of A|iril. wlieii tlic partial mclliiiir of the snow lias sofii lud ilie
dliaruf, roniicwniKf. i\w\ o loiiiiii-ix which clotlir the harreii irroiiiids lilie ii
carpil, they make short exciir-lons from ihe wnod*. Init iiturn to them when
the weather is frosty. In May the females proceed toward Ihe sea-coast, and
towanl (he end of June the iiitiles are in full march in the .same direction. At
that jti riod the power of the Sim has dried up the lichens on the liarreii Lrrouiids,
and the Carillon freipieiil the inoi-t pastures which covit the Imtloms of ihe
narrow valleys on the coasts and islands of the Arctic fsca. where they u'razc
upon the sproulinir cariecs and on the withcriil jrrass ^\\■ hay of the precedini;
year, which is at that period still standin.i; and retaining pari of its sap. Their
spriiiir journey is piTl'ornied jiailly on the -.now, and partly alter the snow has
ilisappeared, on the ice coverin.i: the river- and lakes, which have in piicial a
northerly direction. Soon after their arrival on the coast, the females drop
theit yoiinir, treiierally two. They commence their return to the south in
Septenilier, and reach the vicinity of the woods toward the end of Ociolier,
where they are joineil liy the iii.des. This j.iurney takes place after the snow
has fallen, and they scrape it away with their feet to iirocure the lichens, which
are then tender and pulpy, beiiur preserved, moist and unfrozen, hy the heat
remainiiiLr in the earlh. K\cepi in autumn, the hulk of the iiialis and
females live sepanilely; the former retire iheper into the wuods in winter,
while herds of the preij;iiant iloes slay on the skirt.s of the barren grounds, and
proceeil to the coast very early in the spriiiL''.

Captain I'arry s.iw Deer on Melville Peninsula as lale as the 2;Jd of Septem-
ber, and till' females, wiili their fawns, madi' their tirst appeanmce <in the •.';{(!
of April. Tin males in sicneral do not uo vd t';ir North as the females. On the
coast of Hudson's Hay, the Harreii-trrouiid Caribou miu:rates farther south
than those cm the Copperiuine or Mackenzie Uivers; but none of them u'o t«)
the soulliwanl of the Chunhill.

When ill c<indiiion. there is a layer of fat deposited on the back and rump
of the males to the depth of two or three inches, or more, immediately under
the skin, which is termed (kpoiiUd' by the Canadian voi/iir/eurs, and as an article
of Indian trade, is often of more value than all the rein.tilider of the carcass.
Thv (It jioniUi is thickest at the bejiiniiiiii; of the auiuimi: it then becomes of a
nd color and ac'iuires a hiiih Havor, and soon afterward disap])cars. Th«
females at that period are lean, but in the course of tlu winter a((|uire a small
ill jxiniUi, w hieh is exhausted soon after they cirop tin ir \ oiiiiLr.

The llesli of the Caiibou is tender, and its ll,ivor, whe:; in season, is, in n,y
opinion, siijierior to that of the tiiiest Eiijj:lish veiii-on; but when the animal iii
lean, it is insipid — the dilTereiice between lean ;iiul well-fed Caribou being
greater than one can conceive who has not had an opporr ,nity of judging.
The lean meat (ills the stomaeb, but neve;- satislies the appetite, and scarcely
serves to recruit the strength when exhausted by labor.

The Chippewyans, the Copper Indians, the Dog ribs and Ilare Indians, of
Great Hear Lake, would be totally unable to inhabit their barren lands were it

* \\m

'ill

h;f

I i

n !- ;

■i

luu

ItKi (JAMK OF NOHTII AMKIIK A.

not for ilic imnicnw liorils of this Dwr tlisit exist tluTc Of (lie rnrilMnilinrn*
llicy li)nn llicir lisli spears mikI lincp|<s, niid, iirevimis to ilie iiiliiMJiielidii (if
i;iiri>p('im iron, ice-chisels and various otlier utensils were liliewise made of
them.

Tlie liunter breaks tlie leg bones of a reeenlly slauL'htered Deer, and
w'lilc the marrow is still warm devours it with relish. The kidneys, part of
ilic intestines -particularly the thin folds of the third >tomach. or niany-]ilies —
are likewise oeeasioiially eaten when raw; and the summits of the antlers, as
lon^ as they are soft, are also delicacies in a raw stale.

The colon, or lartr*: inle-'ine, is inverted, so as to ])reserve its fatty ;ipi)end-
aires, and is, when either r" .-teil or boiled, one of the richest and nio^t savory
morsels the ccmntry allords, either to the mitive or white resident. The
reuuiinder of the intestines, after being clcaueil, are hung in the smoke foi n
few days, and then broiled.

The stoniach and its (•(mtents — termeil by the Eskimos uerraokn, and by
theCtreenlanders neirikiik lerrioobik — are also eaten: and it would Jippear that
the lichens and other veget.d)le matters on wliich the Caribou feeds iire njore
easily digested t)y the human st(;.nach when they have been mixed with the
salivary and gastric juices of a ruminating aiumal. Many of the Indians
an<l Canadian nii/Ki/nirK preler this savory mixture afti'r it Inis undergone a
degree of fcrmentnlion, or lain to season, as they term it, for a few days.

The blood, if mixed in proper proportion with a strong decoction of fat
meal, forms, after some nicety in the eookinj; a rich .sou]), which is very pal-
atable and highly nutritious, but dilllcult of digestion.

Wlu'u all the soft parts of the animal are consumed, the bones are ])omuk'd
snndl.and a large (luantily of marrow is extracted from them by boiling. This
is Used in making the better parts of the mixture of dried meat and fat. which
is named penunieitn, and it is also preserved by the young men and women for
ainiinting the hair and greasing the face on dress occasions. The tongue
roa.sted, when fresh or when half-dried, is a delicious morsi'l.

When it is nece.ssary to preserve Caribo\i-meat for use at a future period, it
is cut into thin slices and dried over the smoke of a tire, and then i>ounded
between two stones. This pounded meal is dry and husky \iheu eaten
alone; but when a (juantity of the black fat, or iJepouiUi, of the Deer is added
to it. il is one of the L'reate.st treats that can be offereil to a resident in the fur
countries.

Tlie Caribou travel in herds varying in number from eight or ten to two
or three hundred, and their daily excursions are generally toward tluMiuarter
whence the wind blows. The Indians kill them with the bow and arrow or
gun. taki them in snares, or spear them in crossing rivers and l;ikes. The
Kskimos also take them in traps ingeniously formed of ice or snow. Of all
the Deer of North America, the Harren-ground Caribou i.s the easiest to
approach, and they are slaughtered in the greatest numbers. A single family
of Indians will sometimes destroy two or three hundred in a few weeks, and in
iminy cases they are killed for their tongues alone.

Tiiis Deer is tlescribed ;is of an unsuspecting but inipii>iiive disposition.
The northern hunter, when he sees a Caribou feeding in the open i)lain,

TIIK CAIMHoC

1(1]

(ipproaclu's tis nciir iis possible without Ituiiiir swn, then throws h'liiself on the
gruiiud, (Iniws his coat of skins ovit his hcml, and arrant: ■* it so as to
resemMc somewhat tnc form of a Ihrr. He then altraels ti.e aii'mal's attention
by a loud bellow. I'l'ireil on by curiosity, the silly Caribou approiuhes to
uxatnine the mysterious object, caperintt about and running ' >und in eirck-s.
Meanwhile Ine Indian lies ])erfeclly still, well knowing that his pr<L-y will not
be sitisfled until he can .i.'et a near view. When within a short distance, ten or
twenty yards, the hunter shoots him with an arrow.

IJefon.' the inlriKluction of lire-arms -which are common at |>re»ent
anioiig.'^t nearly all the North American trib"s— the Indiaiis used ihiir Iiows
and arrows, however simple itnd rude in construction, with sinj,'uli',r expertne.vj
and ileadly elTect.

Another minle of capturing the Arctic Ciiribou may be thus cc 'crilR-il, and
it may be easily imagined that the process results in the most extensive and
deadi}' shiughter: A larire indosure of brush, sometimes a mile in circum-
ference, is constructed, with a narrow entrance, situated upon one of the most
frecpientetl paths or runways of the Deer. Within are a multitude of winding
lanes formed of the same material. In these they place a great niany snare-s
made of Deer-skin thongs of great strength; ami then by various ex|H-dients the
hunters manage to drive a herd of Deer into the indosure. The lerritied .-uii-
nials run about in all directions through the winding avenues. iK'Coini' entan^'led
in the snares, antl soon the whole herd i- killed. (Ireal numbers, it is said are
slain in this way; and some families are so successful that they do not require
to remove their tents more than two or three times in a sea.son.

The late Elkauah Billings, one of the leatling pah'ontojo-
gi.sts of his time, and it naturalist of distinguished al)ility,
thus si)e!dvs of the Barren-ground Caribou:

Fnnn all the information we have been able to collect upon the subje<t, the
T'trandiiK AMinin never travels so far .south as Canada, allliough its near ri'la-
tive, the Woodland Caribou, is abundant in certain parts of the province (now
the domi'iion). Audubon and llachinan stale that from the •' Harren
Grounds" it ranges westward across the lonliuent; anil that it is mentioned by
sevend authors as inhabiting the Fox, or Aleutian, Islands.

At tlie present day. it is a well-known fact that the Cari-
bou, most likely tlie Arctic species, is quite abundant in
Alaska. Mi-. Billings contimiHs:

It is not found so far to the southward on the Pacific or the Atlantic Coast,
nor on the Koiky . Mountains within the limii> of the United States. In cvi-r^
part of .Vrctic America, including the region from Hudson's IJay to far within
the Arctic Circle, the Barren-ground Caribou is met with in gre.tter or lesser
abundance.

I have devoted considerable space and as much earn as
possible in the foregoing authentic — so far as my researches

'il^iJ

k^^''f

'-r^

102

Hl(i (iAMi: (»!' NOIITII A.MKKIIA.

il, r

Ifl'l

'(':

warrant — (Ipscripfion of the Hiaraoteristic ppculiaritiHs,
habits, habitat, ufographical distrilxition, and piiy^ical con-
formation of tilt' liarr<'ii-;;,roiin(l Caribou. I liave done this
for two reasons: First, Ijecause the Ta rami us Arcticus is
one of tlie most curious and intt-it'siinij; animals of the entire
cervine f^enus; and. secondly, because this beautiful animal
is, i)erhai)s, the least known, g»'nerally spealvinf>:, of the
hirne fauulv of the t'eroidw. In anatomical structure, and
in all other rfspects, the Caribou of the Far North is admi-
rably a(hi|)ted to the cold and iidiosi)itable regions in which
he linds his home. Without the Cariliou, the native inhab-
itants indigenous to the frigid legions in which Nature has
fixed their congenial ha))itat could not exist. The pre-
carious supply of Walrus and Seals would inadeqtuitely
compare with the al)undant provision found in the Rein-
deer, an abundance which must soon become limited, should
the unwise and improvident slaughter t(» which 1 have
referred l)e much longei' permitted to continue.

From the view of a sportsman and a naturalist, it seems
to me that wise and rational legislation should be nuide to
control the Indian, as it does, or ought to do, the white
man. Culpable and bari)arous extermination of lurge
gauie, which constitutes the glory of the lorestsof any land,
is worse than willful setting of lire to the woods. Societv
should protect itself against crimijials guilty of either act;
and the law, with a wise, strong, an-d relentless hand, should
protect the Indian against himself.

The Barren-grcmnd Caribou is less cunning and less wary
than any other speci'^s of Deer; and, conse(}uently, when, as
shortly will be the case, the iron-horse plunges through the
frigid habitat of the Musk-ox and the Tarandxs Arciiciis,
and the roar of the steam- whistle startles the affrighted
denizens of the Arctic Circle, the enterprising sportsman,
armed with the deadly rei)eating-rifie, will soon decimate
the mighty herds which still exist, desjjite the deplorable
butchery of the Indians on the constituted highways of
their migivitions, as well as l)y means of the pens already
described.

Tin-; rAi:iH(»r.

On this head, Parker (lillmore says:

Cupul)!" of resistiii!^ wiili coinpurativc iiiipnnity the pn-ati-st .scvcriiy of
cold, ihcy sulTer severely from heat, to avoid wliieli they iniike two migrations
uiiiiiially to tile iiortli in sunimiT, ^'razinj; haeli to the south in winter. Dnriau;
these journeys the greatest destruction to the species takes place, for they
almost invariiil)!}' follow the same line of niarcli, willi which the natives
are acquainted, and where they wait for the herd, either entering mountain
defiles or crossing rivers, when they are surrounded and indiscriminately
slaui;htere(l. They are also hunted on snow-shoes, after the manner of hunting
tile .Moose.

When tlie time roraes to which T have referred al)()ve,
the interminable plains and hills of the Arctic Circle will,
by the itnnihilation of time and sptice, be almost next door;
then we shsill liave many an interesting and tiirilling tide of
flood and held for the si)ortin,sf joiirntils, to delio-ht the soid
of the .sportsman who has neither the time nor the money
to spare to enable him to visit those, at prt^sent, f;ir-oif
fields of siKH't. We shall all then become as well actpiainted
with the iMnsk-ox, the Polar liear, the Wtilrns, the Btirren-
groiind Caribou, tind the iields of ice which glisten beneath
the eternal si)lendor of the unsetting sun, and the distinct
crackling of the aiii'ora borealis, as we now ai'e with the
gtime animals and birds of our own country. Spoiling litera-
ture, notwithstanding what mere humanitiirian writers and
thinkers may stiy to the contrary, litis an elevating :ind
liunuinizing effect; and the true sportsmtin, wherever you
fin<l him, in the palace or in the humble cot, on the mount-
ain-side or in the viile. on land or water, in the city or amid
the glorious smd sul)lime solitudes of Nature, is ever and
alwjiys a gentleman.

In the country as far as two hundied and fifty miles
north of the Ottawa River, in the unbroken wilds of which
the \Vo()dland Caribou tilMmnds, I know of nt* authentic
accounts of the appearance of the Arctic species. During
very severe winters, the Ptarmigan comes southward to the
pine woods, within one hundred and fifty miles of the
Ottiiwa. Many of tluMU are brought to this city, and
mounted by taxidermists. The wanderer of the Arctic
Circle never, that I have learned of, comes so near.

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104

IU(i <iAMK (»!• NOUTII AMKKK A.

Altliou^h tliH European Sta<^ and Scan'linavian Elk are
repre^nted in Aint'ii<:a by their more ponderous cousins,
the Wapiti and the Moose, Europe, or any otlier part of the
Old Woild, lias no parallel to our Barren-ground Caribou.
The WoodhiJid Cai'ibou, in almost every point, is iden-
tical with the European Reindeer; but it would seem that no
other part of the world produces an animal sufficiently
similar in form, size, and generic characteristics to our
Ar('tic Caribou as to warrant the determination of an
identity of species. This I consider a very strong argu-
ment in favor of the very generally received conclusion
arrived at by distinguished naturalists, that the Barren-
ground Caribou is a distinct species of the genus CervkLc.
Constitutionally formed and fitted to inhabit a conatry
peculiarly suited to his nature and wants, lie stands, as it
were, alone, the cervine lord of a territory as yet untrodden
by any other branch of the great deciduous-horned family
to which he l)elongs. The Mule Deer and the smaller
animal, the Black-tail, are much more similar in general
features than are the two varieties of Caribou, both of
which differ from the Virginia Deer, not the least distinct
of such dilference lieing in the sliai)e of the antlers and the
style of their growth. In the Virginia species the prongs
grow from the posterior side of the beam, while in the
antlers of the ^f ule and the Black-tail they spring from the
anterior. Inhabiting such a distant and inhospitable por-
tion of America, it is but natural to conclude that there is
still much to learn about this interesting member of the
Deer family. When he shall have disappeared from the
fastnesses of his Arctic habitat — if the time shall ever
come — the aboriginal inhabitants of that section of America,
whose existence mainly depends upon him, in all human
pr- bability shall also have disappeared from all but the
page of history.

If I have written one sentence upon any portion of the
history of the Reindeer of America; if I have been fort-
uiiate enough to be able to contribute one thought which
is calculated to amuse or entertain my large family of I'ela-

TFIK CAHIl^*!'.

lOf)

tions — the sportsmen of America; if I have been peiniitted
to add one well-authenticated fact to the fascinatinuf records
of this singularly interesting species of the great family of
Deer — I shall congratulate myself upon the, to me, gratify-
ing conclusion that I have not been all my life an enthusi-
astic sportsman in vain.

Ami now my pleasant task is doue;
It brings buck niiiny a jrlorious run,
Emerging from the lambent haze
Wiiicli circles round the camp-tire's blaze,
Revealing to fond memory's eye
The dear departed scenes gone by,
When limlw were lithe and arms were strong,
And life one gladsome burst of song—
Revealing, 'mid unfading sheen.
The "runway " in the forest green;
" The antler'd monarch's " springing bound;
The matchless music of tiie hound,
When headlong on the steaming scent,
With instinct true as steel, he wenti
The gaze into the spreading track,
The breaking twig, the ritle's crack,
The (juivering limb, the closing eye —
The forest's dying majesty !

of the
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THE WOODLAND CARIBOU.

By Dr. U H. ("antrell.

'XTIL a verj'- recent date, little eonld be learned of the
real character of the Car'luni {RidKjifcr ('(tr/fiott),
and museums monopolized exhibitions of stuifed
y^^y specimens, with monogi'aphi descrii)tions of this
almost mythical species of the Deer family. Now, liowever,
facts can be multiplied without which it was before impossi-
ble to gain any scieniitic knowledge of the (Jaribou. '* When
doctors disagree," etc. Even such distinguisht-d natuialists
as Audubon and Agassiz collided on the generic name of
the lordly, indei)endent AVoodland Caribou, that defied all
the arts of num to domesticate or train for any useful
purpose, as his congener, the European Reindeer, is trained.
As Agassiz only proposed a nn me — Cerous hastatus — it was
not linally adopted, and Audubon and Bachman requested
their subscribers to alter the name on their plates — spleiulid
illustrations — to the common name under which the Caribou
has become known and recognized in America, and that can
by no possibility lead to any misapprehension, llatif/ifer
CarihoH. is therefore conceded by all authorities to be the
most applicable to the Woodland Caribou, and Hang if er
Greenlarulicus to the Barren-ground Caribou of the Arctic
regions. The Greenland Reindeer is as distinct from its
European cousin as is the Woodland Reindeer, although he
is much smaller than the Woodland Caribou; the latter
averaging in weight two hundred and seventy pounds,
while that of the Arctic brother is only one hundred and
twenty-five pounds.

In regard to its boreal habitat, the Caribou resembles the
Moose, as well as in its palraated antlers, its overhanging
muzzle, and the shape of its foot. But the Moose has a

(lor)

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ItlH

IJKi (iAMK OF NORTH AMERICA.

11:1

larf^H, coarse, ugly ear, whiln the Caribou lla^s the smallest
and shortest ear of all the Deer family. To this fact the
traitpers of the Maine woods attribute that acute sense of
hearing that enables the Caribou to detect the slightest
sound, even the rustle of a single dry leaf, and which will
start him like an arrow fiom the range of his pui-suers.

It is dillicult to assign limits to the range of the Caribou.
The habitat of the Ran<i{f\'r CarilxKi has been a mooted
point tiiat can be settled only by an agreement to diflfer with
any rigid limitation. Migrating occasionally to the polar
regions of his Eskimo brother, the liamjifer Greanland-
lens, our Woodland species may be only paying a cere-
monious visit, attracted by the feast of Reindeer moss there
so lil)erally sjiread out for him; or, perhaps, negotiating for
reservations for future occupancy, beyond the widening
hunting-grounds of the dreaded white man. It is certain
that the Woodland is chiefly found abont Hudson's Bay, in
Maine, and the States bordering on the St. Lawrence.

Emmons considers it doubtful if the Caribou ever inhab-
ited Massachusetts; but he has occasionally appeared in the
northern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. Richard-
son gives as a northern limit the southern extremity of
Hudson's Eay, reaching as far west as Li,ke Suj)erior, and
southerly to New Brunswick and Maine.

Caton asserts, contrary to most authorities, that west
of the Barren Grounds the range of the Woodland Caribou
extends north to the limits of the continent, and that in the
northern parts of Montana and Washington, and in British
Columbia, they are claimed to be still larger than on the
Atlantic Coast. We can not surmise any confusion as to
the two families, llanijiftr (Jarihou and Ranr/ifer Green-
land ic us, in the mind of Caton after the statement we have
made as to the relative averages of the weight of both
species. Besides, the frank confession of that distinguished
naturalist, in his treatise on tUe Anttlo-capra and i'ercidce
of North America, that he has failed to domesticate the
Caribou, while he lias held in captivity every other species
of American Deer, affords ground for confidence in his state-

THE WOODLAND CAHinoU.

iiients of what he does know; and to this author all fiieiida
of the Caribou are more indebted for facts than to any other
recent writer.

Like the Chameleon, the Caribou changes color, to the
eyes of investigators, and this gives rise to very amusing
disputes. Pallas describes it as of a rich, glossy i«'ddish-
brown in sununer, l)ecoming grizzly about head. Ufck, aiul
belly toward winter; but he tleclares it never becomes any-
thing a[)i)roaching to white! In the face of this statement,
Audubon gives us a beautiful Caribou, "in pure white and
brown," i)ainted from Nature, and Caton says "the Ixxly is
sometimes nearly all white." For ocular demonstration,
the contributor has only to look at a skin that all'ords a soft,
white couch for his little daughter, who makes her aniuuil
pilgrinuige to the haunts of the Caribou in the Maine woods.
In .July and August the Caribou sheds its winter coat, and
we tiiui it with a smooth coat of short hair, a mingled icd
and yellow brown, the under surface of the neck and belly
and the inner sides of the extr<Mniti<^s reii . .ning white all
the year. During the winter months, the hairs btM'ome so
thick and close that they stand erect, and tlie brittle
colored points are rubbed oif. leaving a soft, white fur,
especially on the flanks. When the gad-fly makes its
appearance, at the close of winter, the Caribou rids himself
of his tormentor, and the remainder of his color-tipi)ed hair
at the same time, by rubbing against rocks and stones, until
he becomes entirely white, and looks as spectral as a soiled
white fur will admit.

The horns are so varied in shape that no two samjiles can
be found alike, and in no individual case do the horns grow
into the same shape or number of prongs as in the season
before. In both sexes there i-* a remarkable development
of brow'-antlers, which extend forward over the forehead.
The horns of the Barren-ground Caribou are larger and
more graceful than those of the Woodland Caribou,
although he is so much smaller in si^e. A distinguishing
peculiarity of the Caribou antler is the great length of
beam of the antler in proportion to its thickness. In the

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I 111 llKi <i.V.MP: <»F N'nKTII AMKKKA.

Jidult, Hoiiu' of the brancliHH (»f tlie antU'i's are palniated, the
iipiMT l)raiiclit'H having' i)osterior jji-ojcctioiis. Almost hiva-
lialilv. tln' l»i(»\\-iiiit'.s (m one oi" tlic aiiiU'rs is l)i()a(lly
pahiiatcd.

To iiitt'ifstt'd rea(h*rs, the fcfllowingdiiiicnsions of a i»air
of aiitlt'is whicli tin* writer lately measured may not be out
of place. Mt-ariii;,' in mind that the Imrns in botii sexes are
iiiri;iilarly iialmated. hiruicaled. and rather loii^j-, we lind
a spfcimeii wiicie the two niaiii antlers are furnished with
irreyidar. sharp points, some of them seven inciies in length
l)Ut most of tlit-m ipdte short: Width between the horns,
on the skull, f'iojit and thrt'c -fourths inches; depth, one and
three fourt lis inches; lt'n;;thof main l)eam, three IVfi. There
is a palmated brow-antler, with four points, inclining' down-
ward and inward; on the oi>posite horn there are two points,
but the antler is not italmated. Immediately above the
brow-antlers there is a branch, or jtronii', on each horn, about
fourteen inches in length, terminating in three points; these
prongs incline lorwaril and inward. About half the length
(»f the hoin from the sktdl, there is another prong on each,
about two inches long; beyond these prongs each horn con-
tinues al)out the same thickness, spreading out ward sligiitly
to within a few inches of its extremity, where on*^ diverges
into live points and the other into six. The horns are but
slightly channeled, and are dark yellow. Between the tijjs,
where they approach each other, the horns are two feet
apart, and at their greatest width two feet eight inches.

Nature has been so lavish in bestowing all this parureof
horn on the favored Caribou, that the small ears can hardly
be criticiseil. Five inches, posteriorly, in height, tlattened,
very broad at the base, and tapering to the end, they are
less in size than those of the Elk, but more active.

As an olfset to the advantage of the Elk in the size of
ears, the Caribou boasts of a somewhat longer tail. It is
about four inches n/ir/j/'iP, and, including hair, six and a
half inches long.

The hoof of the W(»odland Caribou gives it an advan-
tage over every pursuer, (^xcept the nimble Wolf. The Ixjues

1. 1

TIIK W(»(»I)LAM> » AKIIIOU.

Ill

coiinectcd with tlic nccossory hoof in thr ('nribnu arc morn
than It'll lilllt'^^a.s hir<;t' as they air in tiic cnnnndii Dfcr. In
'* Koicst liil'f in Arcadit',"' Captain Ilanly's enthusiastic
description reads as follows:

1 ciiii iivtr timt its foot is ii liciiiitifiil ndaptiition totlie Hnow-cnv('r('<l < ouiilry
in \vlii( li it ii'-'iilo, ami lliiit on iic it lias niiluiMlly aini(iviintiif:t' siniilar to ilml
oidaincil :nlili< ImIIv I)V llif siialcr. in winter lime tlic fro;; iscritircl\ alisorlicti,
and till' cd^'c-. of till' lioof. now (pdlr concave, ):row oiii in tlicir HJinri) riiiiirs,
oacli division on tlic under surface prc'-cntiii^ liie appearance of a liiii;u
niiisM'l >licil. Tlu! fion is al)Morl)cil by tlie latter end of Noveiidier, wlien llio
lal<esiire frozen; tlicslicll u'fows witli Lcreat rapidity, anil the froi; does not till
Up airain till sprin;;, wlien tlic aniicrs Inid out. Willi tliis siii^riiliir conforina'
tioii of the foot, its );reikt iatcral spri'iiil, iiiul tlie additional asNistanee alTorded
in inaintaininL' a foot hold on slippery Mirfaccs liy the Ioiil', stilT hrisilcs which
jrrow dowiiwiinl from the fetlock, ciirviiifj upward underneath heiwccn the
divisions, the Cariliou is enaliied to proceed over enisled snow, lo cross frozen
lakes, or ascend icy precipices with an case whidi ))laces hitn l)eyond tlic reach
of all pursuers.

Wlien startled, the Caribou' strait is like that of the Moose
— a long, steady trot, breaking into a biisk walk. Some-
times he gallops, and when snddeidy frightened oi' pro-
voked, will bound u distance of twenty feet. In this,
connectum, an amusing incident occurs to mind. .John
Danfortii is the ])roi)rietor of Camp C'aiibou. on Parma-
cheiie Lake, in tlie Maine woods. Having been teased by
trappers and guides about his neglecting line opportunities
to train the Caribou, Mr. Dan forth trap[ied two line ani-
mals, and, before his admiring assistant guide, [iroceeded to
attach a rein, in tlie shape of a lasso, to one of the
untamed creatures. Unfortunately for the courageous
trainer, the Caribou determined to reverse the ordei- of
things, and tejich his presuming tutor the lesson that what
we aim at is not always obtained, when we aim foi' the sake
of what \ ^ get, and slipping the lasso to his flanks, he
mtide a bf ind of some twenty feet, carrying his trainer,
like th(^ tail of a kite, in a straight line after him. and
dropping him only to make another leap, l^^'inding his tor-
mentor still holding on :>,• him, a third bound linished the
performance. Mr. Danforth found himself in such a bat-
tered condition that "he thought every bone in his body

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113

BIG GAMK OF NUlMU AMKURA.

was ])i'oken,"* and his interested witness rried out: " Hang
on, John, hang- on," nntil tlie linal catastrophe, when he
was rolling on tiie gronnd in a tit of langhter, and pausing
at intervals to say, "Oil, John, how your eyes stntk out!"

Mr. Danfortli has a number oi" line si)ecimens of mounted
Caril)ou-heads.

All attenii)is to transport the Caribou across the Atlantic
have failed. They have invariably die<I on the voyage.
Some attribute their deaths io lack of Keindeer moss.

Like all the Orrri(he family, the Caiibou is veiy wary,
and fi(npients nnirshy places, dense forests, or high, rocky
hills which are diflicult of ascent. He feeds on arboreous
food, grasses, and aquatic plants, and his tlesh is always
tendei', though sometimes insipid and tasteless.

In my estimation, the order of preference is. Moose first,
Caribou second, and N'irginia Deer third.

The best time foi' hunting the Caribou is about the middle
of Deceniber. and the best arm, in niv iudunient, a ^farlin
or a Wincl.iester lejieating-rille, with 4.")-7()cai'tridge, which
I consider the most killing cartridge for all large game.

As indicating the difliculties often encountered in hunting
the Caribou, I will relate a bit of my experience in com-
pany with one of the best and oldest guides of the Dead
River region. Andrew Douglas.

We left King and Bartlett Camp, crossing three miles
over the nu)un tains, and going in a l)irch canoe more than a
rnile on Baker's Pond, when we lieai'd the s] dashing of a
Caribou in a little bay masked in by alders, through which
we could not possibly get a shot or make our way. The
Caribou, alarmed at the unavoidable sounds we made, tied.
He left immense tracks that could not be mistaken, and we
made a second attempt to catch him the next night. Again
^.'o were battled, though the Caril)ou was evidK'Utly feeding
:ind drinking in the same inclosure. In desperation at his
escaping again, we cut away the alders, and hoped to meet
our wary opponent in a fair and open encounter the third
right; but he anticipated our conclusion, and did not appear
that night.

THE WOODLAND CAHIUOU.

ii;j

miles
than a
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11 whicli
The
le, tlecl.
land we
Again
Ifeeding
at his
to meet
^e third
, appear

Often, wlicn (me least expects to meet the Cnvilxm, he
appears. This I experienced one .'liiilit to my lireat snr-
prise. During my last ''ari's trip to tiie Maine woods, 1 was
out on Big Spencer Toiid, *' jacking" I'orDeer. Throngli the
darkness I suddenly discerned a liglit ligure standing in
the water uj) to its ndddh', and a pair of (\ves like lire-balls
looking toward our silent boat. As it was too late in ihe
season for J)(?er to c<)me into the water, 1 wondei'ed wliat
it could be. A shot from my Marlin sent the wounded
animal liying from the lake, and I was not sure it was a.
Caribou until I saw his tracks the lU'xt moriung. I tiailed
him a nHl<> by the blood before 1 found him, and considei'ed
myself in luck, as the Caribon 1ms great vitality, and will
sometimes go live miles, after being fatally wounded,
before stopping.

A brief summary of the points touched npon, must
form the conclusion oi this paper: Summer pelage, brow-n
and white; winter vesture, grayish ash and white; hair,
soft and woolly underneath, the longer hair porous and brit-
tle, fronj one to one and a half inches long; skin, thin,
soft, and makes pliable leather.

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'It If.

THE COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILEI) DEER.

liv Thomas G. F.viiUKi.i..

P^S the Virginia Deer is to the Eastern States, so is the
Cohimhia Black-tailed Deer {Ceroii.s (JolumhidtniH)
f/y\^ to the Far West — /. e.^ the latter sjjecie.s constitutes
~ the connnon Deer of this region. By the term Far

West I refer to that j)ortion of North America which lies
between the llocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

There are many who suppose that, besides the Elk, the
Black-tailed Deer is the only representative of tlie Ceir'nUt to
be found in this region, and before I proceed furthei; I wish
to correct this erroneous imi)ression. A person seeking
information regarding the varieties, habits, and chaiactHr-
istics of the game of a certain region, is likely to think,
upon meeting with a iinnter of large experience, that from
him he can gain all the information desired; but, from my
own experience, I tind that these people are often unrMliii-
ble, for, although honest in their opinions, they dilfer
greatly. One will make assertions which the others will
most emphatically contradict, and the only menus of arriv-
ing at anything like a correct conclusion is to take the
stat*^ments of large numbers of these people, and, by com-
paring these and sifting out what appear to be the most
logical and accurate of their statements, 'he truth may be
arrived at.

SoniH writers not having followed this or any other legiti-
mate course of investigation, this region has been robbed of
the credit due it as the abode of several species of the Deer
family.

The Moose, the grandest of this grand family, supposed
by many to be found nowhere west of the Rocky Mount-
ains, is met with in considerable numbers in the Bitter Root

(115)

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I!I(i (JAMK <>1- N'oltlll A.MKKK A.

Rnn|,^e, and along tin- headwaters of tlic Clear Water
HivtT, a tril)iitary of the majestic (Jolmul)ia. It is also
I'omid on the Jiig Hole Itiver and its tributaries, in Western
Montana. The Mule Deer is als(j to be found in the .same
region, as well as on the eastern sloi)e of the (Jaseade Mount-
ains. Caribou are jilentiful in Biitish Cobunbia; and in
Noithern Washingtoii and Idaho there is still another
member of this interesting family, which is a native of this
region, and whose existence has l»een almost universally
overlooked. It is the White tailed Deer to which 1 lefer.
This animal is undoul redly a distinct species, as it is
smaller, and has a longer tail and shorter ears, than the
Black-tail. In color it is lighter than the other Deer, and
it usually iidiabits lower ground. So the reader will see
that the Deer family is well lepresented on the Pacillc
Coast, tliere being at least six different species.

But by far the most common member of this family, on
the Pacilic Slope, is the Cohnnbia Black-tailed Deer, .so
named because it was first noticed by Lewis and Chirke,
while th<\v were in the region of tht^ great river of that
name. This animal is to be met with from Lower California
to Cook's Inl'^t, in Alaska. In size he is intermediate
between the Mule Deer and the \'ii'ginia Deer, foi\ although
no taller than the latter, he is more comi)actly built. I
know of a Black-tailed buck having been killed which
weighed two hundred and seventy jjounds after having been
disemboweled, and there are authentic reports of still larger
specimens. Such animals are rarities, however, the average
weight of a full-grown buck being from one hundied and
seventy-live to t\\o hundred and twenty-five jiounds.

In summer the animal is of a light cinnamon color, but
it is in the late fall and winter that it attains its most beau-
tiful pelage. The color of the animal at this season is a
beautiful steel-gray on the back and sides; the throat,
inside of legs, and belly being white. The tip of the nose
is black, but just back of it. and on the lower jaw, the color
is white. Between this and the universal gray there is a
beautiful black band encircling the muzzle. The forehead

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iiii

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sj.i

Tin-: (oMMiiiA i!i.A(K-iAii.i;i» i»i;ki!

117

[)!■, but

beau-
1)11 is a
tliroat,
he nose
[e color
Ire is a
U'eliead

and back are slitiiitlv darker than the rest ol" the body, and
the tiiil is entirely covered with luiir. 'IMie c()h)r of this
a|)p<'n<hige is white on the unchn' side, and bhick, or very
(hirk, above. In the Rocky Mountains and lieadwjiteis of
til • Missouri Rivrr. tlie Mule Deer is frccjuently mistaken
by hunters I'oi- tlu- I'lack-tail. This inistakn is n very par-
donable ()nt\ foi' lilt' Mule Deer also spoils some black on
his Hy-(listuibHr. il" it may l)e so designated. One of the
infallii)ln proofs of the distinctiveness of the two species,
is tliat ilu' tail of th<' ^fule Deer is naked on the underside,
while that of the JJlack-tail is, as I have previously nieii-
tioiied, entirely cloiht'd with hair. In color, the k iiale is
almost identical with the male.

The eyes of this Deer are lu'obably the most beautiful of
those of iiiiv of the Crrrifhi' of this counti'V. tlu'V bfiiiff
lai'u'e

d black

that soft, li

■isessnig

ance associated with the eyes of the Jersey cow. Althoui^h
111' can see a ureat distance, and has what may l)e gener-
ally tci'iued acute vision, his great curiosity often tempts
him to linger long after he has discerned the hunter. In
mountainous and o]>t'n "ountries, this fact is sometimes
taken advantage of by hunters, who lure him on to destruc-
tioii in a manner similar to that in which Antelope are often
stalk, d; l)ut let the P)lack-taii once scent the hunter, which
he can do at almost twice as great a distance as any other
Deer, and there will i)e but little likelihood of his gettiitg a
shot at that particular Deer for some time to come. When
disturbed, he goes oif with a bounding moti<m. seemingly
proud of his steel-spring-like legs.

The antlers of a full-grown buck consist of two main
lieams. which spring backward and upward from the head,
and from each of which s]»ring from one to six tines, accord-
ing to the age of the individual. The antlers of this s|)ecies
are not nearly as large and majestic as those of the Mide
Deer. When a buck is one year old he has two '"spikes"
rising from his head; when he is two years of age these
spikes will each have a branch, and when he is three
years old there will be three pommels to each horn. After

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118

HKi (iAMK nl- Xoin'II AMERICA.

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tliis, tlic agv of tilt' aiiiiiiiil can not be reckoned with any
degree of certainty. In common witli tlie rest of the Deer
family, the horns of this species ai'e shed annnally. In
the sjjringtlie horn becomes loose and drops from the liead,
and from the same spot tlie new hoiii begins to grow, as if
it had pnshed the old horn ofl". The Imck immediately
takes to the thick l>rnsh — nsnally to the high monntains^
theie to I'eniain until his new head-ornaments — or weapons,
if yon i)lease— have attained their entire gi'owth. This jn'O-
ceeding takes place in the almost incredibly short time of
fi'om four to six weeks. By this time the antlers are as
huge as they ever will be, but ai'e sof;, and covered with
that beautil'ul brown substance known as the velvet. If
cut. the horn will bleed, and if one slioidd kill a buck while
in the velvet, and there should happen to be any dogs about
caniii. he will have to keep a watch on them, for the dogs
liave a great fondness for the soft horn. Indians and China-
men nr(? also very fond of it.

While the hoi'U is in its extremelv soft state, the animals
are generally in i)oor condititni. It does not take them
long to pick up what they have lost, however, and by fall
tliey are enormously fat.

When the antlers aie grown to their entire size, the
animal seeks the ridges and elevated spots, where he may
be found sunning his beautiful head-ornaments. Under
this treatment, or from other causes, the horns soon become
covered with creases, and appear to shrink. They get hai'd,
and the auiuial proceeds to rub them against overhanging
limbs, or the bodies of snudl shrubs, tlius removing the
vehet. The antlers dc not become perfect until fall, when
the velvet is entirely removed, and the horn is hard and
highly polished.

The rutting-season occurs in October and November, and
at this season the actions of the bucks are very peculiar, not
to say ludici'ous. Their necks swell to a large size, so that
the hitherto loose skin of the same becomes actually tight.
With bulging eyes and wide-sjn'ead legs, they plunge
through the forest as if possessed of an unclean si)irit. It

Tllb; COLIMBIA ULACK-TAILKU DEER.

and
,, not

Ithat
]ght.
|iinge
It

is a well -knoAvn fact that at this season of the year th*y
seem to lose almost all sense of fear, hardly noticing even a
hunter when they meet him, or, if they should do so,
plainly showing that they would almost as soon fight as
llee. During this season, the bucks have terrific; combats
among themselves, during which they sometiuies get their
horns interlocked, in which case both animals perish
miserably.

The venison of a buck during the rutting-season is
tough, and has a strong, disagreeable flavor. After the
buck has won for hiuiself a mate, the two animals may be
found together until the fawns are born, which event
occurs dui'hig the following spring. A doe of this species
generally has two, but sometimes three, most beautifully
sjiotted fawns. The spots are almost white, antl remaiii on
the voung arnmals until tliev are about five months old.

The buck takes but little interest in the welfai'e of his
offspring, but the doe is a devoted mother. When sur-
prised in company with her fawns, there is a general
scattering, but it will not be loug before the mother will be
seen tinudly returning, to find out how her young are
faring. The hunter who takes advantage of the mother's
devotion must be hungry indeed, or else possessed of
an inhuman desire to slaughter. The killing of spotted
fawns is forbidden by the laws of most States, but this does
not prevent the killing of a great numy of them by Wild-
cats, Panthers, Wolves, and other beasts of prey.

In mountainous countries, where the snow falls to a
great depth during the winter, the Black-tailed Deer form
yards, as do the Elk and Moose. This term applies to a
tract of country which is selected by the animals on
account of the al)undance of food, in the form of deciduous
trees, mosses, and li(!hens, that is to be found there, and
in which a large number of Deer make their headquarters
during the entire winter.

It is in such a place, and under such circumstances, that
the ruthless Indian gets in his deadly work. In tlie Bitter
Root and CoBur dWlene Mountains, where Indians are

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nuniHion.s, tlu'y gather togctlier tn-ery winter for a great
aumial slauglitei'. Witli .snow-shoes and repeating-riHes,
tht'V will swoop (h)wn on a Deer-yard, and before tlie
affrighted animals can escape througli tlie deep drifts,
many of them will be stretched out on tlie snow. Their
tiesh is cut into strips, and converted into jerked venison.
One of the localities where the Black-tail are found in
the greatest abundance is in Southern Oregon, among the
foot-hills of the Siskiyou Mountains. Here the country is
largely tind)ei'ed with huge pines, with but little under-
bmsh, which makes hunting easy, and the recollections of
the evils that have been perpetrated in this fair region, by
the skin-hunter and jerked-venison fiend, are enough to
chill the blood of any lover of the CertiiltP. These skin-
hunters are about as mean a set of scoundrels as ever went
unhung. A couple of these sneaking apologies for men,
who are thoroughly acquainted with the country, and well
armed, will start (jiit, and, will, in a single day, kill and skin
a dozen, and sometimes two dozen. Deer. The hides only are
taken, the (*arcasses being left to form food for birds and
animals of prey. The jerked-venison fellow is one degree
higher than the skin-hunter, for he saves the hams also,
nhich he cures and sends to market. I have known a single
shooter — I cannot call him hunter, much less sportsman — to
sit on a ridge which commanded a couple of ravines, and in
a single evening shoot d(nvn fourteen Black-tailed Deer as
they came down to the creek to drink. Thanks to our
sportsmen's clubs, these matters are being looked into, and
the evils somewhat abated.

As Black- tailed Deer inhabit almost all kinds of country,
they are hunted in different manners. Still-hunting is
doubtless the most humane and sportsmanlike manner of
hunting them, but some gentlemen, who are undoubtedly
sportsmen, insist upon pursuing them with hounds. The
only instance in which this is excusable is where the brush
is very dense and the game scarce, for, as a hounder ex-
plained to me, one might, under such circumstances, still-

TIIK ('((I.l'MHIA Itr.ACK-TAlLKl) UKKI!.

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hunt a week jiud never ciitch sight of a Deer. Tlieir sense
of lieiiring and smell is so acute tliat tliey will disf'over the
hunter long before he suspects the presence of the game.

When chased by hounds, they will take to watei- to throw
oflE the dogs; but this they do not do as readily as do the Vir-
ginia and White-tailed Deer. Tliey seem to prefer leading the
hounds awhile before resorting to this their last expedient.
Hounding undoubtedly has a bad effect on any species of
Deer, for the sight and sound of dt)g.. pursuing them
frightens them so that they frequently desert a secti(ni
entirely when they are persistently hounded. Another bad
feature about this sport is that, in a (country where hound-
ing is carried on to any great extent, the ranchmen or
farmers soon learn what the music of the hounds means,
and upon hearing them they immediately repair to the
nearest runway, shotgun in hand. The reader will doubt-
less understand the difficulty the Deer will experience, in
such a case, in getting through the line of pickets which soon
encircles it.

The venison of an animal which has been running at its
highest speed for two or three hours must, of necessity, be
far inferior to that of an animal which meets death in a
milder manner. I have known a, nuin to take great pride in
telling how his dogs, which were part Blood-hound, and
which were allowed to run freely in the woods, would take
the track of a Deer or an Elk and run the animal to death.

But there are certain circumstances under which I can
see nothing unsportsmanlike in hounding Deer. Let us take
the following as an instance: A party of gentlemen, worn
out with the cares of business, decide to take a day in the
woods. Hounds arc procured, and they repair to some part
of the country which is but little settled, and where Deer
are to be found. The stands are taken and the dogs put
out. They take the track of a Deer, and away they go.
Probably for an hour or so the hunter has nothing to do but
smoke his pipe, keep his eyes open, and connnune \yitli
Nature. Seated on a moss-covered h)g, with his gun by his
side, he watches the antics of the birds and scpiirrels, which

.! i

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132

mo «AMK OF NOinil AMKHICA.

are not long in linding lihn ont. Pmsently he involuntarily
cliHckx his liantl as it has almost convej-ed Ills pipt* to his
month. Hark! What was that sounds He holds his
breath, and listens. The l"ar-a\va> baying ol' a liound causes
him to jnmi) to his ieet, ritle in hand, and his heart in his
throat. Nearer and nearer comes the incomparable music
of the hounds, now rising to the crest of a lull, now sinking
into a val'ey. Loudn' and louder it rings out in the still
I'oi'est, for the birds and squirrels are quiet now. If the
hunter has an ear lor nnisic, the ininutahle voices of the
dogs nudie his blood tingle and liis hair almost stand on
end.

Suddenly, with a rattle and a bt)und, a magnificent buck
dashes down the path. The ritie is thrown to the shoulder,
and the trigger pressed. Perhaps the hunter has the satis-
faction of seeing his game tumble end over end; perhaps he
sees his black-and-white tail vanish among the trees with a
defiant flourish. 1 say the rifle, for to use a shotgun on a
Deer is murder, i)ure and sinq)le.

One easy manner of hunting Deer i« to lay in wait for
them at a salt-spring, or "Deer-lick." In various sections
of the Far AVest there are deposits of clay which contain salt,
or alkali, and in these the Deer and Elk have licked cavities
capable of hiding several aiumals at once from the sight of
a man at some little distance.

But, reader, think of the feelings of one who has suc-
cessfully captured a noble buck bj"^ still-hunting! Let us
suppose that the sportsman starts out early in the morning.
As h(» wends his way through the forest, the sun is just com-
ing up over the distant mountains, and the eastern sky and
clouds are jjainted with gold and purple. The birds twitter,
and the squirrels chatter merrily, as if to welcome the advent
of day. As he approaches the singing brook, the trout dart
under the shelving bank, and a covey of grouse si:)rings into
the sui'rounding trees.

A large section of country is traversed, and although the
sportsman sees plenty of fresh signs, he has been unable as
yet to discern a single animal. He ascends a ridge. Slowly

T|[K ('((LI'MHIA HLACK-'I AII.i;i» DKKK.

123

lie

and stealthily hn nears the top, and infers over. His hejirt
gives a (siiddeii leal). ''"' ^'^ ^'"" 'i'tle glade, just out of gun-
shot, thei'e ai'e a huge buck and a <'oiii)l(M)r (h)es feeding, all
nnconscious of dangei-. 'i\t get within gunshot, he must
reti'ace his steps and make a detciir. Afteragi-eat deal
of patient work, he gets on the let^ side of them, and now
begins the dillicidt part of tiie performiince. To get within
safe shooting distance, he should reach that litth; clumi) of
bushes out there in the glade; but the ground between him
an<l his intended victims is covered with nothing Imi short
grass. By crawling a little farther through tL<' brush, lie
gets the clump of bushes between him and the giinie, iind
then quickly and noifjelessly he ai)iU()ache,-: them. As he
renches the l)rush, he drops to his knees, and, with throblting
heart, crawls to tiie other side. There they aic, tpiietly
I'eeding, but moving away. Slowly lie raises his rille mid
covers the buck, but hesitates to lire, hoping that the
animal will turn, so as to give a side-siiot. i'lesently the
oi)portunity offers, and, aiming just behind the shoulder, he
presses the trigger.

At the report of the ritie the buck gives one desperate
bound, and falls, while the does quickly betake themselves
to flight. Weil may he feel i)roud. for he has sought a
keen, wary ajiimal in its natural home, and outwitted it.

Again, he is cautiously and stealthily i)icking his way
through a tract of brushdand, in which grow a few
scattering pines and liis. The greatest skill and i)atience
are necessary to avoid making loud noises in the dry brush
and weeds, and alarming all the game within a quarter of a
mile. He slowly makes liis waj', however, placing his moc-
casined feet on tlie ground with the silence and stealthiness
of the cat. He makes frequent pauses to peer through the
brush, in hopes of seeing a patch of gray hair, and listens at-
tentively, hoping to hear a rustle in the stillness about him.

He is ignorant of the fact that only a hundred yaids
ahead of him a nuignificent buck is taking his morning
siesta, in his bed just in the edge of a dump of salmon
bushes. Presently — despite all the care of the siiortsnian —

124

IU(> (lAME OF NOIJTH AMKHICA.

tilt' l)iick liear.s the faint sound of a twig scratdiiug over
tliH hunter's clothing-.

"All! whiit's tliiif^ One of my kind!' Or is it ii row, or
a iiors*'!" Ills iintltTHl licjul is up: Iih snilfs the air, looks,
and listt'iis. " N<»; as I live, it's one ol' those still-hunters,
I'll just lay h)w, and if he don't come dose to me lie
can't see me, sheltered iis I iim hy these brush. liut lU); he
is coming my way. Well, a<lieu. vnin young man. Call
again." And witli a giaceful motion his inuscuhir form
81)rings into active being, and with a few fiying leaps he
vaults away, over logs, rocks, and whatever obstructions
come in his way, as buoyantly and as lightly as a kitten
dances over the carpet. His white thig sways softly from
side to side, waving the liunter anything but a sign of
distress.

At the first rise of tlie noble game, the riHe comes auto-
matically to the shoulder; there is a convulsive clutch at
the trigger, a pulf of smoke, a tiash of lire, a deafen-
ing intonation, and a crash of lead tlirough — tlie brush!
and, alas! the buck continues liis wild leaps, still Haunt-
ing his deiian(v' in the face of his would-be shiyer.
Another cartiidgc is thrown into the chamber; another
and a. more careful aim is quickly taken. The sportsnuin
is cool now, and i uere is in his cold gray eye a determina-
tion to put this bullet where it will count. The Deei' is
now sixty, yes, seventy, yards away, ami almost hidden by
the thick foliage; but just as he rises over a high log the
leaden missile catches him in the short ribs, crashes through
his vitals, and comes out at the point of the opposite shoul-
der. Suddenly tliat white flag is closely furled; the great
stiig doubles up and pitches heavily forward; he recovers,
and nudies a few more leaps, but they are no longer fear-
less and graceful — they are convidsive and catchy. He
swings from side to side, stumbles, his head drops, and
finally he goes down, stone-dead.

On another day, the hunter is tramping tlirough a more
open country— a heavily wooded region, but where there
is no underbrush. He has hunted several hours patiently

THE C'OLUMIUA ULACK-TAILKU DKEU.

125

and ciuvfiilly, and tliou^di hv lias seen plenty of fresh si^ns
— made last iii<iiit and early this nioinin^' li«' has not yet
seen ^anie. 'ro\var<l noon he crosses a narrow tamarack
swamp, and jnst as he leaches the upland he catches a
glimpse of several moving objects. His (inick and well-
trained eye is al)le lo discern tile I'oi'ms of a l)nck, a doe,
and -,■() fawns, tri[»ping gracefnlly through the woods at
right angles to his course, and nearly two luindred yards
away. There is no favorable o[)portnnity for a shot, for
only fleeting glimpses of their foi'ins can he seen as they
pass throngii openings between the giant pines and hem-
locks.

Finally the sportsman utters a i)laintive "bler.t." The
game stops; but oidy the rump of one fawn and tlie liead
of the doe can be seen, the rest of their bodies being hid-
den by the trees.

They stand and listen attentively for several minutes —
it seems like several hours to the hunter. Finally they
turn and take a few steps toward the source of the familiar
sound that attracted them. Again they pause, look, and
listen. The hunter has meantime seated himself on a log,
with his left foot on a branch of the fallen trunk, in order
to have an easier i)osition for a shot. This time only faint
glimpses of the sides of two of the Deer can be seen, and
as the sportsman peers round the trunk of a great lir that
stands between liim and the game, the doe catches a glimpse
of the movement.

That settles it. There is some mystery in that coi-ner of
the woods, for she has both seen and heard. She will now
investigate it if it costs her her life. The group moves
forward again, and again pauses. Still, they are all so
closely covered as to afford no fair shot. The hunter sits
motionless; but, despite the fact that he is a veteran, this
terrible suspense is telling on him, and his heart is pound-
ing at his ribs like a trip-hammer. The Deer make a few
more steps toward him, but to save his life lie ca)\'t yet see
a piece of one of them big enough to shoot at. In his time
he has faced Grizzlies, wounded Buffalo bulls, and even

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BUi GAME OF NOIM'II AMKKU'A.

Confederate soldiers, without flinching; but somehow tills
pesky business unnerves him, and he is now shaking like a
leaf. He wouldn't dare shoot at anything Jess than the
broad side oi the buck now, and — he blushes to confess it,
even to himself— he's afrai<l he ronldn't hit that.

Again the Deer move forward, bent on finding out what
it was that moved and that made that noise. This time
their movement takes them down into a little swale, so that
they are entirely hidden from the hunter. But he is sure
they will come on, and is aware that when they come out
of the swale they will be less than fifty yards from him.
Confound this nervousness! Tlis heart is pounding his ribs
so that he is really afraid the Deer must hear it when they
stop again.

But his rifle is at his shoulder, and his left elbow is rest-
ing on his left knee. In a few seconds the Deer emerge
from the draw, within thirty yards of him; but now —
plague take themi — they are behind a big hemlock-log that
is as high as the doe's back. Her greai; dark eyes, and
those of her children, are peeling over the log full at him,
while the great, spreading antlers of the buck reach up, it
seems, almost into the branches of the pines. Yet the
hunter sits motionless — or as nearly so as possible — and,
the wind being in his favor, the game luis not yet found
out tliat he is alive; but they will soon. They move unea-
sily, a ste^) or two at a time, from side to side.

Finally, patience ceases' to be a virtue. Tho hunter can
stand it no longer. He has cooled down somewhat, and
drawing a l)ead on the buck's neck, he pulls. Fortunately,
he wabl)les on at the supreme moment, and the quarry falls
dead in his tracks.

The doe and the fawns bound away as if shot out of a
cannon. Sir Hubert is still too iiuu'h rattled to shoot on
the run; and, as he hoped, the surviving members of the
family, after having made a few jumps, halt to see why
'pafvrfamilia.s doesn't come, and then the sportsman :>lants
a bullet in the shoulder of the fawn nearest to him. The
others skip out again. He fires two more shots at them,

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THE COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILKD DEKK.

127

but they go out of sight unscathed. However, it is just
as well, for he has meat enough and to spare. He is happy,
for he has again pitted his cunning against that of the
wildest and most wary animal on the earth, and is again the
winner.

Probably the best arm to hunt Black-tailed Deer with
is the 44-caliber repeating-rilie. Some hunters use the 4o-
caliber, while others will use nothing but a 32-caliber. It
seems to me, however, that the 45-caliber is better adapted
to Moose or Elk shooting; and I am satisfied that if the
hunter armed with nothing but a 32-caliber rifle should
meet with a trrizzly or Cinnamon Bear, he would feel rather
uncomfortable. He would then wish, most devoutly, for a
more powerful weapon.

Of the many places in which it has been my good fort-
une to hunt Deer, I think the locality in whicli I found
game most abundant, and where the climate and sceneiy
combined to make the most pleasant hunting-ground, is in
the Cascade Mountains, in Oregon. The region of which I
speak mora particularly is about forty miles east of Cot-
tage Grove, a small village in the Willamette Valley. This
region is the great water-shed of Oregon. Here it is ihat
the Willamette and Umjxpui Rivers, on one side, and
the Deschutes River, on the other side, have their begin-
nings. ■■ '-

As the reader is doubtless awnre, there are many high
and beautiful snow-po'd-is in the Cascade Range; l)ut the
region of which I write consists of a plateau, the altitud'M)f
which is between eight and ten thousand feet above the
level of the sea. Here the snow lies, on the north side of
the hills, during the entire summer, and the vegetation
partakes of an Arctic nature. In the valleys there is some
fine timber, but upon tiie higher i^ortions of the plateau the
vegetation is stunted.

Hnrn one will find small trees growing almost on a level
with the ground. The weight of the snow luu; pressed
them down, so that, instead of growing up straight, as they
should have done, they consist of but a short trunk and a

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128

Hm GAME OF \(^»l!Tir AMEIIICA.

lot of long limbs. Other trees have a bend in their trunks.
When young, the snow has pressed them over so as to per-
manently bend the trunks; but they have afterward
' 'overed, and grown straight up. Such cases iU'e numer-

i, and the bend often affords the tired iiunter a conifort-
ctjjle seat. In some places, rhododendioiis, laurel, and other
shrubs grow abundantly, and afford considerable cover to
game. Although open, and easily traversed when one
once gets there, this region is dillicult to reach, as many
miles of rough trail and thick underbrush must be traversed
before it is reached.

It has been several years since I visited this region, and
game may not be as plentiful there now as then; but I
think tliat, on account of the inaccessibility of the country,
the Deer have been but little hunted there. When I was
there, one could have killed, had he so wished, from six to
ten Beer almost any day, by simply taking a good stand
and shooting them as they came to water. As may be con-
jectured, the snow falls to a great depth in this region
during the wintei'.

I remember once having seen some rees that had been
cut off fully thirty feet 'from the ground, and my guide
explained that they had been so cut by a party of prospect-
ors who had wintered in this region one season. He said
that the sn()w had fallen to such a depth that it was on a
level with the tops of these stumps. I asked him how the
occupants of the old cabin which Ave found in this ravine
managed to subsist. He replied that this was easy enough
as long as the provisions held out, as they kept a space
around the door packed down, and the fire kejjt an opening
througli the snow for itself. AVe nuiy readily fancy *he
loneliness of such a life, away up in this altitude, Avith
no animal life within miles, and nothing but howling winds
and drifting banks of snow to listen to or look at.

Of course a great deal of this region consists of nothing
but rock, but in some places there are patches of soil which
appear to be very fertile, and in the summer-time these
spots are made beautiful with shrubs and flowers. I once

5 '•I

THE COLUMHIA BLACK-TAILED DEER.

129

vme
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once

picked strawberries with one hand while the other rested
on a snow-bank.

Interspersed throughout this region are many small
lakes. Some of them are not more than twenty-livt^ or
thirty acres in extent; but they are all alive with mountain
trout. The larger streams also contain these lish in great
abundance. As I have previously mentioned, the Black-
tailed Beer is here found in great abundance. There are
also many Elk, Black, Brown, and Cinnamon Bears, Pan-
thers, Wildcats, etc. In fact, this is an ideal hunting and
fishing country.

Once in awhile a few of the Klamath or Wann Sjoring
Indians visit this region for a hunt; but they are peaceable,
and the hunter has nothing to fear from them. No matter
how rough a piece ci country may be, no matter what
hardships one has to undergo to reach it, you may rest
assured that the obstacles are not insurniounta])le to the
hardy prospector, and that if he has not already been there,
the near future will witness his advent. So it is w?th this
region; for many years ago these enterprising mountain
men washed the gravel of the creek-beds and chipped the
rocks of the ledges with their prospecting hammers. The
diggings proved to be of but little value, biit some pretty
good ledges were discovered. In fact, it was business of
this nature that gave me my introduction to this country.

A party of men, including myself, were sent into this
region to pr.t up some mining machinery. The nuichinery
was not heavy, and we experienced no trouble until we
arrived at Cv)ttage Grove. One bright morning we pulled
out of that viMage, our party forming quite a procession, as
it was composed of some thirty men and almost as many
horses. Most of the men walked, the animals being used
to haul the machinery, provisions, etc. For the first ten
miles we got along very well, but the rest of the forty-mile
journey was over a trail, than which a rougher would be
hard to fiiul.

On the tlii'-d day we reached our destination, and in the
course of time all the machinery was set uji. My jjart of the

130

151(1 (lAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

in- I

i I

business now being over, I found myself in a great game
country, with plenty of time to enjoy myself. It is, per-
haps, needless to add that I availed myself of the oppor-
tunity to my entire satisfaction.

I spent many a pleasant day Deer and Elk hunting, and
I remember one day in particular. It was in the latter part
of August. The men had been hinting that a little venison
would he acceptable; so, after breakfast, I took dovvn my
44-caliber Winchester, and started out alone. Taking the
summit of a ridge, I walked slowly along, more intent on
watching the beautiful effects of the rising sun on the
mcjuntains than on hunting Deer. Suddenly, a buck
jumped up from a ravine about one hundred yards from nie,
and nuide a dive for a clump of underbrush. I fired at his
vanishing form, but failed to stop him. I mentally kicked
myself just as I pulled the trigger, for I did not want
to wound any Deer that I did not get, and I knew that
with me it would be but ii chance shot that would kill a
running Deer at such a distance and under such circum-
stances.

As I sauntered along, I saw several Deer jump from their
beds in the canon, and bound off into the brush. Had I
wanted to kill a lot ot; Deer, I would have hunted in these
places; but I knew that it would be hard to get the veni-
son out of such places, and thought I would find plenty of
Deer on the ridges, before the day was over. These ridges
run one into the other, and by walking along their summits
one can travel all over this country with but little incon-
venience.

It was about ten o'clock when, in passing through a
clump of brush, I saw, about three hundi'ed yards distant,
on the south side of the same ridge, a large buck and a
doe.

Of course, I was hunting against the wind, but, as there
was almost no cover between the game and myself, I saw
that I would either have to risk a long shot or make a
detour and come up on the noith side of the ridge. I was
not slow in choosing the latter plan, and, retracing my steps,

Jot

ing al

ndgel
fell, }|
to tht
aniin;J
and si
ing m[
Jate, ][
rose tl
him U
into t]|
trate
approd

THE COLUMBIA lU.ACK-TAILKD DEVAl.

131

their
Had I
these
vtni-
nty of
ridges
miiuts
incun-

)Ugh a
listunt,
and a

is there

I saw

Imake a

I was

L V steps,

I descended the ridge a short distance. After vvalldng
parallel with the summit until I thought I was in the
neighborhood of my game, I cantiously, and as silently as
possible, crept u^) behind ii large rock, and peered over. To
my surprise, no Deer were in sight, and I supposed they
had taken alarm and tied. I was on the point of jumping to
my feet in disgust, when suddenly I espied my friends
almost one hundred yards from me. The doe was now lying
down, and the buck was browsing in a dump of brush.

Resting m^- left elbow on my knee, I drew a bead on the
buck, and waited for him to show himself moi'e fully. He
soon came out, and presented a line side-shot. Taking good
sight on him just behind tlic shoulder, I pressed the trigger.
At the crack of the rifle, he went down like the traditional
log', while the doe and another buck, which I had not
noticed, quickly vanished over the ridge.

Upon going up to ni}' game, 1 foiincl that the bullet had
broken both shoulders of a four-point buck. I gave him
another shot in the head, which cpackly put him out of his
misery.

I am always careful in approaching a wounded buck, for
I once saw a companion of mine terribly injured by one of
these animals. There was a party of us hunting in South-
ern Oregon, and one of the older members of the party
had that very day cautioned ns to be careful in approach-
ing a wounded Deer. Poor H^ — was hunting on the same
ridge that I was on. I saw him fire at a buck, and as it
fell, he laid down his gun, and, drawing his knife, ran up
to the animal to cut its throat. I thought, by the way the
animal went down, that it had not received a mortal wound,
and shouted to him to be careful, at the same time mak-
ing my way vapidly in his directi(m. My warning was too
late, however; for, as he approached it, the buck suddenly-
rose to its feet, and, jumping against the hunter, hurled
him to the ground. The next instant the animal bounded
into the air, and came down with all four feet on the pros-
trate man. At this instant, one of the partj^ who had
approached from another direction, fired at the animal and

I m

Sfl"

1:32

JJKi (iA.MK OF NOKTII AMERICA.

killed it. We had to carry the wounded man sixty miles
on a stretcher, and he never fully recovered from his terri-
ble experien(!e.

After disemboweling my Deer and hanging the carcass
on a tree, I determined to cross over to another ridge. To
do this, I had to descend into a valley which was full of
l)riish. As 1 was pushing my way through this, 1 suddenly
became aware of the presence of a Bear. I did not see the
animal at lirst, but I smelt her. This may seem strange to
some of my readers, but it is the fact, nevertheless; and as
I looked up, I saw a large female Black Bear standing
erect, not moie than thirty feet from me. She was looking
straight at me, and apparently had her nose turned up,
thereby disclosing a very formidable set of ivories. When
ir'he saw that 1 had discovered her, rhe gave vent to a deep
growl that was full of meaning. She probably had cul)s in
the neighborhood, for these animals will generally run from
a num, unless they be so incumbered. Not wishing to have
any trouble with so (piick and powei'ful an aninud in the
thick brush, I quickly, and as quietly as possible, "craw-
fished" my way into the open.

Upon getting out, my courage returned to me, and I
determined to go through there. Bruin or no Bruin; so,
cocking my AVinchester, I marched bravely in, but the
animal had by this time disappeared. After a hard climb,
I found myself at noon on top of the highest ridge of
this high region, and sat down on a rock to eat my lunch.
My sportsman friend, if you have any love for the beauties
of Nature, and had been with me that day, you would
have had but little time fo/ the disposal of that jilain
lunch— you would have had your attention almost wholly
takeiT up by the beautiful sight which was spread out to
my vision. You have doubtless visited a cyclorama; and
the position I occupied was similar to that of tlie people
who occupy the central j>latform of one of these institu-
tions. A beautiful view was spread out to me on all sides.
Tn these high altitudes the atmosjihere is wonderfully
cleai', and one can see a great di' ■ aice.

a .sit

havi

de])

vole;

]><>Vt

thou.'
ent

spots

and

am ju

hei'e

cups,
ing a

THE COLUMHIA IILACK-TAI I.KI» !»I:i:h.

1^3

Looking- :i\v!iy to tlit» nortli, my eyes fell on the glitter-
ing .smnniits of Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, nnd the
Three Sisters. Between them and myself the mighty Cas-
cade Range stret(died its timbered length. Some of the
mountains \v<'re clothed almost to their summits with a
majestic forest of fir. In some places this had been visitetl
by tire, which some cireless cam[)er or settler had allowed
to spread, and the weather-beaten, but ujjright, trunks of
thousands of giant trees glistened in the sunlight like so
many lit i -dies.

Far in the east, towering above the sage-brush plains of
Central Oregon, the hazy summits of a spur of the Blue
Mountains were seen; to the west, tho eye overlooked the
beautiful and fertile valley of the Willamette; and tunnng
to the south, the vision rested on the spotless summits of
Diamond Peak, Mount Theilson, Mount Pitt, Mount Scott,
and last, but not least. Mount Shasta. Truly, this was a
sight long to be remembered; but the one in my imnu'diate
neighborhood was hardly less beautiful.

Fi'oui my central position, I overlooked a number of
ridges running into each other, in some j)laces s'ightly
covered with snow. These ridges consisted mainly of naked,
but not unpictures(pie, rocks; but in some places these were
hid 1)y a scrubby growth of iirs.

Looking down the southern slope of my ridge, I beheld
a sight that, could it have been transferred to canvas, would
have formed a most beautiful i^icture. Here had been
deposited considerable soil, which appeared to be of a red,
volcanic nature, but which was sufficiently rich for the sup-
port of a good deal of vegetation. On this ridge grew
thousands and thousands of rhododendrons, of three differ-
ent colors — red, white, and pink. Gnnving in thenu)ister
spots were a sjiecies of wild pansy, two varieties of lilies,
and several other beautiful Howers, the names of which I
am not familiar with. Huckleberry an ^ other shi-ubs were
here to be found in great abundance. Thrushes, bhick-
caps, grossbeaks, chickadees, and other birds were flutter-
ing about among the shrubbery, and, strange as it may

i 1

!■• ■!

IIM! (i.VArK OK XOKTII AMKIUCA.

seein, this rei^ioii was the abidiiitj-place of ihoiisands of
huMimin.n-hii'ds, ol" dill'tTciit varieties and most gorgeous
l)iuniage.

I took my ritle, and wandered alxxit among these [thmts
and llowei's, drinking in tiie l)eii(itifnl siglit, for a full hour,
and <is i did so tlie. tliouglit came to me tluit at hist the
8|»ortsriian's pai'adise, the mysterious liappy hunting-
ground of the red tiuin, had been discovered. lUnv, was
game in the greatest al)undance; locomotion was easy;
tlie climate was nearly perfect, and the air and water were
the purest in the world; scenery the superior of which is
not to 1)0 found on the continent, and birds, llowers, and
berries of beautiful colors and forms.

During tlie timt^ that I was feasting on the beauties of
Nature 1 .saw several Dt^er at no great distance, but did not
disturb them. Once a largi^ do(^ jumped up fiom her bed
among the shiubs and bounded slowly away; but I was not
shooting does as long as there were plenty of bucks. The
afternoon was half-spent before I directed my steps toward
camp. I had hardly walked three hundred yards, from the
spot where I ate my lunch, when a line two-i)oint buck
walked out from beliind a wall of I'ock. Throwing my rilie
to my shoulder, I gave it to him where I thought his heart
lay. Down went his tail, and, after making about half a
dozen ([uick bounds, over he went on his head. On coming
up to him, I found that my aim had been true, and tbat the
ball had passed through his heart. In such a case a Deer
will f)f ten run as long as he can hold his breath. I soon had
him hung uj), and i)roceeded on my way to camp.

1 had arrived within almost half a mile of camp, when I
came upon two bucks and three does feeding in a little
glade. They were not more than fifty yards distant, and
had not discovered me. So confident was I of killing the
l/uck I had selected that I did not take careful aim, and I
made a clean miss. The does and the other buck ran off in
alarm, but their curiosity would not admit of their going
far. The buck that I had tired at gave but a couple of
bounds, and stood looking at me. Within a second after I

lieu I
llittle
and
tlie
kina I
lott" in
k'oing
nle of
ffter I

TIIK COLUMIHA lil.ACK-TAILKl) DKEll.

l;].')

fired my iirst sliot I was ready for a seoond, and as he stood
there, proudly, lookin,<? at nie, 1 planted a bullet in the base
of liis neck. This time he did not ^o far, for the bullet
went, len,a;tli wise, entirely throuuh his body. Ilaiiuina; liiiu
up, I i)i'()ceeded to camp, where a substantial sui)per
awaited nie.

The next morning I took a couple of ponies and brought
my game to camp. Not long after this it clouded up, and
tliere was a slight fall of snow. The mineis were not slow
to take the liint, and the mines and cabins were soon closed
up, and we all hied ourselves back to civilization.

It would take an abler pen than mine to give a realistic
description of this wonderful region. The only way in
which you can fully appreciate its beauties is to visit it,
which i)leasure I earnestly hope you may sometime enjoy.

: !

If f!

I li

THE MULE DEER.

By Rev. Josiha Cookk ("Boonk").

PRESUME that it \h not the (h-sinu of tlie fdltoi- of
tliiH work to hiive his ('()ntrll)ul()is oo into niinnte
details of description of tiie n' ble animals of which he
wishes ns to write, espechdly of the Ceriu'dw; tiie
handsome and remarkable volume of Jud^e Caton on "The
Antelope and Deer of America" lias left nothing of that
kind to be done after him. 1 assume that it is our pr()\ ince
to give fair general descriptions of the animals, to treat of
their haunts and habits as we ourselves have discovei'ed
them, and to narrate such incidents of region, for<'st life, the
actual hunt, as should make the reader our c<)m[)anion for
the time, and the sharer in our instru(;tion and t)ur pleasure
as we tell the hunt in its details, and " tight our battles o'er
again." It is one of the pleasures remaining to those who
have been themselves shut out, by busy life or otlnn' cause,
frompnrsuit of our n(jblergame animals, to read the stories
as told by more favored ones; while these lattei'. now
debarred from foruier i)i'ivileges, seek a measurable renew-
ing of them through the medium of the pen. 80, without
further prologue, I will enter on the part assigned me. with
this pleasure, that my theme is one of the finest animals of
the chase, or of our continent.

Although, as I said, I do ncit suppose it is niinutelj'
technical description that is looked for from us, yel; it is
proper that the animal should be fairly set before the
reader before entering on details and incidents of its pur-
suit. This can not be done better than in the words of
Judge Caton, who has both hunted the Mule Deer in his
native haunts and raised him in his noble park in Illinois.
Judge Caton says:

This Deer was first discovered by Lewis and Clarke, on September 18,
ISOi, in latitude 42°, on the Missouri River, who then called it "Black-tailed

( i-ir )

Jfii

in'

ill

^;i

i;j8

BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

Deer." By lliis imine they often mention it, until May 31, 1805, after they
liail (liscovcrud tjie C()lmiil)ia Hlack-t;iilu(l Deer, when Captain Clarke, on
eniiinc latinif liie animals found on the Columbia Hiver below tlie falls, calls it
the Aliile IX >•. By that name they ever after identify it, except in a single
instance. O.'i tlicir return, in 1800, near where they first met it thej- cap-
tui((l liieir last specinicn, am' called it Mule Deer. In the Hotkj- Mou-itaiiiH,
wiiere the true Black-tailed. Deer is not known, it is still called, the Black-
tailed Deer. On the Paeilie Coast, where it ranges with the Columbia Blaek-
lailed Deer, it is known by its true name, ilule Deer, by v.'hich desiirnalion it
is also re'o^^iiized by naturalists. The original !!id)itat of this Deer has not
been very nnich restricted since its tirst discovcv, though it has deserted or
become scarce on the Mis.souri River and other hunted localities where the
white man has too much di,-;turbed its .seclusion. Its most natural home is in
the mountains; but it is found on tlie great plains, hundreds of miles east of
them, v.here it most allects tlie broken and arboreous l)ordeis of the streams.

West of the Rocky Mountains, this species of Deer is met with almost
everywhere. In tlie Coast Range, north of San Francisco, it is almost entirely
replaced by the Colunibi;'. River Bl.ick-tailed Deer, and south of that point
this variety entirely gives place to the California variety. In (Jregon, Wash-
ington, and in British Columbia, the Mul" Deer is met with, but not so abun-
dantly as in the mountains farther east.

In the fac(! of civilization, they maintain their ground better than the
Wa[)iti Deer. In lliglu, ihoy do not run like the common Deer, but bound
along, all the feet le;,.-ing and striking thj ground together. For a short
distanc'J the flight is rapid, but soon seems to weary. Once, when sitti -t on a
crag on the Rocky Mountiiins ten thousand feet above the sea, I watclwu one,
which had been started l}y a companion, as hi! bounded througii the valley a
thousand feet below. In a run of half a mile, he showed evident fatigue.
That the labor of such u motion is greatc than that of the long, graceful
leaps of the common Deer, must be manifest to all who observe tliem.

Their limbs are larger and coarstr than those of tiie common T>(.'er, and
they are less agile iiiid (>lastic in their motions, and are less gnu eful in form.
Thei. large, disproportioueil ears are their most ugly feature, and give tone to
the whole figure.

The summer coat is a pale, dull yellow. Toward fall, this is replaced
by a fine, short, black coal, which rapidly fadjs to gray. As the .season
advances, the bails of the winter coal grow larger, and so become more dense,
as well as of a liuiiter color. Usually, in the forehead is a dark, bent line
in the form of a horseshoe, with the toe downwani. The brisket and belly
are black, growing lighter fow.ard ihe umbilicus; thence, posteriorly, a still
lighter shade prevails, till, at the inguinal region, a dull white prevails.
Between the thighs it is i[uite white, widening toward the tail. This white
portion exteiels to one inch above the tail, where it is six inches broad. Lower
down, it is ei,;:;ht inches broad, ami lower ■^till, betwci-n Ihe legs, it contracts
to four ine'.ies in breadth. Viewed posteriorly, this white i)atch is a conspicu-
ous object. Below the knees and elbows, the legs are of a uniform dark cin-
nauion color.

and

c;i!ii

to ri
nioni

of Ji;
wieeri

alk;i]i
moinil
Jiiindil

■MMH

THE MULE i/EER.

139

sruson

ni line
il \)eU3'
a still
li-i.'vails.
wliile
Lower
hnlvacts
l)UH\)ii:U'
lark cm-

Thus much for the Beer hlms'^lf ; now for the getting
him — a very different thing!

In II wild, lonely nook of the Blue Mountains of Oregon,
between the west and south forks of Burnt River, lies our
camp for a fall hunt — for recreation from a liard sun'.mer's
work, and for meat to stretch out the beef for the winter.
It is October. In that altitude of five thousand feet above
the sea-level, and in an almost rainless climate, the air,
under a cloudless sun at midday, is cool and bracing; and
the sun once down, the crld requires a good winter lire for
the night. I luive lived many years — more than three-
score — and I have never known greater physical and mental
enjoyment combined than at just such a camp-lire, in just
such a solitude, with just such a company — all fond of the
woods, of the rifle, of the hunt for Deer. The summer's
work had been a most toilsome one^ putting up hay to
carry the stock of the ranch through the wint«n', and getting
everytliing in order for the near approach of that season.
And now the work of the long, weary, wearing months
could be thrown aside; care could be given to the winds for
ten days or a fortnight, and tbe keen pleasure of seeking
the wary Deer in the midst of his haunts, and glinting
over tliL brown barrel at tJie noble game, could be enjoyed
to the full.

And noble game it is; for it is the Mule Deer of Oregon
and Washingt'^n -next to the 'Alk. and the Moose, the
largest and liiu'st of our American Vtrrldd'. We were
camped in the midst of a region he peculiarly loves — near
the foot-hills that slope upward fi'om the forks of the river
to )'idges and mountains covered with pine, lir. laurel,
mounrain maliogany, grease-wood, from all of which he
crops his fare, and in the midst of which he seeks the places
of his rest and his hiding — always Avith possibilities of
meeting the lordl}' Elk, whi(;li, ev«Mi at this season, and
earlier, comes down from his far mountain haunts for the
alkali springs that arv> found here and there along all these
mountain streams. And this wild tract stretches away a
liundied miles to the west, an unl)roken wildei-ness of fo»'est,

M! J

140

1U(> (SAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

'if i

i
I

|l' :{

^!f

': ll

!;
I 1

ill

ridge, and iiiouiittiin, where one may go the whole distance
to the John Day country without meeting face or dwelling
of hiimankindj so that there was force in the caution, as
we stalled out, '' K you get lost, go east! "

My hunting conipanion wiis my oldest son — six feet and
an incli in. his stockings; with dark hair and eyes, a manly
face and form —a powerful man; withal, a good shot and an
unusually line hunter, always the reliance of the ranch for
meat when no one else could secure it. And, best of all,
to me a warm-hearted, generous, loving son, who was
delighted to have his ftither with him after a seclusion from
all he loved for five long years.

We hunt together to-day. He has with him his favorite
Deer-dog, a cross of the Hound and the Pointer. 1 have my
beautiful Irisli Setter, equally at home with Elk and Deer
as with the grouse on the foot-hills and in the meadows
below; but in manner of luuiting wholly another animal —
a changed (.log, as may be accomplished with any good
S<itter in three days' ti.ne. And so, the drowsiness of the
night shaken off, our coffee and breakfast over, just as the
su'i is rising over the far foot-hills of the east, we grasp our
good rilles, wish good luck to our companions, and start for
the ritlges and mountains west of us. It would be difficult
to convey to one unused to life of this kind, in the open air
and in v.oods and hills, and . not fond of the riffe and its
uses, the sense of exhilaration, the springiness of step, the
thrill of gladness through the whole system, that are
inspired by life, for a time, in wild and sublime scenes like
these; especially, when added to all of ordinary forest free-
dom is the bracing tpiality of a rainless atmosphere and a
cloudless sky, at an elevation of live thousand feet above
the sea. Movement itself becomes pleasure; to climb a
steep hill-side or thread your way along a steep ridge has
no fatigue, while the intense and solemn stillness of the
primeval forest, far froitv the sound and haunts of men,
with the sense of entire i)hysical freedom from care and
to go where you will coming in sharp contrast with the
conlinement of daily life through the rest of the year, com-

Deer
never
lost i:
and (1(
eves f(
shoot,
best w

me. fr,i

He
traditi(
at an a;
i"ods to

TIIK MULP: peek.

141

bine to make all a simple ecstasy for a lover of Nature and
of tlie hunt.

'i o one not fond of these, to stay at home end saw wood
would be preferable. I have actually been out amid the
grandest scenes, in the most .ul^rious weather, a)id where
every lu'eath and every sight was an iPrfpiration, with men
wlio V pre glad to get back to their saw and their wood, or
their 'quivalents.

All right! Non cuin/'s omnia! Were all of tlie same
mind, tiie wilderness world would be speedily oveirun, and
plain and foicst and mountain be stripped of tlieir game
more rapidly even than they are now being stripped by the
foreign butcher and the skin-huntt i men whom I always
class together in my mind.

Added to all other stimn' its of the scenes I was mov-
ing in. was the unquenched iin ! tinciuencliMble tenderness
for the noble boy who led the way before me; tall, powerful,
manly; his face browned by exi)osure to almost the hu" of
his rich brown hair, and his dark, hazel eyt beiiming with
affection for the father for whom he had planned this very
hunt a year ago, and when he was two thousan<l miles
away. lie i)aused now, as we were entering the Hiickets
of mingled laurel, grease-wood, and mountain maliogany
which partially filled the spaces between the boles of thf
fir and pine.

'* Now, father, we are on the ground, and liable t< -a
Deer anywhere. This is mostly new ground to me, for I
never hunted on it but once, and it is a bad country to get
lost in. I wish that you would keep near me to-day,
and don't make me look for you, for I shall want all my
eves for the Deer. If we both see the Deer, I want >/oii to
slioot. for you are a better shot than I am, while I know
best where to look for the game. But don't get aAvay from
me, for it is so easy here to get lost."

He is really a fine shot himself; but he spoke fi-om a
traditional feeling as to my use of the rifle when he was
at an age that he could not lift one. We i)assed on. I a few
rods to one side of and behind him, and soon were in that

■I ^

. rr^^i!

1 ^'

142

BIO (lAME OF NOKTII AMEPilCA.

I [

absorbed noiselessness that all Deer-liunters Avill under-
stand, where to l)reak a twig or step on a brittle stick gives
one a twinge as for a g; alty tiling.

We liad gone sideling up a higli ridge, on the very-
brow of which rose a single massive rock, lifteen or twenty
feet in height. We were Hearing it slowly, within a hun-
dred yards, when out from behind it stepped a noble doe.
She moved on to a little mound or hillock, and there stood
moti()Ml(^ss as her eye caught us. It was a sight I shall
never forget, and shall never see again. Below and beyond
her the ridge pitched steeply down, so that her entire form
stood outlined above the horizon against the clear, blue sky.
She stoo'- • ■ 1 if for a picture, as, indeed, she was in herself.
In a life v«f sixty years, and in pursuit of game under all
conditions, animated nature has never presented to my
sight anything so beautiful.

She stood slightly quartering to us, visible from her
great nine-inch ears to her very hoofs. My son barely
turned his head, and whispered:

"Do you see that:: "

But my rifle was at my shoulder, and, as he spoke, I
fired. Tlu' Deer gave a wheel backward, and went out of
sight. This was bad. I had been perfectly steady; my ritie
was perfectly sighted for just that distance, and she ought
to have fallen in her tracks.

I felt crestfallen. As we walked slowly up, my son said:

"Father, where did you aimT"

I said: "At the big, round, whitish spot on her left
breast; for the bullet would ])ass through the heart r.nd out
on the other side."

With much chagrin, he said:

"I should think an old hunter, as you are, would have
known enough to aim at the point of the shoulder. Then
if your ball had dro[)ped six inches, you would still have
got her; but now, if you dropped four inches, it went
below her brisket, and you have missed her altogether."

"But," I said, "at that distance I didn't mean to have
my ball drop four inches."

in tin

the in

It '

like tJ
inches
"B;
fellow
ton's
treat I lie
skull n
iiini one
lesson,
that bill
in etern:
tiling Jiii

kit

ive
lien
[we
-lit

live

THE MULE DEEU.

143

This brought as to the iiioiiiid, and tlieve, beliiiul it, hiy
the Deer, dead, in a posture as striking as that in wliicli slie
stood sharply delined against the slcy. The revulsion of
feeling from chagrin to gratification was almost painful.
My son bled her, and we then looked upon her as she lay.
Head, neck, and form were in just such position as she
might have been in sleeping on her side, while her strong,
cinnamon-colored legs were disposed at full length, as if
arranged by hand. Her coat had passed from the blackish
shade which it takes on after the yellowish summer dress
into the steel-mixed, with its satin sheen of the full winter
coat. Down her throat was the deep-black band that
marks the species, while breast and belly were oi broader
and deeper black still, till shading into the pure white
between the thighs and up on both sides to two inches
above the tail. We walked around her in silent admiration.

"Well, father, I have lnmted these Deer for five years
now, and that is the handsomest one I ever saw, and you
will never shoot su(;h another. She is ()ne of the oldest
does— probably eight or ten years old — and in perfect condi-
tion. She will weigh near three hundred as she lies there."
Then he said, "Now, let us see where you hit her."

The ball had struck the round spot of the bi'east directly
in the center; had passed between the shoulders, thnnigh
the heart, and out on the other side.

" Well," he said, "that is close shooting! I cant shoot
like that! But don't yousee, father, if you had gone four
inches lower you would have missed her altogether^

"Bates," I said, "you remind me of a harum-scarum
fellow that went from a Massachusetts town into Washing-
ton's army, in the Revolution. He was brought back for
treatment, his head furrowed by a British bullet, l)ut the
skull not fractured. The minister of the town, meeting
him one day, thought it would be a proper occasion for a
lesson. He said, solemnly: ' Isaac, did you know that if
that bullet had gone an inch lower you would have been
in eternity?' 'Ye-e-s,' said Ike; 'and if the d-d-darned
thing had g-g-gone an inch higher, it wouldn't have h-i-i-it

II-

n .^i

144

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

!■

me at all! ' Ike's 'if * was as good as the dominie's, ami it
was a fair rei)ly."

"Oh, yes," said Bates, "you'll always have your story;
now we'll (!Ut up the Deer."

The truth was, he was right; the point of the shoulder
is always the shot for a Deer. The shoulder on both sides
is broken, the lungs and spine are penetrated, nnd the ani-
mal goes down at once. But then, he was my boy, and it
wouldn't do to give in. As Mr. Bagnet says, "Discipline
niu'-^t be maintained."

We drew the line animal, put her on the mound for
notice when ccmiing in witli the horse, and resumed our
hunt in good heart over the good omen for the day.

We now kept along the northern side of the ridge, the
southern being steep and quite bare, while our own side
was a long slope, and covered with all the woods that give
food and shelter to Deer. We had gone, perhaps, half a
mile, and were some four rods apart, my son just then
hidden in some thickets of mountain mahogan 3%
ahead of hi in a hundred yards I saw a tine Deer
rapidly down the hill-side. I drew up my rifle, but it was
passing four or five huge pines, and no sooner would I get
my sight to bear than a huge tree-trunk would come between
me and the game. I waited till it had passed the last tree,
and fired for the shoulder. It went heavily to the ground,
and floundered around as Deer always do when struck in
the shoulder. Bates said, in a low tone:

"Whatnowi"

"I've got one, yonder," said I.

When up from the hill-side, directly beyond my son
and over his head, sprang my Deer as lively as ever. I
fired again, and ()rought it down. As Avill sometimes hap-
pen, I could see distinctly the loJiitiah parting of the hair
as the bullet struciv the side.

At that moment a Deer sprang up directly in front of
Bates, and not twenty feet away. He was taken by sur-
prise, fired a snap-shot, and missed. It came whirling
toward me, directly in my face, with the big Deer-dog close

when right
walking

\ ■

'J'ilK MVLE DKKH.

145

at its lieeJs If r l i ^^^

Jumi.ea directly on „i"o!. "'"'''^' ^ '^""^^ ^t ^yonkUnve

ve the ni„d. f waited to I .^ ' ""^^ ''''^'' ^'^'^^ ™e

J-'^ars .since, I,ut I can see J ,i;t .?''^ "'^- ^' ^^ lour
I'eud on the flank a.s I pulled e' t T^", ''' '' «^« ^""e the

;e old cartridge without t twfnf'i;;'"- ' ''"' ^'"'^^-^ «"
^nsu-e. to the trigger was a dull 4 ,";;"'^" '^"•^' ^"''^ "^1 ^^e
>et become used to th<. n, '/^"'"^""liy «niip! I h;,d unt

>»y .i.-.e ...uie thJ:. ' ."'T'rr;'' ""^ ■'»"■ "&;!;'

I will venture to savliv ,, '" ^?'^'^"''nt on liis „,,v ■mrl
™-.-.oa,.«, Bee.. J;Th-f„; ™ »>i» iai- that „i JA'S^
g- s, all ,,,„i„g. „„ ,,i„, o™e " t7, r "■'"' ""^"' <^«S^.

* V e went ui) to myr n "'^ afternoon nan

a fine lat,. C T^r^^ ^.J;? f^^^i^^e, andtund it
number of does killed tint hi ^' " "^^^^'"^^ition of the
tinie. n-hen the does ^-hI "' 7' J"'^^ before ruttint
««Ives and ottt ol The ' T' ^'"'"■' ^^'^'^i' '>J^ " m

«l^-eady seeking them V t' , ° ^''^^^^^ ^^^^ ''"^'^1 who a^^

fne.t condition for, t^tttrir*^'''"^' ^^-y-einthd
bled and drawn her -ind w., ^ ^' '" ^^^« y^«i'- We h-id
^ ;;oy looked pi;,2^ ::- -;-^f ter our lunch, t) ^
tlie first day, and, with his own "^"^ ^'^^^ fortune of

top of a big hickor"^, t ::'■ r "'■'■<•. -"y ri«e off into ?ie
bad it since. But the, R ,t ^ ,™''»taMion, and I never

^_,^He,.,„ed, ..Oh, t.at.sai,'-;r;„rdSna^-rt:

I looked at the Deer h^f^,
^^ "Bate., this Isn t e Dt;i":h„t^ fo,.«Ut struck ,ne.
- W a three.,ear-„,a doe, '^^^1:1!::^;^^!^^ '^

^ r

1' ''1

i '•• *'H-

: .Si

■ T;:

f',*.

I'l

!;t

[.■r:

i;;!

" I

^r"

III

146

BUi (lAACE (»F XOinil AMKUIOA.

rf: ,

"Well, that would be luck," said he; "can you tell
where you .shot at it^'

" Of course; just beyond the last of those big pines." We
went at once, and there lay my yearling, stone-dead.

" AVell, this M- luck! Now, father, I understand why
your gun snapped on that other Deer. You were eh'ded to
miss it, for if you had killed these three Deer in three
shots, and all in motion, the loagoti looulduH have held you
doioii f/oijuj hoine!'^

So we had our laugh again, and bled and drew our Deer.
Bates cast his eye up at the declining sun, for it was now
afternoon.

"Father, Til have just time to go to camp, get the
horses, and get the Deer home before dark."

It was a thing as much beyond me as to pull np one of
those pines and stand it on its top; but lie is i)erfect in all
that peitains to horses and woodcraft, and as he drew his
belt a hole tighter, threw his rifle over his shoulder, caught
uj) old Tige's leash, and struck off in an entirely different
line from that by which we had come, I followed on, with
as little sense and as little hand in the matter as he had
when I rocked him in his cradle.

Over foot-hills, down gulches, across ridges, a half -hour's
sturdy tramp, and we paused,

"Do you know where you are?" said he.

And there before me was the camp; the horses at their
pickets in the bunch grass; the wagon in its place as we
left it, and our morning tire smoldering, with just enough
smoke to give it a hunnm look and make one feel at home.
We saddled the two cattle-horses; hung the lariats and
lash-ropes in their places; he mounted one and led the
other, and was soon out of sight. It was two good miles to
our lirst doe, and he told me that he struck the place within
ten rods; he loaded her on Jack, followed the ridge to the
other two, loaded them on George, and just at dusk his
tall, manly form appeared again from the woods, afoot him-
self, and leading the horses with tiie game, seemingly as
fresh as when he started in the morning. Such is the vigor

and

the

les to

litUin
tlie
his
Ihim-
as
[vigor

i^ I.,

i:.i

' i:

i,'

a dog.

Ar(

I'l

THE MULE DEKU.

that life in these hills and in that dry, matchless climate
gives to the men who live there.

Meanwhile, I had not been idle. We had l)ronght the
livers of the Deer; and by the time the horses wei'e nnloaded
and at their pickets again, the coffee, potatoes, bread, onions,
liver with bacon, v ere set, all smoking-hot, before him.

Tlu' dark eyes glistened, the great, brown face flushed, as
;he sight struck one sense and the odor another, and all,
the stomach. He sat down, removed his hat, bent his head
in reverence to the higher Father, and said:

"The word of thanks, father, and I am ready! "

It was body and soul working together, and every inch a
mani A fellow-ranchman came to his cabin one day, and said:

'' ]\li'. (J , my old mother is dead. She was a Christian

■vvonnin, and I don't want to put her in the ground like the
cattle we bury. There isn't a minister within thirty miles.
Your father was a minister; you have taught our Sabbath-
school. Would you come and say a word over my
mother i"

It was a new experience, and the big boy thought a
moment.

" Whitehead, I never did anything of the kind; but if
it was my mother — and I have got one whom I worshi])— I
should feel as yon do. Your mother shan't be buried like
a dog. I'll come." And he went. As he wrote me after-
ward, " I recalled the words I had so often heard you pro-
nounce f>ver the dead. All alone, I read a passage of Sciipt-
ure, sang a verse of a hymn, said a short prayer, said the
'dust to dust,' and all was over. It was a tight jilace,
father; all the men and Avomen of the valley were there; but
I thought of mother, and it carried me through."

A rough young ranchman said to him, one day:

" Bates, we notice that you will take jjart with us in our
sjwrts up to a certain point, and then you stop. We won-
der why."

"Jerry, when I left my home, I made up mj^ mind to go
nowhere and take part in nothing that would displease my
mother."

1 1

3 !

BfCTiT

148

liKi (lAMK OF NOUTII A.MKIIK A.

IFiil

•li I

II i

' 1'

Tilt* leader will i)iinl()ii this (li<;ressi()ii; but that was the
kind of boy (lod had ;j;iven iiie, and tluit was my conipanion
for this hunt in the Miountaius. In caiui) or in cabin, no
meal without the word of thanks to ihe (iiver.

"i'^ather, have m)u ^'ot the cdU'ee pot U\\\'. I am dried
u}) like i)aper, and I'm hollow to the knees!"

1 knew whom I was iiuiveyin<i; Tor, and what had been tlie
draught of the day on that sturdy frame. Indeed, I had
only to judge by my :»wn measure, and double it foi' his.
There was something (»1 -dl the dishes left when, after an
hour of untiring' application, lie leaned bark, laid down his
knife and fork, wiped his lips, and said:

'* Well, 1 must call a halt, or 1 shall be as bad as old
Tige when he had iilled up on the lirst Deer's inwards. He
looked like a gyp, and near her time!"

This is the restorative power of the woods. The j^ure,
clear air; the wild, grand scenery; the manly tramp, with
the t'ager exi)ectaiicy of the hunter every moment; every
jihysical power drawn on, and then all physical waste
repaired by the appetite that would seem gluttony at home;
then the profound, dreamless sleep of the tired frame in the
hemlock-boughs; the flickering flame of the camp-tire; the
sighing of winds through the pines; the weird sounds and
shadows of the woods — all soothing the nerves, relaxing the
muscles, and leading the mind into that state which the
ancients beautifully made the ju-ovince of the twin-brother
of death; but with a dailfj resurrection to restored powers,
instead of the final one to an endless, immortal, unwearied
state.

The dawning of the following morning found us in our
woods again, wholly restored from the fatigue of the preced-
ing day, and eager to follow up our yesterday's success by
another like it. It was to be Bates' day to-day. While
the light was yet dim, and a slight mist hung over the
ground, I saw, at a good, fair distance from me, a doe
feeding from a laurel-bush. Her head was down in the
center of the busli, her whole body outside, and per-
fectly defined. I counted her as good as m my hand, and

dej,i',

Sfif)u,

^\'liert

uscrih

i'J«- wi

(^,>'e Wi

this ki

^vas so

too, „n

Utteijy

iailed'

i'ltelJig^

i'lg- oiu'
^ve ni;i V

a Deer
ered to
tnnity.

sprang f J
ibr thi^ ^..

iioosii
noble doj
^^'e foJ]o,l

^%- It J

TIIK Mr'LK DKKK.

140

■' Ml

our
3oed-
ts by
rhile
the
doe
in the
per-
, antl

nitning for the shoulder, Ihcd. Wlien the smoke that hung
on tlie Jaini) nioining air had ch-ared, no Deer was to be
seen. Vestenhiy's ex[)erien('e had nuuh' ww overweening,
and I went forward very conlich'nt of linding lier strelciied
out witliin a reasonable distance. I did not find her stretched
out at any distance, and sending old Tige on lier trail, ids
speedy return revealed no blood drawn, and a clean antl
palpable miss.

All riflemen have these unaccountable misses in recollec-
tion. A defective bullet, ii stray twig deflecting, dim light,
a failure of eye and finger to work together, a raisin. r or
depressing the gun as the trigger is pulled — some con-
scious or unconscious cause lies at the bottom of ndsses,
where live out of six shots, all day long, would be fatal. I
ascribed uune to the dim light. Past three-score, and shoot-
ing with the naked eye, the chill morning air making the
eye water — perhaps nudving the finger nund)— something of
this kind probably was at the bottom of my erring shot. I
was sorry; somewhat mortified, and somewhat chastened,
too, under the reflection that the day before I had been
utterly unsatisfieil with the two Deer I killed beiuiuse I
failed to kill the third.

Nature has her revenges. And Nature is a jiersonal,
intelligent, kindly father, correcting our pride and rebuk-
ing our ingratitude. Even in the mountains, and on a hunt,
we nuiy learn this.

We went on Suddenly, thump! tliumi)! thumpi went
a Deer u]) a steep acclivity before us, but too thickly cov-
ered to allow us to see him. Now was my son's opp(n'-
tuuity. With bounds like that of the Deer himself, he
sprang forward, and caught sight of the Deer looking back
for the cause of alarm, as is their wont, often, lie threw
his Burgess to his shoulder and fired.

Loosing Tige from the leash, he let him free, and the
noble dog was up the hill in a moment, and out of sight.
We followed, breathless, and just at the summit found the
dog lying by the side of the dead Deer, awaiting our com-
ing. It was a fine, manly feat, that rush up the hill-side;

I !

150

BIO GAME OF NOUTII AM Kill (A.

I i,

W I

.il

¥ fl

! I i

and it was a i^erfecfc shot, with heaving breatli and quiver-
ing pulsf, to send a l)unet directly through tlie Deer's most
vital i)art. My l)oy does not praise himself much, but I
conkl ncjt withhold mine.

The Deer l)ltMl and drawn, and di'agged to a conspicuous
placH, we made lead y to i)iirh;^e our hunt.

Here let me i)ause to notice the thumping jump of this
vai-iety of Deer. Mr, Van Dyke and Judge Caton have both
called atteiiiion to it. Instead of the long, swinging leap
of the coniiiiuii Deer, they make jumps in which all their
legs seem to come down together, and stiffened at the joints.
I tliiidv this can be accounted for by their habitat — the
sct'iK's where Nature designs I they should live. This is an
utteily broken, often precipiious, country, where Nature
seems to have shown as much abhorrence of a piece of level
ground as she is said to have of a vacuum. In is hardly an
e^-aggeration to s.iy that, in whole square miles of the wild,
br(,ken, volcanic region inhabited by the Mule Deer, one
can not find a single half-acj'e of level f round — hardly a
square rod. Steep hills, precipitous lidges and ledges, with
a crumbling volcanic f/ehr!s under foot at every step, it is
plain that an a.iiuial like our Deer tinds a much surer foot-
ing in a jumping, poundiug gait, than in the free, clear
)un with which the Mrginia Deer vrings its course over the
level prairies or through the level forests. Nature is a
kindly uujther, ;. I she gives no gift Avithout a meanb-g, no
distinction without its use. AVouid that we could feel it
for ourselvts!

Spirits arc not tincly touc'ii'il
iiut to fine i.ssiu's; nor Nature never lenib
The smallest scruple ol' her t'xcollonce;
But, like 11 thrifty ,i.''<Kl(l(;ss, she ileteriuiues
Herself tlie jrlory of ii creditor,
Jiotli thanks and u.^e.

Bates i.s in his tMtiiuent to-dtiy, and shines in swift, pow-
erful nu)tion, and ;is a sntip-shot. Here I take a, back seat,
and am tpiile content. It is meat we are after, as the main
thing, jtind it matters little to which ritle it falls. The dif-
fering gifts are telling in the nuiin eiul.

a liii
to en
W
yestei-
both
TJit

<< T

look.s

in tlu

^yhich

entire!

other

'18 to St

two or
on tlie

that ,se(^|
arated,

le'.iv

the

is II

le\ it

pow-
seat,
inaiu
li£-

l\ii c

THE MULE DEEU.

151

An hour more o^ slow, rarefiil searcli, and no result;
when suddenly Tio-t- strains on his leash; Dash draws ahead,
and stands a-pouir. Bates whispers:

"There's a Deer within twenty feet of us."

It bounds from our very side; rushes down a Deer-path
for the woods below. I raise my riHe to fire when it shall
clear some large tree-trunks, when Bates throws up his
Burgess, fires a clear snap-shot, and the Deer goes head-
long down the hill-side, with a broken neck. It was
splendidly done.

"Yes," said he; "but it was a snap-shot; I had no
aim."

"So much the better, my boy! A rifle leveled as accu-
rately as that, without aim, at an animal on the jump, is a
better shot than the best standing-shot can possibly be."

The Deer proved a fine two-year-old buck, in perfect
condition, and it made us glad.

It was now about two o' clock in the afternoon, and Bates
said:

" We are about three miles from camp; suppose Ave make
a hunt that way, and I can get the horses, and get the meat
to cjimp before dark."

We met nothing on the way; and he rp^^eotedthe trip of
yesterday, and I repeated the supper, over which we were
both as glad as before.

The next morning, as we started out, Bates said:

" I don't like the appearance ^ the sky this morning. It
looks as if there was going to be ii fog, and that is no Joke,
in these mountains. All peaks and headlands are olwcured,
which are our guides at other times. Tlie sun is hidden
entirely, and foi' a hundred miles every place is like every
other place, and a man is as safe to camp and remain still
as to stir a step -safer, ordinarily -only they may hold for
two or three days. But we will hunt, the forenoon, and be
on the watch for the mist."

We were going on new ground, up a high, sloping ridge
that seemed to reach to the mountains beyond. We sep-
arated, for once, to come together higher up, a jnile farther

IB 1

f ■■'

.!» ; ;v

/'■^

152

mo GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

lii

lis

l i !

' II :i

on. A half -hour of careful walking, for signs were plenty,
and I came on a track crossing mine, that, at first, I thought
was an Elk's; but I saw, on inspection, it was a buck's of
the largest size. At the same time. Dash drew on fi'om
behind me, lifted liis nose in the air, and began his cat-like
creej) that always told of game near by. I knew I was

A Portrait.

directly on the buck, but could see him nowhere. It was
now literally crawling with dog and nuin, when Dash sud-
denly came to a stand-still, with nothing in sight, though
an absolute certainty of the game being within lialf-riHe-
shot of me. The tension of feeling was now almost painful.
I left Dash on his ])oint, turned slowly around an iuuuense
laurel-bush which hid a front view, and the mighty game
was before me. "He was lying down in a body of grass, and

As I ,

was f]

vajif't

shell,

hull in

ders, 1

trated |

at tht

tiie UK)

butcht
My Hi,
I km-
could,
there's
shoiiJ,!,

ela]».v'(

seeiufr-d

is tile 1-,

not be o

Stilf/i

tile coycj
as best

THE MULE DEEK.

153

id-
Itle-

hise

we saw each otlier at the same moment. Had it been a doe
or a yearling, it woukl h:ive sprung from its bed in an
instant; but an old buck, either from a spirit of indolence
or defiance, will often wait to take a steady look, which
seals his doom. Raising my ritie slowly in another direc-
tion, then swinging it swiftly sidewise, I lired through tiie
grass, at the point of his shoulder. lie never rose. lie
rolled on his side, and Avhen I came up— and it was not six
rods off — his tongr» was out. and his eye was glazing in
deatli. He made one faint effort to reach me with his gn.'at
horns, fell back, and died.

He was a trophy indeed — six or eight years old by his
antlers, in perfect condition, as rutting-time had sciircely
begun, and yet his neck showed signs of the coming tiuie.
As I should jndge, in averaging with the common Deei-, he
was from a fourth to a fifth larger than the hu^est of that
variety. I was shooting, in those days, a lOO-grain Sliarp's
shell, 40.') of lead, and I do not remember ever finding the
ball in a Deer" s body. This shot hatl broken both shoul-
ders, the heavy spinal process between them, had pene-
trated that part of the lungs lying there, and had gone out
at the other side as clear as it had entered at the first. It is
the most deadly cartridge I have ever found, for a rille.

Here was a job for mel It was like tackling a steer in a
butcher's shoj), and is really the butcher's part in liunting.
My son was out of sight, and I must do it for myself.
I knew how, but I always let a comrade do it wiien I
could, rendering such incidental help as I might; but now
there's no help for it. Holling my sleeves up to My
shoulders, I plunged in; and when twenty minutes nad
elapsed, and I looked at myself, with iiy job completed. I
seemed to myself like a genuine man of the shambles. This
is the really unpleasant part of Deer-hunting; but it would
not l)e of earthly nature if it had not its drawbacks.

Stuffing boughs between the thighs to keep out the mag-
l)ies, and tying my handkerchief to the horns to kee}) off'
the covotes, 1 rubbed off mv stained arms to the shoulders
as best I could (for 1 was fifteen hundred feet above any

11 i

r?-

154

BIG GAME OF X0I{T1I AMERICA.

mi I

I ^^

j u

I*.

water), rolled down my sleeves, took up my rifle, and
resumed my hunt; Dash falling again to heel, his head
always just far enough ahead of my leg to clear my scent,
and so he woidd go all day l(mg.

I had gone, perhaps, half a mile, when I caught a
glimpse of white passing rapidly into some bushes. I ran
ahead, and thr(;ugh the thicket saw the form of a Deer
walking rai)i(lly. I threw up my rifle and lired, but the
brusii plainly turned the bullet; for the Deer, a noble doe,
bloke through the bushes, jan directly- toward me, and
stood looking every way for the quarter the noise had come
from. Her form was crouched, her legs were bent, ready
to spring; I had barely time to sight uj) to her brisket and
lire. She made a few great lunges, and fell tlead, not a rod
from me. A flne fawn rushed after and past her. I hastened
on his trail, and he stood looking back. It was somewhat
pitiful, l)ut the dam was dead, it was so much meat, and I
took him in with a broken neck, not to spoil his flesh.

At the shots, my son gave a whoop, which I answered,
and he came bounding toward me witli every sign of alarm.

*' Father, the mist is coming, and before we can get these
Deer prepared, it will be so thick about us that we can not
see ten i-ods. The sun is hidden already, and we have no
compasses with us. Hurry!"

And hurry we did. We drew the Deer across a log for
recognition, and started just short of a run. Before we
reached my buck, the mist had come rolling down the
mountain-side, obscuring everything at two rods' distance,
and turning the day to night.

Hates is a bi'ave boy, but now he was alarmed. We had
entered a thick gi'owth of black iir, where we had to force
our way, and where every landmark was lost, and we could
not tell the direction in which we were going. Bates
stopped, leaned on his gun, and, in a most serious tone,
said:

"Father, we are in a bad fix. All depends, now, on my
keeping my head level, or a\ e may have to stay out days
and nights. Please don't give me any counsel, or object to

wliic]

the fi

If so

there

down,

ho])e.

'iiovin^

a blacl

THE MULE DKEH.

i.n/)

; t ; !

my
lays
)t to

anything I say or do, for it would confuse nie, and then we
are lost indeed. I will do my best, but there was never
greater need."

1 can see him now, his tall form drawn up. his features'"
working with agitation, and his hunter's eye unsettled
and wavering, instead of fixed in an intensity which often
gave him actual pain for days after a hunt. I said-

''Bates, before I take up sileiu'e, let me say this: We
are now on an ascent, though very gradual; by keeping up
it as long as it continues, it must bring us to some ridge-
crest or hill-top. which is our only chance for an outlook if
the fog should break a little."

*' It is a good thought," said he, "and may save us."

We worked out of the tirs slowly, up into clearer ground;
up still higher, into huge rocks which told of a summit
near; then to the sumnut itself. No hunting now. Elk,
Deer, Bear, might have freely crossed our track un-
scathed. We were busied about ourselves. No outlook,
even from the summit we had attained; all was enveloped
in fog as thick as night, although it was barely noon.
Bates said:

"I will climb that fir; perhaps I can see from above."

Sixty feet he went up the dark, rough trunk, and clung
among the branches. No outlook still. •

" liates, nuiy I speak ^ "

" Yes. father, for I am all at sea ! "

I never before or since heard him speak in the tone in
which these words came down to me.

"Well, just beyond the top of the fir you are in is
the faintest show of more light in tlie fog than elsewhere.
If so, that is the sun, and that is south, for it is noon."

"Then," he said, pointing his finger, "that is east, and
there is our camp. Now, don't lose the direction till I get
down, for I can't keep it up here."

He came down; I gave him the direction — it was all our
hope. By keeping near objects directlj' ahead of us, and
moving carefully from one to another, an hour brought us to
a black cattle-horse standing at his stake, with head droop-

;l: i, li

I r : . I

, r-T~

156

ma GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

ing, Jind body dripping with the rain-like mist. He gave a
faint neigh, and my son exdaimed:

"Father, it's Jack! It's dear okl Jack, and we are safe
hom<i ! ' '

Tlien, grasping my hand, he said:

" Father, tfod bless you ! you didn't bother me to-day ! "

To show liow serious tlie matter was, the other two of
our company got kjst, and wandered off west; after laying
out all night, they fell in with some Indians, who fed them
and set them right. They had to travel forty miles to reach
the ranch and cabin that day.

We had now all the meat Ave could carry. We were
anxious above measure for our lost comrades; so, as the
mist gave way next morning, after securing our buck, doe,
and fawn from the hills, we started home. Our suspense
was breathless as we neared the cabin and looked for some
sign of occui)ancy. My son's partner opened the door, and
Bates exclaimed:

" Oh, Porter, I was never so glad to see you before ! "

To show the force of Bates' caution to me not to advise
him or debate with him, Porter said his comiianion totally
confused him with suggestions, doubts, opposition, till
tinally he had to take his own way, even if he left the other
to die in the woods.

The scene has changed. Another summer has gone;
another November has come. My stalwart boy has gone
East to get him a wife; his partner and the carpenters are
building him a house, and I have undertaken to provide the
meat witli my rifie. And it is still with the Mule Deer that
we have to do. Of all the camps I have ever made, this was
the nu)st delightful, and has the most vivid and lasting
remeniln-ance. At the lietui of ii great canon running six
miles down to the Burnt River Valley; my umbrella-tent
pitched undei- a noble pine, anjund whose base swept the
cold, clear mountain stream from which my water-supply
for drinking and washing was derived; other pines in all
directions, clothing the shallow valleys putting down into

his e;

km a
very f

It
park-

8houJ(

of Chi
"IV
West,
cani])

Ahs
for a
siglit CI

Jletml
wliieJi

iiie, at
iookino-l

just colli

gi'ound
and turji

lie
1)W

THE MULK dj:er.

157

all
hto

this larger one; a great, fallen dry pine near my tent, fur-
nishing me a back-log for a niontli, while abundance of
dead branches and dry alder cover the ground; at the head,
ami beyond, other ravines — rare liunting-grounds, especially
over the divide, where is an immense canon, live hundred feet
deep, and clothed on its rugged sides to the very top Avith
all food that sustains the Deer; on all sides, over the small
foot-hills, grew abundant bunch-gi-ass for my horse, who
could always be picketed in sight; clear, crisp, open
weather — for weeks together, the autumn sun without a
cloud. All that enters into the making a ])erfect camp and
perfect sj^ort existed there; and, in i^hysical sense, life itself
was a luxury, as the scene around and above was a glory,

A ranchman friend, living in the valley at the end of my
canon, was my companion for a day, as he was my guide to
the spot. It was four o'clock when we had pitclied the
tent, arranged horses and wood for the night. Reed cast
his eye up at the sun:

"Mr. C , the sun is an hour high; we have time to

kill a Deer before night. I have seen whole bands from the
very spot where we stand."

It seemed incredible to me; the woods were so open, so
park-like and civilized, that it seemed to me much as if one
should say that we could iind a Deer on a farm within sight
of Chicago. I was soon to be undeceived.

"Now, you take that swale coming into this from the
Avest, and I will take the one to the east, and we will be in
camp by dusk."

Absolutely, I took up my rifle as if I were going to look
for a Deer in a highway or on a farm. I was yet within
sight of my tent; my friend had just passed out of sight.
I let my rifle down from my shoulder, and began to think
which way I should look for a Deer, when right before
me, at a few hundred j^ards, stood, broadside to me and
looking at me, the most j^rincely buck I ever saw! He had
just come down the ravine, probably with his nose to the
ground on a doe's track, for his head was but half- raised
and turned sidewise to look at me. His massiA'e, branch-

158

mo (SAME OF XORTIT AMERICA.

It liii

!■

ing antlers stood proudly out from his head, while his
wliole form was limned, as if by art, against the steeji hill-
side at the foot of wliich he stood. I wmld hardly trust my
eyns; under all the cii'cumstances, it actually seemed an
illusion. 1 raised my rifle slowly, aimed for liis heait, and
firt^ d. He made a wheel of twenty feet up the steep hill-
side, and was out of sight.

Could it het At a hundred yards, dead-still, and miss
an animal like that! And 1 felt like kicking myself, as I
went forward, to think 1 must fall into my old training of
eaily life, and aim behind the shoulder, instead of for the
shoulder itself, and droi)i)ing him where he stood. But
there was blood where he wheeled, and hair, as if puflPed
out on the opposite side. Courage! it was not a miss, then;
I may get hiin yet. I sent Dash on his trail. AVith a rush
he sprang up the hill-side, and when I had clambered up,
lie too was out of sight; Deer and dog both gone! Getting
breath, I tiu'ued to the left, and there, in a little gully, lay
dead my noble game, with my dog gnawing into his back,
in his instinct to fetch! I have Elk-skins and Deer-skins
which are thus m 'ked and bare.

The great doe was noble; but this is princely! No such
creature, save a bidl Elk, had ever fallen to my rifle. I
bled him as he lay; then took him by the massive horns
and slid him down the steep incline, to draw him at better
advantage at the foot. The bullet had gone directly through
his heart; he had used the one iidialation in his lungs, the
one pulsation of his blood, for the burst up tlie hillock,
then had rolled, dead, into the hollow.

My friend, healing my shot, came up. He looked at the
mighty game in astonishment.

'• Mr. C ,'" he said, " I have lived in this valley fifteen

years, and that is the biggest Deer I have ever seen! He will
weigh a good three hundred pounds when he is drawn.""

We gralloched him, secured him for the night, and, sure
enough, were back at the tent as the sun was dipping
below the horizon. To this day, it seems to me as if I had
shot a Deer in a street or a pasture.

friend
iine, th]
liti passi
I wafj
down ci
up the
^ings at|
at me.
tliree o;

lue
intr;
lad

THE MULE DEEH.

159

By this animal, I saw that the antlers are no snre criterion
of the age or size of a Deer. Those of this immense creatnre
were comparatively small; I have killed bucks of not two-
thirds his weight with much larger antlers.

This was beginning our hunt in good fashion. We had
liver for supper and breakfast; and there is no better meat
to satisfy the appetite or to tramp cm. Daylight saw us
astir, and headed for the great ravine east of us. My

Resting.

friend preferred to walk along the brow; so I took a lower
line, though having more uneven ground to get over, while
he passed all the ravines at their head.

I was repaid. After about half a mile of toilsome up-and-
down climbing, I heard Reed's gun to my left. I rushed
up the incline before me, just in time to see two line year-
lings at which he had shot, and which now stood looking
at me. I tii'ed for the shoulder of the largest; he made
three or four violent plunges, and went headlong and dead

■I

t-i !

100

]\\(i (iAMK f»F Xomil AMEKICA.

■ li. 1

affiinst II l;ir,<?e pine-lo^-. Tln^ oilier psifssed out of Hiylit.
Tliis was ^(jod. 1 bh'd and drew my Deer, laid him arross
a U)jj;, and started on a return hunt, and to get my horse to
briiiu,- him in.

A couple of Autelojie drew me out of the way, and it was
afternoon before I got in, and just at the camp 1 met my
friend, with my Beer and one of his own on his horse. He,
had shot a tine two-ye;i Id biu'k, had (lome across mine
also, and brought them both in. Such things, dear reailer,
make ii man feel good-natured.

It was yet but four o'clock, and we laid out for a regu-
hii' meal. Reed was an adei)t at tiap-jacks; I undertook the
colfee, the tongue, the liver, the tenderloin, with Saratoga
chips — and, above all, onions, for Reed said:

" I can eat onions till I can't see! "

The dogs had hail their suifeit in the hunt; and when we
had mused before the waning lire till dusk set in, had gone
over the pleasant incidents of the day, and other days, and
when we were rolled in our blankets, there were two men
in that tent who had nothing to ask of anyone, and were at
peace with the world.

NevXt morning we loaded our Deer on the two horses, and
set out, afoot, for Reed's lujme, vvliere 1 was to deposit my
Deer for my son's partner to carry along as he came with
lumber from the mill. I was loath to go back to my tent
alone that night, and did not. My friend and his good wife
insisted on my staying over the night. I did so. Putting
my shotgun together, I got half a dozen widgeon from the
river — a rarity to them, for they keep nothing but a rifle.
With many a tale of the great outside world, and music on
the piccolo, I managed to make my entertainment not a
burden.

Tlie forenoon of the next day saw me at my camp again,
old George staked out in the bunch-gi-ass, my lunch eaten,
and the hunt for the day taken up; for it was meat, now,
for four men and a woman, and I had undertaken to supply
the larder. I felt the solitude a little at first, for Reed
was a genial, intelligent man, and his company Avas pleasant.

evei
ejist
blow
ke],t
my ,

beam
insfir

teach
of Ills
I'nvhu
fi-esJi)
«ky; t
and m
out frc
tile ln-(
**aw oiji
and sef
Aboi
«ion, in
fawns h
i''rom t]
iind unfi
fi'ont W(
pJHise, w
dently t
I swung
^"■ed Jon
I h'red jig
t>f .sigjit.'^
"as liuir,
takin^
s'le Jia'd 8
wistfully
"Dash
With i
him I .^a
«prino. of

TiiK MILK i>i;i;i{.

Kil

r :^':

ftUt

Jon
It a

pn,
ten,

jpiy

leed
l\nt.

This day was to show me the vahie of my dou;. Almost
every (hiy — indeed, every (hiy — the wind swept up lliei-reat
east ravine, and over its brow. Insteail of goin^' aloiiu' tlio
brow, where I was at all times liable to be sevn myself, I
kept bade a little, out of sight, and left all to the nose of
my <!(»<;•. lie answered to the trust. He was the most
beautiful dog I ever saw — of far- famed strain, with every
instinct of the liigh-l)red Setter lH)rn in him. 1 never had to
teach him either to stand or retrieve; he did both by virtue
of his blood and birth. It was noon as I now skirted the
ravine just back from its edge. The wind cami gently and
freshly ovt-r the brow; the sun shone out brightly from the
sky; the air was pure as the nu)untain stream beneatli it,
and motion itself was a pleasure. All at once, Dash stepped
out from me. raised his nose a moment, and stole toward
the brow. Theie he stood, while I ste])])eil beyond, and
saw one of the sights that make a sportsman's nerves tingle,
and set all his blood aglow.

About lifteen rods down the stee]t hill-side was a proces-
sion, in line, of two dooH, a large buck, and two yearlings or
fawns behind. None saw me, and 1 had time for a. choice.
From the buck's neck, I saw that he was in his fidl run,
and unfit for use. The does ^\ould be perfect. The tA\o in
front were walking lapidly, and I was waiting for them to
pause, when, looking ahead, a much laiger doe, and evi-
dently the leader of the band, was standing, cropping grass.
I swung my rifle ahead, and, in my old instinct and folly,
tired low, for her heart. In an instant all was commotion.
I tired again, without effect, when the whole band went out
of sight. I went down for my doe. There was blood, there
was hair, but no doe in sight. I followed in the line she was
taking, but found no sign. I returned to the si)ot Avhere
she had stood, when I noticed the gentle face of Dash turned
wistfully up to mine.

" Dash, where is she ? "

With a bound, he sprang down the hill-side, and beyond
him I saw my doe lying dead. She had made one vast
spring of thirty feet down as the bullet struck her, and
11

^1^

169

lIKi (iA.MK Hi Nolt'lll AMKKK'A.

\i i|| ii(

falli'ii lii'iKllon^f !)Ti(l (It'iid. Tt was a cnseof tlic licaiT jiirain,
foi' that ur^aii was iiifif clotU'd l»l(»(»(l wlicn 1 caiin- to draw
linr. It was u^aiii a line animal, in perlVct coat and condi-
tion; alid a^iiiin 1 was fi'lad. It was linnting, it was sjioot-
ini;. it was meat; but. nioic tlian all. it was th«' lint' woilc of
my hcantiliil dog. I had time to go to caniji I'oi' old (Jcorye,
to ride l)ack for my Deer, to loa<l it on and lead him to
cami), Ix'Torc it was time foi- siipper. It was again a satis-
I'actory day; and I slept soundly over its success and its
review.

I had occasion here to notice again and particularly
the stiff, thumping jumps i»eculiar to the Mule Deer, and
marking him fioni his congenei', the N'iigiiiia I)epi-, with its
free, graceful, elastic lope. The old buck was of immense
si/e and weight, and carried horns that would have Imvii a
tro[)hy little short of those of a bull Elk. While the doe.s
and young Deer were bounding ai'ound in easy springs
that soon took them outside, the lord of the band wheeled
backward with a few i)ounding jumps; then back again to
the name point; then, with the same .stiffened and ungrace-
ful action, (hjwn the hill-side and out of sight. I could
have shot him I'epeatiMlly, but the great, swollen neck pro-
claimed him in the midst of his .season. I must sleei) with
myself at night, and could not do it in peace, thinking of
the carcass of a great and noble animal shot merely for
slaughter, and left, tainted already while living, to rot on
the face of the hill.

There is one subject connected with hunting, and the
forest and mountain, the very thought of wliich makes the
blood boil, and one's whole better nature revolt in indlg
nation, ft is the wanton slaughter of our nobler game.
For the paltriest pay, for no pay at: all, in mere thirst for
blood, in mere love of killing, the inluiman work has gone
on, till IJison, Elk, Mountain Sheep, have gone down before
the fell demon of greed and blood, and can oidy now be
found in the loneliest, most inaccessible recesses of the
mountains. The editor of the i)resent work, in his " Cruis-
ings in the Cascades,"" has given us a scene of this kind —

1)0

iiui

the

my
Ileal

ivho,
;eaj'j
doub
for J,

'■ecort

«'U1(| w

in u c(:
I>eei' \
hied oi
^vas ])(),
l'>*liJii.'i,
man /
ains. Ml
for the
A/uIe (1,

^^JiJ- and
lif^J- bod
^iJi-iia"d
"ith tJie
her legs
^'«- wJio
langhtei-,
S"i-e as cj
fJi^ dead (
aJ'nost as
J^Tow, V,
this hutcU

111

..u

TIIK MULK DEKR.

168

l()V

Itlie
111""'
luie.
for

feove

,-be

the

ruis-

id-

tlie biped slau'^htcrtM- and tlic pro.stnito vict'ms— a wliole
band of Elk; and it stirs ♦n'ery better elenK'nt of one's
nature to loatliin.u- foi' tlie creatures who disy-race their kind.

An instance occurs to nw. I will njvc it iu the words of
the hunter wlm told il to nic:

" Nfr C . 1 have been a -liunter in the mountains all

my life, and have lived amonjj; rouuh men; but the har(.cst-
Ijeartcd, the worst man I cvei' met. was an Mnulishman for
>vhom I was «^uide and iuinter in Western (Colorado, a few
years ago. lie was full of money; had a splendid out lit of
double-l)arre]ed rilles and shotguns, and all things needed
for liunting, and liad come clear from i'lngland to break the
record on tlie greatest number of lieads (jf game within a
certain time, lie hired me and tliree otliers to go witli 1dm,
and we were all to play into his hands to kill all we coidd
in a certain time. I am ashamed to say how many Elk and
Deer were killed and left, all to rot as they fell —not even
bled or drawn. It was money to us, and [)lenty (»f it, and I
was poor; but, as long as I live, I shall feel that that Eng-
lishman was more a devil than a man. lie was the only
man 1 ever knew, of all the rough class even in these mount-
ains, that enjoyed giving pain; and I will say that, anyway,
I'or the honor of the rest of ns. One day he had shot a
Mule doe through the hips, and she lay wallowing on the
ground, and l)leating with fear as we came nj) to her. The
Englishman stood over her, and laughed aloud to see her
fear and her pain. Then he shot her in dilFerent parts of
her body where it would not kill lier, and laughed and
hadia'd to see her jump at the shot, and tlounder and cry out
with the new pain. At last the poor creature stretched out
lier legs full length, her eye glazed, and with a quiver over
her whole body, she died. And he burst out again in
laughter, and shouted, 'This is the greatest sport yetl ' As

sure as God made me, Mr. C , I felt for a minute that

the dead doe was the better creature of the two, and I felt
almost ashamed that I was a man! ''

Now, what penalty would be adequate for the deed of
this butcher, this human fiend I I am a niinister, and have

ICr-i

iin; <.A.MK <>i- Nu!:i II am kuka.

h'!

:■ I

l)ivii('lic(l the Gosjx'l I'oi' t\>riy years; imt I ft'lt, as I heard
the awful tiilf. that, layiii^^ law and Clospel aside— or,
rather, eanyiii^ both with nie — I would hav*^ ))eeii j^iad to
he one of a coiniiauy to sti'ii) this rreatiii'e of his ar^l^, jiile
Iheiii :(iid liiiii into his wa;;()ii, ,^iiaid them to tlie nearest
lailuay station, and start hiin East, with the assuraiKie that
if he showed himself in the mountains auaiii, there would
be one hiintinij^-seaMiii, at least, in whidi he woiiM not he
lit to slioot uanie for the crous. nor lau,'^h over th.e pain.s he
had inllieled on a dyiui: doe. 1 have since seen this state-
ni'Mit ill print: and I am only sorry that the ruilian's name
could not have lieen secured '(nd sent to tile London 7V///r\
and Lcmdoii /'VrA/, to Ix- ]».)sted over Eng'lant. '•■ for. after
all. at tli*^ bottom. Englishmen are, as a class, iiumane, and
love fair play for man .ind beasr.

Even a fair-iiiind(<l man becomes vindictive over this
thinii', in spite of himself; so tliat, in reminiscences, a scene
like < he one referred to from "Co(puna"s'" book stirs the
blood, ; nd wal'.ens all the disu'ust and the anger over again.
Hunting Mountain Sheep, one day we came on a skin-
hunter's cabin of the yeai' befoi'e. There, lying in a fester-
ing heap, were forty carcasses of this beautiful and rare
animal, from vhich nothing but the pelt had been taken.
1 felt, on th(^ moiiKMii. that if I shouhl see a, monarch ram
butt the ci'eature from a ])r"ci[)ice. T sliould hardly feel
regi'et that a human being had bcv'n kiUed.

Laws ! We make lav.s when tlie game is gone. We
leave the laws to enforce themselves, as if tliey were sen-
tient, active beings. We leave execution of th»» law to
l)rivate com]tlaiiit. where it may h)se one his neiglibor. or a
vote at a coming eh'ction. 1 liave lived to see my beautiful
l>i"iii'ie8 of Iowa denuded of their grouse, for (he accursed
greed of Eastern game-dealers and the glutton maws of
those they break laws foi'. and thr iw ccmscieiice, honor,
citizenship, to the winds. I have liveil to see the pi'airies

♦rroiii tlif I'iroum.stjuiofs lumifil. I am of the opiiilmi tluit thi'buti'lit'rrofi'riviltohi'ivi.s
Olii' .I-uiiisdii. I have cfti'ti lii'iird nf him hcfnri', I'imim (riiiih's who have hunted witli liiiii,
niul have trtUeii a ^'l•ent ileal nf satisfrtithin in exposiiiK and denouncitig his inhuman con-
duit in tlieeuhnnns of the Anivi-ii<iii Fiild. -Kiiroli.

yet !■•
roum
tl
I h;

le nif

'^n^rh

ave d

the foij
cameraj
for thf
head

directhJ

ow 111

heJ

;uii
Ifeel

hseti

Is of
|)1U>V,

liUliiin,
Ian con-

TIIK All I.K KKKU.

ir.,1

swept, iis by a besom, of t'lfir ('(>iiiitless ]}isoii, in tlic I'mco
of law, and of the liiulier iiiid sacred law slaiiiiied on all
aniniate nature. I liavr lived to see the Elk driven fioni
till- ,Mississi[»i)i to the most remote and loneliest ivecssfs of
the mountains, and oidy saved in tlie Yellowstone Pai'k by
the tinted Stales .Vrmy I Of all civilized ualioiis. we are
the slowest to enact laws when our persons and pockets
are not concerned. Of all civilized nations, we aic the
we;dvest to execute the laws we do make, when still our own
persons or pockets are not touched. Uur game laws ai'e a
mere empty form, and their execution is a farce !

Xow, to return to the stiffened jumps and gait of the
Mule Deer. That whole canon-side. I'oi- live hnndrecl feet
down, was a steep slope of volcaiuc (Uhris and sliding shale.
To go down was a slide; to go u^) was a climb; aii<l this
answers fairly, as I have said before, for the face of the
whole country. Can we not see that the stiiVeiied jump of
aSheep ora (loat, that sets the feet iirndy at evt-ry bound,
is better for our Deer than the long, swinging lea)t that
regards surface merely, and would leave the animal to con-
stant slipping and nuiny a fall '.

Tlie next morning I was to hav(» a picture again, and (me
which time and years do not ell'ace, 1 was out I'arly, at
daylight; but a mile and a half ahmg our canon had biought
no scent to \\\y gentle companion, and so no need to look
down into the deep, dark gulf which the daylight had not
yet reached. The sun had just risen above the hori/on. full,
round, and red, and seemed three times his natural size, in
the morning mist which yet hungover mountain and valley.
I had come to a knoll, or mound, some ten or Hfteen f<;et
high, over the very brow of which the sun appeared as I
liave described, when riglir across the great, red disc stepped
the form t)f a noble buck, and stop[)ed. Had I Inid a
camera, I sliv)uld have been in doubt whether it a^iis a case
foi' the rifle or the camera. His noble antlers and upraised
head and neck cleared the disc, but his shouhlers were
directly across it, and it showed bright and clear above and
below his body, behind his shoulders. It was wonderful,

I '

« I]

f 'i.-'

^P'f" >

Ml!

% li

](',(;

Um t.AMK ol NolMII AAIKJaCA.

it wiis l)t';iufirul. Mild (or ;i moment I almost forgot tliehii>si-
lU'ss ill haiul. Hut this is :i i)anoi':ima tiiat is not lasting —
u buck and a Imntt'i' loolving (»ne anotlitT in the face, not
iivc iihIs ajiait. 1 had takt-n him as much by surprise as
he had nie. and, with an old i)iick's usual manner, he
paused for a moment to see what was up; it was only to
learn w hat was down.

1 raised my I'itie slowly. ])nt the moment it ranged on hi.s
bo<ly it met the siin-glare, and I conld not see the sight —
hardly the muzzle. I lowered to the ground again, to- .:
sight there, raised to a level, and fired. The buck wheeled,
and was out of sight. Of course! Even a bani-door is not
hit by nieft'jy pointing oner's gun: and I worked in another
(•artridge, and starte<l np the mound, ilust over the crest
lay the galh.iit stag, stret(d)ed out and dead. My gun,
aft*"! all, had brm leveled at his heart — one wheel, a fall,
and all was over.

Now. just think of the variety of incident in hunting —
one of the things that give it constant charm! jS'o two of
the l)eer 1 had shot had been killed under tlu^ same con-
ditions; and this line creature had fallen to me in a way
that would not happen twice in a life-time. And here let me
say, that 1 am writing actual facts, not liction — things that
actually oc<'urred. and precisely as I state them. My pur-
suit of the Mule Deer has been under such favoring circiim-
stanct's that 1 have nothing to invent or to make ii[) in
writing about him. 1, perhaps, ought to have .stated tlii.s
delinitely before, but hope that it was not needed.

And was he not a beautiful creatui'e as he lav there! He

had died literally without pain, for the ball had broken no
b(mes, and. i)assing through his heart, had given, jirobably,
no sensation. This is always a satisfaction in our killing.
Thus far every Deer had been dead v.hen I came n^) to i\
and I had no second shooting to d(i to put them out of pain.
It is a great relief.

After I had ))led my Deer, I sat down to look at him,
before the nnpleasant second act. He was rolling in fat and
of pei'fect coat and form, about live or six years old, judg-

1>M(|

dinjie

tlse if I

('•'irnrnj
hiul St
or all<i
found
somewl
buck
y^'t foij
Th..
chestei

•at

lllrt

no
liiy,

) i%
lain.

lum,
and
n<lg-

riii; Mii.i i>i i.i;.

ic,7

ing I'loin sizt* ami antleis ami the iimiilit'r of iioiiits he
cairit'il. Tin- nittin<:;-seas<)n had not fairly reaclifd hirii yet,
thoiiuh the si^iis of its coinin^^ were not wanting.

On this Di'i'i', the most strikinu' maikinus, to me. liave
always been the deep jet-lihu'k of thr l)iisket and bflly,
and the i'icl\ cinnamon of all the lei,fs tVoni tiie knees down.
Noticf. too. thestonter, shortei' legs antl longer Ixnly than
those of our common Dih'V — all dfsigntMl for that i)«'culi;ir
gait and motion wliichso tit him t'oi' his home among the
rough, volcanic hills. The short, stout legs hear the ]iound-
ingjump; t ho pounding jump sinks the loot into tin- loose
<l(hri.s or sets it lirmly on the rocks, and gives Jirm hold for
tilt' next jump; ami the whole form bespeaks an animal
needing sure footdiokl rather than grace of motion or speed.
And this gU)Ssy, satin, steel -mixed coat is excelled by that
of none of the genus Cirridq'.

1 am three nules from camp. To go for old (reorgi^ and
get my J)eer to camj) will I'lurly take up my (hiy. Once in
canq), I rest for the remainder of the afternoon, content
with my success and its singular incidents. 1 am lonely
to-night. Our natui'e ci'aves fellowship of its kind, and I
hav<- no admiration for hermit life, j-nd the monastic, with
its revolt against nature and its certain results, was always
revolting.

To g<'t my Deer down to the road, and get back to camp
again, took up most of my time next day, but my good
luck was still to stay with me. After a hearty afiernoon
dinner. I still had an hour or two of light, and decided to
use it. Just west of my camp, half a nnle, was a. shallow
cauoii. with but I'ew ti'ces, quite rough and rocky, and yet I
had seen much sign of Deer there- -some shrubs, perhaps,
or alkali earth, of which they are fond; but I Inid never
foun<l any there in faet. To-inght, as I dr"w nejir the head,
somewhat cai'elessly, for 1 did not look for ruucli. a large
l)nck ,nd three does ran out from a thicket, while I was
yet four hundred yards awav.

T hear and lead a great deal about " pumping yoni- Win-
chesters or Bullards at thein" till von hir one, h\\\ it has

>r' im\

■

il' w

> I

' ii 1

WJF^^-

IHH

iik; (;.\>n: <>i- Noinii a\ii:i;i(a.

in'MT Ih'cii :i liiiul (if .sluxding to suit me. It is entirely
cliiiiicc. Mild wlit'i't' (tiif Milium] is killcil. more by fMr,ir<) MWMy
uoiiiKlfd Iodic. 1 like llicl'Mir, clfau siiot, wlieii, il' 1 hit,
1 Uili; il' 1 lilies, tliM l)('(>r cmu Jive on iiniiariiied. For
once. I llioimlit I would try til'- •• piiiiipiii<i'"' system. I?>ais-
iii''- mv ritle some two. J'r'ct iihove the liead of the liii'iiest
doe, I lired. liopiii^" lluit, somewhere, in the droi) to the
.slioiijder, 1 miulit iiit ht-r. Tlie whole band gave a new
Hilling Ml the shot, and 1 elevated and lired again. Nothing
droi>|ir(l, and all swept out ol' sight.

It was getting dusk, and 1 had turned for ramp, when I
saw. fMr ii]i on t he footdiill to my right, a single doe nio\ ing
ill my own direction, l)Mt for tiie brow of the ridge. She
passed over it and out of sigiit. It was three hundred feet,
aiid a hill so sleep that 1 must ])ull myself along by bushes
l)art of the way to get uj). Jiut she may have stop[)ed
just over the crest, and by careful work I may get a shot
yet. At any rate, the wooded, shallow ci'.fion over the
ridge will mwke a pleasant walk home. I fake the climb.
Toes, hands, and knees, bushes, the butt of my rith; i'oi' a
brace — all come in recpiisition before I reach the top, just
short of which I stop to get breath and wipe my steaming
face, (xradually the lireath gets nornuil, the nerves grow
steady, and I move slowly to the to])

It is now (piile dusk, and but for the height of the ridge,
I should iU)t have light to shoot. As 1 reached the rounded
cresr and peered over, there, not forty feet from me, was
my Deer, lying do\vn in the deep grass for ilu^ night. I
sighted for her shoulder, through the grrios, and at the shot
she rolled over on her side, dead. It was the very doe I
had shot at lirst, for there was a wound in the ncck, and
she had st(>len off alone by herself for tiie night, perha[)s
to die— a new argimii lit against ''pumping." for it was the
merest chance my getting her, as a feather's weight would
have turned me from climbing the hill at all, and, as with
hundreds of others that ai-e shot on the luimping system,
the coyotes would have had her before morning. She was
of tlie lai'gest size, and a noble piece of game. When I

Ill

^71*!*> ' I ? ^:f

« 11

lis
1

Id
itli

n I

Tin: Mri.K dkku.

ino

liiid l)l«'d :ind drawn her, the li^dit was gone; T tied my
huudkerchief tooiieear, its a preeaiition again.si the cdvotes,
and left lier till morning.

The saidke of niv <"uiip-lire. with a yet llickeriiiu- tlnme;
the dim outline of my tent, with its little .streamer at the
top; (tld (ieorge at his picket-slake, nnmching at the buncii-
gr:iss. were pleiisant, homedike signs in the gloaming as I
(•:ime neiii'. The lighted cnndle inside, and hla/iiig lire out-
iside I'or a cup of tea, n)ade it still moic like home; yt't I
was twelve nnles from the ranch, and six nnles from the
nearest human being. In contrast with the wild, weird
mountains, with tlieir gloomy shadows and moaning iiiiies,
and dai'kness conung thickly down on all. the 1 daze and the
light were cheer and assurance, ami seemed almost a human
welcome l)ack. Tiiere was clmos and darkness till the
primal order came. *• Let there be light!"

And now come my la-^t day in cami). and my last iV'er.
The season has advanced till the grtjund is still", moriungs,
and often covered with f*now. 1 feel that my partis played,
and it is time ti) get back to companionship and the appli-
ances of comf")rt and rest in a more thorough shelter and
larger comforts of a setrled home. 1 have woiked uji the
big canon pretty thoroughly, and do not wish to hunt more
there. I have noticed signs of Deer pnssing westeily,
thongh there are no woods in sight; all in that direction
seems bald, bare mountain-top ami foot-hill

Hut nothing can be mole deceptive than the surface of
this whole volcanic region of the Blue Mountains. Voii
ma.\' start ff)r a tram]) or a rid(^ ahead, where all looks open
and rolling as a ])rairie. In half a mile, you come suddenly
into a vast canon, live hundred feet deej* forest -clot iKvl on
the sides to the very bottom, and intersectevl l)y other
canons in all ilirections, f)f ilimeiishuis almost as great as
its own. These are unfailing resorts for Hlk and onr pres-
ent Deer, who find abundance of the food they love, abun-
dant shelter from dan.uer, the ste»']> and rocky glens and
hill -sides that are their del 'ght, with always the puiv. cold
mountain stre.,ni at the Ixntom. whei - by night thev can

! I

' n

m;. '

' r<"

J' i

im i

i i

M ■■

' !

iTO

JJIU (iA.MK 1)1 Miirill A.MKKICA.

rt'imii' fur tlriiik, itinl be bark to their foraging-grovmcls on
till' ln-iuhts by iiidining. Such jiic <tiii' aiihnals' haunts,
lial)its, and home. Cnnsctjiicntly, 1 was not at all surprised
to collie into one of tliesc vast canons, which would never
be susi»ecie<l eighty rods away, and wheie, pidbal>ly, some
animals from the bands I luid disturbed had come for relief
and shelter. It proved so. I had come into the canon by
a circuit on h»wer gidiuid, and was ])assing carelessly over
a bed of shale, when 1 saw an enormous buck — doubtless
the one of fhe day before— coming (puu'tering past me. He
saw me, wheeled f(,i' another canon and disappeared. At
this season, given a patriarchal buck, a band of does is
not far olf. Iii the summer, 1 should have mourned over
this old fellow, with two inches of fat on his brisket, and
weighing a good three hundi'ed and fifty [lounds. Now, I
mourn him not, with his swollen neck, his tainted body,
but welcome him in his Hight as my guide to a band of does
that I do want.

I ci(»>sed the divide, clambered down the shady side of
the ravine where he had disappeai'ed, and had just reached
the l)ottom and stoop< ,1 foi'adrink from the unfailing canon
sti'eam, when, up on the extreme brow of the other side of
the ravine, was passing swiftly a band of does. Tliey
sti>pped. 1 was making a choice for a shot, when, glancing
ahead, there seeuied, through the thick brush, the mere
form of a Deer far larger than any in open sight -so dim
that it was ainere suggestion, and indistinct at that. If it
were a Deer at all, [could only hit her through the thick
brush, and small limlis are pn»verbial for deflecting a
bullet. But my l»iU-grain Sharp was a power even for
twigs, and so far it had stood me in good stoad; I had
only missed once iu all these weeks, and that was in
doing the '*pum[iiiig"" ac*^. I will stake it on the form and
the Sharps, and lire through the brush.

Always, in these bands, theie seems not ordy a ruling
buck, but a leading doe, far larger than the rest. It had
been my fortune, thus far, in almost every instance, to get
this leading doe. It was so now. She was on the extreme

Ne:
hel]) „
a feJlo

m hi

stayei

Work.

inyste

pack if

drajds

at file

stiJI la;

a last /;

One

^lesceiK

ot a hii

^yhiU\ ^

«eem(-d

as th,^ ,.

distinct
iovin as ;
mass W(,

I in; Mt'LK VV.VM.

171

lug
llin

tor
had
in
liud

Ihiid
leiue

l)io\v. one luindicd and tiftv yards awav. lloldiiiic well iii).
1 liit'd. Till' loiiii was tilt' It'adiiitc dt»i" iiidfcd, and slic
canu' rolling almost to the Toot of tlit- hill, with a hrokfii
back. The kiulV ended Iht pains, luit it always j^ives lue
pain to use it for the imrpose. This was the lar.u'est female
Deer 1 had killed in my hunt, and 1 was glad I had taken
the risks. Such beauty of coat, such beauty of form, such
perfection as game! Then look at those ears; nine inches
long and seven bioaik and yet as ilexible and sensitive as
thoiigii of the thinnest lubber! And the jet-bhu'k brisket;
and tlie tufted tail, ending in its l)unch of black truly a
Mule Deer!

To gralh)ch her, ward off magpies, Clark's crows, and
Maximilian's jays, which are alreaily on the ground, with
imimdeiit chatter at my long dehiy; to go for (reorge. and
get my game to camp — this tilled out iny day; and my hunt
was done.

Next day. my good friend came n]i with two horses, to
help me \o his place with my traps and game, and gave me
a fellow-hunter's greeting over my succees. Audit was to
till his own empty larder, too; and that pleased me. He
stayed with Die over night, and we took the day for our
work. He was an old [)acker; was thoroughly up in the
mysteries of the ''diamoiuldiitcli;" took all the labor of
packing on him ♦ If, and left tht* lighter work 1o mic. I
drank my last cup of coffee at my fire, took a last hjok
at the dear old sj)ot where my tent had stood, and where
still lay "the fragrant bed with hemlock si)read,"' and bade
a last fare\vell to the loveliest camp 1 had ever luiown.

One final surprise and treat was yet before me. As we
descended from flu' mountains, far Ix-low. and to a. height
of a hundred feet, rolleil down the r|,ver a body of fog. so
white, so dense, so mobile under a gentle west wind, that it
seemed not mist, not ft»g, but an actual river f»f foam. Far
as the eye could rea«'h. west or east, it still rolled on, as
distinct from the prevailiui: mist and foy and of as perfect
form ;is a cloud in the sky. Here and there, as a rounded
mass would catch the reflect ion of the sun. it would i)e of a

■•

173

liHi <..\Mi; «il NdlMlI AMKIIK A.

rost'iitf liiK', ill Ix'iiiilifiil contriist witli tlie snowy wliiteiiess
around it; ;iii<I nil still slowly rollfil on, :is if u very body
oi' foam (■an;,dit np in tlx- air and tnovinir on in unison with
the river bt-ncalii. 1 ncvt-r siw nnx tliinu in Natnic likf it;
1 sliall nt'vcr sL't' it a^^ain. And now we bcuan to ^o d<iwn
into tin* mist; as wh descended, it iiiew tiiicUerand thicker
till, wlifii wp reaclitMl thf load, we could not see my friend's
humblf home, two rods bt-yond it.

My hunt was rounded and coiniilete. It had bfi-iin, the
ilrst evenin<f, with the Iai7j,-est Deer 1 liave ever killed or
have ever seen, it had continued successful as to <,'ame;
the weatlu'r glorious; the camping and scenery equally so;
my health ]ierfect; entire exemption from accident, and
ended with the most beautiful iihenomenon of Xature I

liave «>ver seen-
river of foam !

a rolling, snowy, billowy, rose-tinted

I? ^

^..

to Wu

while

hut Ji

are mi

of a n

will I

Lower

Desert

Tliere

fonsidii

in anoj

quesfiol

'I'iie
"loulKiil

i'etireni[
'lie of A
tills tinil
of the

Mnm \\

hriish ail

f'U' H,,/,

"''OIK /,
liejir by
.'I long/' I, I
more (,,

.i :

> T'l*'

^^1

THE Ml'LE DEER OF SOFTIIERN CALIFORNIA.

Hv T. S. Van Dvkk.

Author of •' T/ii ."-till Jlmitir," " '/'/(. /.'///,, Had, ninl (Inn in Soitluni

Viilif'ii'niii," itf.

ilK DctT of this ivuion. thouyli coiiiiuoiily ciillt'd tlie
> 15l:i('k-t!iil, is. in icality, tht^ Miilf Deer. If is
-'/ foiiiid t'lom the const to thclii.u'lu'st iiihiiid iiioitiitiiin-
«-^J top. 'I'lieiv is ii tiif'ory :iiuoii<;' Fiiaiiy lii;it it yoes
to the coiist in the summer iind to the moimlMins in winter,
while many others think dii'ectly the contrary, i can see
but litth' evidence of either theory l)ein,<4- correct. There
are migratory movements of the Deer liere, but rarely any
of a nature s(» general as that. Om'e in a few years, Deer
Avill be unusually [)lentiful. coming, undoubtedly, from
Lower (Jalifornia, or from the high ranges that bound the
Desei't; and. in occasional years, they will \w veiy scarce.
There are also local movements Deer suddenly leaving a
considerable tract of country ajid becoming (pdte i)lentiful
in another, several miles away — generally governed by the
question of acf)i'ns.

The real explanation I think to be this: Hotii in the
mountains and on the coast, the Deer have a peiiod of
retirement in the heavy brush, lasting from about the mid-
dle of Apiil till the first of August, or even later. Duiing
tfiis time they move but little, and when they come outside
of the chaparral at nil, it is mainly at night, and they
i'felHhl to Jt befoj-e day-break. The leaves and twigs of the
brush ar(^ then young and succulent, so that fhey care little
fur wafer, and (herefore few of no (racks may be found
nboul a Hpiing, although hhvh/'/i) tJ<'f^t' tnny be jn flie brush
iieiir by. Tills period is hmger in the niouhfidlis flian it is
along the coast, iind the Deer confine their movements still
moll' to the brusli.

■ 9

i i^ 111

174

Ul»i «.AMI. ••!• NnlMll AMKIMi A.

or coiirsH. sKiin' may 1m* scfii in citln'r |il,i('t'. hut in the
iiioiiiitiiiiis it will iif ()uii)> iii'cidcriial. In tli)- lowrr hills,
nloiiii' llu' cuMsf, it is not s(» ilillicnit to st-c ;i;iinf: Imt in tiin

tli(iilMt;iili* I li;i\i' IiiiiiIimI ;i u liolf Wt-ck. ;;('tt ill.ii' liffon- (|;iy-

l)i'i-iik on :i point tli:ii would coniniiind a wide i':in;:f of
hnisli and opi-u ^i-oiind. and uoinu' a.uain in tli«> aftrnioon
and ivniainin.u' until dai'U. hut. cvfii with tin- aid of a <x(hu\
gl.i.Ns, could st'i' no ht'ff. Yet thi'if wt'io plfnt y ol' lii'sh
tfack.s on all the open placi-s.

At (»tln'f tinifs, I have at daylight taken ti'acks not half
an 'lour (»ld, and followed iheni lajiidly in a despeiate
atteinpt to oveitake the Deer, whethei' I <i()f a shot or not.
Jint in a few hundfed yards they would turn down into
soMK deep, diiik ravine, hristlinu' with treiueiidous chap-
arral, or into some perfect sea of brush aloii^' some hill-
side, in either case, no amount of noise would move them.
lie who would hunt at this time of year— the time, too,
when the bucks and yeailin.us are in the best condition—
niu><l reniembei' this habit of retirement.

'I'heycan undoubtedly be driven from the ])rnsh by dog's,
i)ut without them you woulil do little along' the coast, and
much less in the mountains. There are. however, a few
sections in which they I'emain secluded a much shorter time
than in others, but you will lind few who can tell you where
they are. But you need listen to no talk about the Deer
being "all at the in^ast," or "all gone to the mountains."'
as in each place they think they are gone because they do
not fiee them. The I'act is, that the coast is as good as the
mountains; Deer are always there, and an observant person
can hud the tracks of the same Deer there all the time.

Some Deer will skulk and hide in the brush at any time
of year, and the Deer that ran away from you yester-
day may to-day stand or lie still in brush and let you pass
within II few yards of him. So, too, a Deer may spring two
hui (!red yards away and run like any Deer, then suddenly
turn into a piece of brush and hide there.

Deer sometimes lie amazingl}- close. I once tracked a
doe and two fawns about a nule and a half through brush

long'
covered
at Ja.st.
away
is nior-
gets fe
Tliis
i-arely k
Jiard to

'j'gJi, a ij

can be

^\'ou](l ,.,(

n<J circiii

And it j.s

point thi

^rvm \

|(U)

lou

pie
lev-
uss
wo

111 a

Till-: MILK i)i;i:i: dF xhiiikkn ( .\i.iKti:.MA.

ITA

!in(l rocks, when tln' ti'iiil liiuilly t'liN-rt'il some cliiiiiMn;!!
liiLrlii'i' iliMii my licnd. In ;i few rods 1 cjimt' in f lie »Mli;f »if
:i (l.'cii r:iviiif lic'ivily dud witli l)rtisli tluonulidiil. As it
was (iiiitf iisfli'ss to t'littT it. :iii<l as it was geltiii^' hile, I
tiinit'd alioiit.

At the saint' monuMit. a yoiuiu' doir T was traiiuim' madf a
boiiiKl at till' vi'iy luisli at wliicli I tinin'tl alunit. and out of
it, not llvf I'tM't lidiii wluM't' I had tiiiiu'd. spraiiu- the wliolf
thift', witli a trniit'iidoiis siiiasii of linisji. and wfif ont tif
si;;'lit in a sinu'lf jiini|> (lowM t lie iiill-sidc As 1 had lifcii
niakiiiii- jth'tity of iioisf for the hist limidicd yards, it Ix-in^
iinpossil)]*' ill snch briisli to hclj) it. tiifSH Deer must have
heard nn' all the time, and tln'y must ci'itaiidy have seen
me; yet an examination of the ground showed tliat tliey
had lain still all the time, not even ^^ettin.u' up until the dog
roused thtni.

Time and again liave I tracked Deer into a luiish-jjatch
of only ii few acres, yet found it impossible to start them.
At such places yon may sometimes start them if yon jiet
npon a commandinii' rock and sir there patiently. Som^-
times, after five, ten. or tifteen minutes, a Deer can not resist
theteni[)tation to take a lietter look at j'oii. or move a little.
You may see a pair of liorns appear above the brush, or a
long ear or two; or. perhaps, one may be suddenly dis-
covered sneaking out (ni one side; or he may break cover
at hist, -with a snort and a smash of brush, and go Itounding
away in hmg, surging springs; bnt if the cover is good, it
is nioi'': .il.-'iy that he will let you sit on that vork until he
gets re idy L< move again, tfjward evening.

This is tlirt worst trick tliis Deer has. l^ecause yon so
rarely know when it is l)eing |)layed on you: and it is so
liard to circumvent. Wliere the lirnsh is not too dense and
high, a good bird-dog is the most effective ally. A good one
can be trained to point a Deer as well as a bird. Bnt I
would advise keeping them strictly to pointing, and under
no circumstances allow one to run after a wounded Deer.
And it is generally best to keep them at heel, and let them
point there. There is not one dog in a dozen that can be

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lllo (iAMK KK NoinU AMMUK A.

trusted to ;,'•> iilit'ad of you a l't«'i' he has caught one or two
cripided Ih-fr. and lew that can he iinpli<'itly trusted even
at heel. Dous that aie peilectly ohedient about Habhits
and other thiu;;'s tliat ^eueially make a fool of a coiuiuoii
do.u-. often become perfectly ('razv about I)eer. Ami if you
(lout march upon the ^ame quite as fast as they think
you ou.uht to, or if you turn olF the scent top) around, lliey
will often coududt' they know uiore than you do about it.
and will take the jol» out of your hands, uidess y(»u tie them
to your waist, and then they may break you half in two

wheu you sl|(»ol.

1 liave knowu a few old dotrs, however, who coidd be
trusted t(» p) alit'ad of you. and wh(» would point a Deer
just as staunchly as they would a bird. Over such 1 have
had ^rand sport shooting" Deer in the chaparral.

This Ih'cr I'l M'ds luainly on the leaves and tender twigs
of the ever<;i'eeu brush that forms tlie chajiarral; also
upon various bushes found on more open ground, such as
the sumac, scrub oak brush, and even live-oak leaves. It
fv'eds l»uf Utile upon grass, though it occjisionally nibl)les
green allilleria oi- clovei'. Hut it is quite fond of barley
and wheat, when gret'u, and of the shoots of a long gras.s
that grows on burnt ground. It also feeds on several low
shrults ami herbs, such as wild buckwheat, wild alfalfa, etc.

In the fall, it hccoiues a great ravager of vineyanls and
gardens. It eats almost evt-ry kind of garden-stulF; but
mi'lons. grapes. ;im<1 oilier goo(! things, it loves especially.
It is very fund of the while muscat grapes, of which the
best raisins are made, and some of the most easy and
jtleasaui hunting to be had in America is found in the low
hills sui iiiMndiiig a California vineyard.

Where Deer ale bill Ml t le (list uibe<l with hunting, they
go iuit a liltle way l)ack from llie vineyard to spend the
day. of.' n lyini: down uiidei- some shaily brush or rock,
within plain sight of ii. Meing well fed during the night,
they have liith- l'i't«(linu- to do during the day, and conse-
ipit'Utly lililc roamiiiii. Ih'Iic*' iln-ir movements are much
more regidar than when l'e»'din<; ai large in the hills uixm

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aniun

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THi: Mri.i: ih:i;k of sofTiiKU.v califohxia.

177

the iiiHive veuetiition; and wlu'ii tlie hills are not too rouuh
or busily, the lal>or required to find a Deer is often reduced
to tile lowest point possible in Deer-liunting, while the cer-
tainty of a shot rises to the highest jjoint possible in that
uncertain aniusenient.

No i»oy ever knows better when lie is d(ting mischief
than this Deer does; hence it visits the vineyard onlv at
night, enterinu: after dark, and leaving with tlie lirstgray of
dawn. Sonietinies. Deer niav be shot in the vineyard at
night; but they are then so extremely watchful that they
can liardly ever be approached, unless with tire, as in regu-
lar tire-hunting, while lying in wait involves an amount of
silence and fivquent disappointments that is far more
annoying tlian a vain search in the hills by day.

A more certain and [deasant plan for a good hunter is to
take, in the morning, fresh tracks of their departure from
the vineyard, and follow tlieni back into the hills, where
they have gone t(» s[iend the day. This genei-ally lecjuires
tracking upon bare ground, a thing dilHcult enough, but
on the whole vastly more easy than it is represented by
some writers, who would have us believe that the Indian
alone ciiu do it. Hut the sti'ong probability of finding
fresh tracks at once, and overtaking the Deer that made
them if you can only follow theni, mor» than compensates
for all difhculties.

One of the most pleasant hunts of this kind that T ever
had was at a vineyard near Hear Valley, in the county of
8an Diego, California. It covered some twenty acres of
bottom-land in a little valley surrounded by low liills,
forming a perfect amphitheater. t)f which nearly all j)arts
were visible from the ranch-house — a large adobe house of
the olden time, standing on the rising ground, by a spring,
npon one side of the valley, and well-filled with comfort,
hos))itality. and good-cheer.

On a blight November morning, my friend S and I left

the house after breakfast and went to the vineyard to begin
our hunt. Flverywhere upon the soft ground were abun-
dant tracks of Deer; tracks of every nigjit for the past week

178

llHi (i.XMi: <>K NOIMIt AMKHM A.

miii^lffl ',\ itli niiiny Hcarcely live hours old. II»'Ih a Deer
had .sauntered down between two i-ows of vines wiiliout
stoppinff, and thei-e one had stopped and eaten liall" a <h)Zen
hunches of jrrapes before jiassinir <»n. In the (trcliard,
)M'h)W the vineyard, havoc was visild*- upon all sides. Here,
still hanuin^' on the trees, wei-e lartie. luscious Japanese
l)ersiininons from which a whole side had l)een taken at a
single Itiie, and others lay scattered ui»on the^M<tund in a
.still greater state of ruin.

OraHjL^es and lemons had been [)assed, ap])arently, in dis-
dain, but the late i»eache.s, pears, and apples had su lie red, and
the twigs of plums, apiicots, and other deciduous trees had
been freely nipped, .\long the edge of both oi'char<l and vine-
yard wel'e hundreds of fresh foot-pliuts. where the Deer had
come in and gone out. some having jumi)ed the fence of
barl)ed wire, others having crawled under it. ()ne would
supi)ose that at least fifty Deer liad been in during the night;
but we had had enough experience before to cause us to
reduce the calculation to a do/en. at the most. Some had
gone out, played .irjund the adjacent slopes, and returned
again, and sor t- .ad passed in and out several tinu's. and
all liad made nany more tiacks than wei-e at all neccs.saiy.

Starting at tile western end of the oi'chard, we nuule a
circuit on the (Uitside of that and the vineyard, so as to lind
the tracks that it woidd be nuist advisable to follow. Three
Deer, including a large buck, had gone out on the west, but
they had gone into a canon that was quite briisliy. As the
wind was from the east, our cliances of a near approach
were so sleufler that we left that trail until aftei'uoon, by
which tinu^ the wind might have changed. On the south,
two had gone out. After following these a few hundred
yards, we found that they too luid gone westward, and, as it
was (pute certain some liad gone out at the eastern end of
the vineyard, we left this trail, also on account of the wind.

At the eastern end, we found that live had gone out— a
doe, two hirge fawns, and two other Deer leaving foot-prints
a trifle larger than those of the doe. These tracks were well
nuxed with those of each niglit for the i)ast week; the

ascen

whic

and

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TlIK MULK DI:KU OF SOUTHKUX CALIFOHNIA.

170

ind
ree

)Ut

live

itli,
lied
;(S it
1(1 oi
•inil.
lit— a
)viuts
well
the

ground was well covered with grass, nboiit ;in inch high,
that the first rains had started. The Deei- had itlayed about
her«' and there, making all manner of twists and turns.
Altogether, it was no easy matter to iinravel the tangle of
trails.

We tinally followed the trail into the main valley that
led from the hills, on that side, to the vinevard. At the
first branch of this valley the Deer had had a grand play-
spell. The fawns. esi)ecially. had jumped and pranced
aro.iud in all directions, running up the slopes and coming
down again with long jumps that tore up the soft ground in
long fiinows. Then the party had divided, the old doe
going iijt the bi-anch, while the fawns went with the other
two Deer u[> the main valley.

Some two hundred vards beyond this, another branch
turned southward. Into this the tracks went; and so, to
our surprise, did the wind. Coming a little from the north
of east, this wind would be tpute sure to follow this branch
of the valley; .so we had to letivat as hastily as possible, in
order to make a circuit and get out of the breeze, which
would be sure to bear our scent to the Deer, and alarm them.

Retreating down the valley some two hundred yards, we
ascended the hill on the we.st side of the little valley into
which the Deer had gone, so as to be on the leeward side,
and also be whei'e we could see into the valley. But before
we had gone a quarter of a nule the brush became so high,
dense, and stiff that it was impossible to see anything over
it. or get through it without making a noise that would
alarm the Deer before we could get near enough to them for
anything like certainty in shooting.

Nothing remained but to back out and go around to the
head of the little valley, and come down it, and thus have
the wind in our faces. J '\rly half a mile away, we could
see where it ended by branching into several little ravines,
with Hat-topped lidges between, clad with brush, the whole
forming a little brushy basin just below where the rugged
hills broke suddenly away into a smooth, grassy table-land
beyond.

■ -f

180

UUi <iA.MK «»F NOHTll AMIMMCA.

: f

A (U'tour of iK'iiily a mile then luoii^lit us to a high rock
on tile edge of tiiis tahle-land, iind tlieie we ,sat, down to
talie ji loolc. Below us \ny tiie l)asin. well lilleil with dark-
given l)ruMh over waist-liigii, iiiii<»iig wiiicli was wcatteied a
goodly iissortiiieiit of boulders of gray gijisiite. (Jarefiilly
we scanned every bush and the sliade of ev«*iy rock, and
turned u strong opera-glass iiiMtu every litthf spot (»f gray,
bn»wn, black, or white. I'leiity of siicli spots there were;
but, one by one, they clianged, under the glass, into bits <if
shade, glimpses of granite through brush, or the skull of
some long-dead ox. looking dimly gray through the line,
bright leaves of the lilac or luan/anita.

The warm wind swe[)t up out of thecarnm intoour faces,
bearing with it the voices of the men gathering grapes far
away below; but tlu're was no sound of bounding hoofs
upon the hard, diygrctund; im crack or crash of brush, such
as are often heard when the Deer takes tiie alarm and starts
from his sliadv bed. Far below, but scarcely three-ciuarters
of a mile away, shone the white walls of the raiK-h-house,
with I he broad vineyard lying in a dense mass of green
before it; and beside it tlie riju'iiing oranges were gleaming
through the dark -green foliage of the trees. Miles away,
and thousands of feet below us, gleamed a broad silver
baud beiieatli the western blue, where the mighty ocean
lay sleeping its long summer sleep of i)ea('e, while between
hiy a wild array of tumbling hills, rolling table-lands, and
valleys dark with dejith. On our right, on our left, and
behind us lofty mountains loomed through autumn's golden
ha/,e, some dark and soft with pine forests, others gray and
rugge<l. being mere piles of boulders, between which ragged
chaparral and scrubl)y oaks struggled for existence. And
all between, still bright with gohh^n stubbles, lay broad,
sweeping i)lains and table-lands, rolling skyward in long
waves of rich soil covered with yellow grass or scattered
live-oaks.

On ail}' of this our prospects seemed about as good as in
the hills before us that lay around the vineyard. Yet it
was certain that the Deer had eiitered this little valley

quite
often
tation
within
or may
soniew
"TJ
rupted,
Abot
points,
just visi
miglit Ji
in such
and shii
these po

TIIK MULK DKKi: <»F WMT1IKB5 r Al.tF<»|:NlA.

181

Is in

14 it
lley

wlios«' hranchin^ liwid lay just }tfU»t*r an<l Vh'Iow us. It was
certain liiat tlicy had not I'asjy^l out on the side on which
we had made our detour, or we wouM liave .'*eeii their tracks.
Nor was it probable tiiat they liad crtf-mt^l over into the liead
of tlie next valley "lieyond. f<ir had tli«'y internlrd to ^^o into
that one, they would have U-^-u morn apt to enter it Ity its
mouth. That we had neither lo^anl nor seen anytliiiiji; of
the ^anie i)roved nothing', for l^etr that live much in brush
have a habit of hidinu; oi- skulking in if. and may lie .still,
or even stand still, within lifty yard^of a iterson, or sneak
quietly olT, without arousing one » i^iv^pirion of their pres-
ence. It was quite i)robable that th«-y were not two hun-
dred yards from us, lying down on th«- <»hady side of some
little nivine or under .some large Im^h.

About one Inindred yards l>elow ut> lay a noble boulder
of granite, with a snudler <me lH>sid«* it. by which we coidd
clind) upon it. Its top was broad and Hat, and formed a
most tempting place to sit and enjoy the view and the
breeze, if nothing else. It was hanllr n^cessarj- for me to
suggest that we should transfer ourselves to that boulder,
for my friend had already chosen it as his next resting-
place.

"Now,"' said I, as we stretched ont upon it, "let's make
quite a stay here. A Deer, even wbt-n hiding from you,
often gets uneasy after awhile, and <^n not resist the tenq)-
tation to have a good look at you. If yon sit h»ng enctugh
within view of one, you may tinally b*fat the brush crack,
or may see the tii)s of a pair of ean* strv^ out of the brush
somewhere, or a pair of horns, ]>erhaiM. ernaf surging "

" That isn't a pair of horns over thft-re, is it f" he inter-
rupted, pointing away on the left.

About one hundred and thirty yanl* npr>n the left, two
points, some three inches long and twelr«r inches apart, were
just visible above the chaparral. To an unitniine<l eye, they
might have passed for the ends of dieatl sticks, often seen
in such brush, whose 'veather-beat«?n cfwln often look gray
and shiny; but there was a i>eculiar hu»r and glitter about
these points that made them like the face of an old friend

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189

UUi OAMK OF NOUTH AMKIUCA.

dimly ciiii^lit amid the crowd, wliile their distance apart
and direction left no room for doubt.

My rifle was sighted for tliat very distance, and was a

very accurate (»ne, whereas I knew that S had not tried

his for a long time, ami did not know exactly for what
point the sights were set. I handed him mine, and told
him to lire alM)nt a foot below the center between the lower
ends of the two points.

" No," said he; " yon try them."

There was no time for parley or farther interchange of
courtesies. At any second the jioints might disappear, to
be st^Mi no more that day. Moreover, it was a difficult shot,
involving too much guess-work as to the i)reci.se point to
strike, and a head being too small a mark for that distance,
even if distinctly seen; but firing by guess at the supposed
body woidd have been still worse, as it was impossible to
say which way it was standing.

Drawing a fine sight a foot or so below the center
between the ])oints, I fired. What a whirl of gray and
whitt; above that distant brush followed the report of the
rifle, as the Deer i^prang upward and turned around with
almost a single motion! U[> he came again in a shining
curve of gray, his whole outline forming the top of an
arch over the brush. Bang! went my companion's rifle,
and bang! went mine, aimed about where I tluMight the
glossy hair would descend into the brush. The smoke for
a moment rolled across our line of view, then in an instant
was swept aside by the breeze; and there, just about the
place where our IJeer had disa])peared, stood a statue of
beamy gray. Now we could see it plaiidy, for it stood
upon a knoll, perfect in outline, with head proudly erect;
long, tiipering nose and great flaring ears pointed directly at
us. The blight morning sun shone from its dark, iron-gray
back and glittered on three or four ]K)ints upon each horn —
a perfect picture of a three-year-old buck.

Both rifles rang out almost together. Through the
smoke we dimly saw another whirl of white and gray, but
before either of us could fire again it was gone; but in a

and

sudd

with

ning,

on d;

canst

noisf

turn*

his s

bejic'i

from

stubb

brind

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I'll —

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but
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ZilK Mllj; F»Ki;i: ok snriUKUN ( AI.n-nltMA.

IKi

Hecond iiioiv, tiieiv r(»se from th»' brush in u littU' ravine
beyond just smli jin(»tlu'r pair of iu)rn.s, witii just such
anotlu-r cuitp of brauiy ;j;ray lu'liind llieni. Again our
n'peaft'rs j)our«'d dire intentions upon tlie scene, but in u
ni(»uient tile gray was once more gone, fading (tver a ridge
unii<l a ma/e of itrush.

Hut their was no time to think «»r indulge in speciihi-
tions or regivts; foi- scarcely liad the brusli closed over the
sliplH'ry beauty, before a crash of brush about a hundred
yards ahead of lis made us turn about with something akin
to hast**. There, surging tliroiigh the chaparral upon a
slope across a deep ravine, were the two fawns. They
looked nearly as large as the bucks, as, with the g:iy bound
of the Mule Deer, they rose high above the brush from the
impulse oi their springy legs, striking ground with all four
feet at once, and bouncing from earth again as though it
was an Iiidia-riibber cushion. Now with a long jump to
one side, then with a short jump to the other side, rising
ever high in air, with all four feet groujied beneath them,
ready to beat the ground simultaneously with a heavy
thump as they descended, the fawns sped swiftly away,

IJall after ball tore up the dirt around, above, and below,
and hissed and sang through the air beyond, until they
sucklenly wheeled and plunged into a little ravine filled
with brush. Just ahead of them, a big Wildcat was run-
ning, evidently under the imi)ression that he had fallen
on thmgeroiis times. As he reached the top of tlie slojje,
he yielded to the temptiition to stop and see what was the
cause of the ui>roar, evidently having been started by the
noise only. lie sat iiikhi his hauiK'he.s, with brindle back
turned toward us, and turned his gray face backward over
his shoulder. In a second nu>re, the cat and the dry dirt
beneath it flew about two feet in air. as a heavy ball
from mv friend's ritle struck the ground bv the root of its
stubbed tail. It went over the ridge in a somersault of
brindle hair, and we were again alone.

We liad made plenty of noise arul smoke. In fact, few
rocks have ever seen such a cannonade in such a short space

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184

HKJ (iAMK OK Nonill AMKKK A.

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of linio. Yet !ii»ii!ir('!il1y nctlliiiig lind HilU'ii, iiiid IImmc wmm a
|iiiiiiriil (li'iii'tli of ('\ i(|i'ii(')> tliiit iiiiytliiiii; liixl ))*M'ii liit. 'Puk-
ing liisl tlu" tiiicksol' tlif riiwiis, Wf fuiiiKl tin-Ill l»'ii«liii<f awiiy
in loiiK jumps, t«'iiiiii^' up lli«* ground witli cvitv h-;; intact.
It M*-«>|||<>(1 iilniust iiM'Ifss \{t ^(> to look I'or til*' otilt'rs; hilt WH
wi'iit, iiiort' from soiiinl iniiiciplt' tiiaii IV(»iii liopc. Within
It'll var<lH ((!' wlit'ic «♦• had liifdat tlir first hrcr, lava tliivc-
y«'ar-(»ld liiirk, dfad, shot thron^di tin' idioiildtT. And now
th«,' (iiu'stion arose, had \vf ]n^en sliuotin^at only one during
tJM' tiist part (»f th»' proirramni)'. or had tht'ic Im-;'!! two Deer i
A litllf circlinu around rcvralcd a track hadin,!;: away in
full run, and following; it alionl a liundrcd yards, we found
another thive ycai old. dead, with two bulh'ts in him. The
second had evidently risen almost into the jilace vacated by
the lir.st one, and the lirsl was the last one we found.

Ji<

) n

THE VTRGTNIA DEER.

Bv Wai.teu M. W(ii,kk ( " SnosnoNK " ).

^IIIS aniniiil is so well known to students of nattiml
history, and tliciv is so much litenitiirc extant con-
ceiiiin^r it, that li't' leniains to he said. It is
(h»ul)liiil, indeed, if any facts can be stated tliat will
be new to science; and yet, as tliis volume will be lead by
the youth of this and siu'ceedin^^feiu-rat ions, many of whom
may not previously have studied other works on the T/r-
Tid(i\ it is (h'lMued proper to ^ive here a brief technical
descrijition of Virffiiiitniitu, with such other facts as the
writer has accunudated in hunting' and studying; it. 'I'his
species can not be described more tersely or accurately than
in the words of the Hon. John Dean Caton, and 1 therefore
take the liberty of (pioting from liis valiudde work, "The
Antelope and Deer of America," tlie description of tliia
animal, which is as follows:

Al)()ut lilt' size of till' ('()luiiil)iii Dt'cr, with lonjicr Icjis iiiul longer l)0(ly;
liead liMin iind hHiu; nose jxtinted and naked; cj'es large and liistroiis; ears
Hniall and trim; antlers have a spreading jxyslerior projection, and then curve
anteriorly, with pnslerior tines; neck lony and slender; body long for its siy.c;
tail long and lanceolate in form; legs sindght and long.

Lachrymal simis covered with a fold of skin; tarsal gland present; meta-
tarsal gland small, and, l)elow the middle of the leg, naked and surrounded by
while hairs; outside of these tliere is usually a ))and (»f dark-brown hairs, which
are surrounded by long reversed hairs of the color of th:- leg.

Two annual |)elages, Summer eoal, from bay-n il to bulTyellow; winter
coat, a leaden gray, greaMy variant. Deciduous antlers, and couflued to the
males.

The Judge then gives the following observations as to
its habitat, r.inge, et<'. :

This Oeer Ims the widest range of any member of Uio family, in any part
of the world. Us range is from the Atlantic to the Pacific, extending Into
Canada and Briti.sh Columbia on the north, and penetrating far into Mexico
on the .south. U may be found to-day in every Slate and Territory of the

! ';i

180

UIU (iAMK OF NOHTII AMEKICA.

V'.U

\im

United StutL's. It iiiliiiliits uliko tlic di'iisc woodliituls und open prairies, tlic
hijrii inouiitaiiis and the lowest valleys, the arid ])laiiis and the marsh}' swamps.

As we might well expeet, from its wide disirihiilion and varied range, we
find several more or less distinctly marked varieties of this species, all of
■which have welldefineil indicia which detcrndne their specilic identity.

From its wide distribution and great numhers, it is (juite faiiuliur to nearly
all Americans, and is almost the only one known to most oC them.

In form and action it is the mo.st graceful of all, and has been more fre-
quently domesticated than any oilier; yet rarely have persi.stenl atteini)ts t)ern
mad(! to reduce it to comi)lete and permanent domestication. When young it
is a pretty pet around the prenuses; but in a few years it becomes dangerous,
and so is generally got rid of. In its markings it is less stable than either of
the other species. In shades of color there are wide difTerences among indi-
viduals in the same neighborhood, while fugitive markings are frecpiently
observed which are present onlj' for a single year, and some individuals have
permanent markings which are wanting in others. In summer pelage a large
majority are of a bay-red, and with a great diversity in shade, while others
of the same herd will be of a bulT-yetlow; between these extremes almost every
shade may be seen.

In a given neighborhood there is a great difference in the size of indi-
viduals, but there is a |)ermanent difference in size in different localities; the
smallest being foinid in the southern part of the range bordering IheGidf of
Mexico and in Northern -Mexico, the westerly ones being the smallest of all,
where they have been clas.sed by naturalists as a separate species, under the
name of CcreiiH Mcmcanux. In their northern range and in the mountainous
regions of the West, tlie white portion covers a larger surface of the body than
in other regions, where thej- have been ranked by many naturalists as a .sepa-
rate si)ecies under the name of (rrriin lufuriix. By hunters these have been
called the Long-tailed or White-tailed Deer, the latter name having been u.sed
by Lewis and Clarke, while in truth their tails are no longer than those found
in other regions. From the larger extent of white frecpienlly, if not generally,
foimd on them, we might possibly be justilied in assigning them the distinction
of a variet}', though this jvculiarity is by no means universal, for many indi-
viduals can not be distinguished from those found in Illinois or Wisconsin. I
have one specimen, from Northwestern ^Minnesota, with all the legs entirely
wliite to several inches al)ove the hocks and knees, with occasionally a lawny
hair interspersed among the white. The whit- m t!ie belly, too, extends up
the sides farther than is u.sually o' served. This is exceptional, though not
very unconunon in the Norlhwcs! but 1 Imve never seen it in tlieir nuddle or
southern range. I have never lound any black on the tails or faces of the
northern variety, while it is common on more soutliern and eastern varieties.
This accords with a law— which, however, is I ot universal — by which we are
led to expect more white on the si, me species of ijuadruiieds or birds which are
permanently located in the North than on those located in the South.

The antlers of the Virginia Deer are peculiar, and easily recognized. Tlie
curvature described is more abrupt than on any other species, while the pos-
terior projection of the tines from the beam is peculiar to this Deer, except that

escapd
the }\
been

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approl

it canf

must

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up

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the

ties.
lire
lire

The
pos-
that

THE VIUGINIA in.YAi.

1S7

it is sometimes observed on exceptioiiiil antlers of the Mule Deer and the
Columbia Deer.

The Virjifinia Deer is the wihU'st, shyest, shrewdest, and
the most dittinilt to hunt, siiceessfiilly, of all the species of
Cenu'f/d: on this continent, and though nuiny thousands of
them are killed every year, yet many thousands more

On Guard.

escape the hunter's rifle where, under like conditions, either
the Mule Deer or the Columbia Black-tail would hnve
been successfidly stalked and killed. Few naturalists, even,
who are not sportsmen as well, realize the difTiciilty of
approaching this animal; and no one who has not hunted
it can realize the degree of patience and skill that the man
must possess who, generally speaking, can go into the forest

il*».5

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1 mi I S

4
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188

IJK. (lAMK UK NOKTII AMKUKA.

and kill, hy Mill-lmntinir. a Vir<riiiia IVcr. Xo one wlio
has not tried it can ever know tin* weary honr.s of cautions,
stealtiiy treadin^^ through woods, thickets, and over hills,
the intense stiain on the senses and the nervous system,
the great concentration of intellect on the work in hand,
of the man who successfully coi)es with this denizen of the
shadows. No one who has not felt it can realize the
chagrin, the keen disappointment, that the hunter feels
when, after hours of stalking on the fresh ti'ail of a buck,
in the new-fallen snow, he hears a whispered thump! thui. p!
away on the hill-side, and looks up just in time to see one
sway of the great white Hag as the quarry disai)pears over
tlie ridge. No animal living has such eyes, such ears, and
such a nose as the N'ii-ginia Deer.

In the Indian sign-language, the name of this animal is
indicated by a gentle wave of the uplifted hand from right
to left and back again, and so familiar is the m()ti<m to the
eye of every still-hunter, that any niember of the craft,
though he might never have heard that there was a sign-
language, would know at once to what the motion referred.

I wish it were possible to correct in the minds of all
sportsmen and students, at once and for all time, the many
erroneous notions that prevail among them concerning the
existence of distinct species or varieties of this Deer.
Recently, a number of communications were published in
one (»f the sportsmen's journals, in which the writers claimed
that a distino*^ variety of Deer exists in ])ortions of the
Ro<'ky Mountains, wldch they termed the *' Fan tailed
Deer." They based this classification on the fact that the
tails of certain White-tailed Deer in that region were much
wider than those of the White-tailed Deer in othei- portions
of the ccmntry -that is, that the hair on the sides of the tail
was longer, and grew straight out, instead of down, as in the
case of the eastern variety. Some of these correspondents
further claimed that this Deer did not grow as large as
Virr/inia/Kts.

In many sections of the country we hear native hunters
assert that ihere are in their vicinity two species or varieties

as II
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ind
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only
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shar
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THK vuwiiMA i>i:ek.

189

of Deer — the s\vami> Deer and the uphiiul Deer. Some of
them tell us tiiut the swamp Deer has longer legs and a
longer, more slender body than the ni)land Deei-. Others,
again, give us exactly the oi»i)osite statement. Still others
tell us that they have killed what they term crosses between
tlK'se two varieties. In the Far West we occasionally hear
of crosses between the Mule Deer and the Virginia Deer.

In Michigan and \Visconsin. albinos are killed occasion-
ally, and many native hunters believe, religiously, that
these constitute a distinct sjjecies; that should a white buck
and a white doe mate, the result would be a white fawn.
But all these theories are knocked in the head occasionally
by some one seeing or killing a white doe with a fawn by
her side of the \isual color, or rice rcrsa. In two instances
that have come to my knowledge, a doe and two fawns have
been seen toge\lier, one of the latter being white and the
other two members of the fanuly being of the regulation
color. Albinos, in any species of quadruped or bird, wlieiv-
ever found, are simply a freak of nature, and not the result
of lieredity. Size, color. Irugth of legs, and shape of body
may, and (h», vaiy widi^ly in sj»ecimens of the \irginia D«'er,
as in many other wild animals, without constitutiiigdistinct
varieties ()r si)ecies. These variations are due oidy to
individual characteristics, and nf)t to natural and fixed laws.
It would be as absurd to say tliat alj horses must be of the
same size, sluqie, and color, as that all Deer of this or any
other given species must be so. *

The vitality of the Virginia Deer is a subject of wonder
to men who have hunted it. In this respect it ranks second
only to the Antelope.

The negroes f»f tho South frequently erect scythes or
shari» stakes in their runways, knowing that the Deer, in
leaping over some log t>r fence, will be so mutilated Ihat he
will drop within hall! a mile. Thus many a cabin, without
labor on the part of its occupants, is kept sujiplied with
venison.

Maiket-hiinters have well-nigh exterminated the Deer in
the Adirondat'ks. When they think that they are sife from

1;H^

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1 ^

IV ': -it

190

UKi (iAMi; <»l- NOIMII A.MKKICA.

theo})fSHrv!iti()n of <iiin'.t'-\viir(l»^iis. all the dogs that will fol-
low a ti'ail lilt' brought into i'*'(|iiisition, ami the Deer are
driven iiitotiie water, where, perfectly hel|)less, a chil), ax,
or a ritle completes the work of biitcliery. In the winter,
'•(•rusting"' is followed hy these inountaiiieei's, and when the
weather is tu<j warm for venison to keep, it is jerked, and
then sent to market. The "Jack-o'-lantern"' method, in
favor among some hunlers, is scarcely more commen(hd)le.
The Deer is given no chance of escape, hut is Impiently
only wounded, and left to crawl off into the bushes and die.
Give ii Deer a cliance, and lie will run or light as the emer-
gency reipiires. When he does fight, he is no mean enemj'.

The V'iiginia Deer was the first game hunted on this
contiu' nt l)y the whites, and though, like the Huiralo, he
has been driven from many of his native haunts, he is not
in like danger of becoming extinct. Adecpiate and well-
eid'orced laws will preserve him in th<^ Kast. and thei'e is
little danger of his being run out of either the Lake Supe-
rior or Lake Michigan region, or from the lower Mississi])pi
States. His pursuit calls into ])lay all the m<Mital and
physical energies of the sportsman, and there is nothing
nol)ler in the chase than either of the legitimate methods
of hunting this beautiful animal.

S])ortsmen in different sections of tlit^ country lipve their
own [)eculiar methods of hunting the Deer. A iitl<^ is ridi-
culed by the men who hunt in the cane-brakes of Louisiana,
and a' shotgun is an abomination in the Adirondacks or in
the Rocky Mountains. As a rule, along the Atlantic Coast
and in the South, hounds are emplo red in hunting Deer. In
the West they are reyarded as useless. It makes no differ-
ence, however, where the tyro goes for his sport, he must
get over tlie "buck- fever'" before he can bectnne a su^cess-
fid sportsman, or really enjoy the chase. The mere killing
of game does not entitle a man to the freedom and priv-
ileges of the craft.

Several years ago, the writer was introduced to a miner
in El Dorado (Jounty, California, who. from the amount of
venison he brought into market, was esteemed a veritable

ridge.'-
Mrl
the o]

THE VIIUIIMA PEEK.

191

ble

Niinroil throughout the whole region. lie oifered to give
me sill the i)eei-shootiug I wjinted if 1 would go with hiui,
so 1 took ii haU'-day's ride with him to his cabin in the
mountains. >i'ear his house was a bed of white clay that
had been exposed by hydraulic miners. On the bluff above
this was a lai'ge pine-tree, and in this a platform or box had
been built. J iiupiired as to its use, and was told that I
would tind out before long. There was yet no sign of dawn
when we started out witli our rilles, the next moi'iiing, and
what was my surprise to see that the Nimrod carried a pair
of blankets with him. Did he intend to si)end the next
night in the wilderness, or did he intend to blindfold his
game and lead it honied Neither. lie simply went to that
pine-tree, climbed up to the box, by means of pegs that he
had inserted during his leisure hours, and. wrapi)ing the
blankets id)out liim. dozed as contentedly as though he were
in bed. As soon as it was light, a coui)le of Deer came down
the trail to the clay-bed, wliere they had a "lick." They
were not thirty yards fi'om us as we peered over the toj) of
the box. and as our litles cracked together, both fell in
theii- tiacks. That was enough for me. Such work is not
sport, but butchej-y.

The woods oi Northern New York and New England
are practically hunted out. Sportsmen from the large
cities, provided with all the comforts and appliances of civ-
ilizati(<n. visit these resorts, and they are bound to secure
some ti'ophies, regi.ruiess of either method or law.

Good shooting may be had in Minnesota, where Virf/fn-
iarni.s is so abundant as to be, in many places, a niusance
to the farmer. Deer infest the young wheat-fields and
vegetable-patches of the Scandinavian homesteaders, who
lie in wait for them with old-fashioned muzzle-loading mus-
kets heavily charged with buckshot. The Deer do their
feeding princii)ally at night, spending the day-time in the
thickets. As soon as acorns are ripe, they travel on the
ridges at night and live among the jack-oaks.

Mr. .1. II. Beatty says: "The bucks make 'scrapes' in
the open woods, which tliey visit at night to see if the does

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193

BKJ (JAMK OK NoliTll AMKItlCA.

hiive crossed,* and follow any tniils that may be found. As
the cold weather and drifting snow drives them from the
ojten districts, they work back into the heavy pine timber
and immense tamarack swamps. Here they collect in l)ands,
and loam about, feeding on kinnikinic, hazel-brush, oaks,
pines, tamara<'k, and a species of fungus which grows in
tile swamps. In the. spring they return to their old haunts,
in an emaciated condition, t(j recruit ;ind have their fawns."

In rile dense Itrush of these northern swamps a shotgun
will possibly secure more Deer than a I'itle, but so many
wounded animals will get away from the shotgun-hunter,
only to die a lingei-iiig death in the swamps, that, aftei- all,
the use of the ritle seems preferable. Its successful use
re<piiies more skill, and it is the true sportsman's weapon
when in pursuit of big game.

The "Swamp Deer"" of Minnesota and the little "Red
Deer"' of Florida are identical except as to size, and the
variation in this is simply the result of environment.

One of my most enjoyable Deer-hunts was on the Red
River, in Southwestern Arkansas. Deer, Bears, and Tur-
keys were plentiful there in those days, and I i)resume are
yet. We started out early in the morning — the Doctor,
myself, two fret^dmen. who were born hunters, and a mag-
nilice".f pack of such hounds as ai'e to be found only south
of Mason and Dixons line. The horseback-ride of five
miles, througli the rolling, low-timbered country, was
enough to whet the ar(h)r of any hunter. We saw jilenty
of gobblers, but they were not the game we were after, and
as they hid themselves as speedily as possible, the tempta-
tion to shoot was soon removed.

As we neared (Jreighton's Bayou, we struck a number of
trails that were too cold to allow the dogs to follow them.
Suddenly, one trail turned from the bayou toward the river.
Tiie indications were that the Deer had gone early to water.
This we were soon assured of, for alter the trail turned

* I can not iiiilnrsi' this stntoiiiiMit of Bi'iitty'-i Tln' Imrks ilo pnw up thi' Ki'ouiid in
the rutting season, liiit not lor the pin-jiose of reveuliut; the trucks of the does. The buck
trails the doe ()>• scent, not l)ysif;ht. -Editor.

an age

THE viimiNiA j>ki:h.

103

from tliH stream, the dogs opened freely. We were ssitlstied
that it' we coidd keep up with the pack, we couki get a shot
as the Deer jiimi)ed from its bed. Tlie sun was aheady
quite hot, and it was none too early for the Deer to take his
customary rest.

Suddenly the trail led into a little open glade, where
were fallen trees and tall ferns. I had just time to formu-
late the idea that our game was here, when the hounds
plunged into the brakes, and up sprang a magnificent buck.
Before I could dismount, the l)o(M.t)r's bullet whizzed past
me, and the buck (lrop[)ed, stunned, but far from dead.
The hounds were upon him in an instant, but luul he not
been so furious, he could Ium-o escaped from them. Then
began a terrilic battle, bet'". een horns and hoofs on the one
side and sharp teeth on ihe other. The coml)atants shifted
positions each second, and at first we coidd get in no fair
shot. Finally, one of the largest of the dogs got a fair hold
on the Deer's throat, and as he tossed back his head pre-
paratory to striking, both of ns tired, and the buck fell
without a struggle. One of the dogs was so badly cut that
it had to be killed, and another was severely injured.

After this diversion, we set to work to carry out the pro-
gramme of the day. W(^ were to have a i-egular diive. Near
the bayou were two runs. Thdi Doctor took his stand at
one, and I at the otlier. The freedmen took charge of the
hounds, and easily divided them into two packs, as they
were accustomed to being hunted in this way. It .seemed
an age that we waited there, and I began to think that if
the hounds had started any game they had driven it in some
other direction.

At length I heai'd the faint cry of the pack. They were
conung our way. I had plenty of time, and stepped out to
look up the trail when I found myself facing a buck that
was trotting leisurely down to the water, lie saw me as
soon as I saw him, and wlw^eled like a Hash; but he Avas not
more than Hfty yards away, and In-fore he could reach the
underbrush I iired, and he droi)ped. The hounds were
coming nearer, so I did not dare take time to cut his throat.

;

Ulii'M

h.ii

l'\i:

194

mo (iAMK «»K Noinil AMKItlCA.

A lew iiionit'iils, liowcver, conviiicfd iiif tliiit tlit-y were on
the otlu'f run, Jind that tlie Doctor (-(Mild look out lor tliiit
part of the held. 1 reached my buck to hnd him stone-dead.

In the meantime, two lepoits had rung out from the
Doctoi's stand, and 1 was decidedly jealous, as I su])i)o.sed
lie had ceriaiidy secured three Deer \o my one; so I leftmy
ga(ne where it was Jtnd started to iind liim.

"Hello, old man, what have yf)u gotf" I shouted as I
came in sight of my pai'tner, who was keeping the hounds
from a spotted object that lay tpuvering among the ferns.

" A measly fawn," was his rejjly.

It turned out that a doe and fawn had been driven
down, and the Doctor liad vowed he would never killadoe.
His lirst shot had niissed the fawn, anil he was mad at him-
self for liaving liad to lire a second lime. It must have been
that tiie buck I shot had not been started by the dogs, but
had heard them in the distance, and imagined that lie had
plenty of time to escape before they struck his tracks.

Jeir luid now reached lis, but of Zeb and the other pack
we had heard nothing. We would have anywhere from ten
minutes to half an hour's notice of their approach, so the
time seemed most opportune for the lunch which was on
our saddles. We did full justice to the cold chicken, sand-
wiches, and hard-boiled eggs while Jeff was dressing the
game, and then our helper, having helped himself, started
away with the pack. We lighted our ''Ii<me Jack"' and
"Perique," and resumed our stands, awaiting further
develoi^ments.

The exercise of the morning and the sultry stillness of
the forest at noon made me drowsy. It seemed safe to
indulge in a little sieda. The hounds would surely awaken
me in time to get a shot if they came my way. so I siit down,
and, leaning against the tree in the warm suidight, was
soon out of Arkansas and away up among the Green Mount-
ains, where I caught my lirst trout and killed my lirst Deer.

How long I dreamed I can not tell. Suddenly there Avas
a confusion of bays and yelps, and, as I opened my eyes, a
streak of dun and white flashed by the tree, I pulled up

I lul
just abl

THE VinoiXIA IlKKi:.

195

e to

iken
wn,
was
unt-

3eev.
was
es, a

d lip

my ritU*, liivd witliout takiii;; aim. and, ns tliH lioiiiids
swept by, 1 liwii'd tht* ^pla.xh oi tb*f Ih-vt at lu* iilmmcd into
tliH bayou. The packs weiv to^thft. witli .b-l? and Zcb
close behind. I told theiii Ut fi^liow fhe (h)<:s, and then,
getting' my horse I'loin lln' thick*-! •h^r*' lu* was tied, joined
the cliMse, accompanied by the j»<*-iir»r. who had heard the
noise and come over to see wliat itiul imfu the lesidt of my
shot.

Far acrf)ss the bayou th^ v(»]<i»— t,f iloirs and men were
growing fainter; but our lior><"« wvrv fr^•'«h»•r than either
Deer or (h)gs, and we hopetl iu }>*- in at thf* d»'ath. liefore
reaching the water we saw Idood, wliir-h gave us hope. The
bayou was shallow; neverthelesfs. hik- ir»Te well soaked wlien
we emeiged on the opjiosite bank, And now there was no
hmger a beaten track to follow. r*tout cr*'»'pers threatened
to sweep us from our steeds; failien tnmks invited a fall;
marshy holes were all about us: but ir<r ke[it on— ritle in one
hand, reins in tht^ other. First a hninrh knocked off the
Doctor's hat; a moment latei'. luiuie foliIovv>'d suit. White
foam cre})t out from beneath tb*- saddle-bhinkets. So we
rode, regardless of everything but I>e»-rand hoimds.

Tile swamp was finally passed, tine hiU was climbed, and
we were riding along the ridge, wh^-n lh»* noises that we fol-
lowed stopi)ed. Then came the tire-<rrackerdike report of
Jeff " s I'evoh er.

'' It's all up with us," said the iKjxrtor: "we may as well
let 'em walk the rest of the way."

The horses were in for sport, however, as well as we
and the hounds, and wotdd not sbiicken rtntil the end of the
chas' .

It was a hot late-summei- aftemoif>n, Down among the
creepers, in a little glade, lay the l>eer. The dogs were
resting under tlio trees. With loot^ened girths and drijjping
Hanks, the horses wandered in the *hade. Our freedmen
Avere lazily smoking away the mosquif/je*. The day's hunt-
ing was over,

I had held low, and the ball, inflicting a slight wound
just above the knee, had ranged loi"«"ar»i so as to expose a

i-i.

■'i T.-i

t I

HKi (JAMK OK NdlMII AM KIJICA.

portion of the iiitestiiieM. Had tin* Beer been allowed to
lie down and give nature a chance, he nM<i;ht have come out
all riglit. As it was, the odds were ii;u'ainst him, but lie
ke])t i)luckily on until his viscera he<:iin to droj) out. and
then the hounds soon had him.

We had a twelve-mile ride back to the i)lantation. ci-oss-
In^- that vile bayou, ^ind leaving the colored men to attend
to the game and hounds. IJut, tired and hungry as we
were, w<Mlelayed eating until we could get a juicy cutlet
from the fawn, and then we were ready to make the same
tri]) on the morrow.

As already stated, the range of the Alrginia Deer is
bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west
by the l'acifi(\ I have met him in various portions of the
Far West, on the ])lain,s, in the mountains, in the great
river valleys, and among the foot-hills.

It may not be amiss to reproduce here porti(ms of an arti-
cle which I recently contributed to imports Ajlcld, descriptive
of one of my hunting-tri])s in Western Wyonnng, on which
occasion we killed several Deer, in addition to Antelope
and Mountain Sheei». The story runs thus :

The last round-up of the year was over. The hist train-
load of cattle bearing the G-square brand was on its way to
Chicago. The corral was deserted. Narboe and the boys
had gone to Green Kiver, and I was alone. I was blue. We
boys who have rustled about mining-claims and cow-camps,
living on fat bacon, wrapping our blankets about us at
night and lying on tlie cold ground, with the starry dome
for a canopy, witli the howl of the coj'ote for a lullaby,
know what it is to be blue. It was Christmas-tide, and as I
watched the smoke t)f the receding engine become fainter
and fainter, and finally lose itself in the haze of Red Des-
ert, there was a big lum}) in my throat. I wanted excite-
ment; so I turned to the shed, saddled Old Calamity,
mounted, and with my 40-00 BuUard across my lap, rode—
not eastward, but westward down the saline waters of
Bitter Creek.

TIIK VIK(iINl\ DKKU.

197

It was a dreary (lay— cold, cloudy, and chceilcss as my
own thoughts. There were but two section-houses in the
twenty odd miles to be traversed. Once in awliile a great
gray sage-cock would dart across the trail, and on the sum-
mit of a distant hill I saw the branching antlers of a Hlack-
tailed Deer. A pair of green-winged teal aiose from the
surface of a brackish pool, and I wondered what they were
doing in sucli a God-forsaken region. Then the canon grew
more narrow. Its northern side was a i»i'ecipi<'e of naked
rock. Ileie and there a hole in the wall and a blackened
dump showed where prospectors had sought for coal, but
now everything was the personification of desolation.

It was past noon when I readied the station, section-
house, and corral that are named, on the Union Pacific's
time-card, Point of Rocks. Here the hills broke, and a road
— scarce more than a trail — led northward to the valley of
the Sweetwater and to the beauties of the Yellowstone. From
this point my route lay northward into the lieart of the
game-preserve. It was too late in the season for the regular
teamsters. Two weeks ago the last wagon train had started
for Lander, Atlantic, and South Pass. It would be April
or May before they returned. Fortunately, Frank !N[offat,
the station-agent's brother, and Si Johnson, his partner,
were at the depot, and the next morning were going twenty
miles -northward to their lonely ranch, to look after their
cattle. A hunting-trip was quickly madeiip, and I rejoiced
at the thought of going into, to me, a terra incognita. By
the aid of a musty pile of yellow-covered fiction, and the
cheerful conversation of the cowboys, the afternoon and
evening passed quickly away, and we started early the next
morning for the mountains.

A long and dreary ride lay before us, and it was too cold
to devote any attention to the grandeur of the desert
scenery. About five o'clock we reached Moffat's ranch,
where a hundred or two gaunt steers were gathered about
a bog-hole, and a shed half-sunk in the hill-side sheltered
lialf a dozen range horses. The cabin was built at the edge
of the mesa, where it caught the full force of the bitter

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198

nro (lAMK OF NOUTH AMKItlCA.

wiiiiry winds, it was built of railroii(l-ti«'M iind iniul, warm
♦'iioiigli in iis way, but Monifwiiat clohe, owing to tlie fact
lliat its itui' \vin<lf;w was nailed in itosition. A .slu't't-iron
stovti ()ccu|iit'd one (•(tiiuT, a i)Uidv ont- end, a tabh* oiu' side,
and tlitf rt'niMindcr was more tlian conirortably Jillcd with
saddles, liainess, uininunition, and provisions. 13oxh8
served as eliairs, but, alter a supper of bacon, fried j)otatoes,
hot bread and molasses, it proved a very comfortable i)lace
for a game of " IMgli live."

We were again on Die way early in the morning, riding
north wai'd in the face of a still", cutting zephyr from the
summits of the Wind lliver Mountains. It is never very
warm lu-fore sunrLie at an elevation of seventy-live hundred
feet, and on this Christmas morning the cold was almost
unendurable. We were clad as warmly as was consistent
with freedom of movement, and our pockets were full of
cartridges.

Northward, still northward; the rising sun showed Table
Rock and Old Steamboat to the left, Sweetwater to the east,
while far ahead the mighty i)eaks of the Wind River Range
shone like icicles above the clouds. We passed a wallow in
which four Hulfalo weie taking their morning drink. Away
tliey went over the alkaline waste, and we did not pursue.
They were the last Bison that I saw, and probably the last
that I shall ever see outside of an iuclosure. Po.ssibly they
are the same bunch that were captured last summer on Red
Desert. About nine o'clock we came to a steep slope.

"Duck your head," said Si; "we always see Antelope
here."

Sure enough, we reached the crest in time to start a bunch
of seven within a hundred yards. We were off our horses
and got in a couple of shots before they were out of range.
"Dnrn our skins," was all my companion said, as he re-
niountt>d, which was sutlicient evidence to me that we had
thrown away our anununition.

Away we went after them, and had ridden, perhaps, half
a mile, when a sheep-like "Ba-a-a" on one side made us
jiull up. There lay a young doe shot through the hind

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THE VIKlilXlA DKKU.

199

quarters. How slie had luanaged to rnn so far was a
mystery. Si cut lier throat, and soon the quarters were
dangling- from the saddle-horns, as we galloped northward.
Later in the day, another band was found, and several more
were killed, loaded up, and then the liom<nvard trail was
struck. But the sport of the day was not over. When
within two miles of the cabin a magniticent buck started
from a sheltering arroyo, and before he passed over the hill
a ball Avhistled over him, which considerably accelerated his
speed. We considered the chances as ten to one that we
would never see him again; but he could not run a blulf
with impunity, so we cached the Antelope-meat and started
in pursuit. After a hot ride of an hour, we started him
from another canon. This time he doubled on his trail, and
dashed for the point where he was lirst found. We had no
idea that he wxmld stop this time, and our horses were so
tired that we leisurely retraced our way, content with th'^
prospect for supper. How long we had struggled over rocks
and through sage-brush I can not tell. Suddenly, Si almost
fell from his horse, and lay tiat on the ground. I followed
suit. There, just ahead, on an elevation, we could see a
pair of branching antlers, showing that the stag was wary.
Si rested his Winchester on a rock, and I was to crawl
nearer if possible. I had gone ])erhaps thirty yards through
the sage-brush, when I heard a shot; a ball whistled over
me, and I raised in time to see the monarch of the glen
plunge headlong into a canon. When we rtached the spot
he rose on his fore legs aiid shook his horns defiantly, but
his backbone was broken, and a grace-shot through the head
made him our game.

Then homeward with our load, in the early gloaming.
For supper we had the juciest and most tender Antelope
and the toughest venison I have ever tasted, and after a
pipeful of "Lone Jack" I lay down to dream of another
Christmas in the semi-tropical forest of Orizaba.

We all have stored away, somewhere in the archives of
memory, lecords of these red-letter days. They may have

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200

BIO (lAMK (IF XOIJTII AMEIUCA.

been spent by the trout-streams of boyhood, by the pools
oi" Miiuniichi, or anion<,^ the Elk and Antelope of the Far
West. We look for another such daj' to-morrow. And
in after yfars, when our eyes grow dim and our steps fal-
ter, we will look back ui)on these red-letter days, and, in
imagination, live them over again, enjoying the sport with
all the zest we felt when v-,^ rt^ally listened to tlie mui'-
niur of the wateis, the baying of hounds, or the sharp
report of the rille.

^ •m.

'^ I:

A DEER TTUXT.

By WAH-liAlI-MI-MI.

HE voice of brave " Venus" wns heard on the gale,
And the tierce howl of Driver came close at her heel;
The sharp yell of Patch told the story of game,
As dovvn the " swamp-runway " the grand chorus came!
The fear-stricken quarry, in proud an' k'red pride,
Pled onward, with snow-tlakes of foam on his side.
On, onward he sped — o\er brake, and o'er brier.
Each bound to his doom brought him nigher and nigher;
And louder behind him swelled full on tlie breeze
That matchless refrain through the old cedar-trees.
'Twas clear as the notes of the bugle, which thrill
Tlu! spirit of Echo o'er valley and hill.
Tell me not of the music which instnmients make,
Though harmony trembles in every wake;
Tell me not of the sound of a lute in the grove,
Though that lute be attuned to the cadence of love;
Tell me not of the chorus tliat swells o'er the bowl,
When wine sparkles brightly and mirth thrills each .soul-
No nicliKly rivals the magical sound
Of the deip-toued and heart-stirring voice of the hound,
When tierce on the trail, with proud lire in his eye,
lie follows each wind of the scent in " full cry!"
But close came the nuisic to where Honalil stood,
With nostrili expanded, impatient for blood;
Ilis old double-barrel, that oft has' I)een tried,
Was ready; his eye glanced on every side.
The breaking of twigs gives him warning, when high,
AVith a bound o'er the bushes, the buck meets his eye-
Fidl sixty yards off did he burst on his view.
When up went his gun — tried, trusty, and true;
Out rang a report on the cool evening air;
We looked for the quarry— in death h'.' lay there!
The bullet had pierced him direct 'twi.xt the eyes.
'Twas gallantly done. A magniticcnt prize
Was that stately old Deer, as he drew his last breath,
Full-length on the runway. Then in at the death,
With a grand, sweeping chorus, the noble dogs cume,

(SOI)

202

BIG GAME OF XOUTII AMERICA,

And nislicil Willi a bloodthirsty roar at the giinic!

'TwiiH worthy the sportsinaii, a!ul worthy the gun,

The fall of that noble old buek ou the run.

The .sound of that rifle, .still true to it.s aim,

Hrouj,^ht each man from his "stand " for a view of the game.

The pif)es were drawn forth, and then over the slain

The run and the shot were enacted again.

The balmy fall evening was curtained with haze.

The tree-tops were tinged with the sun's sinking raj's,

The leaves of the forest were silent and still.

The ndghty old hemlock that stood on the hill

Moved not from its roots to its liranehes on hi!;h,

Which towered in majestic relief 'gainst the sky.

'Twas a beautiful scene, but the .shiulows of night

From eve's dark'ning sky were conunencing their flight.

T)ie (luarry was shouldered, and glad was the tramp,

As we carried our troph}' away to the camp.

Oh, give me the startling sound of the gun —

The rousing refrain of the hounds at full riwi!

Oh, give me the siglit of the Deer on the bound

Over vallej- and liill, as he spurns the groiuid!

Oh, give me the blaze of the camp-lire at night,

When day and its glories have vanished from sight I

When friends and companions are .seated around.

With the sky for a roof, for a bed but the ground—

The steam of the tea-kettle curling aloft

Through the rther of Paradise, balmy and soft;

The i)otato-pot boiling and snorting with ire;

The frying-pan his.sing aloud on tlie tire;

And an appetite keen from the glorioas run,

Awaiting the moment when "Supper is done."

Compared with such charms, a palace would be,

Though gilded and gorgeous, a prison to mel

' .i

\i-li

THE GRIZZLY BEAR.

By W. 8. Kainskord, D.D.

UCH works on natural history as I have been able to

consult, give most

inaccurate and misleading ac-
counts of the Grizzly Bear; and having captured,
hunted, and yarned with a great variety of Western
Nimrods who had hunted, or professed to have hunted,
persistently, this moiuirch of all American game animals, I
am convinced of the absolute inaccuracy of such lore as
they usually supply to the public. I have hope, however,
that though this article is of necessity written in iuiste,
it may pj'ove useful to some Avho are anxious for themselves
to make the Grizzly's acquaintance.

I believe Lewis and Clarke, in their history of their
adventurous journey across this continent, in 1802-04, were
the first to give to the public an account of the Grizzly Bear.
They met him on the upper waters of the Missouri River,
and his size, ferocity, and tenacity of life made a great
impression on the minds of the explorers.

There can, I think, be no doubt that the Grizzlj"^ is one
distinct species in itself, and the habit, among hunters in
the West, of speaking as though there were three or four
different species of gray Bears, is a mistaken one. Local
authorities, in the regions where the Grizzlj'^ is found, will
tell you that the true Grizzly is rare, while the Silver-tip
or the Roach-back are common. But while the Grizzly
exhibits great variety of color, there is nothing in the struct-
ure or the habits of these different-colored Bears to consti-
tute a separate species.

It can be proved, beyond all manner of reasonable doubt,
that all species of Bears found between tlie Big Horn and
the Coast Range Mountains, east and west, and Alaska

(903)

2()4

lUd <;.\MK OF XOIITII AMKUICA.

uiid M<^xico on tlie north and south, occasionally breed
togetlier. Tliis, of course, will account for all varieties of
color. I myself have shot three young Bears going with
one sow, one almost yellow, one almost black, and another
nearly gray. I have seen oidinary Black Beai's {fJr.sus
AiiwricdiiKs:) with year-old Grizzly cubs shiiped differently
from the mother, unmistakably owing both their shape and
color to the i)arentage of the male Grizzly. As to shape,
too, thei'e is the greatest difference in specimens. Some
Gi'izzlies liave a formidable hump-like lift back of the head,
ext<Miding to well over the shoulders. This gives a Bear
what they call in the West a very hard expression, and an
ugly customer he looks as you would care to meet. Again,
in some this humi) is scarcely noticeable, and the back is
almost as straight as in a Black Bear. So in paws. While
all Grizzlies are wider in the heel than the Black Bear, there
is a noticeable difference in the tread. Some are much
broader across the heel than others, the foot squarer. I
once killed two well-grown two-year-old Grizzlies together,
who had double instead of single tusks, in both upper and
lower jaws. This, I fancy, is rare; for my guide, who has
killed over one hundred Grizzlies, has never seen but one
like specimen.

I have i)retty well satislied myself, then, that there are
only two distinct species of Bears at present to be found
within the geographic^al limits I have indicated — the Black
and the Grizzly; and these, perhaps, being driven together
by the pressure of civilization, are likely to undergo con-
sidei'able modifications, if they survive during the next
twenty five years.

The range of the Grizzly has, of course, as in the case of
all other large wild animals, been of late years greatly
restricted. When I made my first hunting expedition to
the West, in 1808, it was not uncommon to find specimens
on the plains, at a distance of many hundred miles east of
the mountains. In 1881, when I nuide my second trip, the
Big Horn Range, and the lesser ranges runniiig out as s])urs
to the east of it, were full of Bears. Now, so far as I can

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learn, Bears are not coinint)n in tliat region. So in the
South and AVest. In tlie unoccupii'd regions of Soulhein
Calirorniii, and northward, in the ijaiallel valleys of the
coast ranges, twenty years iii;o, the (?ii/,/,ly was rre(inently
to be fonnd. In that legion, last spring, I discovered for
myself thiit large Bears are now rare, and all Bears
iinconnnon.

Wonderful stories have been told of the huge size and
great ferocity of the Alaskan (rrizzly; but skins from that
regi(jn do not seem to be much larger than those piocuied
from other places, and 1 have only seen one unusually large
skidl of a bear killed theie. Of Alaska, however, I can not
speak personally, as I have never hunted there.

It has often been claimed by frontiersmen that Bears
change their range during the fall months, and movt^ down
from the higher and less accessible regions, in search of fruit
and berries; but I think this nugiation is a good deal exag-
gerated. Whether it is that, in late years, in a great many
of the valleys where fruit abounds, cattle have been driven
in, or wliether it is that the aiii)roach of man makes the
game more shy, I do not know; but larger Bears seem
seldom to leave their lonely haunts among the mountain-
tops, or. if they do. make but short journeys downward, fiom
which they return in a day. Smaller Grizzlies and Black
Bears do seem to push their way close down to the cattle-
ranches, in their search for fruit; but the time is past when
a hunting-party, on their greenhoi-n trip, can kill, as some
friends of nune iid, ten years ago, moi'e than a dozen Bears
within one day's march of the cattle-i'anch.

In food, the drizzly ijrefers variety. He is fond of meat
when he can get it; and thus he is generally to be found not
far awav from a large 'and of Elk. If you strike a good Elk
country — that is, one in which the Elk have been for some
time — yon are pretty sure to get good chances at Bears. But
failing meat, he makes out very well on nuts, acorns, etc.;
and the fattest Grizzlies I ever killed were those that had
been feeding for weeks on the iiine-nuts that the industrious
mountain stpurrels stow away in such great plenty in the

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111(1 (iA.MK (»F NoltTII AMKKICA.

little colonies on the upper hill-sides. Where the nut-pine
is plenty, you may Jilso exi)e('t to find Jiciiis.

II' 1 iitt<'nii»t to si)e:ik of the size of the (iiizzly, T presume
I shtdl ([uickly Ihid niyscli' on diflieult ground. Personally,
I believe tln.'i'e is a great deal of exaggeration as to his size.
Thert' ai'e one or two authentie instances of liears of enor-
mous size and weight being exhibited; but these took kindly
to civilization, and became fat us prize-pigs. In the wild
state, 1 should say tliat a Bear weighing nine hundred
])ounds was a very large one indeed. The largest 1 ever
killed measured from nose to heel, as the skin was pegged
out, not unduly stretched, nine feet three inches, and I
siiould say that Hear would have weighed l)etween eight and
nine hundi't'd i)ounds. I saw. in California, the skin of
a Jiear that had become cpiite famous for his size and cun-
ning, in that region of tin; Sierras where he hud nuide his
licmie, and this skin measured over tea feet. The liear
himself, 1 should think, must have weighed a thousand
pounds. One other skin I recollect to have seen measured
nearly eleven feet, tliough this skin seenK^d to me to have
been a good deal stretched; that was the kugest I ever saw.
But if we are to be guided to our conclusions by hunters'
talk, you must be'lieve that thousand-pound Bears are com-
mon, and every nuin who pretends to be a hunter claims to
have seen several Bears that weighed a great deal more
than that. I can only claim to have killed eighteen; but, as
I said, I would not put the weight of my largest at more
than eight hundred and fifty pounds; nor does my guide
think that, of the much larger number he has killed, any
weighed over nine hundred.

Some good authorities have held that the Range Bear of
til', Ttocky Mountains, as the Giizzly constantly is called, is
much smaller on the main chain and its spurs than the Be?ir
found in California. I think this is at least doubtful.
There are certainly a great many small Bears in California,
and very large Bears are as scarce there as anywhere else.
I do not doubt that occasionally the milder climate and
the more plentiful food of one of those California valleys

^sr

THE OlllZZLY BEAK.

207

111.
ia,

produces a monster indeed; \mt >^izf. in such cases, would
depend on circumstances more ihan on any pecnliarity of
breed. In the same way. on ili*- ii>bin.s to the east of the
mountains, luij:;e Hears have 'r^mi*'\'im*r!^ l)een foiind; but, at
l»resent, I tliink there is little <ioul»i tha' thf loneliest parts
of the central chain are the t>«jit places to tind Bears of a
considerable size.

The sportsman often notices claw-marks of Bears on trees,
as he is riding by, as high, or aluK^i as high, as his head,
and, thoughtlessly, he is apt to gii<f^'S at the presence of an
immense animal who can stret^'h ijinL'»*'lf to such a point on
the tree-trunk. When "Eiihraim" lir*t conu's out in the
spring, he alwaj's, as hunters ««y. measures his winter
growtli and rubs his claws down a hh on some big, rough
pine's side. But when this tak<e» place, he is usually
standing on from three to live i*^i of «»tiovv. which, by the
time the hunter gets there, ha* m^'hetl away, and thus
several feet have got to be tukeu off ihat IVars height.

If what I have liere said M^em.* heretical t<j some of
mv readers, as to the Grizzlv's *!;iz<e. I fear what I have to
add, as to his ferocity, will al*^* mei-t with a doubtful
acceptance. There can be no doui*! ihat constant contact
with white men, armed Avitli mod'em weapons, has wrought
a change in the nature oifera; mninrn. In India, the Tiger
no longer charges as he use<I 1<* f-liarsre in Captain Rice's
thrilling book. Sometimes he cliar^iM-t. -*i:ill. but more often
turns tail. The instinctive drea«l, l«om. no doubt, of bitter
experiences, has descended from \ieitynx to child, and he is
no longer the fearless savage that "earHt^r accounts declare
him to have been. So with the Grizzly; the first white men
he met were armed with sm<joTL-tj«fj>re?» and Hint-locks -
inadequate weapons with which to dieal with him. For lifty
years, there was no great change in tLe weai)oning of the
hunter. He carried, as a rule, a muzzlie-loading ritie of small
caliber, using a light charge of i*cj»w4<^r: and as fur was
plentiful in the country, and the Grizzly's pelt was worth
little or nothing, and was difficult to jack, f'phraim was
left sevi^rely alone. The miners, too. and early explorers

i ,!■'

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5J08

Hid (i.VMK <»K XolMlI AMi:i:i( A.

of his liiiunts were not al'tfr Hciiis, ]mt gold, unci did not
troiiMf- liiiii niiicli. I^lll•in;^■ tlit'Sf tiiiifs, lie wiis, no d(>ul)t,
u .siiily customer, and did not troul)l(' liiinscH' to get out of
the wiiy. Hut sinre the war, tlnngs liave clianged. Men
swannetl Wt\st, armed witli repeaters. Tlie i)o\ver of the
I'ifle was steadily on the increase, and tlu' i)ressure of civili-
zation felt more and more in the wihh'st parts of the land.
The result of these years of attack is most evident in the
habits of the Urizzlv liear as he is to-dav. I do not for a
moment mean to say that he is not a foimidable adversary;
hut 1 do sa}', without hesitation, that the danger of his
attack, in tln^ pr»'sent day, has been grossly exaggerated.

I remember meeting some hnnters in 1808 who had killed
£1 large (irizzly. They had got him in a gully between
tliem, a man on each side and the Bear down in the mid-
dle, and they had put thirteen Henry bullets into him.
Both of them had been nearly clawed before he gave up the
ghost; and this experience of theirs, at that time, I am
disjKJsed to think was not an nncomnion one. Jiut there
was just an illustration of the inadecpuicy of armament
with which to attack such game. All who have handled
the old Henry >[()del will remend)er just what the gun could
and could not d(». It was an excc^llent weapon, when cut
olf short, for liulFalo running, and a good Indian gun,
and as sm'h was greatly prized during those dangerous
times on the plains. But the 'harge of powder was light,
as was the lead, and in front of a big Bear it was, of neces-
sitj^, a most unreliable weapon. Grtmted the sportsman is a
fair shot, and a man of ordinary nerve, with a good weapon,
and you mateiially alter the conditions in his favor. A
fifty-caliber bullet, with a hundred grains of powder
behind it, will sto^t almost anytlnng; and a line-shot, that
is, a shot in line of the saline, taking effect anywhere below
the nose or above the hips, will drop a Bear in his tracks,

I account for a large number of the stories told of cliarg-
ing Bears in this way: The game is generally siglited on the
side of a hill, lie is making his way up some ravine, and
the hunter '<talks him from below. When fired at, whether he

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is woundt'd or not, he will almost invariably tiiiii dowiiliill
and try to get away, and in doing ho, often nejuiy tnnibles
over his antagonist, wlio fancies the liear is charging at
him, when his sole intention is to get away as soon as pos-
sible, if wonnded, he lias ii i)ecn]iarly exasi)eniting way
of rolling over and over, like a ball, at great pace, roaring
all the time. It is not easy to make a dead-shot at this
soi't of a bonnding foot-ball, so a greenhorn is a])t to wait,
thinking that his ]5ear is mortally wounded, whereas, in
fact, he may be only slightly scratched, and he will con-
tinue his rotary movement till he strikes a bit of more level
ground, and then rapidly disajipear. 1 nnght say here,
in passing, that it is always better, and certainly safei', to
stalk the (liiz/ly from al)ove.

The oidy Bear that deliberately charged me, charged in
the way I have described. 1 was planted in the middle of
the gully as he was conung (h)wn, and seeing me in the way,
and cutting oil" his retreat, he charged for all he was worth.

Still, making, as I do, an allowance for the hereditary
growth of timidity in the Bear, his great strength and
tenacity of life will always render him an opponent to be
attacketl carefully. Vou do not realize wliat that strength
is till you see his magniticent muscular develoinnent when
stripped of his skin. Kemove his skin, and he is start-
lingly, hoiridly, like a dead man. His strength is enor-
mous. A splendid short-horned bull, that had been imported,
at great cost, by a cattle-raiser on Rock Creek, Montana,
a few years ago, was found with its neck broken but a week
aftrr its arrival, and the tracks of a large Bear showed who
had done the mischief.

My hunter, in 1868, saw a Grizzly attacking a band of
three Buffalo bulls, and assured me that, as one of the bulls
charged him, he saw that liear l)reak hfc mighty neck with
one blow. I believe that story is true. And only four
years ago, a large bull Elk, killed by our party, was carried
away bodily, horns and all, the night after he was killed,
by one monstrous Grizzly — carried over groimd so rough
and through timber so dense that we lost all track of the

"210

Illo (iAMi: (iK \(»1!TH AMKIMCA.

caiTasM iiinl tin- tliit'l". 'I'lir Klk mii^t lunc wfi^licd well
«m to ii tlioii.saiid poiimls, and such a IVat of strength .seems
almost Impossible.

As you lean over theear('v.ss of a lar^t^ Grizzly, yon realize
the utter nonsense of attacking' such an animal with a
knife. Even as he lies dead, you may pick out your own
place in his Iniue musculai' ciiest -lie on the lii'ound, yon
4ibove him--it will take the blow of a sti'onn' man to di'ive
youi' knife np to the haft in tlu; skin and mu.scle; and when
yon have done so, the (ihances are ten to one you <lon't go
near striking a vital place. The muscles of the arms and
chest aie simply tremendous. I have seen a Bear, when
wounded, knock (piite a large piece out of the .side of a
pine-tree with ii blow of his i)aw.

As to knives, few men go properly i)rovided. Thongh
experieiKu; ought to have taught them otherwise, I lind that
pi'ofessional huitteis ai'e often just as badly provided as
the tenderfeet they conduct. It is difRcult to get a leally
good piece of steel. After trying ii great variety of
makes in England and the United States, 1 got a num-
ber of knives from Mr. Price, of San Francisco. I have
used these knives now on foni* different tri])s, and they
have given me satisfaction; but, though I i.,tive careful
orders as to tlieii' making, Mi'. Price made (lie same mis-
take that nearly all (aitlers do, and forged them far too
thick. The blades are just six inches long, oue curved, and
one almost straight, with solid handles, and leather thongs
attached, to tie tlu'in to the belt. Knives sold as hunting-
knives in our large cities are worst; than useless. Tiie best
way that I Icnow of to provide one's self with a knife is
to buy a dozen or so of the ordinai'y skinning-knive.s,
to be procnred in any Western mining-camp or cattle-
town. They cost about fifty or seventy-live cents apiece,
and in the dozen you may perhaps find two good blades.
A good stone for whetting them should also be carried, for
if you have any real work to do, it is necessary, again and
again, to sharpen the blades while sliinning.

l'<.

(rlizzl

Climb

Would

'■ojteii

since I

in whic

thatal

sim])ly

un.s])oi(

be foiuK

Usually

Tiiey a

strong i

<lown til

longer,

setting

1WI

T- fill

TlIK (ilM/ZI.Y IIKAK.

911

lis-

)est
is
-es,
tle-
eoe,
des.
for
and

T would enrnt'stly jidvisc tlw l)<'<,nnti<'r not to ^'o aftt-r
BwiiH nloiu'. Kvni if a man is sure of liis nerve, a caitiid^e
will soinctiiiu's stick or miss lliv. (!iiriimstauct's have made
it iiecessai'y lor me to iiiint ii <;<toddeal by mysell", and most
ol' my I'eais I iKipiieii lo imvekilled when alone; but I would
always iJiefer to take another man with me. A i'riend of
mine, an artist, tells m<' that only two y»>ars ago lie came
neai' beiui;' kilh^d by a sow, whose (!ubs lie shot, while some
distance from catup. He was painting when the Bears hove
in sight, ib^ shot at a cub, and thought he killed it ; then shot
the other cub and knocked it down; and then he shot the
mother. When the lirst cub tried to crawl away, he shot il;
again; ditto the second cub. Then the motlierwoke up, and
.seeiughiin altackiiigliei' childicn, she went foi'him. Ilehad
only two cartridges left in his repeater; lie hit her with both,
but did not succeed in killing her; and if it had not been
for his dog, who attacked her behind while he bolted, she
would liiive torn him to pieces; and, as it was, he did not
get any one of the three Bears. He was no tenderfoot either,
but a thorough hunter, and a man who has killed a good
(h^al of game iii the West.

I'eisonally, 1 have no feeling against trapping Bears. The
Grizzly is fast becoming extinct; he must inevitably suc-
ciinil) to the ranchman's poison and the hunter's trap. I
would sooner, of course, stalk and kill one Bear in the
'' open" than kill twenty in the trap, and it is many years
since I have shot a trapped Bear. But in view of tlm way
in which all furred game is taken — in view, also, of the fact
that all the Territories offer rewards for Bear-scalps— it is
simply nonsense to talk about trapping Bears as being <!itlier
unspcntsmaidike or cruel. In the long run, I think it will
be found that forty-pound traps are the best. Smaller traps
usually scare the game, and seldom hold a big animal.
They are rather dangerous things to .set, and a pair of
strong iron clamps should be used to screw on and hold
down the springs, on their being handled. It takes a little
longer, but, unless you have had considerable exi)erience in
setting traps, it is worth while to take trouble to avoid

I I

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f

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212

I!I(i GAME (H' XOKTII AMKUUA.

the (lunger of losing a finger, or perliaps having a wrist
crushed.

As to the best weapon for a trip: Good weapons in great
variety are now to be liad, and had cheaply. The improved
Winchester, HO -110, is an excellent "saddle gun." Person-
ally, I i)iel'er the Bullard; the action is so silent, and the
shooting of such weapons as I have used can not be sur-
passed. But I am ready to admit tliat the AVinchester,
though not so silent in its action, is a stronger ritie, and
more convenient on horseback. It is somewhat lighter,
too; and since all who ai-e determined to follow their game
up and kill it in spoi'tsmaulike manner must be prepared
to leave their ponies ar the foot of the mountain -not on
the side — every extra ounce to be carried is a burden.

Almost as important as the ritle is the iield-glass. ])on"t
s})are mouey to get the best that is to be got; and if you
are a party of two or three, let one carry a jiowerful stalk-
ing-glas.s. Especially if going after Sheep or game that
is sighted ;it a distance, it is all-important to be able
to make out the size of a head before you face the arduous
climb of sevei'al thousand feet. It is disappointing ^\ork to
mistake a i»oor head for a good one, when you are at the
foot of a mountain and your gauie is near the toj), and,
after long hours of toiling, you get within shot, and liud
your coveted trophy is not worth the taking.

Be careful, too, as to your * ' shoeing. ' ' 'i'he higher ranges
of our mountains, though not clothed with ice and snow to
the same extent as are the Alps, present some features of
peculiar danger. The conglomerate fovmation, whicii is
almost everywhere found in them, nudces Avalking often
perilous. However near gauie may be, never hurry; do no:
go up a place where you are sure you can not get down. I
believe the danger from falls is far greater than any other
danger the hunter has to meet; and 1 know from experience
this danger to be considerable.

Astooutlit, two things are all-important — good ])()nies,
plenty of them, and good packers. Good guides are hard
to get; gooil packers are just as iiard. For a trip into the

ingaltot

■) ' '-.■'( M^; I'M

THE OUIZZLY BEAR.

213

lUl,
LUd

Iges
to

[ten
no j

rjiice

lues,

Lit I'd
tiie

mountains, a hundred pounds is loud enough for a pony.
Don't l)urden yourself with great variety of provisions —
baeon, coifee, flour, dried apples, and oatmeal, with a few
potatoes and onions, carried from the nearest settlement, are
all you ought to want. A couple of Dutch-ovens will supply
you with the best possible bread; and a large lean-to nuide
of canvas is less cumbersome and as weather-proof as a tent.
As to hunters, Frank (yhattield, Charles Iluif, and Sara
Aldrich are nu'U that I have proved good and true. Their
address is Dillworth, Gallatin County, Montana,

My first hunting expedition included a trip from St Paul
(then almost the western terndnns of the railroad) to Van-
couver Island, and during that long journey I never saw a
Grizzly. One day, coming on the fresh trail of an immense
fellow, the Indians promptly refused to take any part
whatever in investigating the neighborhood; and as I was
a most untrustworthy shot, and had oidy a double-barreled
muzzle-loading rifle, all things considered, perhaps this
action of theirs was an evidence of their proverbial sagacity.

My next essay was undertaken thirteen years after, in
1881. We had — my friend and I — a magnificent trip: rode
all over the Big Horn Mountains, and killed plenty of game
— indeed, we could not help it. In those days the mountains
were full of Deer, Elk, and Bears, too; but somehow n(me of
us ever saw a Grizzly. I can not to this day urulerstand
our want of success. Six trips I have made since then, but
I ne\'er saw half the amount of fresh Bear-signs which we
saw on the Avestern slope of those mountains, on a stream
named on the maps Shell Creek. Had I known as much as
I know now, I could have made a much larger bag than the
one I made on my last trij), when I had extraordinary luck,
and killed eight Grizzlies in three weeks, our party account-
ing-altogether for twelve Bears, two only of the twelve being
trapped. I think this is tiie largest authentic scoi'e I have
heard of as being made, in late years, in so short a time.

The first r"al Grizzlv we did see (we once shot a mule in
mistake for one) was in a trap. In the eastern woods. Bears

•« : 1

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B. '(•

BIlJ GAME OF NdKTII AMKKICA,

i!fi

are commonly triipped by biiitiiifz,- Ji pen, built of logs, Avitli
iisli or offal, and setting b» foi'e it a spring-trap of from
lif teen to twenty-live pounds. I need not now si)eak of traps
built of logs oidy, where ii dead-fall is used; none of these
are sufficiently sti'ong to liold or to kill a moderate-sized
Grizzly. To these steel traps, as they are set in the East, a
strong chain is attached, and this ends in a ring; thi'ough
the ring a strong stake is driven, and scmietimes this is
fastened into the ground. By this means tii^ captive is
held until his hour arrives. Out West the same tusp is
used; but instead of i)inning it to the ground, a long chain is
attached, and the end of this chain is made fa''; around a
log with a "cold-shut" or si)lit-ring, such as you put your
pocket-keys on, and which can be fastened by Immmering.
As soon as the ]3ear springs the trap, with either fore or
hind foot, and so is fast, he begins to make things lively all
around, slashing at the trees, biting at the trap, and drag-
ging the log. This, of course, is an awkward customer to
l)ull along, especially if it is made of part of a young, tough
piue-iree, with the branches left on It leaves a trail that
is easily folk)wed. Sometimes tbe Bear will take in the
situation very soon, and set himself to demolisli, not the
trap, but the thing tliat makes the trap unendurable. I
have myself seen a pine-tree, some fourteen feet long and
eight or uine inches in diameter, perfectly tough and green,
so chewed up that there was not apiece of it left whole that
would weigh five pounds. In this case we were able to trail
the Bear by the trap-chain, and kill him faither on.

The best way •^o tix a trai» is the simplest. Scoop a hol-
low by the carcass of a dead Elk, and, drawing up a pine,
fix the end of it firmly to the trap. The branches o*' the
tree half cover the d»>a(l game, and can be easily so arranged
that naturally the Beai' will, for his convenience, ai)proacli
on *he side Avlieve the trap is set. Some old (li'lzzlies, how-
ever, are extraordinarily cunning, and though they can not
have had any extensive experience with Bear-traps — for
none have been taken into the West till within the last eight
years or so — yet seem to divine just where those dangerou;

that
cone
M
east
mom
^vell I
blazet
wajit
there,
guide;
»f it 1
not tw
nioie L
])arty,'
for 8h,
and m
hunte(
to cai
wante
almost
Beai's,
ronda(

-iiis wa

amount
was jii.s

whicii,
tu?nblef
"-ere lo;

TiiK <;itiZ7,r.Y r.i;.\i:.

215

hidden jaws lie beneath tile innocent brown pine-needles
and bunch-grass. They will spring it again and again, and
tli(Mi least to their heart's content. One great i'ellow did
this tliice times at the same carcass, and, as we could not
induce him to come during daylight, we luui '••^'liictantly to
give him up. After carefully examining the jaws of the
traj), 1'".. .'h each time held a few gray, coarse hairs and
f-;'. I- '' traces of skin as you see on a horse's curry-coml).
Hi. i-aiiie to the conclusion— and 1 think the correct one —
that the old fellow deliberately sat down on the whole
concern.

My iirst (rrizzly was trapped on the head-waters of the
east fork of the Yellowstone, within some few miles of a
mountain called the Hoodoo. That country is now too
well known and too much hunted to afl'ord good sport; a
blazed trail leads up to it from the Park. Travelers who
want to see an Elk are almost invariably advised to go up
there. It is a sort of jumping-off place. None of the Park
guides (I think I am correct in saying) know how to get out
«f it unless by r'-niining as they came -at least Ihey did
not two t)r threi .■ 'a.s ago. In ISS'S there was c<msiderably
more game in ; .i' '•*\,i(m than can be found there now. Our
l)arty, the mo lir • i\'. v gettinginto camp, separated; I went
fvjr Sheep on tlu^ h .' i u^'ound, for there was plenty of sign,
and my friend, taking .n Vdirondack guide we had with us,
hunted the- lower woody slopes. Toward evening ^ ;'-ot back
to camp, pretty well tired, having killed a ewe, Tor we
wanted meat; and presently the rest of the party came in,
almost too breathless to s^xnik. They had seen a drove of
Bears, so they said live of them- -"and,'' added the Adi-
rondack guide, '• two weie big as Buffaloes." lie had never
;«ei" iBuif;"' - ii'd drew on his imagination for their size.
- .us Avas <'^vi .;i;r ^nth a vengeance. They reported any
amount of Bea: sign on the slopes leading to the river. It
was just before dark that they had seen the aforesaid family,
whicii, unfortunately, at once winded them, and so ipiickly
liiinbled down the ravine, as only Bears <'an tumble, and
v,ere lost in the canon. We were poorly off for bait, but

II "

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216

lUd (iAMK (M' XoUril AMKKIOA.

killed somf' PoiciipiiK^ and hull'-roasted tlieni (under these
circuni.staiK'es, 1 would have my I'eaders remember that
Porcui)ine emit a powerful odorj; and to these delectable
morsels we achled i)arts of the Sheep. Still, it was a
pool' bait. Bears will not, ,^ ;i usual thing, come to a small
cai'cass.

We waited and waited, a. i.ter di\y; all the Sheep
cleared out of the neighlxirhood, uud we, not having at tluit
time one good hunter in the party, could not trail uj) any
of the small, scatteied bands of Elk that kept, as they gen-
erally keep during the end of August, to the thick timber.
Our grub gave out; our last morning came; and, save for
that one brief moment, none of the party had ever seen a
Grizzly. All our impediments were stowed away, and
nothing renuiined to pack but the forty-two-pound traps.
AVhile the linal tightening of the mides' aporejos was being
done (we had a Government outfit on that trip), our guide
rode off to see if the luck had turned. Ho was to tire one
shot if the trap had been cai'ri<^d away. Fancy ouj- feelings
Avhen, thirty minutes later, a single shot rang out on the
early morning air. We made time to the ridge where the
boys had sei^n the BearSj and where the traps had been set
fruitlessly for a week; and there, sure enough, he was — a
line fellow, too. He could not have been fast more than
half an hour, for he had not gone far, but was "making
tracks," dragging a great log after him, when the hunter
saAvhim; and in an hour or two, at that pace, would have
been well on his way down the canon. Soon as mankind
came in sight, he took in the situation, and began to roar
and growl. A Grizzly's roar can be heard a long way in
still weather. I must, in all truthfulness, say that that
Bear seemed to be thinking chietly of his family. He made
no charge; he wanted very badly to go home; and I endeil
his career with an Express bullet.

Not much sport in that, so it seenii to me now. And yet,
aifter longing and longing even to see a big Bear, and never
seeing him; after finding, sometimes, the ground near our
camp all torn up over night, as we used to in 1868; after

ciie b
he sod
^\ood;
the ti
founc
foolisl
hadle
of a hi
snow-
was be
the Be
his she
the tri
a grea
eyes.

TlIK UKIZZLY HKAU.

217

lia^ ing had three Bears cross the river I was fishing in, on
Sinuhiy morning {O, cluiritable reader, a quiet little stroll
by a silvery, purling, singing mountain-stream, such as was
Shell Creek, could not otfend even the shade of Izaak
"Walton, though it were taken on Sunday!)— yes, 1 went
down that stream not more than tiireenules, and in the two
or three hours 1 si)ent in filling my pockets with the trout,
no less than three Bears — good-sized Bears, too, by their
tracks —crossed the stream behind me, and between me and
camp. Ai'ter such a long time of probation, it was more
than exciting to see here, at last, the real thing — an un-
mistakable Grizzly. There actually was such a thing as
a Grizzly in the ttesh, though we had begun to doubt it;
not so big as a Buffalo, truly, now I came to see him in
daylight, but weighing, I should say, fully six hundred
pounds.

The largest Bear any of us ever saw was a Cinnamon that
came within an inch of killing one of my men — a good
hunter and first-class guide — Charles Huff. 1 may refer to
the big Cinnamon, tt)o, as an instance of the danger that
sometimes attends trapping tlie Bear. He had set his traps
near Sunlight, Gallatin County, Montana, in the spring,
and .vas unable to visit them for a week. When he got to
the bait, trap and log were gone. After taking up the trail,
he soon found the remnants of his log chewed to match-
wood; the Bear, evidently a large one, had gone off with
the trap. He followed his trail as long as he had light, but
found nothing, mid had to return to camp. Next day, very
foolishly, he took the trail again alone, l^eginning where he
had left off. After a long march, he came to the steep side
of a hill; the Bear had evidently gone up there— on the soft,
snow-sodden ground the trail was plain. Just as the nuin
was beginning" to ascend, there was a rush and a roar, and
the Bear was on him. He had no time to put his repeater to
his shoulder, but letting it fall between his hands, pulled
the trigger. The liear was within a few feet of him, and by
a great chance the luiaimed bidlet took him between the
eyes. He had evidently tried the hill-side, and, worried by

I' M

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.iiulii^

:;i; t'

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218

15ia OA.MK OK NUUTH AMKItlCA.

the heavy tnij), had come back on his trail and lain behind
a great heap of dirt, into wliicli he liiul psu'tly burrowed,
waiting for his enemy. Among the dthris of spring-tide —
fallen stones and uprooted trees - -a Bear could easily lie hid-
den, if he were mad and wanted to conceal himself, till the
enemy was witliin a few feet. It was a terribly close shave.

All animals are at times strangely hard to kill; this, I
fancy, is especially true of the Grizzly. Again and again
he will drop to a well-planted shot, as will any aninml;
nothing that runs can staiul up long after it has received a
quartering shot -/. ^'., when the bullet is planted rather well
back in the ribs, about half-wjiy up, and ranges forward to
the opposite should"r. Such a shot, especially if the bullet
be a lifty-caliber, will drop anything; but the point of the
heart may be pierced, or even the lungs cut, and Bears will
often light.

AVe stalked two small Gi'izzlies in the " open " one even-
ing. They were busy turning ov..r stones, in order to get
the grubs and worms underneath, and when we managed
to get, unseen, within forty yards, at first fire each received
a bullet broadside behind the shoulder; but, seemingly none
the worse, they both turned down-hill, as Bears will when
Avounded, nine times out of ten, and nuule for the ri-ine,
whence they had evidently come. This gave me a nice
open shot as they passed, and No. 1 rolled over, dead; not
so No. 2. Before he got a huntlred yards away I hit him
three times. My riHe was a tifty-caliber Bullard repeater —
the one I have used for years — one hundred grains of i)ow-
der and a solid ball. At the fourth shot he fell in a heap,
seemingly dead. To save li'ouble, and for convenience in
skinning, we htid hold of the first one, and dragged him
about seventy yiirds down the steep iiudiiie, to where the
second lay. AVe got within a few feet of the Bear, when
up he jumped, and, on (me hind leg and one fore, went for
Frank. The attack was tremendously unexpected and
sudden. At a glaiu'e you coidd see that the ]K)or, plucky
brute was [)ast hurting anyone, for one arm was smashed,
and his lower jaw was shot almost completely away; yet I

clear,

was CO

that SI

whose

the sp,

sward,

previoi

blue ai

else set

TIIK (iltlZZLY HKAU.

21!)

tell the sinii)le truth when I say tliiit for a few strides he
iictually cau«^ht up to Frank, who uuide most admirable
time; then I shot the Bear (' 'ad. We examined him care-
fully; he was a small one, not weighin<i' more than two
hundred pounds, and was sh(»t all to pieces. Each of the
five bullets 1 had lired had struck him; one hip and one
fore-arm were broken; the lower jaw was shot away; there
was one shot in the neck, and one through and through
behind the shoulder. It is never safe to fool with a Gfi/zly;
he may run away as fast as an Elk, or he nuiy not.

There is something to me fascinating beyond measure in
hunting the Grizzly, the hardest of all animals to approach,
not excepting the Sheeii. The extreme difliculty of seeing
him or finding him in the daylight, and the lonely haunts
he has now retired to, make him more difficult to bring to
bag than even the Sheep. None seems in better keeping
with his surroundings than he. It nuist be a poor, shallow
nature that can not enjoy the absolute stillness and perfe(;t
beauty of such evenings as the hunter must sometimes pass
alone when watching near a bait for Bears.

One such experience I have especially in mind. What
an evening it was, both for its beauty and its good fortune!
I think of it still as a red-letter day, as

One from many singled out,

One of those heavenly days that can not die.

More than two thousand feet below, the head-waters of
the Snake gather themselves, r.nd in its infancy the great
river sends up its baby-murmur. Behind me, the giant
heads of the Teton cut the rosy evening sky, sharp and
clear, as does the last thousand feet of the Matterhorn. I
was comfortably ensconced in the warm, bi'own pine-needles
that smothered np the great knees of a gnarled nut-pine,
whose roots offered me an arm-chair, and around me, for
the space of two or three acres, the short, ci'isp green-
sward, that is only found where snow has lain for months
previously, was spangled and starred all over with such
blue and white and red mountain flowers as are novvhei'e
else seen in this land.

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: ' •' lit

lltll

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220

KKi OAMK OK NOKI'II AMKIMCA.

I wish T liad limn jiiul skill to write of those sweet
inouiiiain flowers. There is nothing- quite so beautiful in
any other Alpine land I know of, our mountains altogether
outsti'ipping- the Swiss or Austrian Alps in the wealth,
variety, and sweetness of tlieir tl(jra. I don't know any-
thing of botany, I am ashamed to say, but we have
counted nearly a hundred different varieties of flowers in
bkK)m during one afternoon's tramp. Amid the lush-green
of Ihe rich valleys, great masses of harebell and borage
and gentian carjjet the ground. Here and there, beautifully
contrasting with tlieir fresh, vivid blue, wide ])lots of yel-
low, purple-centered sun-flowers stoutly hold np their
heads, while on the border-land of tlie.se flower-beds of
Nature, where the grass shortens in blade and deepens to
an intense shade of green, the delicate mountain lily, with
its three pure-white petals, fading to the tenderest green at
the center, reaches its graceful height of some nine inches.
All this one has abundant leisure to observe, as he sits well
to windward of the bait — in this case, a dead Elk.

On this occasion, I occupied an unusually good point of
vantage. My arm-chair not only commanded a little slop-
ing prairie, but the heads of two deep ravines leading to
it, and the crest of the ridge to my left, some three
hundi-ed feet above me. Hour after hour passed peacefully
by. I tried to read Tennyson (I had a pocket volume with
me), with but poor success, and so gave myself up to the
beauty of the scene. I realized without effort what a bliss-
fid tiling it m.' 4it be— nay, sometimes is— simply to exist.
Such hours do not come to any of us often; but when they
do, with them surely may come an overmastering sense of
that great truth Elizabeth Barrett Browning so tersely
puts:

Earth's crammed with lieaven,

And c'verj' common l)iisli aflre with God ;

But only he who sees talies off his shoes.

Without cant, T trust, that evening I took off mine, as
the old prayer came to nJnd: " We thank Thee for our
creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life."

I <<

THE GRIZZLY Bi;.*B.

221

I was in a state of stalde wjuilihrinni, bodily and men-
tally (if it ever is given to a rwlor of a New York cliiurh
so to be), when a mighty luiupa* arrji^f from tlu'edgeof the
dark woods where our Jioi>«^ wiernr htriiitt'd. two or three
hundred yards below. On hits way upward, a big (trizzly
had been joined by a relaiivf> or aCTjuaintanee (history will
never say which), and, as ill luck would h;n>' it, they both
came siuhh'idy on the lioises, hiddAH and securely ti 'd in a
little hollow. From where 1 sat I r*>uli\ see notliing; bnt
running (h)wn a few yards, I caniK- in sight of two sturdy
fellows surveying our plungin;: majs^. as for one moment
they evidently held a hurrit^d c/«Ilf^^ltation. The conclusion
they arrived at was that they wereonit for venison, not for
horse-tiesh, espechdly when theiv wa^ more than a suspicion
of a dangerous smell around: in htifri. fht-y struck our trsiil,
and scented the saddle, and so in an instant were olf. Of
course, we had settled on a kimA toward which the wind
blew from the ravine (Frank wa.^ a quarter of a mile away,
on the other side of the inairiei. f«>r FVars almost always
come uj) at evening from the <l«^ej)»'^t hiding-places; and
these Bears ran oil', quartering ujt-wind. giving me a long
running-shot, as they made great iini*f among the tall, ranli
grass and Howers.

Sit down when you shoot, if it i* ii*>*siblH. There is no
better position than with an elix>w on thither knee; you can
shoot fast and straight, and the iiKmtio>n is high enongh to
carry your head and rifle alx>re smiall inequalities of the
ground. I let drive, and niisw^*!— *b'>t too far ahi'ad, I
fancy. Always shoot too fai' ah^-'ji'L rather than too far
behind. Nine times out of ten, a ballet plumped in front
of running game will halt it for a niioment; and so now it
turned out. The leader reare<i U]i for an instant, and the
instant's pause was fatal. The uex! iirtilet took him fair in
the center of the chest. He had ja*t tiinje- to give his solicit-
ous companion a wipe with his i*aw, that would have come
near wiping out a strong man, wjien h^ n)Ilf-d ov^r.

Bear No. 2 concluded he had an <rnj2igement somewhere
else, and was settling down t<; a business-like gait when he

222

HKi (lAMK (»I' N«»i:ril AMI KI'.A.

IH^ill

too came to grief . Tlu-ie tliny 'ay, not lilty yiiids apait —
two in one <'VtMiin<i'. Not so IkkI -tlioimli in lioiu'sfy it
must l)»' confessed that such shots weic mole than oi'di-
narily lucliy. Sivinninj^- a to!i;'ii lii(h' is :i trying' bit of
woili; ))iit liow willingly was it undertaken! What time
we luiide down the mountain, tying tirst our tr()])hies -
heads left on -securely on the cow-saddlesi What can not
ji good l)r(mco do when he wants to get hack to the liei.l!
For a couple of thousand feet we led the horses, and then
faii'ly raced. What fun is u good scanii)er home when you
have a stanch pony between your legs! The sure-footed-
ness and hardiness of u well-trained pony are simply
mai'velous; give him liis head, and if there is a ghost of a
trail, he will take it. Many an evening did we race liome
against time, determined to get over the three miles of
twisted and fallen timber before the last glow vanished.
Once out of the timber, we could sober down, for all was
plain-sailing. Three or four miles more annrng old Beaver-
meadows, where every now and then we heard, loud ahnost
as a pistol-shot, the Beaver smite the water with his broad
tail, as he went down into his own quiet, clear jiool — and
tlie welcome blaze of the camp-lire promised rest, after
refreshing and sufficient toil, as well as good companionship.
At present, the Grizzly is nujie commonly ft)und in the
Shoshone Range, in Wyoming, than anywhere else. Much
of the country is very rough, parts of it almost inaccessible;
but in most localities nut-pine is plentiful on the mountains,
and Elk are more numerous there than in any other portion
of the United States. Here, then, the sportsnuui's prospects
of successful Bear-hunting are better than elsewhere. But
since the spring of 1888, Territorial law has made it impos-
sible for any nuui, who does not (!are to be a law-breaker, to
hunt in this splendid mountain region. On March 9, 1888,
it was enacted :

Section 1. Section 12.")1 of the Revised Statutes of Wyoming is herein'
amended and reeuacted to read as follows:

" Section 1251. It shall be niihiwfid to pursue, hunt, or kill any Deer, Elk,
Moose, Mountain Sheep, Mountain Goat, Antelope, or Buffalo, save from Sep-

^ vm^

' I!

)'5

TIIK (ilJIZ/.I.Y HKAK.

228

tfiiibcr Int to .Tiiniiiiry I'*! cikIi yciir. Ami it slmll Ik; iiiilawfiil loriipHiri', liy
iiR'tmsiil' any pit, pilfiill, or Imp, iiiiy of the above iiMincd aiiiiiials, at any liniu
of llicyear. No noii-irmlcnt oft/iin Tirrituri/ uludl piirmie, /iiinl, «/• kill uni/ of
till- iiIhiiv-iiiuhiiI itniniitln hi/ niii/ ihiiiiih ir/niti ivr: Proriilnl, liowcvoi', any actual
liud Ihiiiii Jii/f n'^idcnt may al any liiiu' piirsuf, hunt, or kill any of the suid
animals fur the purpose only of siipplyinu himself and family with food; lait it
.shall !)«• un'awful to Hi'U or olfcr the carcaHs of any such animal, or any part
thereof, for sale, except as is provided in tliis chapter."

The cf^^ct of Hiich ii statute, I need not say, inakeH Imnt-
iiiji^ ill Wyoming iiiipos.sible — at least, inipossiblf to lionor-
•d\)\v uu'ii. TliH tioiiblc is, that it does not ivacli tiie root of
th<' njiitter. The men that (h'stu)y tlie game in that and
otlier Territories are not the small parties of sportsmen who
spend several weeks there in the fall. The advent of these
is an unmixed henelit to the frontier eonimnnity. Any
properly eqtiii)ped hunting-party must, of neee.ssity, .spend,
during a six-weeks' trip, fr'jm ^^OO to $2,000 in the Terri-
tory, and in those parts where cash is scarce. Sportsmen
Avho needlessly slaughter game are now fortunately rare.
Cow Elk or ewes are .scarcely ever shot, exce^jt when a
party is hai'd-up for meat; and a few bidl Elk and an odd
ram falling to the sportsman's lot do not, to any serious
extent, diminish the game of the Territory. No, it is in the
late fiill, when the snow drives the game in large herds
down from the mountains— drives them to the doois of the
outlying ranches — that needless and irrevocable slaughter
is wrought. Then the game is poor, often scarcely eatable,
and in the deep snow wlujle bands of Elk and Deer are
butchered, without chance of escape, by the ranchmen. All
who live in the Territory know the ti'uth of what I say. The
passage of such a law as this, then, is worse than useless,
and its effect will be to stop liear-hunting as well, though
there is no prohibition in the law against their slaughter.

Occasionally, the Bear is seen and stalked in the "open;"
but 1 should say that at least nine out of ten Bears that are
killed are eithei' trapped or shot in the early morning or
evening, when coming to a tiarcass. When I say nine out
of ten Bears killed, of course I have no reference to the
wholesale poisoning that has totally wiped out, in large

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224

luo (lAMK (>!<• \<»i:tii AMIUICA.

st'ctioii.s of tli»i comitry, nil Ufiiis iiiid Wolves. Ctittlc-iiu'ii
lliiv»' hild coiistimt iccoiilsf to l)oisoii. iilid lieiict', oiicf Ciitrlf
uri'ivf ill ii coiiiitry. oven in .siiiuU nunibeivs, Beiiis soon dis-
Uplteiir.

SoiiK' yeiirs a^'o, iiiaiiy Hears iiHed to come down lo feed
on liie dead saliiioii on the uppei' waters of the Snake and
Saliimii IJivers. 1 believe Hears are somewhat iileiitifiil in
those iieiiihlioi'hoodx still; Imt, for some reason or another,
large Hears were not eoininonly found. In Soiilliern Mon-
tana, (irizzlie.s sire fairly e<tniinon in the (iranite Jiange,
lying between the Norlhein I'acitic JJailroad and (HarUe's
Fork; but a great deal of hunting has been done in that
region. In (Jolorado, Bears are becoming .scarce. Even in
the loneliest parts of Wycuiiiiig. of late, Beans of any size
have been hard lo lind. On my last trip, 1 hunted perti-
naciously, many times goingaway from camp with nothing
but my blankets and a little grub, and staying away lor
days; yet 1 only succeeded in killing one large Bear.

I'ei'haps some account of this incident may not be alto-
gether uninteresting. We had been camping for some
weeks in a green hollow, almost ten ihon.sand leet above the
level of I he sea. A glove of niit-pine.s .sheltered our lean-to,
where men an<l hunters slejit. and right before our tent a
i'airy fountain rose. si)read into a clear pool, and then rushed
down the valley. It was an ideal hunting-camp, and I'roin
it, with our glasses, we could cover a great deal of country.
During oiir slay in that camp we saw more than twelve
liears, but, though the immediately surrounding country
certainly had not been hunted before for many years, these
were nnusually .shy. \Ve had no traps with us, and though
several Bear.s came stealthily to what was left of the one or
two carcasses of Klk we had killed, they did not come in the
daylight, and in vahi 1 sat by them till late in the evening,
or crawled noiselessly up to them in the early moni'ig
light. In spite of the protest of my companions, I deter-
mined to sleep out all night by one of the carcasses, which
had lu'en visited by an unusually large Bear. I shall not in
a hurry forget that evening. 1 rcdled myself in my Buffalo-

splei
All
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robe, Jiiul lay down between two iiiiu'-trees, in a dark liol-
low, til'teen feet or so to the windward of tlie bait, and
arraiij5^ed a light cord round the carcass in such a way, at
about three feet from the ground, that if 1 should fall
asleep, and while 1 was sleeping the Bear came, his pressure
on the string would awaken me by pulling at my wrist.
About two hours after sundown, I heard the stealthy
ai)proach of a large animal in the underbrush; but it was so
pitch-chirk that, though the noise did not seem more than
twenty feet away, I could see absolutely nothing; and the
Bear must have smelt me, for he went olY. Toward morn-
ing I fell asleep, and must have slei)t about an hour, when
sudde" I felt something soft press on my head. For a
monu 'as badly scared, as I thought the Bear had mis-

taken me for the bait, and had stepped bodily on top of
me. In my half-awake condition, 1 had mistaken a big
scpiirrel — that, falling olf I he trees hit me full in the face — for
the game I was after. After the sun was uji, I went back
to camp, hungry enough, and rather chilled.

Next tUiy 1 iletermined to explore a distant gulch that
none of our i)arty had yet visited, and taking one of the
men and a couple of horses with me, with food for two
days, we started oil'. When we made camp, we were about
eighteen miles from our party, and found ourselves in a
splendid valley, in which there was considerable P^lk-sign.
All that day and the next we saw a good deal of fresh Elk-
sign, and some Bear-sign, but saw no game. Anyone who
has hunted in the mountains will remember how many dis-
appointments of this kind he has had. You sometimes find
tracks only a day or so old all around you, and yet the
game that made them seems utterly to have vanished. Com-
ing back to camp the second evening, we almost stumbled
over a Bear. We were walking along the edge of a deep
ravine, and he was evidently coming out of it. Some
twisting current of air gave him our scent, and we heard his
" whitf ! whiff ! '' and the rattle of the stones as he bundled
down the descent. After two fruitless days, our coffee and
bacon were gone, and nothing remained but a little oatmeal ;

226

15IO (JAMK OF NOIITII AMKItlCA.

■Ki

but us there was no meat in canq), I deternjined to try it
one day longer. " Patience and perseverance will bring,"
they say, "asnaJl to .lenisaleni;" and it certainly is the
onl}' secret of luck that a hnntei'can command in the West,
to-day. On the thiid day, when goinu' along an Elk-trail,
many miles from our little temporary camp, in thick brush,
about seventy-live yards away. I suddenly saw the fore legs
of an Elk. Stepping a few feet out of the trail. 1 got a
glimpse of his shoulder, just as he winded us and bounded
down the mountain. Fortunately, the trees opened up a
little and gave me a chance-shot. 1 was not certain whether
I had hit him or not; bur following a few yards down the
hill, I saw him lying in a heap — v. splendid bull. We took
what meat we needed for ourselves and our friends across
the mountain, and having blazed a trail for some two miles,
so tint we could on our return easily find him in spite of
the dense timber, with light hearts we made our way back to
camp. There a high time awaited us. for none of tne party
in our absence had succeeded in killing any game.

In the course of four or ri^'e days, I determined to revisit
the carcass, and sit by it in the evening, h(.")"^g t^* kill i'
Bear. The Elk lay, as I say, in thick timber. It was
between live and six in the afternoon when I got within half
a mile of the spot. We i)icketed the horses, and approached
the carcass carefully. When within fifty yards, 1 saw the
sign of a good-sized Bear. The earth and the stones and
roots had all been torn up, and it was evident that
'"Ephraim"" was preparing a cache in which to secrete his
Mnd. The signs were fresh, and I kaew that in all probability
the Bear lay close to the carcass. The timber was so dense
that when within twenty feet of the Elk I could still see noth-
ing. And here we rer^^ed the advantage of having blazed the
trail. No matter ho / carefully the position where the Elk
lay had been mai'ked, it would not have been possible,
witlumt the blaze on the trees, to note the exact si)0t, and

almost certainly our game
<-a!':^nss. A few feet more.

would have been scared from the
and through the brush I saw a

great mound of earth. We measured it afterward; it was

■*#

'' 1' *'vwi

THE GUIZZLY HKAK.

227

more than twelve feet long unci over five high — logs and
slones all piled on top of the carcass. I had scarcely tinie
to notice this before there was a rush in the underbrush,
and the head and shoulders of an old Grizzly appealed
witiiin a few feet of my face. He had been dozing beside
the carcass, and hearing, when I was vpi-y close, my cautious
footstep, he rushed forward to see who was threatening his
prize. It Wi-s as impossible for him to see us as for us to
She him, till wd were within a few ^eet of each other. Had
the Bear rushed straight on, I d*. not thiidc I would have
had time to shoot; but that is what a Grizzly does not do,
whatever men may say. He, like all his kind, reared up
for a moment, to have a better look at us; and scarcely
waiting to put my rifle to my shoulder, I gave him a " line-
shot" about eight inches below his nose. He sunk down,
dead as a stone. I never saw a live Grizzly so close before
— the hair Avas fairly singed bj' my powder — and I certainl
have no desire to see one any closer. This habit of rearing
up gives the hunter, if he be at all cool and his ritle a
good one, all the chance that he can require in his favor.
Another curious thing about this splendid aiumal is that,
excejjt when close up to his enemy, he almost always falls
to shot, even though the wound received may not be
fatal. He falls and roars as the bullet strikes him, and
thus increases the odds against himself. This Bear, the
last I have killed, had an unusually fine coat. He had the
largest head for his size I ever saw, and when the skin
was pegged out, without undue stretching, it measured
eight feet six inches across the arms, from claw to claw.

1 ' ''m

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]" i

THE POLAR BEAR.

By Sergeant Francis Long, of the Gieoly Arctir Expedition, and George
S. McTA\^su, of the Hudson's Bay Company.

HEN the projectors of the Lady Franklin Bay
Ijs enterjirise were planning their explorations in
l'^ the p<ylar regions, I was selected and detailed to
3^J accompany the expedition as a hnnter. My long
experience in hunting the big gjinte of the Far West proved
of great value to me in this service, and yet, in common
with other members of the expedition, and with the Eski-
mos whom we employed to assist us, I had great difficulty
in securing sufficient fresh meat to feed the brave men who
manned our ships, after we entered the regions of eternal
snow and ice. Still, the plan of providing a special detail
to do the hunting proved a wise one; for, without the fruits
of the chase which we secured under such hardships and
perils, none of us could have lived until the arrival of the
rescuing party.

Having been requested to write of the Polar Bear, I have
condensed as much as possible the information I gathered
during my three years of battling with icebergs and frost,
and shall make such notes thereon, and describe such of my
varied experiences in hunting that animal, as I deem of the
greatest interest to sportsmen and the general public.

Looking back over that period of three years, during
which lime we were exposed to the icy blasts of the polar
regions, were compelled to live on reduced rations, and even
to face starvation on an icy desert, I can readily realize
that, without the most strenuous efforts in the wtiy of
hunting and of turning the resources of thtit inhospittible
waste to the most rigid account, we should have found the
end of our scant larder much sooner than we did.

(889)

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230

mo GAME OF NOKTII AMEHICA.

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Though my hunting wus not confined to the Polar Bear,
I learned niucli of the habitn of that unfamiliar creature,
and of his trickery, from coming into frequent contact with
him. He makes liis home among the ice-fields of the North,
and is a restless aninuil; like the Gypsy, he lays down to
rest unprotected from the howling blasts of winter, his bed
being the solid ice und his shaggy coat his only shelter.
About four hours each day is the longest time he allows
himself for rest from his patient and persevering search for
food, for his cavernous maw and his voracious appetite tax
his skill and time to keep them supplied with fish and flesh.

In his hunt for game, the night as well as day is favor-
able to liini, the reflection from the ice, at night, being suffi-
cient light to enable him to sight and steal upon his prey.
The Seal is the chief source of food for the Polar Bear,
though he also preys on the Walrus and on various fishes.

On one occasion, I was ordered to Alexandria Harbor, in
company with two Eskimos, to investigate the chances of
Xirocuring game there. AVe had been informed by the
natives that this locality abounded in game, and being
short of rations, it was deemed expedient to send a party
there to replenish our meat supply. On March l.'jith, while
at the Harbor, I started alone in search of a Bear. Having
seen Bear-tracks the day before, I was unable to sleep
during the night, my mind being occupied with brilliant
schemes for a Bear-hunt in the morning, and 1 was
extremely anxious to succeed in allaying the hunger of my
comrades. However, success seemed not to attend my
efforts. I tramped the entire day through snow and over
ice, endeavoring to find the trail of the Bear and to figure
out the course he had taken. I found his tracks occasion-
ally, but they were filled with snow, and at times entirely
obliterated, so that it was impossible to follow them.
Night coming on, and being discouraged at my fruitless
attempt to secure the object of my dreams, I started to
retrace my steps towanl our temporary camp. On my
retreat, I had to travel nearly half a mile out of my course,
to avoid a large ice-floe, which had lodged there the i)revi-

iiigs

on-
jely

to
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[evi-

TIIP: POLAK HKAII.

ous winter, and which was piled to a height of nearly tliree
hundred feet al)ove the surrounding ice. I was advancing
directly toward open water, in my efforts to obviate the
necessity of ;'liiul)ing the ice-Hoe, and being in doubt as to
the best course to pursue, hesitated a moment to rellect,
when my attention was attracted to a dark object on the
ice on the opposite side of the open water. I at once saw
that it was a Seal; but being in a perilous position and out
of ritle range, it would have been useless for me to attempt
to secure him. While momentarily reflecting, Ixnng lelnc-
tant to give up the hunt with game in sight, I was surprised
to see the familiar white form of a great Polar Bear one or
two hundred yards in the rear of the Seal, and moving cau-
tiously toward it. This increased my eagerness to reach
the scene of action, and, if possible, to get in a shot, for
here was meat for all our party for several days. But I was
absolutely i)owerless, and must simply see the game come
and go, while I gazed in anxious curiosity at his strange
movements.

The Bear crouched low on the ice, and crept in the direc-
tion of the Seal at an extremely slow pace, until he had
arrived within, 1 should thiidc, thirty feet, when, with a
bound forward, he pounced upon his victim. A short
struggle followed, and the Bear was victor.

I am led to believe that the Seal ^an only see in front of
him. and that he depends entirely on his sense of hearing
to protect him from ai)proach from the rear. The Bear
being aware of the weakness t>f his victim, is enabled, from
his color and soft treail, to pursue his tactics successfully.

It is claimed by some hunters that the Polar Bear is a
herbivorous animal; but vegetation and animal life are
equally scanty to the northward from Cape Sabine. So far
as our observati(ms went, we can not substantiate the writ-
ings of those authors who state that vegetation forms a i)art
of the Bear" s subsistence.

The White Bear breeds in the southern portions (»f the
Arctic Circle, and their young do not accompany them
when, in spring, they journey northward. Lieutenant

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lire; (iAMK <»i' xoijTii AMi:i;i("A.

Lockwood, in May, 1.S82, noticed Rear-tracks yoing north-
eastward on the north coast of Ureenhmd, iiiHIJ" ii' north—
the hl<;liest latitnde in whicli signs of tliis animal have ever
been seen. They are not vicious except when wounded,
and will invariably take to water when alarmed, if there be
anv in the vicinity. If the Hear succeeds in reaching the
water, the hunter's .opportunity is usually lost. Even a
telling shot will avail him nothing, for should he succeed
in killing the Bear, he (!an rarely recover the carcass from
among the lloating ice. The Bear, not being able to remain
long under the water, alternately dives and i-eappears on
the surface of tlie water in order to evade the hunter.

While at Cape Sabine, in latitude 74*^ H2' north, 19'^ west,
after our party had made the perilous journey, reaching the
farthest north, and had returned in the hope that a relief
party would be awaiting us, our scanty remnant of food
was stored away in a rude stone house. We experienced
continued annovance from iiears breaking into our meat-
liouse while we were asleep, and stealing what little meat
we liad.

On April 11th, Sergeant Brainard, one of our party, had
occasion to visit Cemetery Ridge, a i)lace a short distance
back of our camp, where oui' dead comrades were buried.
Returning, he was surprised by a Bear advancing toward
liim. Being unarmed, he hurried to camp, and being
already sadly reduced by hard work, starvation, and ex-
jiosure. fell exhausted in the tent, exclaiming, "A bear ! a
bear!"

We were elated at this prospect of obtaining food.
Lieutenant Kislingbury, .Jens Christiansen, an Eskimo, and
myself seized the guns and started in the direction indi-
cated by Brainard. We had gone but a few hundred
yaids wlien Kislingbury, weak from want of food, became
exhausted, and gave up the chase. Jens and I continued,
fully determined ui)on giving Bruin a hard task to save his
life, should we come within I'itie range. We moved briskly
forward, scanning the ice-tields closely and eagerly, fearing
lest he should discover us lirst, and thereby evade our attack.

sigh

-n^

Tin. I'oLAB BfcAK.

233

;ii ]

Diivctlv in our front wafs a lai'ise i^v-tloe. We consnltt'd a
nioiUHUt as to the hnst way So or^rrconip tlie difliculty of
getting to the opposite side. wh*ii w»? discovered a fore leg
of tlie animal moving cautiously up over the ice. An instant
later, his head appealed. au<l ibe'O he «aw us. Dropping
suddenly back, he letreatwL without giving us a shot.
Knowing from exi)erieuce the laritt*^ that he would ])Uisue,
we at once decided to sejiaiaiie. 'j-n^ going south antl the

other north, around tlie ice-jia«-k. W^' knew that by this
means one or the other of us t.%mM rriT him off before he
could reach water, which was al«cjH(iit three miles away.

We pushed forward over th^f rough ice. occasionally
sighting the Bear, which seeiti^ Ur l>t making the best time
possible. After we had g(»ij" a unilr or more in a direct line,
we noticed that the Bear had '►lairrki^ned his pace, but was
still moving toward ice-packs im4 <>|>en water, which, if he
reached them, would prevent m* from getting him. We
noticed, however, that we weiv fining rapidly on him, and

' n II . : : f iM ; lit

i.i'

234

HIO (iAMK OF NOKTIf AMKKK'A.

having the tulvaiilnge of a promontoiy of ice wliicli would
obscure lii.s view of us, we ivcloul)le(l our Hpeed, wlicn,
arriving on .suiootii icn again, wi* found ourselves wiiliin
easy rille range of the Jiear. .lens, tlie Eskimo, coming (»ut
first and being nearest to him, got the lirst shot, striking
the animal in the fore i)a\v. The wound nnule no percepti-
ble change in the ]iear's movements, except ihat he occa-
sionally raised his i)a\v and shook it. He ke])t on at a
shaml/ling trot, wallowing over the rough surface of the ice
at the best .speed lie could ctmimand. Seeing that it now
depended on me, 'ind knowing that a few stei)s moi'e would
briug him to wi.ter, I took off my u,love, di'op])e(l on one
knee, and taking a careful aim, tired, striking him in
tlie side behind the shoulder. lie fell, but got up and
started on, when I tired a second shot, which took effect
just back of the ear. lodging in the brain and killing him
instantly.

., Thus ended a most exciting chase, which resulted in the
addition of four hundred and tiftj' pounds of fresh meat to
our stores, Avhich prolonged our lives for several <hiys, and
without Avhich probably none of us would have been alive
when the relief party arrived. p t

My lirst introduction to a White or Polar Bear was in
1878, in Hudson Straits. One morning Avhile our ship was
sailing through Hoes of ice — fortunately not very lieavy,
but sufficiently dangerous to nudve us keep a strict watch,
and to I'eipiire us to give them as wide a berth as i)ossible —
I noticed, as one large li<je i)assed our counter, a strange
object on it, and calling the attention of the first offlcer, an
old whaler, was informed that it was a sleeping Bear. Un-
fortunately for us, our Captain had been on deck all night,
and had just gone to sleep, so we were not allowed to dis-
turb liini b)' discharging tire-arms, for his wrath would have
been more potent than even that of a wounded Bear. The
consequence was that both Bear and Captain were undis-
turbed.

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TIIK I'ol.Ali ItKAK.

2^5

Since then I have hunted and killed a number ol' Polar
Bears on hind, and have In-ard iiiiiny stninp' stories con-
cerning' them from Indians and Ksivinios. Tlie result of
B(»nn' of my ohsHrvafions and Hxpt'iicncf 1 now comndt to
paper, for tht* heiietit of those ulio have not liad similar
c»pl)ortuidtif'sor stndyin<j,' tins strange denizen of the hyitnr-
borean regions.

The White liear is an ampiiibious aninuil, but seems
more at home on icebergs and ice-tloes than on land. The
reason is obvious. Food of lliekind that he prefers is nnu-h
more easily obtaineil on Moating ice than on land, so that
the latter is seld(»m apiiroached by the Polar 15ear, save at
the time when the females proceed to Avintercpiarters in the
ijiterior, some distance from the sea-coast, for the jjurpose
of hybernating and bringing forth their young. This occurs
in the latter part of Septend)er or beginning of October.
The male Bear accompanies the female until he has seen her
d(miiciled, and then returns to the coast, usually in Novem-
ber or l)ecend)er. No sooner does he reach his former
habitat than he i)roceeds out to sea to hunt and iish for his
living. The she-Bears, with their cubs, return to the coast
in March, April, or May. The nsual number of cubs at
a birth is two- -sometimes there is only one, and rarely
three. Females are lean in spring, and of course are more
aggressive when taking care of their young than at other
times. •

White Bears, as a rule, try to evade the hunter; still,
there are individuals that will attack tirst. Although the
Polar Bear is synonomously termed the White Bear, they
are not all white. Those that are most likely to run away
from the hunter are pure white. From the smallest to the
largest size, these White Bears are tinud, and I have noticed,
on their being killed, that they are the fattest. The most
dangei'ous and aggressive kind, other than females with
cubs, is the large-sized male Bear of a yellowish, diity color,
and an Indian usually leaves this kind alone, uidess he has
a companion, or has perfect confidence in his own nerve and
his weapon. Another sort is the small-sized Bear, of both

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Um (.AMK OK NMKTir AMKltFOA.

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.st'xes, iiciilifr wliitt; nor y»'ll(»\v, Imt riither diily looking;
and tlH'Ho iiiH likewisti the lu'st iiinnerM.

It is iin ciior to suppose that Hears, becnuso of tlipir
girat sizf, can not lun swilily. 'i'licy aiu icniarkably llwt-
footed, and liavn oTtt'ii ovni-taken Indians in a fair lac*', and
liiijcd tlitnn. TJK'ir speed, however, depends greatly on the
condition they are in. If fiit, their rule of ]»ro<,nession is
slower; but if lean and iinn^ry, their lleetness t>i foot is
almost inci'edilde. These last are, liowever, rarely met
with on land. Those I iuive seen there were ol' the more
timid sort.

Sometimes Bears advance to the attack, but < i. linding
tin* hunter deternuned and bold, they wheel about aud run
away. Once they do so, their chances of escape are smiJl,
if tii«^ ]\unter l»e cool and a ^ood shot, as they seldom sum-
mon up resolution to face the hunter a second time, unless
badly wounded by a bullet.

Tlie general opinion is that White Bears are only vulner-
able when shot liehind the ear. This is a most absurd
error. A bullet from a large bore, heavily charged modem
ritle, if planted behind the shoulder, is equally effective on
the Polar ]i(^ar as on any other large animal, and one in any
part of the body is almost certain to bring him down and
prevent his escape.

1 have never weighed any carcasses of Polar Bears, but,
as nearly as I could estimate, those I have killed would
vary from two hundred to six or seven hundred pounds.

The food of the White Bear is principally Seal, although
I have seen one eating grass; and several deposits I have
examined showed plainly that they do not subsist entirely
on animal food. I have also exanuned the contents of their
stomachs, and thev also attest this fact.

Their modi/.s' <>])erandi of catching the Seal is as follows:
The Bear having discovered a Seal asleep on an ice-floe,
immediately slips into the water if he himself be on another
ice-floe. Diving, he swims under water for a distance, then
reappears and takes observations. xVlternately diving and
swimming, he approaches close to his victim. Before his

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TIIK IMlI.Ali III.AK.

287

fiiiiil (lisnpix'amnco, he .scciiim to nH'asure the intcrvcnhi^
(listancc, iiml wlicii lie iicxr appears it is al(»n,u:.si(h' of the
Seal. 'I'heii, »'itht'i' gt'tliag <tii tiif ice or puuii('iii<^ upon tho
Seal as it, tries to escape, he secures it.

Seals are iu)t liis only animal food, liowever, as I luive
freipiently noticed liis claw-marks on the hacks and sides
of the White i orpoise. In .soini' cases, the liear seems to
have spi-nn^ on the Porpoise's bacl^, but to have failed to
retain his hold, no doubt owin;,' to the Porpoise liavin;^
dived, as the claw-marks extended from the tins dear down
to the tail on both sides. In other cases, the Bear appears
to have succeeded, at the lirst spring-, in gettin;^ his teeth
planted, thus paralyzing the Por[ioise and preventing its
diving until he has obtained u good mouthful. P« i i)oises,
when harpooij. i| in the back, always swim with the head
out of wate' '" ' ome distance, and the bite of a]Jear seems
to have the same effect on them. This habit would prob-
ably enable the Bear to take several mouthfids; at any rate,
if he only takes one, it is sufficient to leave u large -wound
in the back of the Pori)oi.se. I have seen seveial l'oritoise.s
thus marked, some of the wounds only partially healed up.
The White Bear is also fond of fish.

In HalFs "Life of the Eskimo" there is 'an instance
given ol a White Bear having thrown stones from a clilf on
the head of a Walrus that was lying on the ice beneath;
and I have heard a similar story related by an Eskimo, with
only this difference, that instead of stones the Bear is said
to have used a large piece of ice, which he dropped Irom an
iceberg on the sleeping Walrus, stunning it so that he could
get down and seize it by the throat.

Although the Polar Bear eats dead animals, such as
Seals and Porpoises, he will not eat a man who has presence
of mind to simulate death. Numerous instances are cited,
by Arctic travelers and Indians, in proof of this assertion.
An old Indian who had been scalped by a Bear told me this
story:

" Traveling by myself, I espied a Bear, and, putting fresh
powder in the pan (he had a tlint-lock gunj, I ran toward

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IJKi .i.VMK Ol' NOIMII A.MKUICA.

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him. TliH Bear ah', ran. but I got dose eiiongh to him to
liiv, wliicli I (lid, and the JJcar dropjK^d dead, as I thoii.uht.
AViilioiit h)ading — iiid\', I wat- a lool — I walked up and
struck him on the head with the butt of my gun. Instead
of liHing- de!id, he was only slunnt'd, and the Mow revived
liini. (letting up, he struck nie on tiie liead in retiu'u, tear-
ing tLe scalp down over my I'ace and lilling my eyes Asnth
blood. I fell, and exclaimed, 'Go away, Beai', you lia. .
killed me! ' The Bear then ran away, and I lay quiet fc.>r a
long- time. Then, cleaning the blood from my face, I looked
aiound cautiouslj', and saw him a long '..aj' off. 1 got up,
and managed to walk to my tent; but (taking off his cap)
you ran see how he iriarked me, yourself."

A young Indian, tlic'e yt^ars ago, when out liun+iDg,
saw a Bear and two cn'os. Being of an adventurous dis-
positioii ;uid desirous of proving his manhood, he attacked
the Bear; but, un fortunately, his gun, a doiil)le-l)arreled
percussion, nii.-red lire, and llight Mas his only recourse.
The B.-ar, leaving the culis, starte(l in pursuit, caugl.t and
knocked him down. Fear kt pt the Indian tpiiet, and tiie
Bear, afrer ti.ining him o\ev and Ava Iking round liim sev-
eial times, growling, tnrne(i back toward her yctung. The
Indian ixc.\ up and ran. which tlu^ Bear no sooner noticed
tha.?i she stai'ted '"< pursuit. overI(»ok and, thre>v him down
n second time, gujug him a severe bite in the shoulder.
Si! J repeated her growlin,!; })erformance, and the Indian lay
slill till she had gone u '•oiisideiai)le dis<^ance. Tli'^ii, get-
ting up, he thrert- aw.iy lii.-s gun and I'an to a t)' '•. up which
he clinnH'd. just in time ioesca]:>e the JVar, who a tliiid rime
IMirsued him. She stood on her hind h'^a and shook the
iree; bur the Indian held on till she got tired and walked
a'.tjiy, looking' ba( k every few minutes to see if he had
descended. When she disa[)i»eaied, he ciawled down,
incke<L up his gun, and went home, a sadder if not a wiser
man.

A third instance wjis told me: An Indian and his l)oy,
twelve years old, were on the coast togethei'. They saw
a Bear coming, and the father told the boy not to fire until

THK I'ol.Ai: UhMi.

239

after lie li!i(l doiie so. Tliey both lay down behind dilFer-
ent piles of diit't-wood. Wlit-n the Bear apjiroached, the
boy got fliiiried, tired, and missed. The lath-.' then tired
hurriedly, and also missed. Before he could reload, tiie
Bear knocked him down, seized him 1 y the foot, and
dragged liim a few yards, but witlumt hurling him. The
old man kept still, and pretended to be dead, till the Bear
had gone a sufficient distance to allow him to reload his
gun before it could return. As in the preceding case, the
Bear, seein<': the man get up, turned back; but the Indian
was prepared, and shot him dead. " After which," said
he, " I gave my son a sound thrashing for not doing as I
told him."

Yeiy few Bear-skins are obtained fiom the Eskimos, as
they cut up nearly all they get, and use them for piuls to
enable them to hunt Seals more successful b'- on the ice.
The Eskimo approaches the Seal, crawling, imitating its
exact movements and its cry. As he is liable to slip on
the smooth h'e when dragging himself along, he prevents
This by sewing a piece of Bear-skin to his clothing, over his
shoulder, arm, and hij). The liair of the Bear-skin sticks
to the ice, and by its aid the hunter can move much more
regularly, and can apjiroach close enough to shoot the Seal
dead; while, If compelled to shoot from a greater distance,
he would be liable to si isply wountl it, when it would dive
into its hole and escape.

The Eskimos have a superstition that if a "Wliite Bear
kills o"e of their number, the dead man's relatives must
turn out, follow, and kill the Bear; otherwise he is sure *o
kill someone else. A case of this double killing raroiy
ha pi)ens: yec there are several stories of this kiml current
among the natives.

The Eskimos fieqnently hunt the Bear with spears;
and when two skillful spearmen attnck even the largest
Polar Bear, it is an eas" matter for them to disjiatch him.
One takes the right and the other the If-ft side. The
tirst hunter merely acts as a decoy, and pricks the Bear
slightly. No sooner does the Bear feel the spear-point

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240

lUt; (iA.MK OF NOUTII AMEIIICA.

tlmii he turns on liis assailant, when the second Eskimo,
who is ch^se on the otlier side, then gives the home-thiMist.
The Eskimos do not often eat the flesh of the Bear—
perliaps never, except wlien pressed by hunger. The
Indians eat it. and I once livnd for several days on the flesh
of an old AVhite 15ear. It is tough, rather strong inllavoi-,
but palatable. That of the cubs, on the contrary, is good
eating, and I have enjoyed several good meals off them.
Piejudice is hard to overcome, but hunger son.etimes over-
rules it.

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'?■ 'i Kifn

A POLAR HUNT.*

\AY could not be said to liave dawned when we awoke,
for the sun liad not been seen in three months, and

(^ we were in the midst of the pohir winter. Yet the
bitter cokl of the Arctic morning, all tlie more
keenly noticeable through the tires burning low, roused us
from our slumbers.

It was too cold at night to undress; therefore, after a
hasty breakfast had been demolislu^d, all that had to be
done in the way of a toilet was to don our fur costumes,
of Eskimo manufactui'e, and, guns in hand, we left the
ship. White Bears had been seen in the vicinity of the
shi]), and now we were after their meat as well as their
hides.

A superstitious halo seems to enshroud the Bruin of the
Arctics. He is endowed, in the minds of some people, with
supernatural attributes wonderful to coiitemi)late. Indeed,
he appears to savor more of the supernatural than the
natural. While he is undoubtedly a terrible fellow to
encounter single-handed, yet, if ;i choice wei'e given me, I
should prefer an encounter with him rather tiian with a
Grizzly of the Rocky Mounluijis. But to our adventures.

Will (mv chum) and 1 had been followed bvhalf a dozen
of the Eskimo sledge-dogs, and these careered about on
every sidt:", hundreds of yards away, clearly showing that if
a Bt'ar were snoozing anywhei'e in the township (Jove! I'm
forgetting where W(i were), he would run the risk of distui'b-
ance. Will carried a heavy English Express ritie — thecali-
b(>r of which I have forgotten — carrying an exjjlosive ball,
while my shooting-tube was a 45-!)(> Winchester repeater,
that thnnv an exi)ansive bullet. Anything that this bullet

* A fi'i^'iiil wliii ri'i'i'Mtly sjuMit some irwinths nt Hmlson's Biiy sends me Ihis sketch, and
modestly reiiucsl^ llmt his imiiie livi witliheM— KuniiK.
10 i-M)

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BIG GAME OF NORIH AMKUIOA.

I'l

struck, in the {inirnal line, had a hirge aperture made in its
anatoiny. Besides this, we each carried a Colt's Frontier
revolver (warranted to floor you every time) and murderous
looking bovvies, for close quarters. Yes, we were out for
scalps.

An ice-field is not a pleasant promenade; there is noth-
ing bil]iard-tal)le-like :n its surface, and what with climbing
'bergs and getting over orevasses in the best fashion pos-
sible — above all, the uncertain light — our progress was slow.

Hello! That dog seems as excited as if he'd struck a
bone. What the deuce is up! AVill says a Bear, and
adds: "I think we'd better go back to the ship; I-M'm
cold."

"Nonsense," I say; "you'll have all the crew laughing
at you. Come on."

Yes, it was a Bear, standing back on an enormous
'berg,uind striking out at the yelping pack that surrounded
him with his awful-looking paws — a great yellow brute,
with discolored fangs and cavernous moxitli, from which,
issued clouds of steam-like vai)or. I too wished I were at
home.

" W-W-W-W-Will, are jcw ready?" I managed to ask.

" W-w-w-wait till I get oil my g-g-giove; d — n it." ,

"What's the matter?"

"I've blistered my lingers on the trigger-guard."

"Any man," I said, with withering sarcasm, "who
doesn't know enough .lot to touch iron when it's forty-live
below zero, without a glove on, isn't qualified to pound
sand."

He withered under my cutting words, and tried to brace
up for the impending ordeal.

I loolu'd at the Bear. There he still stood, and I thought
it strange, for I'd given him lots of time to get away. There
was nothing for it but to fire now. \V ill's eye was on me,
and he was laying low to get even. I knelt down and aimed
carefully, my companion doing likewise. It's a mighty
different thing shooting at a target and drawing a bead on
a Bear that can just claw you to pieces and eat you after-

■^>v

A POLAR HUNT.

343

ward. I ached with longing for him to nm away, but he
seemed in no mood for running. It was mean of him not
to, for I hadn't done anytlung to cause him to wait for me.

One, two, three !

Bang ! bang !

Tlie Bear gave a low moan and sank on the ice, blood
pouring from his chest, and the dogs worrying the inanimate
carcass. We knew then that he was dead.

"I don't think much of Polar Bears, anyhow," quoth
Will; "we're their medicine, every time. Didn't I just
drop him !"

"You be hanged,'" said I, indignantly; "/killed that
Bear."

"No, you didn't; I killed him."

"Well, don't let us quarrel. Come and look at him."

On (me side oL' the breast-bone a hole twice the size of
one's tist could be seen; on the other, the explosive bullet
had done its work. AVe had both killed the Bear.

"AVill, we're Bear exterminators from Chicago. Our
mission on earth is to clear out the entire genus Urstis
maritimKs. Forward! march! Our task is but begun."

We kicked the dogs oft" the carcass, and scrambled on.
The Bears seemed to know that two Illinois terrors were
out, for they laid low, and for some time we could see none.
After anotlier hour's scrambling, we saw one waltzing in tlie
distance, and the dogs sighting at the same time, soon
brought him to a stand. This second Bear Avasn't as big as
the other, but he seemed far more active, and, before we got
near, had nuiuaged to reach two of the dogs — with what
result need not be said.

We were cool and collected. Why should we fear?
Hadn't we just killed one Bear, off-hand^ Will gave the
signal this time; but, hang it ! that Bear didn't drop. He
charged through the dogs and came straight for us. I
I^lunged in another shot, and missed; so did Will. The
Bear was thirty yards away, and I had only two shots left,
for I had forgotten to recharge my magazine. Will had
none. Bang! Another miss, and one shot left! AV'ill was

244

BIO GA.Ml'; OF NOKTII AMKUIUA.

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trying to liide in a creiKis.se. I wantt'd to badly, but
couldn't, for I sciik' one hundred and ninety pounds, and
take a big liole. The I5ear was now ten yards away.
Should I try my last chance i No; best Avait until he was
closer, and then one shot more. I Icnew the revolvers
would be of uo more use than pea-shooters against the
brute.

How 1 wished I'd stayed at home, and not come on this
fool's errand! I knew I had to die some day, but it
wasn't nice to think of being masticated by a big, dirty-
looking, tish -eating Polar Bear. And then to have the
Foxes gnawing at my bones, and lighting as to which
should get tlie ones with the most marrow ! Oh, dear I how
I did want to go Iiouk^ !

I glanced at Will. He was pale as death. The hole
wasn't large enough to cover him, and the worm had
turned. He knelt on the ice, knife in one hand, Colt in the
other. As I looked, he fired a, shot that I should think
went about ten feet oveT the Bear's head, and the revolver
nearly jurajjed out of his hand; but the intention was good,
and I forgave him.

"Will," I said, " I've been mean to you sometimes, and
you've played it low-down on me on several occasions, but
now that wo' re going to be coffined together in a measly
Bear, let's forget our differences, and forgive one another."

"All right, old boy," he answered; "adieu until we
meet again — in the interior of the Bear."

The brute was but five feet from the nuizzle of my rifle
now, and as he came on, head well up, I aimed at the base
of the throat, pulled the trigger, and the next thing was
knocked over backward, with the Bear atop of me.

I have suffered terrors before. I have been in a railway
wreck; have even acted as marker in a ladies' revolver
shooting-nuitch, and, after enduring many agonies of appre-
hension, have received a bullet in the leg from a ftur cham-
pion's weapon; I have been asked "my intentions" by a
muscular papa, but T never suff<u'ed before as I did there
for a few seconds, which seemed to me so manv hours. I

A POLAR IIFNT,

245

knew the Bear was dead, but Will thought he was eating
mo, and bullets from his revolver were plowing around in
horrible fashion. It was hard, to have escaped the Bear,
and then to have one's friend let daylight into one!

At length 1 got my mouth clear of fur, and contrived to
yell that all was right, and Will ceased firing.

After some hard work, he got the carcass off me, and I
was free, though soaked wit^' blood from head to foot.

My shot had taken effect in the center of the Bear's
chest, and caused instant death, but the impetus had car-
ried the body against and over me.

Will and I have a hide each, and you should just hear
him tell of our exploits on that memorable day.

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'I i

THE BLACK BEAR.

By Col. Geok'.i. I». Jku£iASDER.

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fHE Black Bear of Xontu America resembles the
Brown Bear of Eunnp^r m-^re closely than that of
any other of tiie Beaur *p»?f?ies. Our Ursus Ameri-
^' canus never attack* a liiaman being unless provoked
or wounded; the Brown Bear i-jimorK fero(;ious, and is often
the aggressor. The fonuaiif il »jf the head of the Black
Bear is one of the noted i.»tif'niliarities that distinguishes
it from the Brown Bear. Th'e ciairre of the facial expression
from the top of the head to tla^- iifjrte is this distinction, not
unfrequently rendering the t.li(0« of the hunter ineffectual.
A bullet striking the front of ih^ head of this Bear will, if
not driven by a heavy chajg^;- <o<lf powder, almost invariably
glance off, causing only a momuriJitary stunning, from which
it rises with increased fenx-iity; and unless the hunter is
close enough to use his boTd-r or cane knife, he may be
either fearfully lacerated or killHl.

The Black Bear lives t<:» th^e ^<^ of some twenty years in
captivity, how ranch longer im it* wild state, I am unable
to say. It is extremely tind^L flreading no animal so much
as man. Its hearing is ho 'mmI'^ that the slightest noise,
the mere cracking of a dry tmz. «?atches its attenti')n. It is
seldom still, except in its ?>h1 "rt lair; the head in constant
motion, to catch the least sc 1. 1 '•t ihinger.

The female produces two y . --^- in February, called cubs.
The ma ting-season is in July i,z^l August. At three years
old, the female is usually a miother. The male is not a
monogamist, like the Lion or Tmtr.

In size, the male is much tli!»r larger; when fully grown,
is about three feet high, and <oifnen pidls the scales to some

248

BIO OAME OF NORTH AMKItlCA.

M •■(

six to seven hundred pounds. The fenuile never attains to
such size and weight.

Once, in an overflow in the Arkansas bottom, I found
tliree cubs floating on a log, too small to liave teetli large
enough to bite. I HUi)posed they belonged to two mothers,
since 1 had never before found more than two following the
dam.

The Black Bear is an omnivoroiis animal. When jtressed
by huugei', it will eat anything that is edible. It hibernates
during a part of the winter; that is, if fat, it seeks caves or
hollow trees in which to lie— sometime in the mor of
December, in southern latitudes, earlier in more northern —
until the warmth of spring makes it come out in quest of
food. During all this time, it lies almost doiinant, sucking
its feet like the Opossum and Raccoon, as it were to exist off
its own fat.

In the wide bottoms of the Mississippi River and its
many tributaries, the male Bear will hibernate under large
piles of cane, which, like a hog, it gathers in some dense
cane-bi'ake, where it is not likely to be disturbed.

When America was discovered, no animal of its kind
was more numerous than the Black Bear, from Canada to
the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the
great plains east of the Rocky Mountain Range. It fre-
quented all the mountains, the thickets of the vast plains,
and every creek, river, and bayou bottom. At the present
time, its habitat is confined to some portions of the various
ranges of mountains south of the St. Lawrence River, the
Great Lakes, and, east of the Mississippi River, to j^arts of
those portions of the Mississippi River and its tributaries
which are yet unsettled, and where it has been able to
escape destruction from hunters. Some few are yet found in
the dense thickets of the Colorado, Trinity, and Brazos
Rivers.

Still-hunting was the mode of killing the Bear by the
early settlers of the American Colonies. Except in the
Alleghany and Blue Ridge Mountains, but few Bears would
now be killed by a still- hunter. In fact, they have become

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349

so scarce that it ie(iiiires notonly a k<)0(1 i>ark of Bear-dogH,
but tlie very best start-dogs, to enable the Bear-liuutei' to be
sufcessful.

Forty-nine years liavc passed since I went on my first
, canip-liiint, in search of Bear, as a protege under the most
successful Bear-hunter in the Alleghany Mountains.
Though no Bears were killed, and 1 saw no Bears, yet I
acquired a vast fund of knowledge of the habits of the
Bear, wliich subsequently proved of great advantage to
me while hunting in the Far West,

To give the reader a correct insight into the mysteries of
the Bear-chase, tlie habits, and modes ol pursuing the Bear,
I will relate what I learned from this noted hunter.

My room-mate at Washington College, Virginia, was a
son of this old hunter. By special request of my father, I
was granted a week's furlough to go on this hunt. Our
camp was x>itched in a part of the mountains bordering on
the Cheat River, a locality famous for its many Bears and
Panthers. A good, dry place was fonnd under a large,
shelving rock, and close at hand flowed a clear, rippling
brook, fringed with ivy and laurel-bushes.

After we had eaten our supper, I begged the old hunter
to teii ns some of his escai)es from the she-Bears whose
'cubs he had taken while the mothers were absent, but
which had returned in time to pursue him.

"Boys," said he, "it were best I should tell you how to
still-hunt, and instruct you as to what you should do pro-
vided we find a Bear to-moriow. Probably we shall go by
a cave where I robbed a she-Bear f)f her cubs, and got this
scar, that I shall carry to my grave, in a hand-to-hand
fight with her.

" Bears are exceedingly fond oA all kinds of fruits and
nuts, especially grapes and chestnuts. As soon as the
spring opens, the female takes out her cubs and goes feed-
ing with them early in the morning. After she has got her
breakfast, she either goes back to the place where she
broiight forth her young, or to some thicket, tliere to lie
until late in the evening. The best time to hunt them

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250

mo flAMK OF XOKTII AMERICA.

is early in tlie nioiulng, or a short time before sundown.
You must nuike a deadly .shot, or you will not <iet that
Hcai', if shot near night. If the old slit'-J^ear Iims to go some
distance to feeil, she leaves her cubs in their den, and on lier
return it is likely you nuiy get a shot. You may lind her
while she is tearing to pieces rotten ](jgs in search of insects.

" If her cubs are with her, the chaiu-es to get a good
shot aie better than if she is alone. The cubs are as i)lay-
ful as kittens, and while they are tumbling over one
another, and grabbing at a bug or worm that the motlier
has found, she is not so cautious in looking out foi- a
hunter. If she is alone, there is no animal I know that
is nu)re timid and suspecting. I have seen them rolling
over heavy logs, tearing them to pieces, and almost at
every moment looking arcMind to see if anyone was
approaching. At the least noise they hear, they rear
with their fore feet on the log, and listen intently, and then,
if the alarm prove false, resume their search — it was only
a Deer passing, too far away to be molested by them, but
the noise was not that of man. Perliaps it was nuide by
hogs rooting and gi'unting.

"How changed is everything! They rear again upon
the log, turn their heads in every direction, to locate the
precise spot where the hogs are feeding. They instinctively ■
know how far off it is — they have located them. Now
they step along so softly that it is difficult to hear the least
sound of their feet; now they stop and listen again. See
them crouching to the ground! They have discovered tliat
tlie hogs are approaching, and feeding toward them.
They have approached sufficiently near, and, with a bound,
they rush forward and seize the largest.

"The Bear never makes a mistake as to the largest and
fattest hog. No sooner is the hog caught than the Bear
begins tearing and eating the squealing victim, regardless
of how much it squeals, until it has gorged as long as it is
possible to eat, when it ambles slowly away to some dense
thicket, there to lie down until hunger compels it to return
to the remains of the hog.

had
M'ell

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TiiK ulac'k dear.

2r)l

"TliH Beiir does not keep watt'li, like tlie Panther, ovei-
its prey, to prevent other aiiiinals from eating or (Iragyiii;^
it away. The I'antlier that lias caiijuht a Deer, after eating
as niiicli as it wants, usually seeks s()in<< tree near by, and
there, extended at full length on a limb, keeps a close
watch of the carcass, which it has covered with leaves, to
conceal it from l)nzzards and crows.

'•Again, [have seen the Bear retnrn to the log, after
listening intently, and renew its search for insects, when 1
would imitatt the bleats of a fawn when seized by some
Voracious animal. No more listening now; l)nt onwaid,
with teiriti(^ growls, it A\()idd lush to the spot, right up
to the muzzle of the gnn, to l)e stopped only by a well-
directed shot. I am inclined to the belief tliat were the
gun to miss lire, the Bear would, in such a case, attack the
hunter.

" Again, I have, after the Bear had returned to its feed-
ing, stepped a few steps on the dry leaves and twigs. There
was no mistaking that ominous sound; no listening, no
stopping; but, as fast as its legs could take it, through
brush, biieis, vines, or cane, it dashed, as if life and death
depended on its movements, and would not stop until it
had reached its i)lace of safety. It recognized the sound as
well as if it had seen the hunter.

"After the Bear leaves its winter quarters, it eats what-
ever it nuiy tind, not only insects, but young cane, craw-
fish, roots that are edible, mast of all kinds, hogs, the young
of cows and Deer, sheep, carcasses of animals that have
recently died — if very hungry, not disdaining a meal from a
putrid carcass.

" The Black Bear is exceedingly fond of honey, and
rarely fails to get the honey when it has found a bee-tree.
After night, it will leave the mountains and go to the
farms iu search of food. Should he lind a hive of bees, he
will boldly carry it oif, and, knocking it to pieces, eat the
honey, regardless of the stings of the whole colony. On
several occasions, I have caught them in large Bear-traps,
using honey as a bait. Those traps were made of logs, in the

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BIO OAMK <iF V<»nTlI AMERICA.

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Bliapt' <>(■ a ixii, with a fallui<^' t<ip. nf: so strongly put
togt'tlicr that the aiiiiiial could not bivak out.

'* Wlu'ii I have loiind tlifiii i:n atriiit; a corn-field, I
luivc ^niM»'f iincM set u niii><k<') to kill them as they got
over t^H' fenc' It is a JVai's habit to go into a lield and
return at'the same place. A knowledge of this enables the
Imiiter to use cither tl-e gun oi- a large steel-trap, fastened
with a heavy log chain to a log. When caught, its great
strength enables it to get out of the field and drag the ^og
to some distance in the forest, until exliauste<l. The hunter
follows il:" trail, and shoots it the next morning, without;
any danger to himstdf.

" Tjiiter in sunnner, when the lakes or bottoms of the
large southern rivers have dried down to shallow dept'is,
the Bear takes to them, an;l, by muddying the watei-, kills
with its foie [V.":; the tisli that I'ise to the top. They are
remarkably fond of fish, and will not eat a spoiled lish as
long as they can catch the live ones.

"As soon as the ni; st begins falling, they cease fisliing,
and take to the masi. The whit'^-oak acorn is a favorite
food, I have killed many a Bear wi ile ^/opping.'' This is
an exi>V('.ision used by hunters to denote that the Bear has
c!iml)(d a trf 9 loaded with acorns, aud is breaking down
the linbK. Tl e hnuter hears the noise, and, bv cautious
creeping, gets sufficiently near to shoot tlie Bear before he
is discovered. Should the Bear hear him, he will fall to the
grf)und, iind run of;*, iu)pareutly not the least hurt by the
fall.

"As iioon as the chestnuts ripen, is the best time for the
ptilbhnnier. This is the best season for finding Bears in
search of i^hestnuts; and not fai' from lis are a number of
cliestnnt-tiees, wliere I am in hopes of finding some Bears
' lopping' to-}U'n'row morning. You boys go to sleep now,
for long before the stars disappear I will rouse you to eat
your breakfa ;t, and then to follow me, as silent as death
when Ave {(p]>roa('li the trees. As we go along, I will show
you by what r.iarks and signs 1 manage to find Bears when
stilMiunting."

i4h

THK HI,A( K nr.AR.

308

According'' to his [)r(>iuist'. w*- wen.' roused, and in Indian
file we accoinpanit'tl him. As s(»on as it was li<jjht enough
to see, the «)ld hunter pointed to ;i rotten hi.utorn *( ^)ieees,
and the yioiind looted up as if done liy hogs. 1 ^^aid to
liini t'.uit 1 tiiought it \v:is hogs.

" liook here," said lie; '• don't you .see that brnad track
sunk ill the soft ground; Is that Iik<^ a liog's track; "

"No," said 1; '"that is a nigger's traciv. iSonie nigger
has been here digging worms to catch lish."

" Wrong again. Look! you don't see the h)ng, promi-
nent iieel and l»road i)ottoni, lil\ea negro or a human being.
Can't you see the marks of the claws; The nigger's i'eet
have no daws. No, that is Bear-sign; and it is a big Bear.
It did this work last night. Be sikMit, and perhaps we may
find it 'k)p[)ing'. "

As we silently followed, the old hunter pointed to a l)eecli-
tree which a Bear had climbed, and the scratches looked
as if recently made. Soon I saw him pointing to leaves
turned over. Going to the ])lace, lie scrai)ed away the
leaves, examined closely, and whispered, "A Bear did tliat."

Ere hjiig, we went by a chestnut-t^ree, and he pointed to
a i)ile of burs near the foot of the tree, where a Bejir had
gathered the chestnuts and eaten them at his leisure. This
pile he examined closely. :iad then said it had been Uone
several days before, but it proved to him that the Bears
were now "lopping."

Presently he stopped. It was now light enough to see
quite plainly. Tie listened for some time; then, pointing in
a ceitain direction, whispered: " It is a Bear; he is loi)ping
about a quarter from us. Don't say a word; be sure not to
cough or sneeze, but follow in my tracks, and, above all,
don't break a dry twig— if you do, the Bear is lost to us.
Should I get close eeougli to shoot, both of you run up to
tile tree, to prevent him from coming (k)wn. Should it fall,
both fire into it, aiming l)ehind the shoulder. I will be up
with you, and before it can rise I will use my knife."

Unfortunately, before we got in slujoting distance, my
room-mate, who had caught cold, was compelled to cough,

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lUn (iAMK <>y NoUTII AMKHWA.

and that lost uh the ]?<*ar. \W herti<l it I'jill out of the tree
ami nm. "No use to follow, "' leiiiiiikcd the ol<l hunter.
'' W'l- must either seek a (iiireivnt ixdtion of the mountains
to liiiii anollit-r l')t'ar. or turn <iur attention to Ivilliny- some
J)ffr :iii<l turkt'V>. 'I'liis i5c;ir will tell all the JJeais in its
ran^^e iil)ont us, and ^eloie to-moiTow morning there will
not l)t' a liear in live miles of this jilace."

'i'lius I lost tli<- si;;lit of a wild Heal', and did not see one
until i.s44 found me on ilie l);'.nls.s of the Mississipjii River,
wliere i! was easier to ki'l a Bear than to tind a scjuirrel at
tile jil.ice where 1 :im now livin^j,'. But 1 treasurt'd iij) the
many reiuarivs of the old hunter as reg'ai'ds stilMumling.

Coming to the We.st, 1 tV)und some Bear-hunters employ-
ing dogs to lind and bring the Jiears to hay. It was
niufh ejisier. an<l i'lir more interesting, to use a pack ot
good JJear-dogs than to go tiamping through thick forests
in search of sign, or to lie in wait to kill one that has
taken to the corn-tiehl. or is going to thv hog-pen to carry
o(T a fat porker.

'I'iiere is no duiU)t in my :uind that the Black Bear's
))roper domain is a cold country, and that it gjows to a
much larger size in the Alleghany and Blue Ridge Mount
ains than it attains in the thickets of tlie Brazos River, pro-
videil it lives :i life undisturbed by hunters and the inroads
of civilization.

The cul>s follow their mother from the time she leads
them from their winter quarters until she hibernates the
following winter, 'i'he mother frecpu'Utly returns to tlie
place where she brought forth her young, to rear another
litter. The yearling cubs seek a hibernation not far from
the mother. The second year, the cubs keep together, and
do u.)t forget their mother. I have often seen the mother
with her two small cuV>s and her cubs <jf the year before
fet'ding together in sloughs, in search of craw-tish and suc-
culent roots. When three years old. the female usiudly
becomes a mother, and lives by heiself, while the male
wanders to another place, apptireutly forgetful of its
nioilier or sister.

Tin; lu.AcK iu;.\i{.

Sj")

Only oncf in my exptnifniv in Hfur-luintin^-, in tin'
West, (lid I witness a mnrin^of liears. This (M'ciiiifd on
Cyprt'ss Cit't'k. in Aik:iii>:is. in ilic niontli of .Inly. While
ont watching i'or an Otter in the cifek. my attention was
attracted, by jj;i()wlin<i\ to a jiart of the cieek iiottom where
the woods were thick, with many large heecli- trees IVinu-
ing the hanks of the cr<'ek. 1 recouiii/ed tin' noise, and
silentlv made inv wav to the i)lai'e whence it came. 'I'he
snn was just rising. I di.scovered four huge IV'ars, and on«»
not so lartie, which 1 knew to be u female. The four males
were growling, knocking one aiK)ther with tiieir paws, while
the fei' , stood a few steps away, as nncolicellied as it is
ijossibiei.. inniuine. vet slvlv takiiig in, with one eve askant,
tliH maneuvers of the males. For several minutes, 1 saw the
males testing theii- strength and ability by rearing as high
as their fore i)aws could reach (Mi the body of a gigantic
be(:?ch, and then making long and d»^ep scratches upon it.
Each in turn would do this. As soon as one maiK- the trial,
he woidd scratch Itack with his liindietM, just as dogs do
vvlien meeting anothei' strange dog. 'i'he female commenced
anil)ling oil", s:itisii(^d, as 1 sni>p()sed, which one was the
sui)erior, and to which she would transfer her Jove.

TluMigh it was not the season \o kill a Bear, yet tlie very
black, glossy ai)pearance of the largest male made me envy
ills tieece. I wanted it for a rug in my bachelor home.
JJefore this old fellow covild get out of sight, a well-directed
shot from my double-barrel rifle dropped him dead in his
tracks. The skin I kept for several years, until the moths
destroyed it.

1 liave learned from experienced Bear-hniiters that they
have often found cypress-trees in sloughs with dei p
scratches, made by male Bears in the mating-season, after
gnawing the tree with their teeth. A famous liear-hnnter,
now living neai' me, informed me that on the >.'(^enock Lakes
of Bossier Parish, aionnd which in former times was an
almost impenetrable cane-brake, he saw a cypicss-trtH' tliat
had been gnawed so niuch b\ Bears as eventually to kill
the tree, lie informed me that ihe Coddo Indians told him

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mo (iAJIE Ol' NORTH AMEUK'A.

Iliat lljiH ti'HP was giiawnd in tli<' iiiatin<f-s<jas()ii. they claim-
iii|; to liave st'fu till' IJi'ai's at il. ami that the l'<'iiial<' granted
luT favors to lln' lit-ai- that gnawed the liighest.

Tliere is no prfrise time for the Bears to hil)einate. An
ohl B.'ar will not hibernate nntil it is fat, or tiie weatiier
l)ee(iiiifs very cohl. I iiavc fuimd Ut-ais fi't'dinn- oi- travel-
ing as late as tlie middle of .Jannary. in the Southern States,
am! 1 liave found fat, old Bears bedded undei- j)iles of cane
as early as the middle of November.

In the early "4(>s, the time 1 came to the West and set-
tled in Mississippi, the Beai- ninters met with no dilficulty
in killing liears liy stilldinnting. In fact, ihis was the best
mode for those who made it their occnpation, either for
food or profit. The settlers in the wide bottoms of the Missis-
sip[)i iiiv<'r, the St. Francis, White, Arkansas, ami Ouachita
Kivei's, ()[ Arkansas; the Yazoo, Suntlower. and Bigi^lack,
of ^fississij^pi; the Med Bivei\ of Louisiana, and Sabine,
Neclu's, Triinty. Bra/os. and Colorado, of Texas, pi'e-
ferred U) still-hunt the Hear. Iluntinu- with dogs made the
Bears moi'e timid, and drove them farther back into the
denser thickets.

The Beai-hnntei- saA-ed the hams and shoulders for his
fandly, or sold lo trading-lioats that were found on all these
rivers. The skins wei-e dried and sf»ld, but the sides and
all the fat he could collect from the entrails were tried out
and the oil brought a high jtrice, in those early days. Tli(> fat
of the Bear, like that of the C)i>ossum, has not that greasy,
fatty taste of hogs fat, but is very palatable, and a great
(pKintity can be eaten withont producing nausea of the
stomach.

But few Bear-hunters iised dogs for hunting Bear in
those early times — only in cases where one hunted nrore
from the love of it, and the intense excitement it ]iroduced,
than for pecuniary ])rotit. To me there is gi-eater excite-
ment in hunting Bear with (h)gs than in any other method,
and .so it is v»it)t many others.

There is as much difference in the pleasure and excite-
ment of hunting Bear and Deer with dog.s, and in that

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derived from still-huiitiii;,% as in niiuiiii.ii Foxes wiili ;i liiu*
l)ack ol' lioiuids, and in stealinn- on a Fox 1o shoot it liet'oie
it gets to its hole in the ground

In tiiisclinutte, Bear usually hibernate some three months
of the winter. When pursued by dogs, it is very dilliciilt
to make a iio(»r Bear take a tree, or be bioiight to l>ay
by the very Itest team of dogs. If very I'at, itilashes, when
started, through the densest thickets it can lind, with a noi.se
equal to that of a horse-cart when the horse runs away with
it, snapping the cane, vines, and briers in its way, like pipe-
stems; turns not a line from a. straight coui'se, unless m«'et-
ing with some impediment it can not surmount, and does not
stop until it reaches the densest part of the thicket, where it
will stand to bay behind a clay -root, until the pack of dog.s
is wearietl out. or a liunter arrives to kill it.

When his dogs have either ti'eed or brought a Bear to
bay, an old Beardiunter uses a great deal of eantion, and
puts in practif the very best mode of stalking the Bear,
lie knows that if the Bear should either hear or smell him,
it will fall out of the tree and run oil", or leave- ihe clay-root
and make off to another thicket. Hence, to get in shooting
distanc^e of a Bear at bay, he must be certain of the direc-
tion t)f the wind, and take that ai>proacli to th^ Bear with
the wind blouing from the Bear to him. lie must cut every
vine au<l stalk of cane in his way, make not tlu? slightest
noise to give the animal the least intimation of his Jipproach,
until he is up siitliciently near to use his kiufe, if his team
of dogs are ai)le to pull the Bear down for ;i moment, and if
not, then to make a sure and fatal shot with hisgiin or ritle.

A favorite weapon of mine, the last ten years that I
hunted Hear, was a No. lit double-barrel (Treen(M' guu, of
ten pounds weight, which 1 loaded with a patched ball to
fi'" the barrels. I found this weapon shot, at short range, as
ac(!urately as the best of rifles. This gave me the adviui-
tage of a (hjiible shot. With one bariel, generally. I coidd
knock the Bear down, and before it coidd rise to kill my
dogs, I coidd put the muzzle against the head, or its side,
and a second shot produced instant death. To make asi-itir-

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IfKi <i\MK OK NoinU AMI.Itlt'A.

jiriri' doiihlv MiU'c, 1 i'ollowt'd if u\> with ilic mm- ui' luv nine-
kiiil'i'.

1 liMVf liuiitt'(l with st'V<'i:il packs of Bear <l();rs o\vn<Ml])y
J'aiuotis licai' !iiiiil<'i-.s. Tlii-st' packs ui-iicrajly ('(iiisisi (»!'
from twenty t(t tliiit}' dons a team siilliciciil lo ]iiill a }n^i
I'lcar down j'or an instant, and oidy an instant, wlicii, il" not
i\iilt'd l»y the kinl't' of <ziin. il would lisr, sliai\<' oil" t lie dous
as a lin<;"c Mastill' would a Ficc. and then .scvci'al oi' the
])a(Oi woidd "he killed in less tiinn than I employ in wiitiny
this scnt-'iicf. A tiained team of Ucaf <logs will not rush
on a la/';^t' Bear to pull il down until the hunter gets up lo
them, and with yells urges them on I he growling, snaiiiting,
enraged brute. The best 13ear-ilog!s 1 ever owned or hunted
with were pure thorough-bred black-and tan Deer-hoiiiuls.
'I'hiy iH'ovc d the most reliable for striking cold trails, and
the very best lighters. 1 generally crossed ujtoii the Scottish
Lurcher the black-andtan Hound, and olteii this cross njxjn
a good lighting cur. for the l)ulk of the team, 'i'he Collie
crossed on the Hound made a splendid lighter.

liull-dogs and iiull-terriers were of no account. I have
seen jxiwerful JiiiU-dogs turn tail and run home at the sight
oi" an enraged. Bear. A cross of the Bnll-dog on a cur or
Hound always lesnlted in the death of tin? dog. The hunt-
ers wanted dogs, not to hold on, like Bull-terriers, but. on
the order of the Greyhound or Wolf-hound, to snap and
si»ring ))a(^k, and never to give up lighting in that manner
until the Bear was killed.

I have known a, Hound bitch to light a Bear for forty-
eight hours, until a hunter came to her assistance and
killed the Bear. It was over thirty miles from where the
]iear was started to where it was killed. No other breed of
dogs woidd have followed a Bear so long.

The best i-nn that the earlv Bear-hunters of mv time
used was a lirst-class double-barrel shotgun, No. \'2 in
bore, with thick barrels, using a ball that litted them, lobe
patche(l as in a smooth-bore rille.

A cane-knife, from eighteen to twenty inches long, of the
best metal, and weighing not less than four lo live pounds,

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w;is ;i null' incriini- WW iiidispciisiiM*' wciiiicn for a ll'-iii-
liuntfr. Tlio (l()ul»l«'-l)an-t'| uuii (all wi'ic imi/./lf loailcrs in
those days) inif2,"lit humii, l>iit t ln'if was no ili>coinii on a u<km1
cani' knife— so called. IjiTanse it was us»'([ for cult ini:,' cam-.

Wlicn |»ossiiilt'. ;i (lonlilc haiTt'l ritlc was nscd. Not
many hunters could j hoc me a tirst-class douiile liari'el ritle.
I found the majority of hunters usin^' the Miss Vauer. My
own weapons wei'e a Maiiton doul)le-l)an'el muzzle loading
sliottiun. No. I"J. thirty two inches lonu\ weiuhin^' nine
pounds, and a Wesley IJicliards doidile-hari'el lille, cairy-
iug- forty balls to tile itouiid. thirty inches lona', and weif,di-
in^' ten pounds. I used a knife, a ^^ennine howie, with an
ei^hteen-inch blade.

At this time, my weapons would l)e a Winchester Kxi)res.s
litle, a Colt's revolver (army sizei, and a bowie knife. 'I'he
rapid destruction of the big j>anie of America is due to that
powerful weapon, the Winchester Express. Duriui;- the bi","-
ovei'flows of the jast fifteen years, the Jilack liears have been
nearly exterminated by hunters in canoes tlu'eadin,!;' the
mazes of the Mississii)pi bottoms and its bii^ tributaries.
Their victims were perched in trees, whicli they could see
a long way off, and canoe-loads were slaughtered by this
deadly weajion in a day.

The dogs I shoidd recommend to the novice, in getting
together a ])ack for Leai'-hiinting, would be, tirst, the gen-
uine th()rough-l)i'ed black-and-tau Deer ]i(>iiml. It is the
l)est tigliter, the best ",stick-to-llinr' dog 1 ever hunted
with, and decidedly the coMest trailer. I would want
.some half-(h)zen of the.se, and at least four of them l)it('hes.
I have found the bitch the best trailer, the best tigliter,
an<l the best stayer. I had a bitch ihat once followed a
Bear for f(n'ty liours, until some hunter killed ilje Bear —
how much longer she would have followed is idle to sa\ .

Having secured the luMinds. 1 would uige the hunti !■ to
get several Scotch Lurchers, to cross upon his bhick-and-
tans. Next, about a dozen of the best cur> and shaggy-
coated moVigrels tiiat he could secure, and opt^ially two or
three genuine Avire-haired Scotch-terriers. '!!*(»>«? lust are

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esst'iiiiiil ill vcrv d- .i.^f <':iiii' luiikf

icy can p'f iindcr

til'- cane anti pincli a Hcai' n<» tiglil that it is forced to tree
or bay.

Willi sncli a pack, and (iiif rclinlilc start -dog, the young
licailniiitcr can yet IIihI good sjiort in (jiahoina and P>oli-
var Comities, Missis'^ii)pi, Ashley County, Arkansas, and
lUong the White and St. Francis Rivers. A <'e\v Beais are
yet to he l.iiind along the Ouachita, Red, Trinity, aii<l
Ihazns Riveis. Occasionally a I'ear is found crossing the
dividing lidges between these rivers. Sometimes the 'I'e.xa.s
cowboy has the pleasure of loping one, crossing a prairie
from one river bottom to another.

Last summer I discovered the tracks of an old sin -Hear
and her two cubs, that liad been tishing in a lake in the ]{ed
River bottom, in Ited River Parish. Seveial years have

passed

.since aiiv w

eic seen in that parish before, and

undoubtedly these wandered from the Sabine River, in
Texas, across lh»^ hills to Red River.

In regard to .still-hunting the Black Bear, having tested
both modes of hunting, 1 can only give my own experience.
Right here 1 would say, that it would be at this time a ruiv
ucci<lr;;r for a still-huuter to liiid a Bear in our southern
coiinti-y, in this way, except in overllows.

In early times, when Bears were numerous, the still-
hunt)e*' eould watch certain [daces where the Bears crossed
from one thicket cr cane-brake to aiK>tlier it being their
h;d'>it, like iKvr. to use tlu; same points al which to cross-
«,nd g«'t H vshot Nome time during the day. Again, he might
find a ''steppiug-phu-e," which I will later desi'ribe, antl
get a shot. Or he might succeed in stalking one while feed-
ing oa the pecan-mast, or water-oak acorns. Should he
desil'e on'l;\" to kill a l?ear ravaging the corn Hehls \\\ \\\\i
ixKistiug-ear stage, by watching the ga[) where they flosHHli
the fence, the (diaiices for a shot would be good. Al ihtjt
season tile Bears aie too poor to be eaten. Though this is
intercfiling, yet it is only cold l)loodeil assassination.

How can it compare with the llelce tiaylng of a noblb
j)i|ck of dogs, the angry growls of the enraged Bear, with

:JI^^

J ^

THE BL.%1 K RKAK.

•,'tU

\vi<l»'-»'xte'n(lf(l ifmutli. * - ! in ••inistant indv.'iiit'iii. now
tiiriiiiiu ariiiiiid t(t -m:i^ "rU- rfirii-i' I hat is pinchiim- its

hind It'gs. n<»w rusLiu^ <« ^tm*' h;i\A>'^s Imiind ihat iia.s
ventiirt'd tot) closf, viijrli ii kilU with a hhisv of its fttic paw,
as it rcachfs out lo dmw iJ?» vit-riru to its j^nashing trrth,
lor that liitf, tlic <-iiiijnlit lir'n--*- rhaf t-nds its lil't-. Conscious
that its victim is d^^ij-fj. Jin*- B^-tir hurls liic lifrlcss Ixidy
aside, or trauiiiles u]>oii is in \\i*' tinrre ,stni<'<ilc, nt-vcr t(> be
touched by its te«-ili ag^iii, Now it snarls, i,n'owlin<^
louder, when it suddtriilr (db»beH on another do,<r. It is the
liiintHr's favoritf. P^-Thaiji^i hr- ha.s approached just in time
to ileal' tli<* hones crackiiiiz to gi>)lets in the powerful jaws
of the monster.

Witness the fury of A^y balance of the pack, which,
animated hy the jii-efseuw**- f4 their mastei-, at his lieice
shout, dash upon the brutie. r»-ir.u-diess of talons and teeth,
tearin<i: it down to the g7V)»ai!iKl in an instant, and, before it
can rise, see that Ijuiiter. with rifle in left hand, his lon.ir,
gleaming cane-knife in n^rijil. with the sjuiiig of the Tiger,
bound forward and l>uiy iisnh knife to the hilt through tin;
heart of the Be;ii-. and nhum bonnd back. See tlie great
beast, the moment it is vf- '•- hurl aside the dogs as mere
liies, and rising with a jn, ..,-ti. forward in the direction
whence the blow v as stj ic jl. ri»*kless of wliat may be in its
way, nntil it drojts stoue-ciead.

In all good Imnioi-. and wiiJi due regard to the tastes of
the stiU-hunter, 1 would jmIl. ran there be any comparison
in killing a Bear in thiis mauinie'r with that of stalking and
shooting it down in cohl-blowd ; (>ne might .'is uell coni-
))are the slwtotiiig (h)wii ' ' [proaching ''neniy. I)y the

unseen skirmishei-, with :;.. r' the deadly conflict in a
hand-to-lumd charge. eiiL'-j *irh the glittering bayonet or
the Hashing broad-sword. A'* to which leaves the more
enjoyable feelings in the ij^iiniain breast when the struggle
is over, and comrades aj'e •rt^-jiFed around the cam[)-Hre,
}|jH)t' CHI) )ie but one iiusw+*.

Ah I'til' lliyNt'll'. Ithn Oie liiH- xm-k <d resolute dogs, baying
tin ohi iiiiih' of III! .VMHl'n. 1i*«fc«i against a chiy-root, rather

2(52

i«i«i «i\Mi: OF Nuiriii .\Mi:i;i( A.

tliiiii iill tin- siill-liiiiifiii^r t-vt-r (loin- hy Iiidiiin ov wliifc
tiiaii !

I'lilf'ss tlif yniilli; llunttT ]ioss('SS('s jrn'iit nerve, I woiilil
••:iiiii<iii him :i;^iiirist rsliooliii^ ;i l'e;ir in tlie lieu<l. ()rteiier
tliMii iillii'iu ise ihe iinimal is missed, or diily stuiiiied, and
ill'' inniter may lose his life, or he fearfully maimed. Jjet
him shnoi liehind lli»' shoulder, idioiit two inches to the
rear, and near the center of the body, lie must he cautious
ill approaching the;;aine. It is best to shoot the Hear in the
head as it lies on the^fround, lest it may rise and kill him.

His chief oI)ject should he to make shots that shall pro
diice instant (h'atli, or such prostration of the vital organs
that it can not injure either himself or his dogs, lit; should
ever have in view the safety of hoth himself and pack.

Dogs art' metre ai»t to be killed by wounded than
unwounded Hears. Tleiice, old Hear-hiinters are always
fearful of letting II novice get the lirst shot at a Bear at
bay.

With tlie exception of killing a I'ear at bay, the next
most interesting and e.xciting hunt is in the stalking ami
shooting one at its •'steppings." When a hunter has
found one (»f those j)laces, with proper caution he can inva-
riably gel a shot; whether he is successful dejiends on his
nerve and on his being a sure shot.

it is an interesting sight to see a Bear "stei)ping."
None but very fat Bears make them. A week or two before
going into winter quarters, the Bear selects some marshy
ground, or a slough, along the side of which it can make a
promenade night and morning before bedding. The place
must be soft enough to permit his feet to sink at least a foot
or more in the iMud; and his steps are the same distance
both goiiiii' and reMirning. just as regular as the steps of a
veteran sentinel. After the liear has selected the place,
and stepped for some tifty to seventy-live yards, he turns
and retraces the same steps until satisfied.

The time is either in the morning, about daylight, or
just before sunset. I have found them oftener making their
promenade in the morning than in the evening. They seem

y^m

Till-; III. \i K Ml \i:.

',>('.:{

i«» laUi' ^ii'fiit (It'liiilil ill it. ()iil\ uiici- Ii;i\i' 1 oliNii \,.il I wo
IJi'iiisMi it lit the siiiiit' iiliicc. Ii s»'t'iiit'(| irii'iit full Id ilifin
to step jiiiiiir(li:it)>ly lii'liind niir .iiioliin. iln- hii^vr in iKuil,
ill lli<' siiiH' liacU, wliicli s(M»ii Imtomu's a foot or iiiorc (Iffp,
aiiil pit'si'iits tilt' siiiiH' Mppcaraiifc of strppinys as lliosc of
'1 liovi- of iKtys ill iiiiiiMy lanes.

Tlii'si- I'.cars would pu>|i oiif aiiollicr around as tln'v i:ot
to tilt' <'ii(i of ilic Hack, and facli would ciidfavor to !»•■ iln'
first to rcsiinic tilt' loiiiid tin- foifinosl looUiny l)c|iiiid il. lo

s»'»' wiial t lit' icar oiif ua

doiiii;-,

sevt'ial iiiiifv

l...f

oil' II

;ot

to till' lit'i;iiiiiin;;-p(»int. Once I saw tlifiii irar iij) likf two
do.ifs at play, with foic paws over the otlicf's shoulders.

When a hear collies to these stepjiinii' jilaces. it appears
Veiy liiiiid looks in every direction to discover some aiii-
inak and sonieliiiies crouches to the ground to listen I tetter.
Then, if satisfied \>y Jiearinti- no noise and ohservinu- no
iiniisiial object, it siiill's the wind in every diret-tioii. lo
htcale a sceiil, and when emirely satislied that all isriuhl,
begins its proineiiade. When tired, or when it is time to
seek its lair, il trudges slowly away.

'I'o he successful, the hunter imist be assured of the side
on which the Hear conies to its steppiiiii-^roiinds, and llieii
be certain to be there sullicieiitly Ion;;- Itefore the liear will
come to the itlace, iKtl to be scented by it. lie must lie
cautious to asct'itaiii the direction of the wind, and take
that position on the side of the stepi)inj;s near enou<.:h lo
make a ileadlyshol. and yet not too close, lest the IJear
scent him. 'I'liat position should be near the opi)osite end
of the steppiiius from whi<'h the Hear begins to step, so
that he may take advaiilage of the iiioiiieiitary halt that a
Bi'ar makes as he turns a'i ii-i to retrace his stejts; and
with a doiil>le-barrel No. I-.; Iiame,erh^ss gun, grasped as if
inn vise, stock lirmly presst J lo shoulder, fon^lingeri-eady

to touch t!ie left tiiuuer at i'

particular monieiit. am

with an ounce and aipiarti'r ball, driven l)y three ami three-
fourths drams of powder, with a rising aim, about two to
tliree inches back of shoulder, four inches below backbone,
lie will assuredly drop th" Bear de;nl in its Iracks; or, should

111

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IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(7<6) 872-4503

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264

HKJ OAMK OF NOHTir AMKUICA.

I i

lilt' hunter prefer flu- riHe, let liini use a ^\ incliester rifle,
and an Kxjjress ball jtrejjared for this special woik. Foi
what ]>articiilar purpose the Hears take tlies»- reirular stejv
j)in^H. I have never been able to delermine. J have seen
no!»e but very fat liears at it.

A poor IJear, in the Southwest, seldom, if ever, hiber-
nates. I have found tht'ni feeding e.ery month of the
winter. It is the opinion (»f many hunters with whom I
have conversed about the stejtpings made by fat lieais, that
it was done for the purpose of piei>arin<ji: their systems for
tlie hibernation of thi-ee or more montlis.

It is now only a (piestion of time, and that very short,
wlijen the Black liear will be exterminated, unless some may
be ])re.seive(| in captivity in zooio<rical ^Mrdens. Take the
lifty years of my exjterience with Bears— estimate the vast
number that existed in the Tnited States at the beirinninj,'
of the year 1H4(> with the sparse numbei- in IS'.to — and one
may reasonably Conjecture that forty years hence it will
be almost impos.sible to find a wild ]iear in the same «pace
of territoiy. At the present time. Hears are still found
along the Appalachian Hauf^e of nu)untains. in the wide
and unsettled parts of the Mississippi bottoms and all its
tributaries, and also in the Trinity, Sabine, and Brazos
bottoms. Riuht here where I am now livin^ir, t\v'>nty-live
years sin(^e, Bears were abundant; two years sinre. two Tiears
were killed on the opposite side of the rivei-; but n(»w, I
firmlv believe, not a Bear could be found in a radius of one
liundred miles, their extei-mination bein;u: due to the
advance of raili'oads, thai caused the country to be .settled,
and to the rapid improvement in tire-arms and ammuni-
tion.

1 append here accounts of several hunts in which T
participated in my early life, and which accounts 1 con-
tributed to the Anni'ivan Fiehf, »ome years ago, under my
own initials.

Solitude is more company to me than society. When I
want genuine comfort, freedom from all care, give me my

Tin: 1U,.\( K IlKAH.

3(5A

office-room, without ii hiinian beiii^- in sight or on the prem-
ise.s; nothing around nie, in tlie form t)f living objects, save
my mute and I'aithful dogs and my handsome Mallese cat.
My tliouglits are my companions, airording more real enjoy-
ment, for the time, tlian the society of even my most cher-
ished friends. There are times wlien tlie siglit of a liuman
face is positive misery; when spolien words, wliate'er their
import, grate liarshly on tlie ear; wlien convei'sati<m
becomes repulsive, and when I would rather walk the
dejtths of some vast forest, alone, communing with Nature
in her varied garb, than listen to the speech of the wisest
of i)hilos()phers, or the witticisms of friends.

Su<'h is my condition now — this cold December night —
as 1 stir the lire and look with deep regard on my aifec-
tionate dogs- -the handsome lieauty, the dignified lilack
Maud, and the frolicsome Dans Trumj) — that are crowding
closer to the tire as the cold wind howls thi'ough the
key -hole, and the rattling snow and slet^ beat against the
window-i)anes. The sash and shutters vibrate, and, raising
the win(low to close the shutters, the fuiious wind di-ives
into the room a mass of sleety snow, and the lamp is extin-
guished. I return to the lire, and gazing upon the bright,
glowing coals, my mind reverts to such a night just forty-
one years ago. when 1 was lying under a tent on the Oua-
chita River, in Arkansas, with three boon companions. In
memory I go back to the previous night, when seated about
the hearth-stone of one of the most excellent ladies it was
my fortune ever to know no (m(^ save her oidy child, a
most ardent siwrtsiiian, her niece, and myself being her
company. It was a lovely night, just a week before Christ-
mas. Mrs. Candace Taylor — such was the name of this
lady — broke the silence, as we had sat for a few minutes
eacli buried in thoughts and plans of the ccming festivities,
remarking:

" Brother Harry and his wife will be here irom Tennessee
next week, and I want some Bear-meat for my Christmas
dinner. I jiresume they have never eaten a i)iece, and I
want to show vuem what good eating a piece of fat Bear-

i ■• 1

2(10

MKs (;amk of xdinii amkkica.

meat uffonls. Howell, my son, riin't you and Colonel A

go down to theOiiacliitiito-monow, and, with Mr. Littlejohii
and All)i'it Williams, kill a Hear formed"

" Nothing would suit me better," replied Howell. "I
have bet'ii thinking of it for some time; and if you and
Agnes (that was his wilVs nanif) can stay here alone for a
few (hiys, we will be oil' to-morrow morning just as .soon as
you can get our eatal)les rt^ady. 1 know Colonel A— -
will go, as he has been talking for some time of joining
nie in a Bear-hunt.''

" You and Colonel A get ready to leave at daylight;

Agnes and I will order the provisions cooked to-night. You
shall not be delayed by us."

This settled the matter. I ordered my hor.se, rode to my
oHice, and packed up everything necessary for me to carry
on such a hunt. 1 cleaned up and jtut in order my line
double-barrel Manlon, sharpened my cane-knife, melted the
lead and ran a number of bidlets to lit the b(U"e, cut the
patching out of thin buckskin, and, lastly, lilled my canteen
with the best of old Bourbon, to keep me from catching
cold; for, though it was then so warm, I anticipated a spell
of intensely cold weather before we should return.

The next evening found the party seated around the
camp-lire on the west side of the Ouachita River, which
was then low enough to ford at the old Coleman Ford. Wa
had two tents— one for the whites, the other for the negroes.
Howell Taylor had a large pack of black-and-tan hounds.
Parson Litllejohn had several good hounds, and some
thaggy half-cui's — excfllciit lighters. Albert Williams had
about a dt)zen mongrels, all of which wei-e good lighters, and
one or two good start-dogs. Howell had one bitch, called
Kate, that would rathei- run a Bear than eat a piece of
venison. She could trail up a Bear that had passed two
days befort', would run it for foity to lifty hours uefore
quitting it, and was equally good on Deer.

This sensible animal seemed to know just what kind of
game her master wanted her to run. At home, if he
wanted to go 'Possuni-hunting, all he had to do was to

THK BLACK BEAR.

'>07

have the negroes who aceoiniiiinied him show their axes to
old Kate. It was enough; slie was seen nn more until she
had irt'ed tiie ' Possum or "('oou. Did he want to hunt tur-
keys, of whicli there were numerous thtcks in tlie surround-
ing hills, lie had only to slunv Ivati* a turkey bei'on^ leaving
the house, take neither horn nor any t>th»'r dog along, and
he would be assured Kate ran nothing but a wild turkey
that day.

Our i)arty were all smokers. Volumes of smoke were issu-
ing from the tloor of the tent as one after another related
past experiences in Bear-hunting, and tlius we whilcd away
the gn^ater part i)f th.e night. Littlcjohn was an ehupK'nt
preacher, who loved to hunt as well as lie did to preach;
Tayhjr was beginning to study for the ministry; Piullips
was, 1 believe, a mend)er of the church, whilf the only sinner
in the party was myself. Prayers were linally said, and we
had just lain down to sleep, when the sky darkened, the
wind roared, and a i)erfect Texas "norther" set in. Rain
fell in big drops; then it turned to snowing and sleeting. A
more sudden change I never witnessed. The shivoing dogs
crawled into the tents, and piled or cuddled on the bed-
clothes, in spite of all our elForts to keep them out.

At no period of my life do I reinember a colder and more
disagreeable night. As to sleejiing, it was out of the ques-
tion until tired nature gave way, and we sank into litful
and unrestful najts.

About the bre«ik of day we were roused by the whining
of old Kate. After we found it imi)ossible to keep out the
dogs, they had been allowed to stay in the lent, and the
flap had been pinned down too tight for them to get out.
Howell got Tip, and remarked: " 8onie vannint must be
passing by, from the signs old Kate is making, and 1 believe
it is a Bear."

Oi)ening the flap of the tent, he let her out, and gave her
a stirring "hie on." But she needed none, for, with a
bound and a note that told us plainly it was a Bear, she
rushed down the road, with all the pack at her hetds. Not
a hundred yards out, the whole pack gave tongue. It was an

"iiU

268

liUi (iAMK OF iNOirni AMKiaCA.

exciting time. We were all up — negroes and whites— in a
moment, as excited a party as one ever sees ( n a Bear-hunt.

Phillips, an experienced Bear-hunter, who knew the
whole country, rushed out of the tent, listened awhile, and
tlu'U said:

"It is a Bear, sure enough. The warm weather has
caught him out of his den, and he is now making for the
big cane-brake at the mouth of Cypress Cieek. We are
bound to kill that Bear. It is going to be a long and severe
chase, but we shall kill. Come, let us eat a bite; drink
l)lenty of coffee, for you will need it all to-day. Fdl your
l)ockets with lunch while the negroes are saddling our
hor.se.s, for that Bear is to be killed, no matter what occurs.
Howell, you and Littlejohn are better i)repared to die than
that sinner, the Colonel, ajid myself; for if you drown, you
will be sure to go to the happy hunting-grounds,, while it is
extiemely doubtful about us. Now, you must ride for life
down the l)ank of the river, until about eight miles below
here, to the ciossiug. You can not ford it now, but you
must swiu' your horses across, and then, if you are not
drowned, I'ide like .lehu up Cypress Creek to the big bi-ake.
You will be in hearing of the dogs all the time, and if y<m
don't get a shot, the Bear will cross the river to this side,
and make for the cane-thicket at the mouth of the Little
Missouri River. Perhai)s the Colonel and I may get a shot
at it on this side. If we do not, it will run the thicket,
and after awhile cross back. Then you can kill it as it
swims back to you on the east side."

These instructions were rapidly given as we gulped
down oui' breakfast. It was an awful time to be out on a
Beai -chase, especially as long a one as we expected this
one to l)e, for none but a poor Bear would be out of winter
quarters at this time of the year and in this storm.

Even now, as 1 sit peering into the fire, I can see the per-
sons whom I have represented, as plainly as if alive, and as
if it wer(^ but yesterday. All have long since passed from
earth, and have gone to their long resting-jjlace, whither I
am fast traveling. I alone am left to recall the scene, and

hi
id

TIIK BLACK HKAU.

201)

to must' over it. Sixty-seven winters have whitened my
loclis, but 1 am a youtli again tliis cold, bitter night, as
eager to join in a ciiase ol" tliis kind as I was on that memo-
rable morning. Yet 1 am sad. Why should I be their sur-
vivor by so many yeaisf I, whom if deatlr had taken
'twere no loss to the world nor society, while those who
have gone hatl so much at stake — so nuiny friends to whom
their dei)arture was a grievous calamity. What would
have been their feelings could each have nnveiled the
future, and have looked twenty years ahead?

I close my eyes, and still their faces are seen on every
side. The wind still moans in litful gusts — now it is a lierce
howl -and louder rattles the sleet against the i»anes. Can
there be some nnseen spirit near, even in this -room, who
calls back from the murky shadows of the past this weird
scene, and impels me to put on pajier the recollections of
that day? Or has the soul of my comrade in battle, my
boon <!ompani(m in sports of the forest, come back to earth,
and is he now holding silent communion with my own
spirit, almost emancii)ated from its dull clog of mortality?
And does he bid me record the events of this chase, the
most memorable of his short life? Ah I it must be so.
Involuntarily I seize the pen, to write the thoughts that
come trooping from the reservoir of memory, to() fast for
anything but an electric pen and an eager hand to record.

Tiiylor jind Llttlejohn have mounted their horses, and
the snow-flakes have hidden them from view as they hurry,
with the speed of the wind, to get in hearing distance of the
pack, which has now crossed the river.

"Take your time. Colonel," said Phillips, "and eat
a-plenty. It will be a long way in the night l)efoie we
again see this camp-lire, in my opinion. We are going to
have the severest chase ever seen in this bottom. I had no
idea of starting a Bear nntil we got to the forks of the
ri\ers. That Bear is poor; and 1 believe it is a barren
female, else the old hussy would have been in her bed,
sucking her paws and thinking of the babies she was to
rear. As it is, she will mver take a tree or go to bay.

ivJi

i it'

'. li

' illB

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i:1

5>7(»

HK; <iA.MK OF NOKTII A.MKIMCA.

SliH will run iiiid whii) off tiie do^s all day, and it is ho cold
tlwy will slop at iii^lit. If we kill her — and I vow she shall
die — it will have to be done ahead of tlie dogs, while she
is crossiii'; hack and I'oiward from tlie two big hrakes."

"iMoiinl," I replied. *' I have eaten all 1 want, and
Ike has jiiit us np -a good luncli — sufficient for all four of
us. Besides (showing him the canteen), I have got some-
tliing lo warm the inner man, if we should feel like
freezing."

A dash down the road revealed the trace of the dogs and
Bear.

"Wliat a whopp;.'r it is!" said Phillips, who led the
way, I following at a break-neck speed. Some two miles
below, we saw where the Hear had left the roail and crossed
the river, atone of its widest bends. No dogs were in hear-
ing. 1 wanted to swim (jur horses across, and follow after
them.

"No," said Phillips. "No use to do that; 5)ef()re we
could come up with them the Parson and Howell will have
crossed, and will be ahead of us. Perhaps they may kill;
but 1 think the Bear will cross back to run to the forks
before we can get opposite the mouth of Cypress. Hurry
up, and I'ide for all j'ou are worth, to get there ahead of it.
Tliese dogs mean business, and so must we if we are to be
in at the death."

Four miles more brought us to where the Parson and
Howell had swum their horses across.

" How is this '." said Phillips, as we pulled up to listen,
and examiiK; wliere they had crossed. " I thought I told
them to be sure to go to the ford, and then ride up the
creek, so as to intercept the Bear. It is now evident that
when they got here they heard the dogs fighting the Bear
on the other side, and not l)(^ing able to wait to go down
two miles farthei', they have <'rossed, and, no doubt, are not
far behind the dogs. Let us make for the ford as fast as we
can ride, and wait there. If the Bear attempts to go uj)
Cypress Creek, then we will have to swim across, and
endeavor to get up with the dogs."

i: ;

THE BLACK HKAU.

971

A dash of Ji mile more, and IMiillips stopped suddenly.
He had caught the sound of the haying of the dogs, and
of the voices of Littlejohn and Taylor. The ro;ir of the
l)ack was plain; and not far behind them we could hear the
yells of the two hunters.

"They must have gone stark-mad, to be hollering to
those dogs," exclaimed Phillips, as he muttered to himself
words 1 did not catch —but no doubt they made the record-
ing angel blush for their irreverence. And then he added,
louder, "The Parson has forgot where he is, and thiid\.s he
is preaching to a lot of mourners at a camp-meeting. He
will never kill a Bear at that rate, lliile, Colonel; I hear
old Kate half a mile ahead, and she is just i)inching and
pushing that Bear for all he is worth. The Bear is aiming
to cross at the ford, and if we can get there in time we can
get a shot before it passes the road."

It was true. Old Kate was at least three to four hun-
dred yards ahead; and it was a ride for life and death for us
to be there before they crossed the river, which we undoubt-
edly would have done, but for having to make our way
around a number of large trees that the wind had blown
down that night right across our path.

This gave the Bear the inside track, and we had the
melancholy satisfaction of hearing Kate's fierce voice as she
plunged into the cane on the right. 8he and the Bear had
passed before we got to the ford, which the rest of the pack
were now swimming.

"Let us stop here until the dogs all cross, and when
they see me they will pursue the Bear with renewed cour-
age," said Phillips.

Just then I saw the Parson and Taylor dash down the
bank, right into the water, behind the last dogs. What
cared those gallant hunters for ice, snow, and swimming
water in a time like this ! Up the bank they came, as wet
as water could make them, and still yelling.

"Stop that infernal noise," shouted Phillips, as he
dashed forward to head them off . "Stop that noise. If
you had not yelled so, you would have got a shot long ago.

272

BI<» (iAMK <»F NdUTII AMKKK'A.

l!;^

or tlie Ooloiiel and I would liav«* killrd the Bear wliilw
ci'ossiiig lu'ie. It will iieviT stop, nor return here, unless
ail noise ceases, I will follow the dogs, and endeavor to
iiead the Hear from running up the Little Missouri. Par-
son, you and II(»well take down the Ouachita, and if y(»u
hear the dogs lighting close, make for the dogs; but, for
God's sake, do no more yelling. And you. Colonel, stay
back, and if you hear the dogs ivturning, dash back to this
place. The IJear will cross back, if it is not shot."

With these injunctions, he was .s<»ou k)st to view, and I
shouted to the Parson and Howell to "hold on for a
njoinent." Pulling out my canteen, I said, "If there ever
was a time in youi' lives that you needed spiritual revival,
it is now;" and I handed it to them. A deep swig by both,
and soon they were out of sight, while I rode slowly down
the road. It was only a few miles down to the junction of
the two rivers, which was almost inaccessible, on account
of the bluir banks below.

Half an hour elapsed, with the roar of the pack all the
time ringing in my ears, and if any man thinks it was easy
for me to sit there and listen to it, he has never ridden to
hounds wht n they were in red-hot pursuit of a big, hungry
Bear. After awhile the sound died away, and I could hear
nothing of uogs or hunters. It was growing fearfully cold;
tlie snow was at least three inches deep, and the woods were
fast becoming an iceberg. A more disagreeable day a lot
of hunters never endiiied.

It recalled to my mind the memorable time in the life
of the immortal Davy Crockett, when he had to climb a tall
sapling, on the banks of the Obion River of Tennessee, and
slide down it all night, to let the friction warm him to the
point of not freezing.

Late in the afternoon. I thought I heard the sound of a
gun, and after some time the notes of old Kate could be
distinguished. The Bear was evidently making back.

Then I heard nothing more for an hour, when another
gun broke the blast of the storm. Soon old Kate's note
came plainly, followed by those of the whole pack. These

THE HLACK HKAU.

2rs

shall) barks denoted that they were in close quarters, and
that u death-struggle was going on.

They were roining nearer and nearer to me. It was too
niiu'h for u liunter to stand and not be alloweil to par-
ticipate. Putting si)urs to my horse, I dasiied ahead to
meet the dogs, regardless of the instructions of Pliillips,
and thereby I lost the chance of killing tlie Bear. Tlie
sleet was so heavy that 1 nuist have made a world of noise.
This caused the Bear to turn and give Parson Litth'john
the chance of putting in a good shot. Tlie cane was so
tliiclc that the only damage he did was to break u fore-leg,
low down, which did not impede the Bear's flight a great
deal; but it made her more savage than ever, and several of
the curs were soon left dead on her trail.

1 attempted to head the run, but got caught in a vine,
and while 1 was disengaging myself, 1 saw Taylor da^h by
me, hatless, and regardless of every impediment, intent tm
stopi)ing the Bear from crossing the river, or killing it as it
should cross the road.

(jiiickly cutting the vines that held me, I galloped
behind him, and saw Bear and tlogs crossing just ahead of
him. The tight was so close that Jie could not shoot, for
fear of killing a dog. Down the bank plunged the Bear,
with old Kate nipi)iiig her hind legs, and the balance of
the pack at her sides and around her. Oh, but she was
furious! Iler angry gro\\is could be heard above the roar
of the dogs, and then a fearful shriek told that some dog
had been l)itten, or struck by her paw.

Into the water plunged the Bear, with dogs pulling at
her as she swam across, and Howell, on his gallant gray
horse, Felix, swimming so high that the water did not
cover the skirts of the saddle. Several times I saw him
raise his gun to shoot, and then take it down. I was right
behind him, my horse swimming, not like Felix, but so
low that I was wet to the neck.

' ' Don' t shoot ! " I shouted to Howell. '* If you kill her,
she will sink, and we will lose her." But as she rose to
ascend riie bank, he could not restrain his impetuosity, but

i.--^

274

IIIO (iAMK UK Ndli'lll AMi;iM( A.

|l- V

fir»'(l, woiiihlin^r the Hfiir and killiiiji a rto;^'— fortuiiaifly
iiol old Kate. licfoit' we crossed, the I'aisou and IMdlliiis
wt'if ill tlw riv«'i', iii>,Mii,ir tlit'ir horses to swim as fast
as possible; aiitl l»y tlir tiiiK' \v«' had ^ot a hundred yards
ahead of them, both had crusstfd. and were coming at full
speed behind us.

It was no use for me to try to get ahend of Howell. The
]iear was evidently \\eakening, and the dogs were growing
more and more furi(»us. A dash of a (puirter of a mile,
with Howell not lifty yards ahead of me— he right behind
the dogs — and the old IVar plunged into a cuve-root, and
turned for her final stand.

In a Hiomeiit, Howell was on the ground. IJeckless of
everything, he rushed almost into the jaws of the beast,
and fired a fatal shot into her side, just behind the shoul-
der, the gun almost toiK'hing her body. She sank to earth,
atid before she could have risen, he buried to the hilt in her
heart his glittering bowie-knife, and gave a long yell of
triumi)h.

Hy this time, the Parson, IMiillips, and I were up. and,
disnu)unting, we all united in a genuine old Bear-hunter's
yell, and hugged each other, just as men and comrades do
after a deadly and successful charge of a battery.

Then the question came up, " What must we do with
the Bear<" The sun was nearly down, it was ten miles to
camp, and a river, deep and two hundred yards wide, to
swim — we were wet, hungry, and the cold was growing
more intense every moment. The Bear proved to be a
barren female, as predicted; but she was not i)oor, being,
on the contrary, in good condition for that time of the
year.

"What shall we do?" was now the absorbing question,
and it was quickly decided to let her lie thei-e until the
next morning, when she could be taken to the hills, skirt-
ing both the Ouachita and Cypress Creek. Our wagon
could be crossed over at the Coleman ford, and driven down
the Camden road to a point where the liear could be taken
to it. There was no helj) for it, but the river liad to be

i :;i-;j'-'i'-

I 1

(i'l

i '

MU .i

TIIK HI.A< K liKAi:.

276

crossed aj^ain — no fun in it this time, as tlic cold water
baptized us again nearly to our necks.

Ilorse-riesh was not spared on the eiiiht mile ride up
tilt liver, and in less than one liour and a cpiarler we were
in sight of our camp-lires. Phillii»s was in the lead, and as
he saw the cheerful Maze, shouted back:

" I guess those negiiM-s recollected what T told them this
morning, that if they did not liave u rousing lire, and plenty
of coflfee, hot as could be made, I would duck them in the
river until nearly drowned."

It was a rousing fire, large enough to cook a whole ox,
and was made out of the best of seasoned hickory-trees.
We were nearly frozen before we got there. Our clothing
was a mass of ice, and long icicles were hanging from our
hats, while our beards were covered with ice.

It took us but a moment to dismount and di'iidi a (piart
of strong coffee. Soon the negroes had shipped off our
clothing. By bathing in cold water, and by hard lubbing,
we were prepared for dressing and eating. The lunch I had
taken had been so saturated in crossing the river that I
threw it to the dogs -at the killing of the liear. Now we
fell to, as if we had not eaten a mouthful for a week.
Never did I enjoy a meal more. After the inner man was
thoroughly satisfied, and our pipes lighted, each had to
relate what he did and saw during the dav. I must remark
that we were not unmindful of our horses, that did us such
uol)le service all day. No srwrnei had we dismounted than
a negro stripped each hoiNe and rubbed him dry, walked
him back and forth that he might not be too suddenly
cooled, and then each was l)lanketed and tied near the huge
fire. The dogs that survived the chase were abundantly fed,
and given straw to lie on. near the fire; but old Kate was
lieimitted to occupy a l)ed by the side of her master. Five
dogs were missing — four kilkd by the Btar and one by
Taylor.

After we had lain down, Phillips said he headed the
Bear before it got through the big thicket on the Little
Missouri, and had a chance to have killed it while fighting

276

BIO GAME OF NOHTII AMKKICA.

the clogs, but both barrels of liis gun missed fire, and before
he could pick powder into the tubes and recap, the Bear
made off; that he succeeded again in cutting it off from
going up the river, and got a shot, but his horse was so
frightened by the sudden appesirance of the Bear that he
missed. However, lie accomplished his object, and drove
the Bear back toward the Ouachita, where it was met by
Littlejohn, whose shot broke a fore leg.

"Tell us. Parson," I said to Littlejohn, " why did you
and Taylor cross the river before going down as far as the
fordf'

"Oh, that was because we heard the pack fighting on
the opposite bank, and supposing the Bear was at bay,
Howell and I could not stand it, but were compelled to go
to the relief of the dogs. By the time we crossed, the Bear
had moved on, and we followed on the tracks, as fast as we
could, through the big cane-brake. While I was making
my way through it, I came across a fresh track of a large
Bear, and following it a short distan(;e, I saw its bed, where
it had bedded for the winter. It w^as a much larger track
than that of the one we have killed."

" That is glorious news," remarked Phillips. " We will
kill that Bear to-morrow, in less than half an hour after we
start it. As certain as we are alive this night, that Bear
will return to its bed. It has only been frightened by the
dogs, juid, I doubt not, it did not go a quarter of a mile be-
fore it stopped, and finding tlie dogs had gone out of hearing,
it has returned, and is at this moment sucking its paws and
thanking its stars that the dogs did not get after it."

As Phillips was our leader on this hunt, we resolved to
follow his plan the next morning, which was to send the
wagon and negroes to the Camden road, and direct them
to go to Nix's place, near the Cyju'ess Creek bottom; for
Colonel A — to go with them, and to get Nix to show him
the hollow leading from the road to the Ouachita bottom,
and for both to take stands on the run Bears usually made
in crossing from the Ouachita across the hills to the junc-
tion of Big Tulip and the Cypress Creek.

TlIK IJLACK BEAU.

277

"Nix has often hunted Bears with me," said Phillips,

"and knows all the runs of lIk^ Bears. As Colonel A has

not yet had a shot, I piopose to try his nerve to-morrow. It
is the shortest route for us to get to <nir dead Bear, to cross
the river here and go down until we strike the tracks of
yesterday, and then follow on until we come to the bed
wliich tlie Parson found. Should the Bear rot have
returned, old Kate will trail it up; no discount or odds to
be taken on that Bear — we are bound to kill it. It is now
turning warmer; the snow has stopped falling, with every
evidence that we shall have as pretty a day as the iiast has
been blustering and cold."

This plan being adopted, we were all soon sound asle-^'p,
and slept until the negroes roused us to breakfast, bt fore
the stars had disappeared. In less than an hour, and beuM-e
the rising sun gilded the toi)S of the tret'S and Hashed its
rays on the icicle forest, I had arrived at the Camden road
with the wagon, and the negroes drove at a sweeping trot
to John Nix's house. It was not more than seven miles
distant, and I got there before the family had breakfasted.
I ate a second breakfast with John, and told him the occur-
rences of the day before and our plans for this day.

In a short space of time he was ready to accompany me.
We galloped down to the bottom, not a mile distant, and
took our stands.

I did not have to wait over half an hour before I heard
the whole pack break into one continued roar, bearing direct
to me. Then I thought they were going to i)ass me, and, as
directed by Nix, I rode about a quarter into the cane, until
I struck a slough, along which the Bears frequently ran
when pursued by dogs. This slough seimrated the two
dense points of the big brake. Stopping, I heard them com-
ing directly toward me. Dismounting, I tied my horse, and.
cocking my gun, stepped a few steps into the cane, so as not
to let the Bear see me should it run down the slough, and
yet be able to shoot either on the slough or in the thicket.

It was plain the dogs were u^) with the Bear, and fighting
all they could. The noise the Bear made with its growls,

iMl

i i

278

HKi (iAMK OF NOHTII AMKIIICA.

Mi!

and snapping of cane, and the cry of the dogs, gave me the
buck-ague terribly. I was afraid the Bear would not pass
by nie. But a few minutes elapsed, however, before I saw the
cane and snow and icicles snapped and pushed aside, and not
ten feet from me rushed the tremendous, savage beast. I
don' t think lie saw me. I fired the left barrel, loaded with an
ounce-and-a-half ball, into his side, just back of the shoul-
der, and as he sank to the shot I januued the muzzle of the
gun to the ear and fired the second shot, bursting nearly
half of the head off. Old Kate had him by the hind leg
befoi'e I fired the second shot, and the balance of the pack
were up before the last smoke cleared away. Three long
blasts of my horn announced my victory, and in a few
minutes the Parson, Taylor, and Phillips dashed up, with
Nix a short time after them.

"Just as 1 predicted," said Phillips; "this old Bear
had gone back to his Ix'd. Old Kate winded him at least
two hundred yards before getting to the bed. She did not
oi)en, but broke for the bed, with all the ])ack following
her. I am confident the ]5ear had heard us, and had left
tie bed before the dogs got to it. It was so fat it could nrt
run far Ix^fore the dogs came up with it, and then it was a
fight from there on until you shot. I feel assured it would
not have gone a mile further before turning to bay, and
some one of us would have got the shot had you not
headed it."

The run was short, and the ending glorious. There was
nothing more to do now but get our two Bears together,
skin, quarter, and divide, and then to return to our respect-
ive homes; ar.d thus ended the most trying, the coldest, and
most successiul hunt I ever made in Arkansas.

lli

THE BUFFALO.

By OniN IJELKSAr (" L'nclk Filleh ").

ROM the savannas of Georgia to the shores of the
iff Great Lakes on the east, and from the waters of tlie

.^v^ Gulf of Mexico to tlie phiins of tlie Saskatcliewan on
the west, the American Bison {Bo.s A/nrric<niu.s)
roamed in numbers c(Mint less ahnost as the blades of the
grass upon which they fed, wlien the destroying Kuropean
first met tlie eastern vanguard of their mighty host, h^iom
the brine of tlie xVtlantic to the cliifs of the Rocky Mount-
ains, wherever the cam[»-tire of the wandering Indian shone
in wigwam, lodge, or tepee, within sight of its curling
smoke was found the strange ruminant, the robe, llesh,
and sinews of which constituted the principal source of his
wealth, and the possession of which rendered him the most
independent of .savages, and the best fed human animal on
the globe.

The amazing numbers and wide distributi(m of the Bison
greatly facilitated the early exploration and development
of the interior of the great continent.

The rugged Scottish pioneers of the Selkirk Settlement,
on the shore of Hudson's Bay -whose only communication
witli civilization for more' than one hundred years was by
means of the single ship which made its annual voyage
from Europe to those lonely shores- found, in the grazing
herds which dotted the adjacent plains, a plentiful source
of the tlesh iliet so necessai'y in that high latitude; while
the hardy r(t//(/r/ci(r of the IIu<lsou's Bay (,'ompany, on his
commercial mission to the savage tribes of the far North-
west, carried with him into the frozen regions, in the form
of pemmican made of the di-ied Hesli ami fat of the Bison,

the only food that proved \o be nutritious enough to

( •■iro )

I I

280

HI(i (iA.MK <tr NoltTII AMKUICA,

ii!

.sii.stain him amid the fatigues of his cold and harassing
march.

The Leatherstookings of the American frontier, in their
far westward wanderings; the Mormon enthusiast, in his
search for tlie hitter-(hiy Zion yet. to he established on the
shore of tlie lonely inland sea, and the swarms of gold-
hunters hurrying to take possession of the new-found
El Donuht of the Pacillc, all hailed with delight the first
glimpse of the shaggy lierds; while the band of explorers
under Fremont, gaining at length the fieedom and plenty
of the Hulfalo-range, when Carson had killed for them a
liull'alo cow the fat of which was two inches thick, nuide a
great feast, and until long into the night held high carni-
val in honor of reaching the land of plenty, where gaunt
hunger no longer crowiled for a front seat by the hunter's
camp- lire.

Nowhere else on the earth had so large a game animal
been distributed in such vast numbers over the face of a
continent. In the language of an old hunter, the plains
were "one vast robe!" And surely never, in all the rec-
ords of our i)lanet, was chronicled another such a story of
multitudinous slaughter, of any part of the brute creation,
as is contained in that of the extermination of the xVmer-
ican Buffalo. They have vaiushed from the face of advanc-
ing civilizaticm as mist-clouds vanish before the rising sun.
A little handful of their number, wisely protected by the
fostering care of the United States Government, yet find an
insecure retreat auumg the nunmtain fastnesses of the Yel-
lowstone National Park; vet the mightv herds which but
a few short years ago swarmed iniuimerable upon the great
plains are to-day extinct. Their bleaching bones have long
since been gathered for fertilizers, and the furious rain-
storms of the plains are fast obliterating uU traces of their
old wallows.

Yet the American Bison was a hardy animal, and, until
the coming of the European, was more than a nuitch for
Wolves, Bears, and for the mvriads of Indians who fed
upon him. The ccilor of the Buffalo was a dark brown, verg-

III

*' ,-•

!'• J

i:. t]

i *

^^1

TiiK HrirAi,<».

281

inix n\nm black; his muzzle, lioins, and liool's, black; his
head and Hhouldei's massive in size — the shoulders rising
in a hum') a foot or more in heiulit; liis hii)s low and
small, but well rounded; his tail shorter than that of the
domestic ox, slim and smooth, tii»ped with a tuft of long,
black hair; his legs, below the knees, wonderfully slender
for so huge an animal; and the weight of a fully devdoped
male probably not less than two thousand pounds.

His horns were short, and huge at the base, tapering
rapidly to a ])oint, and curved in the best shape for attack
or defense, as many an untrained horse found to his cost;
and these formidable weapons were, in the case of the nude,
alnujst completely hidden in the mass of long, curly, bhu^k
hair which enveloped his head, neck, and shoulders, and
which gave to him, when seen in front, a \i culiarly Lion-
like and very formidable appeai'ance.

The female, in shape of body, resembled the male — high
at the top of the shoulders and low at the hips, but desti-
tute of mane, and with her body covered, as were the hind
quarters of the male, with a coat of short, thick hair,
underlaid in winter with fine, soft fur. The scent of the
Buffalo was veiy keen, and his speed almost equal to that
of the horse.

Among his numerous natural enemies, the Indian and
the large Gray or Buffalo Wolf worked his greatest destruc-
tion, although many different aninuils preyed upon the
weak and the defenseless of the herds; and Daniel Boone
is said to have (mce shot a huge Panther while the fierce
brute was clinging to the back of a Buffalo, in the days
when Kentucky was yet the "dark and bloody ground "
of the savage.

With the advent of the European came improved
weapons and greater intelligence to the work of destruc-
tion, and the extermination of the Buffalo began. The
half-breed Indians of the Red River of the North, who for
many years hunted Buffaloes, and fought the Dacotahs on
the plains to the southwest of the Selkirk Settlement, were
among the first to reduce Buffalo-hunting to a system, and

■'; ';i

w: i)

I!'

Bia OAMK (»F XOinil AMKIM(^A.

for genemtions salV'ly depended upon this iiuinml for the
Hiipport of tlieir fandlies.

Eiich hunter was outfitted with one or more ponies to
be used in running liull'aloes, and witli a strange liind of
home-made, two- wheeled cart, made wliolly of wood (not
HO mucii as a linch-pin of iron in all the train), and drawn
by a single ox working in shafts. Their primitive caravan,
(piite indepen(U'nt of loads, moved freely in any direction
across the broad plains; and as tlie cart-wheels were never
greased, their conung was lieralded by a most unearthly
screeching. At night, the carts were drawn up in the form
of a circle, and after the oxen and i)onies had grazed, they
were driven inside the inclosure and the gap closed, ren-
dering a night stami)ede impossible.

When Buffaloes were sighted, the mounted hunters
approached them armed Avitli flint-lock shotguns loaded
with ball, and with a powdei'-horn with a large vent ;in
order that powder might run rapiiUy from it), from whic;
the stopper had been removed before the chtise began, and
with the mouth fiiled with niusket-balls just small enough
to loU freely down the gun-barrel. When their fire had
been delivered, the luimmer and pan-cover of the gun were
drawn quickly back, the muzzle of the gun elevated, the
open powder-liorn inverted, and its contents i)ermitted to
run freely into the gun-barrel until the hunter judged that
a sufficient quantity had run in, when the lorn was
dropped and allowed to fall into its position, right end iip,
by the hunter's side. The muzzle of the gun was then
drawn up to the hunter's lips, a bullet dropped into it, and
the wild, rough rider was ready for another victim. All
this had been done with the horse racing at top speed.
By keeping the muzzle of the gun elevated, and only
depressing it at the instant the quick aim was taken and
the ti-igger pidled, it was no uncjommon thing for half a
dozen Buffaloes to be slain by a single hunter in one mad
race.

Five good milch-cows were vainly offered for the first
Sharp' s carbine ever introduced on the Red River.

I III: HIFI'Al.o.

'2t<n

A most fHiiijuuliii' iicriclent iK-ciirred, many years (siin-e,
dining the luaicli of a paity (»f tliese half-breeds in searcli
of Bulfahjes. While tiie lont^ line of slow-nioviiiii: carts was
crawling over the plain, a larye bull liiiiralo was seen on
the left, rnnning rapidly towunl the caravan, at right-
angles with its line of march. His course was (U)wn (he
wind, which blew strongly, and consecpiently lu; neither
heard nor smelled the carts until close uiion them. The
men scattered along the left side of the train, su[)ih)sing
that when the Buffalo should see the caravan he would
swerve to the right or left. They were amazed, however,
to see that the huge bull, detecting at last the immediate
j)resence of his foes, and seeing at the same instant ii
gap in the close line of carts, charged straight for it,
to go through the line. At this a loud cry was raised,
which attracted the attention of a man on the other side
of the carts, and seeing the gap, he also attempted to rim
through it, to learn the cause of the unex[)ected uproar.
Just as the Buffalo entered the gap, the nnin, slightly in
advance of the opening, ran around the tail of the cart,
and caught sight of his dreaded foe at the very instant of
the impending collision. Instantly lowering liis massive
head, the great bull, with a vicious upv.'ard .roke of the
terrible black horn, caught the poor fellow under the chin,
and, with instantly broken neck, he was liurled high in the
air, to fall limp and dead upon the ground, while the great
brute galloped away over the plain, leaving the companions
of the fated man too stupefied with horror to avenge his
death.

Three principal causes of the extermination of the Buf-
falo followed in regular order. First, the introduction
of the liquor traffic among the Indians of the plains,
thereby stimulating the slaughter of the Buffaloes, and the
dressing of robes with which to purchase this fiery curse
of the Indian race. The unscrvpulous liquor-trader sought
the gathering-places of the western tribes, and, at the fre
quent risk of his own life, conducted his infamous traffic,

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IMU (lAMK <»K NoKl'll A.MKliK A.

when ii ; iiiull till cup full of liqiu)!' was thn regular price
for a pony or a rohf. As the orgies of tlu' savagi^s gi't'W
moi'H frantic, and as their driinkeiines.s (leepened, the watch-
ful trader, becondng a cunning workman in the cause of
tenii)erance, slyly inserted Jirst one, then two, and lliiallj'
three of ids iingei's into tin* little ciii» while measuring out
the li(pu)r; and the potations of tlie.stuitid Indians gri'W
less in quantity as their wealth decreased. Finally, after
having stripped the camp of its last robe — often the last
covering of the bed of the Indian mother and her children
— the greedy trader, urged to speed by the fear of vengeful
pursiut, hurried night aiul day toward civilization, eager
to i)lace as great a distan<'e as possible between his load of
ill-gotten spoil and its legitinuite owners before the stupor
of their intoxication had subsided, and they had become
fully aware of the depth of the degradation into which
they were plunged by this unholj' trade. May the wealth
acquired by this worse than infamous traffic perish with
tliose who accumidated it!

Aside from this nefarious traffic, the legitimate trade of
the regular fur conq)anies had grown to colossal propor-
tions. The amazing number of Buffaloes slaughtered by
the Indians of the plains is indicated in the following
report of a partner in the American Fur Company (Mr.
Sanford), nuide to Lieutenant Fremont, in 1843, and which
is worthy of the most careful study:

The totiil miinl)L'r of robes nnnunlly trailed by ourselves unci oHiers will not
be found to dilTcr niueli from the following: American Fur Company. 70,000;
Hudson's Bay C'onii)aiiy, 10,000; all other companies, probably, 10,000, making
a total of 00,000 robes as an average annual return for the last eight or leu
years.

In the Northwest, the Hudson's Bay Company purcha.se from the Indians
but a very small number, their only market being Canada, -to which the cost
of transportation nearly ctjuals the produce of the furs, and it is only within
a very recent jjeriod that they have received Butfalo-robes in trade; and out of
the great number of Buffaloes annually killed throughout the extensive region
iniiabited by the Conianciics and other kindred tribes, no robes whatever are
furnished for trade. During only four months of the year (from November
until March) arc the .skins good for dres-ing; tlui>-e obtained in the remaining
eight months are valueless to traders, and the hides of bulls are never taken off

THK nri'FWU*.

285

or (IrcMHi'il us rciln's iit iiny m-uhdii. I'rolmlily no; more tliiin (nic iliinl of
the skins mi'c taki'U fi'oiii tlic iiiiiinMls killrd. cvtn when the}' iiru in piixl Ht'iisoii,
llu! liiliipr 111' i»i'i'|);irini: mikI ilri's>ini; (lie rnltct licinj; vt-rv jrrcni, and it is Ncliloni
lliut 11 Icm1j;i' tnidci nini'c than twenty ^kins in ii ycjir. ll is during tlie nuni-
nicr uiiinthH and In Ihi! early part <if autumn tliat tlie K<'>'ati'»t nunilier of
HiilTalnes are kllli'd, ,inil yet at tliisiiiue a skin is never taken for tlie purposo
of trade.

Wliiit a rf'cord of slati^htt'i- is this!

Next in ordt-r ciiiut' the iiivfiitioii and developiiit'iit of
the iiiodeni biVHcli-ioiidiM^' litle, tin* hi^lust tyi)H of wiiicli,
in the eHtiiiiatioii of the siuTessfid liiiiralo-liiiuter, was,
iiii<liiestional)ly, the heavy-barreled, (k)iil>le-trifr^ered Sharp.
It is often reiiiiirked by western hunters that the Siiarp ritle
exterminated the Hnirah).

And finally came the last factor in the problem of the
extinction of the Bison — the l)nildinff of the l*aciti(! rail-
roads. This o[iened np the very heart of the linll'alo-range
to the last of the scavengers — the indefatigable skln-hnnter.
It also checked the wanderings of the lienls, and linuted
the area of their range.

An intelligent Sioiix Indian, of the Santee tribe, with
whom the writer became acquainted while trapping furred
animals in Dakota, twenty years ago, after describing to
him the last Biittalo-chase he ever enjoyed, during which
a wandering band of forty-seven Buffaloes were all slain,
added:

" I told the other Indian boys, then, that the railroad was
now built across the plains, which would stop the march of
the Buffaloes, and that if we lived for a hundred years we
would never see them here again,"

Miiny able assistants in the final work of the skin-
hunters were found in tlie crowds of settlers along the
frontier, who hunted for meat. Nothing but the hams of
the Buffaloes were brought into the settlements by the fall
hunting-; arties, and at tinies the choicest meat went begging
at live ceii ! a pound.

The fa orite method of the skin-hunter was to crawl
within I'iiie-shot of a herd, and, while lying prone upon the
earth, to open lire witli his heavy ritle, with its heavy ball

'"i;

28f!

mCr OAMK OF XOUTI! AMKIilCA.

of live liuudied grains or more in weiglit; and the stni)id
Bull"aloe.s, not sei^in^' anytliin<i' in the whole range of tlieir
vision save a very innocent-hjolving JittJe snioke-clo'id, and
(tile wind favoring tlie hnnter) liearing init a sliglit rei)ort,
Avould often ,sta!id until, one by one, to the hist member of
tile band, they would be piled in unsparing slaughter on
their native plains.

Following the line of the newly ronstrncted Pacific rail-
road, as a continually advancing base of operations, the
si\in-hunter "carried the war into Africa," and the shat-
tered remnants of the once mighty herds, exposed to the
converging lire of hungry Indians and greedy whites,
melted like snow under a summer's sun.

The war was ended- -the chase was done; whitening
bones and bleaching skulls alone marked the path of the
leaden cyclone of siilfei'ing and (h:'ath. and the Bison of
America, together with the Mastodon, and the Great Auk
of the northern seas, lives only in histoi'y.

The impulsive and pardonable wrath of the American
sportsman, who, as he contemplates the extermination of
the Buffalo, feels inclined to hold u}) to univei'sal ext^cia-
tion the Bulfalo-skin-hunter, is little felt or shared bv the
philosophic naturalist. Much as the latter maybe inclined
to regret the disappearance of so interesting and valuable
an animal, a careful consideration of the >ubject prompts
him to graceful acceptance of the inevitable in the disap-
pearance of tlie Buffalo, as he fully realizes that the pres-
ence of vast hordes of animals as gigantic, as stupid, and
as intractable as the Bison, would inevitably have been,
if stringently protected by law, a menace and hindrance to
advancing civilization. Onlv small bands of these animals
could have been secured from the eager hands of unscru-
pulous, law-breaking hunters, lioth white and red, as in the
case of the small band already mentioned in the Yellow-
stone National Park, or in the guarded seclusion of ]i)rivate
ranches or parks.

The student of Indian history, also (who will not have
failed to remember that permanent peace with the Indian

I i

TIIK BUFFALO.

2cS7

tribes of the great itlains has ever been imiios(^ible of attain-
ment so long as the warlike savage lonnd an nnt'ailing
supply of meat wherever in his wanderings he raised his
lodge-poles), in lecol lection of tiie bloody massacies of the
l)ast, and for the sake of the helpless women and children
of his own race now scattered along the frontier in yet
possible peril of the horrois of savage war, will incline
toward an optimistic view (jf the (question, and wisely
conclude that the skin-hunter, with his l)ig Sharp, instead
of being the ogre of an untrained imagination, was not
only a necessary evil, not only the necessary foreiunner
of civilization, but also that he was, after all, tlie true
missionary! The imjierative commands of Christian civili-
zation were voiced in the roar of his big ritie; and with the
extermination of their hitherto unfailing meat-supply,
the red ferocity of the "Arabs of the New World"' grew
pale, as did the scattered bones Avhich outlined the funeral
mai'ch of the Buffalo I

The food-supply of a growing nation of people, already
numbering more than sixty millions, im])eratively denumded
the use of the great plains for stocking the ))eef-markets of
the crowded cities; and the lapse of less than a score of
year.'; has already demonstrated the wisdom of this demand,
in the multitude of domestic cattle now roaming over all
of the old Buffalo-range — a source of sujiply for the wants
of man more necessary and relial)le than that of all the
wandering Buffaloes which ever lent the charm of their
presence to the wild life of the plains.

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In the year 1872 canie the writer's personal exi^erience
with the Buffalo. It was even then evident that they were
fast passing away, and we were ol)liged to go one hundred
miles farther for meat that year than did the hunters of tiie
year before. The latter part of June Avas selected for the
start; for, although we would be ol)liged to dry or jerk our
meat on the liunting-grounds. all reports from the game-
region agreed that the Buffaloes were steadily moving west-
ward, and that sliould we wait until fall, the game would

288

BIG GAME OF NOUTII AMKKU A.

be beyond our reach. The limiting-ground selected was the
country lying between tlie Republican and Solomon Rivers,
in Nebraska, to the westward of a line running south of old
Fort Kearney.

Our party consisted of four men, with two teams of one

span of horses eacli. M — and his son E , a young

man of some twenty years, were with one team, while

Y and I drove another. All were tenderfeet except

Y — , who had been a night-herder witJi a wagon-train on
the plains for years. Through lack of saddle-animals, all

the hunting had to be done on foot. M and E

brought small-bored, muzzle-loading rifles, in which they

appeared to have great confidence. Y carried a Spencer

carbine, with forty rounds of ammunition, while I was
armed with a Gallagher carbine, tifty-six caliber, using
forty grains of powder. These were the best arms obtainable
in our frontier settlement, and the choice of the most
utterly worthless giin in Ame' -a appeared to lie between
the Spencer and the (lal higher.

The point-blank range of the Gallagher was one hundred
yards, and while at fifty yards it Avould sling its bullet a
foot above the ct-nter of the target, at one hundred and fifty
yards the ball dropped a foot or more below. It was there-
fore necessary to get, if possible, within just one hundred
yards of the game. The Spniuvr appeared to have a some-
what flatter trajectory, judging from the few instances,
during the targeting of the carbines, when we found means
of ascertaining which way the balls really went; but
as its bullets did not seeui to be at all partial to any
particular direction, all weie well satisfied when at the
close of the hunt its forty rounds of annnunition had
actually killed two Buffaloes without crippling a single
hunter.

Our road ran westward until, at a jioint on the Platte
River a few miles west of Foi't Kcaruev, it turned south
toward the Republican Rivci', distant some fifty tniles,
where we forded the stream and camped on its right bank.
The hot weather compelled us to travel slowly, and the one

Till-: lUFFALO.

28!)

hundred and fifty miles of tlie journey consumed a weelc's
time.

After leaving the Phitte River, the road entered the sand-
hills, and as the country looked favorable for hunting,

E and I started to ]iunt together, on a line parallel with

the course of the slow-moving wagons, in the hope of find-
ing an Antelope. After an hour's tramp over the sand, a
fine buck Antelope was sighted feeding quietlj in a little
hollow surrounded by sand-hills, and we proceed'.^d to stalk
him as quietly as possible. A low sand-hill to the leeward
of the unsuspecting quarry covered our advance until
within one hundrad yards. While still three hnndreu yards
distant from our contemplated victim, the eager boy stopped,
and in a hoarse w'hisper asked:

"How are we going to get that Antelope to the wagons
after we have killed himT'

"We will not have any trouble in carrying him," I
replied; for I had been there before.

We crept to the top of the s;;nd-hill, cocked our guns,
and slowly raised our heads alxtve the grass to get a stand-
ing-shot at the shiirp-eyed rascal. A red streak speeding
over the opposite sand-hill rewarded our eager gaze, and
having vainly sent a coui)le of bullets in chase of the Hying
brute, we shouldered our guns and marched dejectedly back
to the wagons.

The Antelope in this part of the country had been niucli
hunted, and had long ago been educated beyond the point
of paying any attention to Hags, lures, etc., further than to
Hy like the wind in the opposite direction at the first sight
of them, and had taught a crest-fallen hunter about my size
that th.e sharpest-eyed brute that ever wore hair is the
much-hunted Antelope of the plains. I have, (m many
occasions, caught first sight of them, but rarely have I
been able to creeii up and deliver my rire without being
caught by that gaze which seems to sweep the horizon
without an effoi-t.

About half-way between the Platte and Republican Riv-
ers, we saw our first Buffaloes. A band of half a dozen bulls,

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290

BKi JiAMK OF NORTH AMtuiCA.

chased by a nrounted hunter, crossed our road half a mile
in front of the wagons, and although we tried hard to head
them off, we failed to secure one. A few miles farther on,
we met a liunting-party leaving the range, and leading
behind their wagon a iKjrse which had evidently been used
for running Buffaloes, and whose breast was ripped open in
a most horrible manner, a long slit connnencing between the
fore legs and running up clear to the bottom of the neck.
We inquired the cause of the horse's wound, and were
told that it was caused by the collar of the harness, the
unlucky hunter evidently being unwilling to confess his
failure to stop the charge of an infuriated Buffalo bull
with the breast of his untrained hor.«e.

Nearing the Republican Ri'er, we met a man driving a
pony-team, and inquired of him where the nuun herd of
Buffaloes was. He replied : ' ' Cross the river at the first ford
you can find, go out on the hills to the south, and the whole
world is black ! "

Eagerly we pressed on, forded the shallow stream which
ran swiftlj'over its "wide bed of sand, and, gaining the south
bank of tlie river, drove toward a grove of cotton- woods a
mile or two above, to find fuel necessary for camp use.

As we turned the horses' heads up-stream, a large bull
BufTalo appeared, walking rapidly from a ravine in the low
hills to our left, across the bottom-land, toward the river.
Tlie day was fearfuUy hot, and the great brute was mani-
festly eager for water. Catching sight of the approaching
wagons, he stopped to look, but apparently reassured by
the slowness of our api)roach, he again walked swiftly on.

He was now less than half a mile distant, and while Y -,

who had seen such sights a thousand times, coolly con-
tinued the advance, driving the leading team, the other
team was left to follow the wagon in front, while three
excited tenderfeet, snatching their guns from the wagons,
crept along close behind tha leading wagon, watching
with strangely beating hearts the advance of the mighty
bull, lie was very uneasy, and again stopped and gazed
a few seconds at his advancing foes; then once again his

THE lU'FFALO.

291

thirst overcame his fears, and with stately step the kingly
brute came on. His course was diagonally across the
bottom-land, down the stream, and we neared each other
rapidly.

It seemed impossible for him now to escape us, and at a
low signal we ran swiftly forward in front of the wagons, to
get squarely across the path of his return to the hills.
Quickly, as though on a pivot, he turned, and for the iirst
time in our lives we saw the speed of a thoroughly fright-
ened Buffalo, as he dashed across the level ground, still far
in advance, and, in spite of our flying bullets, gained the
hills unscathed.

The wholo western sky was now rapidly fllling with
angry -looking clouds, and as the sun sank to the horizon,
the darkness came on quickly. Reaching the camp-gnjund,
we had only time, after a hurried supper, to put tliii ,^s to
rights, and fasten the wagon-covers more securely (for we
had no tents), when it grew dark, and the storm burst upon
us. Nearly all night it raged. Rain fell in sheets, while
the almost imiessant flashes of lightning illuminated the
wild s(!ene. The cowering horses, arching their backs to the
falling rain, turned away from the coming blast, while
the great cotton- woods, bowing their stately heads toward
the plain, writhed and twisted as they wrestled with the
gale; and the hunters drew the damp blankets closer around
their ears, and wished for the day.

Wi*^h the darkness of night the storm passed awaj-, and
the morning sun shone brightly on the water-soaked plain.
All our plans for the hunt were now changed. Heretofore
we had planned to lie in ambush for the thirsty Buffaloes as
they came down from the hot plains to drink; but now,
when every ravine ran full of water, and every old Buffalo-
wallow was a brimming cistern, it was evident that if we
wnre to secure Buifalo-meat sufficient to load the wagons,
we must climb the hills for it.

M and E accordingly ascended to the southeast,

Y renuiined to take care of camp, and I, shouldering

the formidable Gallagher, wandered southward.

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292

I5I(} GAME OF NOIITII A.MKKH A.

F(jllowiiig- up a deep ravine, or valley, for a couple of
niile.s, straggling Buffaloes began to appear on the hills, antl
a herd of several Imndred came in sight on the divide to
tho right. A band equally large soon showed up on the
divide to the left.

This began to look like business, and I stopped to plan
an approach to the strange game, of whose habits I knew
next to nothing, when I saw two large bulls leave the herd
on the right and walk down the hill as though intending
to cross the valley to the herd on my left.

Here was my opportunity. They would evidently cross
the ravine half a mile in front of me, yet, as they were
nearly a mile distant, I would have plenty of time to run
forward, under cover of the bank, and seer' te myself in
front of them. Hurrying forward, I took j/osition where
I thought tliey would cross, and, not without consider-
able anxiety, awaited their approach. There was no
chance of escaping the possible charge of a wounded
bull should he sight me, nor could the oldest man in
America tell where the Gallagher A\ould carrom on the
Buffalo should he be either more or less than one hundred
vards distant.

After a long time, and when I began to hoj)e that they
had turned back, they suddenly appeared in the ravine
two hundred yards above me. One was the hardest-looking
old "moss-back" — a term applied to the very old bulls,
which were late in shedding their old coat of hair — I have
ever seen; while the other was a splendid specimen— full
grown, glossy black, fat and round — and I determined, as he
stepped cpiickly across the bottom of the ravine and began
climbing the opposite hill, to get him if possible.

It was useless to fire at that distance, so, observing that
they were keei)ing on the crtst of a hog' s back or ridge that
rose between two small ravines tributary to the nuun one,
I crept forward into the little ravine running parallel with
their line of march, and, as they slowly climbed to the
high plateau above, vaiidy tried to get a shot at the big,
black fellow without being seen by them.

' 1

Tllp; HUFFALO.

2\)S

The black one walked in front, wliile the old nio.ss-l)ac'k,
■whose wrinkled hide had apparently' shed the snows of
sixty Avinters, and whose races with the ponies of many a
Pawnee and Ogalalla, long since dead, had stiffened his
rhennuitic old joints, crept wearily after him, as though in
search of a good i^lace to lie down and die.

Near the head of the ravine they stopped; and for an
hour I waited for the old skeleton to walk on and give me
a shot at the other, Avhich stood Just beyond him, and at
which I could not shoot without exposing myself, which I
dreaded to do with the wretched gun I carried. Finally I
grew weary of waiting, and determined to start him. llis-
ing up, I judged the distance at one hundred yards (it
afterward proved to be about fifty), and fired.

Tom Hood, describing the sudden release of boys from
the school-room, says:

" TliL're were some that ran and some that leapt,
Like troutlets in a pool! "

Not a boy of all the class, however, could have skipped
with this suddenly rejuvenated old Buffalo. The man who
would "caper with him for a thousand mark'' would be
badly left, indeed. He seemed to rise up on his hind feet
and iHrouette with the agility of a Fanny Ellsler, while he
looked hungrily around for the man who had trod on the
tail ot his coat; and had an observer been convenient, a
solitary horseman miglit have been seen, on foot, with hair
uprising and an old Gfallagher in his hand, as he sped down
the ravine, looking eagerly for a chance to crawl into a
prairie-dog hole or climb up among the top limbs of a sage-
bush. The Buffalo had evidently been hit up in the liuniiJ,
with the result of making him "fightin' mad."

When my heart had gone down in my body, and 1 was
enabled to draw air into my lungs again, I found that they
had both run on and joined the herd on the diviile; and on
trying to crawl within gunshot once more, some straggler
caught sight of me and gave the alarm, when the whole
herd run southward out of sight. The firing, and the panic

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204

nU> (lAMK OF NORTH AMPMJICA.

iimong tlieni, luul alarmed the others far on the west side
ol' the valley, and they all ran off southward,

Slowly, and crest-fallen, I tramped back to camp.
M and E coming in, reported having killed a Buf-
falo at the lirst tire, but this proved to be a wounded one,
tnid unlit to eat. Wounded Buffaloes were to be found
ever3'where. The settlers along the frontier came with all
known weapons in search of meat, and Buffaloes weie shot
with anything that would burn powder. Skin-hunters had
been on the ground ahead of us, as the stripped carcasses
proved, but we did not meet any. In fact, the land stunk
with rotting Buffaloes, as the breeze many times testified
when not a carcass was in sight.

Around the caniptire that night the situation was dis-
cussed at length. Y , who did not care to hunt, as it

was old sport to him, and as he knew that his gun was
worthless, kindly volunteered to haul the meat to camp and
let us tenderfeet do the hunting. In fact, he killed only
two Buffaloes on the trip. E , the boy, was a gentle-
manly fellow, and, although eager to hunt, expressed his
willingness to do whatever the others wished.

M— , who, we had for some time observed, was not

averse to letting us know that he thought Y and myself

very small potatoes as hunters, now volunteered the state-
ment that E and himself would have to do the killing.

This was gall and wormwood to nie, and, although nothing
was said in reply, I inwardly vowed that the morning light
would see the beginning of an effort to kill Buffalo, the
best I was capable of making.

In the morning, E ^ expressed a wish to hunt with me,

but. excusing myself, I sallied forth alone. M and E

hunted together to the southwest, while Y kept the

camp.

A mile or two out, I saw a very large Antelope feeding on
the brink of a ravine half a mile in front, and as he, for a
wonder, had not seen me, I ran down into the ravine and
followed it up until opposite him, then crawled to the top
of the bank, laid off my cap, and, peering carefully over the

ide

THK IU'FI''ALO.

295

crest of the hill, saw him lying down, one hundred yards
distant, looking back over hi.s right .shoulder at nie. 1 had
never yet killed an Antelope, and, taking careful aim,
fired. The hall struck behind the shoulder, passed for-
ward between the shoulder-blade and ribs into the neck,
and, ranging parallel with the wind])ii)e, clipped three of
the ridge-like projections thereon, and stopped in the liesli
of his neck.

Jumping to his feet, he ran some fifty yards, and I thought
him unhurt, when, trying to draw his breath and the hUnn]
running into his lungs, he lowered his head, and the wheez-
ing sound of his breathing gave notice of a liit. Still he ran
on over the hill. Following, I jumped him again, shot him
through the paunch as lie ran; jumped him still again, and
shot him through the heart, when he ran one liundred and
fifty yards, and was not (U)ne struggling when I reached him
— the hardest-lived animal I ever saw, for, be it rememljered,
the gun was lifty-six caliber.

This seemed a lucky beginning of the day's hunt, and,
dressing him, I hurried on after Buifaloes. A herd soon
appearing, I crawled up, and being careful of distance, suc-
ceeded in killing a noble l)ull. and repeated the operation
twice more during the day. Feeling jubilant at my success,

I returned to camp, ahd had just told Y the story of

my good luck when the others returned.

•• What luck r' asked M .

"The boy has got three Buffaloes and an Antelope,"

replied V , before 1 could speak. " AVhat luck did you

liaveJ" he continued.

" We have shot eight," replied M .

xMy heart sunk, lor I had hoped to ecpial his score, and
had worked hard for it. Not until I felt thoroughly hum-
bled did we learn that they had shot at eight Buffaloes and
succeeded in killing only one, which proved to be a

wounded one, and E afterward told me it smelled .so

badly they did uot go within thirty yards of it.

Naturally enough, I felt better, and as M soon after-
ward began telling, in a very modified tone of voice, of his

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»I(i GAMK (»F XOUTII AMKHICA.

iibilitj' to dry meat propcily, and of his williiiuut'ss to let

K and niyst'lf kill the meat, whilf V liaujfd it in,

1 began wondering wliat lia<l liai)i)ened to him during fhe
day, to frighten liim into giving \\\) the liiint without kill-
ing a single Buffalo. lie never sliot at another Buffalo
from thai day to this.

Peace again reigned in Warsaw, for 1 was iterfectly will-
ing to hunt with I'i , who was a very pleasant compan-
ion; and, although he hunted alone the following day,

while 1 piloted Y to the dead aninuds, yet duiing the

three succeeding davs we were side hv side, and he was
ordy prevented from accompanying nie on the last day by
tlie fact that his feet were too badly Idistered to go.

As the darkness fell around llie k)nely camp-fire, and the
Hitting shadows danced and waved along the edge of the
surrounding gloom, the hunters drew near together in front
of the cheerful blaze, and anecdote and reminiscence from
tlie life-history of each served to pass tlie interval until
bed-time; and, among the experiences that intei'ested us,

Y told us of a thrilling sight, when he, together with

others of the wagon-train with which he at that time
belonged, watched a race where a hunum life seemed for
the moment not worth a straw, and where all the deeply
interested spectators were powerless to avert the impend-
ing doom.

A young German, absolutely without expei'ience, had
recently joined the wagon-ti'ain, and being possessed of
an intense desire to kill a Buffalo, had borrowed a lide
from ont^ of his com})ainons. and, during the usual noon
halt, one day. when Bidfaloes appeared about a mile dis-
tant, sallied forth alone, in que--t of game.

The prairie was nearly level, and while in plain view of
the men of the train, he was observed to tire at a Buffalo
cow, and, immediately and very imprudently showing
himself to tiie cow, she dashed at him at full speed. The
gun was a nuizzle loader; there was not time to leload,
and the would-be hunter incontinently took to his heels.
Seeing his imminent i)eril, Y-

-, together with several

I ': ,'^!

THK ni'FFALO.

297

others, seized guns, and, inoiiiiting the nearest liorses, si^'d
on the almost hopelt^ss Hi-nuul of rt'sciif. Awiiy over the
smootli prairie raced tlie tlioroiiiiiily frightened (teiniiin,
at right angles with the approach of liis iiHJiinted rescuers,
who were horrihed to see that, long l)efore they were near
enough to give aid, the furious brute was at his very heels.
Just at the instant wIkmi all looked to see the jxior fel-
low crushed to earth or tossed skyward, to the amaze-
ment of all, the cow stopped short, and gazed steadily at
the ileeing fugitive. The horsemen dashed up to him, and,
said Y

-, " Ih' was the palest man 1 ever saw."
lie said that he had felt the breath of the Buffalo on
his hands as he ran. The cow proved to be mortally
wounded, and before the mounted hunters reached her,
fell and died.

Next morning, Y took the team, and with nothing

in the wagon save a iive-gallon keg of drinking-water, he
and I set out for the dead Jiulfaloes. We drove up the hill
and out on the great plateau stretching southwai'd. and
going slowly along over the smooth prairie, making but
little noise, had just reached the crest of a low lidge, when
right in front, within three hundred yards, appeared a herd
of one or two hundred Buifaloes — bulls, cows, and calves.

Away the}' went; and seeing that the ground was smootii

in front, Y put whip to the horses, which seemed to

enter instantly into the spirit of the chase and sprang
forward at a full I'un, while the wagon bounded over the
turf, causing us to cling tightly to the s[)ring-seat, and the
water dieg bounded and vaulted from side to side of the
wagon-box, making a fearful racket, as we slowly gained
on the flying herd. Coming within seventy-live yards,

Y threw the horses on their luuuK.'hes in his hurry to

stop them, and, just as soon as I dared, overboard I went,
Gallagher in hand.

A big bull was sighted in rear of the herd, but instead
of falling at the report of the gun, he sped on more swiftly
than before. Another cartridge was quickly inserted, the

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208

nm (lAMK OF N'oltTM AMKIIICA.

gun ('levtitHl iiiul tired ut tlie Iwid, now liuddled togeflier
ill oiiH .solid mass. A fine youn<j; bull was seen to stagger
a I'ew steps mikI I'aJl, shot tlu'ctiigli the heart.

On rushed the herd, now worse frightened than ever;
and as we hui'ried on after them, we fairly shouted in tri-
umph, for we .saw that right in front of them ran a ravine
whicii, we could see at ii point beyond, was at least forty
feet deep.

The i-avines in this light subsoil, torn out by the deluging
raina which occasionally fall in this region, were generally
broken off at the edges just as steep as soil could liang, and
as the Buffaloes were sweeping on like a tornado, with little
time to l(jok before they leai)ed. we felt sure that our liunt
was ended, the meat supply assured, and oidy regretted the
unnecessary slaughter sure to follow as the fated herd
plunged <lo\vu the stet'p.

Uver they went, now some three hundred yards ahead of
us, and we slackened our pace to a walk and began plan-
ning how to get the meat of the slaughtered herd up the
nearly perpendicidar walls of the ravine. When within
two hundied yarils of the brink, to our anuizenient, a Buf-
falo appeared, clambering uj) the face of the other wall of
the ravine, at a point that we afterward found taxed the
climbing powers of a fo(jtman. Another and another came
bobbing up, and we drew up the hoi'ses, utterly dund)-
founded to see that every one, even to the calves, had made
the plunge in safety.

Tliis, to me, was one of the most noteworthy things that
ever came under my observation. Many times afterward
we saw- Buffalo-tracks on the slight projections of the walls
of these deep gullies, in places where we could only slop
and stare. The shape of their limbs, too, seemed utterly to
forbid their climliing such walls.

As the bulls at this .season of the year were fatter than
the cows, a fact which was apparent at a glance, we
naturally chose them for beef, and as, like all tenderfeet,
we were ambitious to kill the largest specimen to be found,
it followed that nearly all we killed were large bulls. Yet,

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THE BUFFALO.

299

when standing over the body of my first Buffalo, and
noticing the extreme slendti^ess of the leg?s ju.st above the
hoof, 1 then and there l»fgan to measure eacli and every one
we killed for meat, iK-side large ones louud dead -when
they did not smell too badly. I found only one the hind
leg of which I failed to .span with the middle finger and
thumb of one hand, and this one was a dead and swollen
animal, killed several days l>efore. The fore leg was a trifie
larger, having a circumference about three-fourths of an
inch greater.

The size and weight of the Buffalo would seem to neces-
sitate a leg as strong as ah A for the down-hill plunges
this animal can safely make.

The ability of the Bulic'o to climb up the most imprac-
ticable steeps is noted by Fremont; and that fascinating
wi'iter, tfeorge Bird Grinnell ( "' Yo"), wlm hunted Buffalo
with the Pawnee Indians on this same hunting-ground, and
during the same year, describing the i»osi<^lon occupied by
a Buffalo cow on a slight proje<'tiou t)f a wall of oiie of
these deep ravines, says: •• I shall never understand how
that animal reached the jx^sition it o('cupie<l."'

A word of exi^lanation may here he necessary, in order
to show why we were enabled to outrun a flying herd of
Buffaloes with a hvo-horse wagon.

The Buffalo is, or was, a strange animal, and in some
respects closely resembles the pig. One of his i)eculiarities
cropped out on this nice. Had there been not more than a
dozen animals, they would doubtless have outrun us with
ease; but the stuj)id I'rutes in the front and center of the
herd seemed to lose fear with the consciousness that others
were between them and their enemies, and gal](»ped steadily
forward without hurry, while the thoroughly frightened
ones in the rear, unable to force their way forward through
the mass of their fellows, ran around the herd to the front,
only to drop cpiiekly into the })ace of the leaders and gallop
doggedly on, until they once more found themselves in the
rear of the i)rocession, ready to repeat tlie roundabout race
again. Leaving the herd, tha.; had fairly gained their free-

800

BIO GAME OF NOHTH AMEHICA.

ti ■

doin, we took the hams of the young bull unci drove on.
The number of hunters who have made a successful
liutt'alo-chase with a two-horse wagon is probably very
snuill.

A mile farther on, we saw, at some distance in front of
us, four large bulls, two of which were lying down, and the
others standing— all, as it afterward proved, fast asleep in
the warm sunshine. Although we had no intention of
running them, still, as they were directly in our ccarsv^
naturally enough we were anxious for a shot.

As we slowly api)roached, driving at a gentle wa k cjver
the smooth ground carj^eted v.ith Bulfa" >-grass, we saw
that they were asleep, and actually drove within twenty-
five yards before the one standing nearest us, hearing a
slight noise, ojjened his little, i)ig-like eyes, and from under
his heavy curtain of black hair for an instant stared
stupidly at the strange apparition. The glance of indiffer-
ence quickly changing to one of wonderment, and his
abject terroi', were positively ludicrous. Away they went.
Two balls failed to check the speed of the fattest, and they
disapiwared beyond a rise of ground half a mile away.
Plenty of meat in camp that night caused general rejoicing,
and from that time all were kHi)t busy.

I found E a delightful comrade, a true hunter, a

good shot, and fully able and willing to do his part. The
night of July Hd, he and I bivouacked on the range, about
five miles from camp, in order to be near Buffaloes early in
the morning, and were awakened on tlie morning of the
ever-memorable Fourth by the howling of Wolves.

Seventeen head of Buffaloes were killed in the course of

our ten days' hunt (not c(»unting cripples), of which Y

killed two, E five, and ten IVll to my Grallaglier. The

hot weather wus the worst drawback to an othei n i;s pleas-
ant trip; but a goodly quantity of dried meat v.as loaded
in the wagons wlien we left the range.

When the loadt^d wagons were at last turned in the direc-
tion of civilization; when we had recrosscJ :h;' sandy bed

THE BUFFALO.

301

of the rapid Republicar , and hud climbed the ridge t(i the
nortliward, we paused upon its crest, and took a long look
backward over the valley and the great plain stretching far
to the southward, all wavy and shinnnering in the rays of the
summer sun; and, with a deep sigh of regret for the close
of the exciting chase of America's noblest game animal,
turned at ieiigth toward the oncoming wave of civilization
which was destlaed to uproot and destroy all (;f the old-
time romance and poetry of the wilderness, entirely satis-
fied that we had done our full share in the probably neces-
sary work of exterminating the American Bison.

t '• ■. i

i f

THE MUSK-OX.

By Henry BiEDEnniCK,
0/ the Greely Arctic ExiKdition.

^HIS animal derives its specific name from the pecul-
iar flavor by which the meat of some of these
animals is tainted. He averages in size about two-
^' thirds that of tlie Bison, but, on account of his
great coat of hair, looks much larger than he really is.
The Musk-ox seems to form a connecting-link between the
Ox and the Sheep families, having many of the character-
istics of each. He looks somewhat like a huge ram, his
broad, rolling horns adding much to this similarity. He is
covered with thick, long hair of a dark-brown color, which,
hoAvever, changes somewhat with the seascms. Animals
killed by our party in May proved to be much lighter in
color than those killed later in the season.

Under this coat of hair, the Musk-ox is covered with a
thick sheeting of soft wool of the finest texture mid of a
light-brown color.

The horns are large and broad, are formed somewhat
like snow-shovels, and are used in removing the snow in
order to reach their scanty food during the winter months.
The meat is coarse-grained, but generally juicj' and tender,
especially that of the younger animals. The peculiar
musky iiavor can be obviated by dressing the animal as
soon as killed.

The range of the Musk-ox is extensive. He abounds on
the northei'u shores of Greenland east and west as far as
explored, on both sides of Smith Sound, and in Arctic
America, from latitude 60° to 83° north, longitude 67° 30'
Avest, to near the Pacific Coast. Fossilized Musk-oxen have
been found at Escholtz Bay, on the Northwest Coast,

(803)

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IJK; GA.MK <»K NOUTIl A.MKKK A.

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ill Siheiiii, iiml in Xoitliern Europe; but only one species
of tlieir living descendiiuts is now found, and that is con-
fined to the Arctic region of the Western Hemisphere.

It has heretofore been supposed that the Musk-ox was
a migratory animal; but as some of them were seen by
Sergeant IJrainard and others of our party as early as
Alaich, when the snow is deepest and the temperature
lowest, it must be taken for granted that he is a reg(dar
habitant of Cfrinnell Land and Northern Greenland all the
year round.

The Musk-oxen travel in herds, and it is but an excep-
tion when one of them is found alone. This herding
together gives them a better chance to defend themselves
against their one enemy, the Arctic Wolf, and als(> gives
them, through close contact, additional warmth find pro-
tection against cold and winds. Animals traveling singly
were generally found to be old bulls, who had probably
been diiveii from their herds by their younger and stronger
adversaries.

Tile Musk-ox prefers the hill-country, bitt is often found
in the low, level countries, either along the coast or farther
inland. He is called l:)y the Eskimo Oo-viinff-mung. These
simple Arctic peoi)le live principally (m seal-fat and whale-
blubber. They occasioi.. ly, however, hunt the Reindeer,
more for the purpose of procuring skins for clothing and
bedding than for the change of diet. Still more rarely, they
plan a tri]» into the interior in cpiest of the Musk-ox, both for
the [)uipose of varying their bill of fare and of procuring the
great, soft robes for bedding or for barter. In hunting this
animal the natives use dogs— the same. ones that are used in
drawing their sledges over the inhospitable wastes of snow
and ice that cover the habitat of these people. Their method
of hunting the Musk-ox is most novel and interesting, and
I can not describe it better than in the language of Lieut.
Frederick Schwatka. In an article contributed to the Aiiwri-
ca/L Fichl, in 1889, that popular writer and explorer says:

" When the native hunter has reached the Musk-ox
countrv, and has l)uilt his snow-house on the shores of some

THE MUSK-OX.

805

Alpine lake in the hill-land, lit:- prepares for his hunt, if
there are three or four men and boys in the party, they
will 'beat up' the country, .so to speak, or give it a thorougli
snarch; that is, they will go out in as many different direc-
ions as they can organize parties, boys going in pairs, while
the older hunters go each by him.self. N'o sledges are taken
when on these excursions, and if Reindeer are seen, they are
killed and their carcassp.s cadwd, as if they had come for
such animals instead of the Musk-oxen. The day's trip is
as far as they (uin go and get back home by night, or often
ten or twelve miles uway in a straight line,

"If a Mnsk-ox trail is found by a hnnter, its age deter-
mines his further action. If fresh, he will return and
report it, and the next day will be given to the chase of the
animals. Even if he sees the animals, he will do nothing to
disturb them that day. If no signs have been seen by any-
one, and their supplies warrant it, they will make another
day's march farther into the Mnsk-ox country, build another
village of snow, and beat up the country again. Sometimes
this is continued by making a huge detour, or half-circle,
through the district supposed to contain the game.

" If the signs are old, they will follow the trail with the
sle<lges until it becomes fresh enough to warrant their stop-
ping and building their snow-huts, and following next day
as a hunting-party.

"Once a. fresh trail is discovered, however, everything
is animation and excitement in preparing for the chase,
which usually follows the day after the finding. The night
before, the party retires early, to get some sleep before a
correspondingly early start next morning; but the excite-
mcut generally proves too much, and it is really nuich later
than usual before shimber settles over all. On such occa-
sions the Eskimos have a wiiy of seeking a soothing
draught in a big pipe of tobacco, if they happen to have it
with them, for it is by no means so abundant among them
as it is with us, or even with the savages of our latitude, as
their only supply is from tnide with the whalers at exorbi-
tant rates of exchange.
20

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liKi (iAMi; OF XnlMII A M KI.'KA.

"The evening lietore, the noisiest dogs have a muzzle of
sealskin thongs lied around tlieii' noses, to iJiweui ilieir
making a clatter that would fi'ighten away the game, should
the}', in their wanderings, come near enough \o the village
to heal' them.

•' When the morning breaks, everything is activity and
hustle. The dogs are rapidly liarnessed; those tliat are to he
used for hiuiting, or bringing the Musk-oxen to bay. are
fastened to th<' sledge liy a separate ' slipping-stra[i." so
that they can ])e taken out more r(^adily or slip](e(l at once,
should the game be unexpecte<lly encounteied, as in a log
or heavy stoim. The runners of the sledge are coated with
ice, that the vehicle may pull easily over the snows; and
Avhen the long lash of the avIu]) gives its iirst crack over the
team of dogs, dawn is just emerging into daylight in the
east. As direct a line is made as possible to where the
trail was seen the day before, and the usual loudly resound-
ing commands to the dogs, and the sharp cracking of the
whi^», are subdued into much lower tones, i'or obvious
reasons.

"In an Alpine country the sledge must wind consider-
ably to keep on a fair grade; for not only the incline is
against making a "bee-line' I'or a place, but to cut across
the ridges is to expose the icy coating of the sledge-runners
to the rocks that peep through the snow where the wind
has blown most of it olT, and this is fatal to the fragile shoe
that is so necessary to make i-apid and easy going.

"Once arrived on the trail, a 'confab" is hastily indulged
in us to whether it is best to follow with the sledges or not.
Within about a mile is as close as they desii-t^ to have these
vehicles approach the game, unless evei'ything is favorable
to their hunting — as the wind in their teeth, the sun. if low,
behind their backs, etc. When the trail shows that the
Musk-oxen are not far ahead — and a Avhite man will marvel
at th(^ acuteness dis})layed by these chiidr*^! of the Xoith
in reading the signs on a trail as truly as if it were a book —
the sledge or sledges are stopped, the hunting-dogs taken
therefrom, and their harness-traces, from lifteen to twenty

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I't't't in lt'ii^''tli, liiivf liu'ir five ends, wliirli were lM4V)r('
iittacluMl to tlu' sh'dgt'. tied t(t the \v:ii.sts of tlic liunlci's, to
tow tlicni :d.iii<i\ us it wcif.

•''I'iit' liiintini;-d<>,!is iiif not IV'd for ;i day or two bcroic
tilt' ciiiisc, if it is known about wlicn it will hf likely to
take iilace, as hnngei' niakes them keener on the trail and
more energetic in lioldiiiy: the animals at hay when they
have once been stopped. It sliould be said, howevei', that
the KskiiiKj dog is only fed eveiy other day, evt • when
there is plenty, and often only every third day if there be
bnt a small siipi)ly in the canine commissary.

"Each hunter takes from one to three dogs, according
to the number to be had, and starts at oiice on the trail, the
sledge iH'ing left with some boys; or, if the}' are fortunatn
in having guns, and thus enjoy the coveted right of going
with their elders, a couple of women, who have come for
the purpose, remain with the sledge, and just enough dogs
to haul it conveniently when empty, and thus insure their
not running away with it. The persons remaining behind
have orders to follow (m the trail slowly, until firing is
heard, when they are to i)ress foiward with all haste.

"The hunters, with guns on their shoulders or held in
their left hands, trot along, dragged by the dogs, and guid-
ing tliem with the right hand holding the taut harness-
traces. The gait slowly increases until it beccmies a run
that the most enduring professional could not maintain a
hundred yards through such snow, if alone, but which
becomes easy with the eager, excited dogs tucking at the
traces around one's waist. In fact, it becomes i. . (' to avoid
running, and running like a Deer, after one gets under
headway, the only exertion necessary being to simply raise
the feet, while the dogs furnish all the motive power that is
needed, and oftentimes a great deal more than is wanted.

"If the uninitiated Nimrod should fall, and he is
attached to two or three good dogs, the speed will not
materially slacken on that account, although he may break
a few ribs on the projecting stones. His only chance of
escape is by unslipping the dogs, which he has been warned

• ;i

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rill'

308

Ilia UAMK OK N(tI!TII AMKIJUA.

a score of tiiiit's a^aiiist doiii^' until tlin Musk-()x<'n nw in
si^ht. It is woiidt'iful how far and how t'iisily one can run
in this way, and if the leg-muscles are in good condition it
takes but a few minutes to i)lace si number of miles to one's
credit.

" When the advanced hunters sight the game, they wait
only until they see it start in flight, when, Avith a dexterous
twist, the slipdcnot is thrown, and fhe dogs are let loose
to bring the cattle to bay as soon as possible. These hiint-
ing-dogs will not bark until they are thus loosened (it i.s
this distinction solely that makes a good or bad Musk-ox
hunter, and whether he shall go on the trail or be left with
the sledge), and tiien they send foi'th the loudest 'viyings
that ever came from dogs' throats, especially n the

Musk-oxen have formed a circle of defense, an* logs

have formed another circle around them.

" It is a singular sensation when one slips his dogs from
their hold around his waist. From feeling as if he had
wings and were Hying along the ground without effort, it
now seems as if his gun had suddenly changed to a tifteen-
inch columbiad, and his feet feel as if encased in leaden
boots. Although he may be within a hundred yards of
the bayed beasts, and may have run a mile to get there,
that mile will have been e'asier than the short distance he
has ahead of him. Yet, if he waits to .slip the dogs until he
is where he wants to stop, the knot may suddenly become
unaccommodating, and if the dogs dragged him right up
to the interior line of battle, his huge form would be sure
to invite a charge from the nearest bull, that might end
disastrously.

" In another way the more pugnacious dogs are liable to
be treated to a genuine surprise from some ecpially i)ugna-
cious Musk-bull that, charging him, gets the dog's hmg,
flowing harness-trace under his feet and manages to keep
it there for three or I'oiii steps, or until he is so close
that the dog can not escape, when he is given an aerial
ascent that may be repeated several times if he be not
lucky in getting his feet under him when he alights, or

TMK MT'SK-OX,

•.un)

until sonio hunter slutots tlu* jiiLC^Iiii^^ hi'iitf tliat is lossiug
tilt' ilo^ on its lionis. Tliciv iiif some good Musk-ox
lumtiiig-dogs that seem to he always getting into this
sort of trouble, and theii- owners then learn to tie their
harness-traces in a bundle on their backs, just before they
sli]) them.

"When the native hunters reach the herd they make
sure of every shot, as the only danger is in wounding
an animal, which, by its frantic efforts, miglit stampede the
herd, and they are then exceedingly hard to bring to l)ay
again; for not only are they more wary, but the <h)gs are
hard to coax away from the bod' s of the lirst victims to
l)Mrsue tlie others. With Winchester rities, such as my
pai'ty had, a herd would go down like the typical grain
before a reaper, and the tragedy wouhl soon be over; but
witli muzzledoaders, and one or two hunters to a large herd,
it is slower and correspondingly more careful, but also
more exciting work. Some of the biavest of them, in the
days before lire-arms, would, knife in hand, pass through
the circle of defense, fatally stablnng an animal at each
passage until all were down. The battle over, the hides
and horns are secured, and the party returns to its snow-
village."

i I

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■A ■!!

And now to return to the experience of our own party
in hunting this game;

When, in the afternoon of August 11, 1881, the good
steamshij) Proteus, having on board the members of the
Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (of which I was a mem-
ber). Lieutenant (now General ) (Ireely commanding, neared
Discovery Harbor, in Lady Fianklin Bay, we caught the
fii'st sight of one of these remarkable and little-known ani-
mals, grazing on the steep sides of Cairn Hill. With his
long, shaggy, matted hair and short legs, he looked, at this
distance, somewhat like a huge caterpillar, as he slowly
moved about, picking up his food — dryds odopeUila, naxi-
fraffa oppositifolia, salix (irctica, and here and there a tuft
of grass. A j)arty of us started at once to capture this, our

'■

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310

BI(} (IAMP: of NOUTII AMEUICA.

first Miisk-ox. After a short but exciting chase, during
whicli the ox retreated higher up tlie hill, he v/as brought
down by a well-direc^ted shot firi'd by Mr. White, the boat-
swain of the Pioiett.s; who, being provided with an ice-gaff
(a pole al)out ten feet long, with a sharp iron point iind
hook attached), was in better condition to climb the steep
cliffs than the other members of the hunting-i)arty. The
prize proved to be a large old bull, and we estimated his
gross weight at a little over six hundred pounds, though he
probably did not dress more than four Ivandred, owing
to the heavy head, skin, and other oft'id.

While we were carrying the nieciL on board the vessel,
Lieutenant Lockwood, with two other members of the
expeditionary force, chjiscd ten more Musk-oxen to tlie
summit of a large hill on the south side of Mount Carmel,
where they came to bay and were dispatched in sliort order.
This was a favorable beginning, assuring us a fresh-meat sup-
ply for some time to come, and nugured well for the future.

The Musk-oxen, wheu scenting danger, always retreat to
some elevation near by, and upon the approach of the
enemy they form in a perfect line, their heads toward their
foe; or, if attacked at more thnn one point, they form a cir-
cle, their glaring, olood-shot eyes restlessly watching the
attack; and I think it w(>uld g<» hard with the man or btast
who, under such circumstances, might come within reach of
their l)road horns or hard hoofs.

I had several opi)ortunities of observing thesemaneuvc'is
during my trip with Lieutenant (rreely into the inteiior of
Grinnell Land, in the summer of 1882. On this trip we
saw hundreds of these animals cpiietly glazing in the val-
leys along Lake Ilazen, and there is no doiiltt in my mind
but that they remain there all througli the year, as their
food can be found there in abundance. We passed close
to some herds, which, on these level grounds, on sight-
ing us, would foi'in in line with the promptness and pre-
cision of traiu'^d cavalry, and slowly wheel as we pas: ed,
their heads alvN;iys fronting us, until we had passed to a
safe distance.

THK MlSKdX.

Hil

They are easy to ai>iir«»a(h mul kill, and when a piirty of
skillful and \vell-aiin»*d hunters lind a lierd of these ani-
mals, it is seldom that out- of the latter escapes alive,
unless, for some reason, the iiunters do not wish to kill
tiiHUi all. This result is largel^v' due to their habit of
standing at hay. as already described; niHl even if they do
stampede (which ituely liapi)eus), they will, in the majority
of instances, soon return h) the place where one or more of
the'r comrades have been killed. Seryeant Long once
found a herd of thirteen Musk-oxen at the head of St.
Patrick's Bay, and .succeH«led in killing nine of them and
wounding another. The other three only escapetl on
account of Longs ammunition having given out.

The most exciting c)<ase after these animals in which I
participated occurred on June 13, 1882, on which day Ser-
geant CV)niiell killeil two Musk-oxen within a mile of tlie
.slation. While carrying tlu' meat of these animals to our
iputi'ters. we discovernil a herd of them on the summit of
the Sugar Loaf, about eighteen hundred feet above the sea.
Lieutenant Kis]ingl)ury. P'rederick, Cross, Linn, and myself
.staited at oiK-e to cajiture them. AVe deployed, and Cross
came upon them lirst: but they showed such a l)old front that
he was afraid to attack them alone, and cautiously retreated
until Kislingbury and myself came up, when, togethei', we
killed live of them in shori onh-r. At this juncture, we
disco' ered that rhern were four little calves, about four
weeks okl, which we decidetl to capture alive. Two cows
were still left, and wt- >liot therv so as to cripple then , thus
preveniing tln^ir escai»e. \Vh uihu suiTounded tlie calves,
Lieat(Miant Kislinirlmrv ke< oinu' iiis eve on one of the
wounded cows, while I covered the other, so that we might
dispatch them in csise tliey showed tight. Three of the
calves were < aptured (piite easily, but the fourth was
wild, and an exciting chase was the rt'sult. We killed the
two wounded cows, and tii<"n tritMl to encircle tli(^ r<'maining
calf, which, however, always found some means of escape,
until at last it jnnip»-«l into the aims of Frederick, wjio
commenced shouting joyfully ovnr his success.

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HUl GAMK OF NORTH AMf:i{ICA.

But the fun was not yet over, for the calf was strong,
and threw Frederick to the ground. He, liowever, held
plackily on, and tlie Two came rolling down ihe steej) hill
together, when I luckily stopped them before they got
fairly under way, otherwise this would have been Freder-
ick's last hunt on this side of the dark liver. We carried
the four calves to the station, whrte they were tenderly
cared for, Sergeants Long and Frederick being the self-
elected nurses. Ti\e calves were fed on condensed milk,
oatmeal, soaked crackers, etc., and seemed to tinive very
well at iirst; but as no vessel came in 1882, v.hen the
cold winter months set in thev died, one after the other.
The iirst one to die was Frederick's pet, which he liad
named '"John Henry," although it was a female. One of
our brute dogs had chased and bitten it, injuring its shoul-
der, which caused it to die shortly after. The other calves
seemed to pine away after that, and on ()ctol)ei' 7th the
last one died, and our hope of enriching the menagerie of
the Smithsonian Insiitutiou with a live Musk-ox died
with it. ,

STILL-HUNTING THE ANTELOPE.

By ARTnrn W. du Rhay ("Gaucho").

^ HA^B been requested by our brother sportsman,
"Coquina," to write a chapter for his book, and
have l)een intrusted with the one on the Antelope.
^ 7- therefore dieerfully submit tlie following, and
throw myself on the tender mercies of my readers, know-
ing that several men wlio have written on tliis beautiful
and interesiiiig animal before me have left little that is
new to ))e said. Still, I have had an extensive experience
in hunting and studying the Anttlope, and trust that I
maybe al)le to give some hints and suggestion'^ that may
be useful to beginners in thi^ "inst delightful sport.

The Antelope is one of t iriest and Ih^etest animals

on this continent, and the spi i->nian wliu would liiinl it
successfullvMiiust study, carefully and iKdiently. ils miture,
habits, and characteristics. A brief desciiption of ii may
not be amiss here, and this can not be given more tersely or
accurately than in the words of that c.ireiui naturalist and
graceful writer, the lion. John Dean Caton, who. u jtages
22 and 23 of his charming book, "TUeAntelopt ud Deer
of America," says:

lis size is less timu thnt of the Virginia Door. Its fdvni is robust: Imdy
.sliort; necii short, tiexihlu and erect; liea(' large and elevated; Iioim- '- low
and deeiduous, with a short, triangular, anterior process about in liieir

length, compressed laterally below thi' snag, and round above — Iicmii-. situate
on the superior orl)iial arelies; tail short; legs ratiier siiort, slim, and straiglil ;
hoofs bifid, small, pointed, convex on top and concave on sides. No cutaneous
{fhmd or tuft of hairs on outside of hind leg.' No lachrymal sinus or gland
below the eye. ^lueous membrane very black. Lips covered with short,
white hairs, with a lilack, naked dividing-line in front of U|)iier li|>,
extending from the mouth to and surrounding both nostrils. Face brownish
black, with sometimes reddisii linirs upon it. i'op of head, above the eyes,

(313)

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l!I(i (JA.MK OK NOUl'II AMKKICA.

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wiiiic; t'lii'cks aiui iiiuIlt side of iioiul, wliilc. Kurs wliite, with dark line
ai'oiiiKl tilt' c'llges — most pronounced on froi:t edges; ti brown-black patch under
eacli car. Ilonis black, with ycllowisli-whitc tips. Top and sides of neck, the
back and upper half ot vidcs, russet -yellow; below this, while, except usually
three bands of rus.set -yellow beneath the neck; white exteuiling up from the
niguinal region, involving the posteriors, uniting with a white patch on the
rtinip. Tail white, with a few tawny hairs on top. There is an interdigital
gland on each foot, a culanei/iis -land under each ear, another over each promi-
nence (if the iM'/iiniii, another behind each hock, ami one ou the back at the
anterior edge of the white patch; in all, eleven.

As to the liabitiir of tlie Antelope, Judge Caton says:

We have no account or evidence that the Prong Huck was ever an inhab-
itant east of the Mississippi River, and it only reached that river in the higher
hitituilcs. It is now (isyi) found only west of the ilissouri Kiver. u'cstward,
it oiiginally iidiabiled all the region to the Pacitie Ocean, within the present
limits of ilie Inileil Stales, except the woode<l districts and high mouutain
ranges. It was very abundant in t'alifornia twenty-tivc \-ears ago. Jly infor-
mation is full that they were equally mimerous throughout all the valleys iiAil
open country "t that State. They were l)y no means uncommon in the open
portions of (>,•• _on. They arc very searce, if any exist, in that State now, and
Califorida is at this lime almost deserted by them. Their native range
extends from the tropics to the fifty-fourth degree of north latitude. Within
the described limits, they do not invade the timbered country or tiie hiirli,
naked mountains. Their favorite haunts are llie naked [ilains or barren, lolling
country. If they endure scattering trees in a park-like region, or scanty
shrubs, forests pos.sess such terrors for them that these animals avoid them at
any .sacrifice.

There are many points in the natural history of this
strange aninuil thtit 1 shonld like to dwell npon here, but
apace forbids. Many of its traits, habits, and peculiarities
are, however, brou.uhi out in the following pages, in narrat-
ing my experience, tiiid that of others, in hunting it; but
for a further and closer stuly of the animal than it is pos-
sible to give in the sptvce ;dl jtted me heiv, I must refer the
retider to the work (iiu)ted above.

September, October, and November are the best and, in
fact, the ordy proper months in which to hunt the Antelope
in the Xcd'thwest; but in the f;i'' Southwest, the legitimate
season maybe extended to include Decendjer. Whether or
not the season be regulated i)y law in each State or Terri-
tory, the true sportsman will not hunt game of any kind
for sport during more than three or four months out of the

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STILL-IIUNTINO THE ANTKLOPE.

815

twelve. He will not disturb it during its breeding-season,
nor while rearing its young. Nor will he, as a rule, take
advantage of deej) snows to pursue and kill it when it is
unable to escape him, or to have at least a lair show for its
life.

As to the best arm i'oi- Antelope-hunting, there is great
diversity of ojjinion anu)ng old i)rairie hunters, some pre-
ferring one weapon and some another, each proclaiming
emphatically that his favorite is the best; and the question
will probably never be definitely settled to the satisfaction
of all concerned.

1 will say, for myself, that I am perfectly familiar with
most of the popular makes of English rities, shotguns, and
pistols, and that for my own choice 1 prefer the American
repeater and revolver to any of foreign nud^e. The former
are fully as safe, accurate, and convenient, and as good in
every way, as game-killers or weapons of defense, as any
made in the Old World, while, in nij' humble opinion, the
Winchester repeater and Smith & Wesson revolver stand
at the head of the list of fire-arms, for general usefulness.
The latter, aside from its intrinsic value and merit, is by
far the handsomest pistol made.

It would be al)surd to compare a Winchester rifie, in
point of appearance, with a Purdy Exi)ress, the former
costing from 816 to §80, while the latter pulls the purse-
string to the tune 0/ say 8i)<H); but let both be tried as
game-killers, and nine riflemen out of ten will do better
execution when they have from five to ten shots at their
fingers' ends than if only two. x\.nd in the event of being
corraled by Indians, an old-fashioned 44 Winchester,
with its sixteen shots to draw on, is worth more than any
number of double guns; for, after all, those pistol-charges
are spiteful, and the bullets are ugly things to stop with
one's hide at three or four hundred yards, as many a poor
fellow has found out.

Furthermore, I regard the Lyman front and rear sights
as indispensable to a game rifle — as much so as its hammer
or mainspring; for although one may kill lots of game with

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open sights, yet l(^t the Lyman once be tried, and its great
advantages Avill become apparent.

With this, by way of i)refa('e, I will proceed with some
reminiscences of hunting experiences on the great plains,
and meantime will give some hints as to how best to hunt
tiie game in cpiestion; for, notwithstanding the reh'iitless
war that has been waged against the wary little denizen of
the plains, there are h)cali ties where he may still l)e found
in sufficient numbers to alt'ord good sport.

"Liver-Eating .lohnson," guide, scout, hunter and trap-
per, prairie-man, Indian-lighter, thorouglily educated and
e(iuii)ped frontiei'sman at everj' point, graduate at the head
of his class in prairie lore — withal, a long-headed, cool, and
calculating man— once said to me while hunting: " AVhat a
live Antelope don't see between dawn and dark isn't visible
fr(^m his stand-point; and while you're a gawkin' at him
thro' that 'ere glass to make out whether he's a rock or a
Goat, he's a countin' your cartiiclges and lixin's, and makin'
up his mind which way he'll scoot when you disappear in
the draw for to sneak on 'im— and don't yoti forget it."
Dear reader, pardon me for adding, " And don't you forget
it, either." .

The ostrich, with his vaunted power of vision, is com-
paratively near-sighted when compared with the Antelope,
The Giraflfe may excel him, not from having superior eyes,
but from their greater elevation, and therefore greater
scope. The Deer is simply nowhere in this respect. EA'en
when in the habit of roaming on the prairie, he has not the
knack of detecting an intruder "on sight" as an Antelope
has. I never had any trouble in getting within two hun-
dred yards of an ostrich, in any decent place; yet. with
yeais of exi)erience on these, and a great deal of other
prairie-shooting, I at first found it difficult to get within
six hundi'ed yards of an Antelope, and then it was invari-
ably a wide-awake one, fully able to take cai'e of himself —
generally on the trot or zigzagging about, craning his neck
to find out, I suppose, according to Johnson's theory,
whether my gun was really loaded with a ball or blank

.STILL-IirXTINd TIIK ANTKlJU'K.

yi7

oiirtrkl^e. In certain loctilities remote from the liaunts of
man, tliey are comparatively tame, and may at first apjtear
stupid and dull at "catchin''' on." But just try them
where they have been hunted, and then report. ^ly word
for it, they will be found quite sharp enough to nuike it
interesting.

During the summers and falls of 1878 and 187!) I did
nothing but shoot, and Antelope received the greater part
of my attention. Having killed over two hundreil and forty
by actual count, I think that, at any rate, I gained some
valuable experience, some of which 1 will try to impart.
The principal thing is to keep out of sight. Don't delude
yourself with the idea that because a band is a coujjle of
miles away, apparently fee<ling, and all with their heads
down, none are on the lookout, and that you nuiy ride up a
little closer and then keep out of sight. That won't do; I
know it to ni}'^ sorrow. The chances are ten to one that
they will see you long before you see them, and although
they may not move at tirst, still they are on the qin' ri/H',
and if you get a dose shot after having shown yourself,
why, just score it down as luck.

My advice is to always hunt over broken ground and
ivndulating prairie, for although you don't see as many Ante-
lope there as on level ground, still the ehances are about
twenty to one in your favor, as against the level country,
when you do come across a band. Again, remember that
when you reach the summit of the hill your horse's head
is in plain sight before you can look in the hollow beyond;
so, if you are too lazy to dismount, alwa} s skirt along ilje
ridge for a few yards, stand well up in yt)nr stirrups, and
take a good look. But this is the lazy and unprofitable style,
and generally before you can check your horse the Antelope
have seen you; and that settles it. So the best way is to
dismount; lead your horse, with a good long laiiat, so he
will be some yards behind you; take off your hat (which,
by the ^vay, is also visible before you can see, your eyes
being lower than the crown), ami go slowly up until you can
just see well into the ravines and on the hill-sides beyond.

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HUJ (iAMK <»K X0I:TI[ AM KKICA.

Don't Ix' in a hurry. Take a cautious survey, as during
the (lay it oi'tf'U liapiK'Us that an ohl hnck is lying' down
sunning IdnisHlf on some gentle slope, when he may easily
be mistaken for a stone; or perhaps a whole band nuiy be
feeding or wandering through these ravines, right unchu'
you, or deep down where the grass is freshest. This is more
likely to be the case in the fall months, when the }>rairie
grass on the level and high ground has become sun-dried
and cured, in which case Antelope, and in fact all herbiv-
orous animals, prefer the short grass, which is more tender
in low, damp ground.

If by good fortune you should chance to see one or more,
walk back to your horse. Don't pull him up to wheie you
are. Take oil" your picket-pin, drive it in lirnily with your
heel, and be sure it is straiglit, as then it will hold better.
Fasten your horse securely, and commence youi* stalking.
After the hoise is well oft" your hands, then you are all
right; but be sure before you leave him that he can't get
awav, or when vou come back vou m:iv tind vour horse
has disappeared, and then, as frequently happens, you may
be fifteen miles from camj), which is quite a long walk,
besides losing your saddle and accouterments; for although
the horse may tuiii up. you will genei'ally hear from the
party who has found him that he was stripped. Whether
he was or not, that is generally the story, so it pays to have
the lujrse bcjth tied and hobbled.

Now go steadily; keep the wind well in yoifr face, and,
if necessary, do the very best creeping you can. Get as
close as possible, and don't shoot if you can't get within
three hundred 3 ards. Never mind what you have tloneat a
target, or what you see in print about long shots, and all
that. I have seen dozens of as fine rifie-shots as ever put a
rifie to shoulder, and I never saw a man yet who could count
on an Antelope at more than three hundi-ed yards. Remem-
ber, it is fully equal to a five-point in an eight-inch ring.
Besides, if you miss this shot, you may at the same time
scare away more game than you have seen in a week; so
be steady. After crawling about and dragging yourself

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STILL-III'XTI.V(; TIIK WTKI.uI'K.

319

snake-fashion, it is well in take a good ivst In-fore firing,
for, although you may think yourself steady, cool, ami
in good wind, it may only be over-anxiety; so just hold
on a few minutes; scan the ground deiiheratejy; calculate
your distance; make all due allowances; push your gun
forward, and, if a single-shot, place another cartridge in
your month, bullet-end in; take good, steady aim. and —
pull.

Reload your gun instantly, whether the game is down or
not. Another animal may jump up that you had not
.seen. Better to be always ready, and accustom yourself to
do all the waiting, for an xVntelope has not much i)atience;
and if only hit through the i)aunch, leg, haunch, oi' in fact
anywhere but in a vital si)ot, he can still outrun any ordi-
nary horse — even on three legs. In fact. I have seen some
make it quite interesting for a cavaliy-horse on two sound
legs and a stump. Again, if only wounded, although fatally,
he will be sure to go as far as he can, and then all your
work may only result in providing a scpuire meal for
a Coyote, and no saddles to show for it. 80, T repeat, get
as close as possible, and make as near a '"dead-center"' as
you know how; and with all these precautions, many a one
will get awav without a scratch.

Just behind the shoulder, and a little low, is the best
place to hold for. When on the run, shoot well ahead and
low, as a bullet that passes over an animal is lost, whereas
one that goes low, even if too low, stands a chance of bicak-
ing a leg; besides, the failing is, and always has been, to
overshoot, especially when taking quick shots.

Although trained, since a mere l)oy of fourteen. t<) shoot
at running and Hying game with the riHe, 1 still find myself,
even though trying at all times to guard against it, .shoot-
ing entirely too high. It is just as natural for a man to
take in half of his front sight above the hind one as it
is to get behind on very fast-moving objects. Indeed, it is
extremely difficult, unless when shooting through a Lyman
rear sight, to know just how much or how little of the
sights are taken in; for it all has to be done quickly, and

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tliH luiiul is so intent on tlu* Icjid that the elevation is apt
to l)e overlooked-no l)iin intended.

Tlie vitality ol' tlie Antelope, consideiinf? its size and
weight, is trnly wonderful. There is absolutely no give-iip
in them; and many a mini has worn out a good horse in
trying to run down one minus a leg, or one that had been
sliot clear through by several huge bidlets, any one ol"
which would, have killed a Deer on the sjjot. I have killed
many an Antelope with one solid bullet; but, again, T have
put two or three of these tiirough many another that went
off like the wind, as thongh he had (mly been frightened.
That these poor creatures died fi'om the effects of their
wounds is very certain, but it is equally true that T, at least,
never got a pound of the meat; so, as I was hunting for
food as well as recreation, I gave ui? solid bullets alto-
gether, and confined myself to hollow-pointed ones exclu-
sively. A fairer test of ammunition could not have been
made, as I used the same rifle and powder-charge -every-
thing exactly the same, but simply substituting a hollow-
pointed for a solid bullet; yet the difference in the execu-
tion was so striking that the most casual observer must
liave noticed it. I have no reason to believe that I shot
closer to vital spots than before; nor did I get closer shots,
nor more of them. The dead Antelope, though, were there
all the same, proving conclusively that, even if not driven
by the hettvy powder-charge, nor fired through the slow-
twist grooves, the hollow bullet, as a killer, is so far superior
to the solid ball that there is no comparison whatever
between them.

Now, a body hit meant a knock-down, sure enough,
while a raking shot— even at a slight angle— fore and aft
was always a i)aralyzing one, and generally left the quarry
so nearly dead at the instant of impact that a few con-
vulsive kicks and spasms were all the signs of life remain-
ing; while many and many a one was instantly doubled up
like a rabbit — struck lifeless between bounds— and died a
truly painless death. Indeed, years ago, when shooting on
the panq)as of South America, I discovered that a Double

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STIM-IIfNTIMi THK AXTKI-OPK

'.V2\

Kxpivss Westley Richanls litlc. I'oity ciililtfr, sliootiiit;' !()(»
tollO^Tiiin.s of Curtiss & llnrvfy powder, served me jiisf the
.siiim- way. With this ritle I shot hundreds of small Oeer
and ostriches, hut never, until I used the hollow-poinled
bullet, was I sure f)f my uame uidess I hit it just in the
right place. With the Express ball, all idares seemed more
or less alike, so far as stoppin)j; further locomotion was con-
cerned. The shock is so terrific that no small animal can
stand up under it. more especially, as I said before, if the
bullet's course is quartering, for then the animal's body
catches the full force of the blow, aside from the tearing
and smashing of a ragged-pointed ball, cariying all before

it.

For Antelope-shooting, then, or, in fact, for any kind of
big game sliooting, I prefer the Winchester, my choice being
the repeater of large bore, say fifty caliber, with its 1 l()-grain
powder-charge and hollow-pointetl, ;$()()-grain bidlet. Those
preferring the single-shot need not swerve to any other
make, as this comi)any makes the best single-shot rifles, of
all calibers from twenty-two to fifty: and were 1 using a
single-shot rifle for Deer, Klk, Bears. or Antelope, my choice
would be the forty-live caliber, shooting one hundred and
tvventy-fiv<^ grains of powder and three hundred grains of
lead — hollow-pointed ball. I must frankly admit, however,
that I never could see where any single or donble barreled
rifle could, in any way, compare with a repeater — every
advantage clearly going to the ntany-sliot rifle.

I am partial to the AVinchester rifles, for these reasons :
They are safe, accurate, and durable: they are made in all
calibers; they are sold at prices within the reach of all; as
repeaters, they are more reliable than any other kind with
wliicli I am familiar; as single-shots, they are quicker to
load, less liable to get out of order, and. in my judgment,
just a little better tlian any otlier single-loader made. The
AVinchester Company has proved itself imbued with a
progressive spirit, and has catered to the evei'-changing
and manifold Avants of men of many minds and divers
experiences. It is, furthermore, an essentially American

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♦'oiiccrii. jiiwl I l)t'Iit've tluit AiiH'iicjiiis slKtiild iiiitronizf
Aiiifiifiiii miiiiiiriicliii't'is. And, lo rn\) llit* cliiiuix. llif
W'iiK'lifstcr is iiboiit 1 lie only s[((irtiii,i;-iiJl<' tliat Iwis conic
np to llic hypcrci'iticiil iiiul Hisiidions sciiitiny of the Kny-
lisli spoitsincn, tinin wliom none nrc hcitcr jnd^cs, owing
lo tlicir cMily c(luc;ition nnd vjisi cxpciicncc. 'i'licsc men
slioot wild iind diiiigcions giinic .-ill over the nlobe, nnd
know a good litle when tliey see it. Moreover, n.s none but
the wealtliy among them ciiii indulge in Hncli Mport, the
price ]iaid for their weajtons is a matter of no concern what-
ever, its absolute reliability and accuiacy being the .^i/ie
qua noil of the arn» When, therefore, the plain but thor-
oughly sound and sericeable Winchester, costing say £4,
supplants the elaborate double ritle of twenty times its
value, something inherent to the Yankee ritle must be there
to back it up.

Asiile fiom all this, memory carries me back to many a
cabin, dotting a boundless ])laiii, where upright in the
ciorner stands the king of all lilles— fn-er-ready death-dealer
— the Winchester ; or, perhaps, carelessly swung to the
antlers of some monan^h of the forest, or resting on those of
the now extinct Bison, together with the buckskin belt
studded with cartridges, in which also hangs the best, hand-
somest, most accurate revolver the world has ever seen —
the Smith & AVesson. These are (piasi the whole, or. at
any rale, the most valuable furniture that adorns the
chetMless cabin; but, of their kind, they stand to-day para-
mount. On their merits the hei-mit occupant has been
wont, mayhap, to trust his life against savage and beast —
not a life the loss of which, perhaps, would ))e much
mourned, or over who.se grave eloquent orators, weeping
women, or frantic parents nught, with untold grief, lov-
ingly and fondly linger, but his life, his all. His scalp, his
herd, and, if more fortunate than the great ma jority of these
dauntless pioneers, his wife, his little ones, his dog.s — all
have been taught, by oft-n^peated lessons and never-failing
deeds, that his selection of weap )ns has been wise, for they
never have failed him at the critical moment. With these

8TILL-m'NI'l.\<i IIIK AN ri;i,(»l'K.

:v2:i

AVfiiiiiiiis lit- iiiiiy liiivc ^sl()(Hl ii^iiiiist liiiiiiMii (ulds, or iiuiy
luive lowered the ferocious (Jilzzly, not with nwr or two
shots, pcrliaps, but by pouriii;j,' iu nucIi ii deudly Mtreiil< (»t*
Iciid that uotliiiig could staud bcl'ort' it.

Swun<;to lilt' wauou bow. s ol'tlic erratic prairie-scliooner,
exposed to I'liiu, (lust, aud snow, tiie old Winchester has
dandled, nia^ia/.ine full to the hoi»per -taken down wlieu
needed, now to clip olf the head of diu'k, brunt, or grouse,
now to liddle (Joyote or Fox, now to fan the tall of ciin-
ninu' .lack or ileein.u,- " Swift;" now replaced iu its slinks
without further ado. Heldoin cleaned, and never thor-
ouiihly so. yet, perhaps, to-uu)rrow the lives of the whole
l)arty may depend on one or two of tliese deadly weapons,
whose sliari) and oft-repeated reports shall rin<;- through
the air, iu contrast and defiant answer to the wild war-
whoop of cii'cling-, seldom-visible savages, 'i'he^! are some
of the reasons why 1 like the Winchester.

If 1 iuive dwelt at greater leiigth on the sul)ject of ritles
than seems pro})er, I trust 1 inay bt? i)ardoned. My reason
for so doing is, that we fiequeiitly see, in our sportsmen's
journals, the (pu-stion asked, " Why is tlie Winchester siu'h
u general favorite i" 1 have sinipl}' endeavored to show
why it is such; and "them's my sentiments." Verily, I
could not look on any AVinchester and say otherwise; nor
could I handle my old chum and comi)anion, the forty-four-
caliber Sndth & AVesscm, that has been so close to me since
early in the '7()s, and that has never failed me once.

A target-rihe may be better for its purpose if narrow in
the bore than if of large caliber. To merely perforate a
piece of linen or paper, a thirty-two-caliber nuiy be better,
np to two hundred yards, than a forty-five or lifty caliber;
I believe it is. There is less recoil, noise, and Fourth of July
alM)at it; but when it comes to np-ending a Deer, Elk, or
Bear, I greatly jjrefer a forty-five or fifty caliber, as then
one ]>ill is generally a fnll dose.

My experience in killing large game is identical, in many
particulars, with that of i)erhaps the ablest writer on such
topics that we have in this country — I mean Mr. T. S.

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mc, (.4AMK (»F \(UM'II AMKUICA.

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Van Dyke. I agree with liitn that the larger the bullet the
harder it hits, and so hmg as the trajectory remains as flat
as may be, up to two hundred yards, I am willing to sacri-
flc* a Irille in iucuracv if I can therel)V add somewhat to
the striking lorce. I used a dt)id)le rifle, of sixteen -gauge,
for some time on Deer, and I can't remember ever losing aa
animal fairly hit with it.

It is absui'd to taunt a raan with using a rifle of large cali-
ber, and for such critic to c(jnsider liimself more of a
si)ortsman in that he uses a pea-shootej^, for the greatest
desideratum of any humane man ought to be to kill his game
as ([uickly as possible, and not inflict hours, and perhaps
days, of unnecessary suffering on a poor, inoffensive beast.
A small bullet certainly will kill a Deer or Antelope if it
liits him in a vital sxK>t and with sufficient force; but as
sui!h .shots are the exception rather than the rule, when
taking all chances that present themselves, the nse of any-
thing smaller than a lorty caliber is, to my ndnd, unsports-
maidike.

So long as nothing larger than a Deer is to be met with,
ihe forty caliber may do very well, it is never as gt)od. how-
ever, as the forty-live or flfty. If an occasional Elk or
Bear is to be encountered, then the 50-110-300 repeater
is the proper arm. A larg:e bulh't, striking an animal
spot for s])or,(i!x other than vital places), is always much
more effective, for the simple n-asons that it strikes a
greater surface, is going with much greater force, crushes
bones m<jre effectively, bleeds the aninud niore rajjidly, and
hence lets the \itality out of it sooner.

I have not taiven into consider-ation the far greater degree
of danger attending the use of tli»^ small bore rifle; for if a
man chooses to attack a (fii/zly with a 8"i 100 caliber, that
is his own alfair, and he idone is taking the chances; but I
claim that it is wanton cruelty to habitually shoot at large
game with a small-bi>i'e rifle, since none but center-shots
kill on the spot, wiiiJe al', or nearly all, wounded animals
Avander off to die a lingering death, especially where they
can not be tracked or run down with dogs.

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STr».L-HUXTiy(l THE ANTKLOPE.

325

The claim put forth by nuuiy snmll-bore advocates, that
a hirge bullet teai>? and iimtilatHs the game, is so absurd
and far-fetched that it ought uot to come into considera-
tion, for the loss of one wounded animal, shot witli a small-
bore rilie, will in.-ar a greater loss dl' meat than will the
killing of a dor -n animals w ith a large bore. The man who
<-an plant \ih bullet within a couple of inches of the desired
spot, over unknown mnges extending thiough woods, over
pniiries or mountains. ui» hill and down, say up to two
hundred and liftv vard.->. at either stationary or moving ani-
mals, may shoot a thirty-two-caliber ritle a whole season
and not lose mucli game. The question is, Does such a man
exist? He often clai">s that he does, but I doubt it.

For Antelope-shooting, as a specialty, a forty -five or lifty
caliber rilie, tittetl with tlie Lyman sights, is, in my jiulg-
ment, the very »>est. It ne»-d not perforce be a reptniter —
tliough that is always a det'ided advantage. One nniy get
into a band, ana by Ving cool, a good marksman, and a
good judge of distance, he may, with a. repeater, bowl over
several before tJiey get out of range, though I must confess
that to hit an Antelope, running, at anything over one
hundred and tifty yanl>. is either juoof positive of supei'b
shooting, or. much more generally, proof of a lucky sci'atch.

I once saw an Indian scout, young War Eagle, creei)
r[\) to within tifty yanls of a band of live Antelope, and kill
them all in seven shots. As this peifoiniance was wit-
nessed by the whole cnlumn of the Sevcmth Cavalry, I don't
hesitate to relate it; while had I, unobserved, performed a
similar feat a dozen times, I doubt if I could muster up the
audacity to assert it. Js a nuitter of fact, 1 have several
times worked my way, on hands arid knees, to witiiin a
short distance of V»ands ot Antelope, but uevi r have I suc-
ceeded in killing moiv than three at one tiiUe, though I
always had a much Vtter liHe than the one War Eagle
used, to say nothing of vastly superior ammunition. The
fact is, I could not make my l)nllets connect witli the game
so often, for an Antel<»i»e will scami»ei' over a long stietch
of country in a short time. and. as tiny are not generally

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32(5

mo GAMK OF NOUTII AMERICA.

foiiiul on deiicl-level ground — at least, one can seldom get
close to tlieni in such a place -one has to make nice calcu-
lations, after the lirst shot, as to where the sprightly fellow
will be when the ball reaches hini. Alh)wance must be
niiule for tlu! time it will take, and then, again, other angles,
from the uneven lay of the land, etc.

I once got into a hot corner, while Antelope-shooting,
that I am not at all likely to forget. I was out with the
Seventh Cavalry (Custer's legiment), on our way up the
Missouri iliver. 1 don't remember how many troops of
cavalry there were, but following them came a long wagon-
train, strung out — including the troops — say three-quarters
of a nule. Pi'es«-ntly. the trail we were following took us a
short cut across one of the big bends of the Missouri, the
neck (jf which was not over one nule wide. The scouts
and Indhins were skiiting the river a couple of miles to our
light, when suddenly we heai<l several shots tired from that
direction. We were not long in suspense as to what had
brought forth their fire, for sweeping over the prairie, com-
ing straight at us, were several hundred Antelope — perha]»s
seven or eight liundi-ed in all. though there may have been
a thousand. It so hapi)ened that our entire outfit was
spanning the narrow neck from side to side, so that the
Antelope found themselves in a n/l dc sac from which there
was no esca[)e.

When the tiring commenced, I was al)out midway
between the column and the scouts, so 1 had full view of this
magnilicent band of fleet-footed animals chai'ging in full
career two or three hundn^d yards past me. Seeing some
stragglers, T dismounted, picketfd my horse, and lay in wait
for them. Taking bioadside shots as they vanished across
my line of fire, 1 killed two or three in I don't know how
many shots— probably ten — and was just commencing to
enjoy this battue-shooting, when a volley of bi.llets came
whizzing by. so uncond'ortably close that 1 instantly drop^jed
to fh(^ gi'ound.

I soon discovered, to my dismay, that T was directly
between two Hres, and as the scouts from the river-side were

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STILL-III'\TIX(i TlIK AXTKI.oi'K.

H'27

approaching ihe, bullet after bullet came singing merrily
along until I became painfully aware that I was in a very
undesirable place. Up to this time, howtner, 1 had iu)t
apprt'lieiided much ihinger; but a\ hen the soldieis closed in
from their side, and began pelting away, and I found
uiyself hemmed in on all sides, I was decidedly uncom-
fortable.

What made it worse, the bullets, before reaching me.
nearly all struck the ground, so tliat they came tumbling
and licocheting over my head, bi'oadside or butt-end on,
screeching and screanniig in their dangerous Hight; buzzing,
at times, so alltired close that, had 1 been equipped with an
intienching tool, I would soon have buried myself.

During the lulls in the tiring, which were of short
duration. 1 signaled several times to the soldieis iu)t to kill
me, but kept on shooting, and succeeded in tumbling over,
in all. eight Antelope. I could have killed four or live
times that number had I accepted the easy, close shots that
presented themselves; but I was shooting for practice as
well as for meat, and took only ruiuiing-shots, at from one
hundred and lifty to two hundred yards. I must have lired
at least forty shots to nudve this killing.

Several tei'rilied Antelope stood i)anting, all the way
fi'om fifty yards up, and a couple stood staring at me. in
wild amazement, at not over thirty yards. So uear were
they that I could distinctly see their flanks undulating,
from siieer exhaustion, after theii' mad racing back and
forth, running the gauntlet of hundreds of bullets. One
l)«)or fellow, I well remember, stood with staring eyes and
opt'U uu)uth, catching his wind, quite close to mv, so para-
lyzed with fear and fatigue that Ik^ seemed iu)t to care
whi'ther he lived or died. 1 was adnuiing the graceful
beauty of his form, nioi'alizing on the wanton (h^structiou
that had overtaken these lovely animals, and speculating
on what would be the end of this jaunty fellow himself,
when suddenly, with a stiff-legged bound, he rose up and
fell in the agonies of death. At the same instant I heard
the whiz of a ricochet bullet, and on walking up to the poor

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328

BIG (JAME OF NORTH AMKHICA.

fl'-IS;',

fellow, found that he had been shot through the neck ])y
one of the nianv balls tliat were continually tlving in niv
vicinity. The jagged key-hole .showed plainly that this
ball had not come end-on, but had been capsized in its
Highf, ivtainiuii. h(»wever, sufficient speed and force to cut
through the well-iounded throat of my erstwhile timid but
lovely companion.

Strange to say, my horse escaped nnr.cathed, and jnit in
his time grazing jieacefully, proving again that where igno-
rance is bliss, 'twere follv to be wise.

On riding over the ground, we found some forty or fifty
dead Anteloi)e eiutugh to provide the entire command
with meat for many days. Many others were, of course,
wounded and lost, which fact we sadly regretted, but in
the excitement of the moment it could not be avoided.
Some ol' these, hnwevei'. were afterwaid killed by the
scouts, and brought in with the wagon-train.

I don't think I failed to kill over a sinule one that I hit.
Many came scampering by me with lilood-stains showing
l)lainly on their sides. These were the ones I ^!hot at, priu-
<'ipally, and when foi'tunate enough to hit them with my
hollow-pointed l)ullets, their doom was instantly sealed.

In the matter of clothing be.st adapted for prairie use,
corduroy or mole-skin trousers are about the most suitable;
while a good Manuel shii't, of some neutral color, is the
best. For the coat, 1 am inclined to think that a dog-skjii
jacket is the best. It is wind and water pi'oof, extremely
light, durable, is not cumbersome or warm when worn
oi)(Mi, and is a grand [irotection against cold when buttoned
up to the neck. A buck-skin shirt, although good in cei-
taiu places, is not sogo<»d as a Hannel one for prairie use.
as in wet weather it is a nuisance. In the l)rush. however,
tlieyare grand, as they are noiseless, of good color, and
are soft and comfortable.

Nothing that I have ever seen can compare, as foot-gear,
to the old Thoni])son & Sons moccasins, with moderately
light soles, say single soles, with hobnails on the heels, and
a few under the bail of the foot; in fact, a couple of spikes

/4a

STILL-IIITXTINd THK ANTKLOPK,

:i'2\)

in each shoe are a boiuuiza, when tlie grass i.s slip[)er3' and
dry. Lt.'t the soles project half an inch all the way round;
then when you strike a cactus-bed, you can go ahead with-
out prodding your feet at every other step. The soh^ should
l)roject under the instep as well as across the toes, for
thorns are just as painful there as anywliere else. Cordu-
roy leggins are comfortable, cool, liglit, and afford ample
protection, though in liot weather they arc supertluous.

A soft, felt hat, of a grayish color, is best; one that has
a moderately wide brim will be found comfortable in hot
weather, or in rain. A few ventilators will be benelicial; so
will a strap to fasten under the chin in windy weather.

Beware of leather l)elts for carrying cartridges. Nothing
equals one of webbing; next is canvas. Leather belts are
a fraud; the shells lieconie covered with \erdigris and dirt,
and soon foul the breech of the ritle. Always cany a shell-
extractor in 3'our belt, and then you will have it where it
does you the most good; one left behind in camp is like
the Dutchman's anchor^only an aggravation. By shell-
extractor, 1 mean one that will pull out a headless shell;
nothing but a first-class extractor will budge it.

Every ritle for prairie use should be provided with a
pointed wiping-stick, one thac tits in the stock like that of
a Winchester. A hide thong, with a piece of rag, is good
enough to clean a rifle with, but if the bore gets choked
with mud (n'snow, it is convenient to have a rod with which
to poke it out.

I always carry a hunting-knife and steel, both fitting in
one sheath. This saves trou])le;and however good a knife
may be, it soon gets dull when carving large game. The
blade of the knife should be all one i)iece with the handle,
with buck-horn grip. No other kind of knife will stand
chopping, and that is sometimes lumvoidable. A small,
light steel is all that is required.

I prefer the Califoi'nia saddle to any other, Init a good
McClellan is, perhaps, the best for Iwth man and horse.
Always carry saddle-bags; they are convenient for your
lunch, some extra ammunition, matches, and a llask of cold

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•S60

liUi GA.MK OF NOKIII AAIKURA.

tea, which is the best uiul most refiesiiing- drink I know of.
It is ;is well to {'tiny in tliem an oiled rag, and if it comes on
to rain, just rub your gun with it, and wlien you get to camp
you will see how easily it is cleaned.

My favorite lariat is made of plaited cord — not twisted,
for 1 his. when wet, unravels — al)out the same as good, strong
window-cord, forty-tive feet long. I fasten one end to the
bit, and hold it np as I would a halter-straj), and allow the
other end to trail after me. When I see game close, I jump
olf my horse, stand or sit on tlie. rope, and thus secuie my
horse at a nioment's notice. When I have time I use a
j)icket-pin. This should be made of steel, and formed like
the old-fashioned bayonet, not round, as in hard ground it
is diflicult to drive the latter, whereas a three-cornereil one
cuts its way, and is soon liome. Have a swivel attachment
»n top; that prevents the lariat from becoming twisted or
snarled. i\.ee[) the pin fastened by a steel snap, on the
mounting-side; this is the most convenient and secure mode
of carrying it, and the (piickest to get it oil.

A good, powerful field-glass is useful; the single-barreled
one will answer all pnrposes, is much more easily carried—
the l)est way being in a leather pocket made to fit it — than
the lorgnette, ai^^ not nearly as liable to be broken or ren-
dered iinservicei' le. This can be fastened to the belt, and
should not be over two inches in diameter and six in length
when closed.

A compass is a grand, good thing if you nnderstand it,
and know where you want to gtt; but uidess you do, it
doesn't amount to much, for it is always a greater aggi-ava-
tion to l)e lost with a compass than without one. I always-
carry one- one that opens like a double hunting-case watch
is the best — an<l sometimes have been lost, coini)ass and
all. There is nothing more easily leading to this than to
follow a wounded animal: yitu forget everything but the
game you pursue, and when it is getting late, iind thoughts
of canrp steal gently o'er you, then you find you have lost
everything but your appetite. For this emergency T always
carry salt and matches in my saddle-bags, and if 1 have

1 1'

sTU.L-nrx'i'i.vu tiik antkloim;.

:{:{1

some meat I can at least have some su])iit'i' ami a smoke,
which gops a long way toward ivouiiciling a man with
himself ami the world geiipially.

I have never had mucli snccess in tlagging Anteh)pe; in
fact, I don't think I ever killed one that way. Although I
have tried this ruse, never <'()uld I lure them within reach.
The scheme doubtless worked all right in early days,
before the game of the jirairies became educated to the
seductive wiles and sly ways of the white man; in fact,
old frontiersmen have told me souk^ most amusing stoiies
of ho.7 they have lured the little (lazelles to their ruin.
The time Avas when the white canvas of a prairie-schooner
wonld set a band of Antelope all agog, and they would
approach so near to it that they could l)e easily shot
down by the teamsters and guards. In tliost; days, a white
or red rag attached to a stick and allowed to tlutter
in the breeze would bring an Anteloi)e, or a herd of them,
from any distance where they could see the strange ai)pari-
tion.

An old erniser told me that on one occasion he was
riding down the Yellowstone, and saw a small band on the
level river-bottom, abont two miles away, lie wanted meat,
and there was no cover from which he could ai)proach the
herd. He had no Hag; bnt an old-timer is ecpial to any
emergency, and, dismounting, he took oif his red flannel
undershirt, tied it to his wiping-stick, stuck the latter in
the ground, and unfurled his banner to the summer breeze.
The curious little creatures soon sighted the novel ori-
lianime, and started for it. The hunter had but to lie low
and await their coming. They came within a hundred yards
before the belcliing smoke, the echoing repoi't, and the hiss-
ing lead reveided the cheat; then, those that were not hit,
hustled for the foot-hills.

To hunt Antelope successfully, one must be ivell
mounted; indeed, I have never seen anyone try it on foot,
as the circuits necessary to be taken to circumvent a band
are sometimes of such a radius that it would take hours to
go round on foot.

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nUi OA.MK OK N(JUTII AMKKICA.

Tln' [litli of all tfjichini; on tliis siibjfct is contained in
tlie.sc injunctions: Don't be in a liuriy; keep out of sight
us much as possible; don't depend on long- shots. They
are ma<,Muricent when successfully made, but this is of sucli
raie occunence that a little nioie plodding and care are
much more conducive to lilling the larder. It is exceed-
ingly easy to shoot close to an object at live or six hundred
yards, but it is quite another thing to hit it. IJesides, what
appears to be a close shot, judging fi'om the dust raised
by the bullet at these long ranges, nuiy be several feet or
yards olT the mark; so at, nnless it be impracticable to
get within three liundred yards, shots at beyond that dis-
tance are nnwarranted. The better tlie liunter, tlie closer
he gets to his game. It is only the beginnerwho tries ludf-
mile chances in the hop<; of doing execution. An^' man can,
by using judgment and taking time, become an average
stalker, but not one in a thousand can plant his bullet just
where he wants it, at an unknown range and distance, if it
exceeds three hundred yards.

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COURSING THE ANTELOPK WITH GREYHOUNDS.

TJy M. H. Ai.i.ison.

HIE Antelope is the fleetfst anin»;il that lives, as well
y^..,^ as the wariest antl most ciinninj^-, and oik; of the
M \l^ grandest sports that this continent all'ords is that of
«^''' coursing him with Greyhounds. For a merry party
of si)()rtsnien to mount their spirited lujrses, on a clear,
cold, f I'osty, winter morning; to hringout the eager hounds;
to speed away over the prairies for leii or twenty miles; to
sight a band of Antelope, slip the dogs, and follow them
through such a grand race as must ensue; to watch the
startled game in its elforts to escape, and the efforts of the
hounds to come uj) with it; to head it olF at every turn; to
follow and encourage the dogs, and at last to come to
their aid, after they have pulled down the largest and fleet-
est buck in the bunch — all these alfoi'il grander and more
exhilarating sport than any I have ever indulged in.

As may readily be imagined, none but the best-bred
Greyhounds, and the lightest-footed, toughest, and best-
staying horse, can cope with the Prong-horn; and happy is
the man who owns, or may even follow, a pack of these
noble dogs that can pull him down.

I have spent many years in breeding and training Grey-
hounds, and Hatter myself that I now own one of the iiuest
packs in the West. I have had many grand runs with
them, at the mere recollection of which the blood leaps to
my brain; and I can almost see the little brown-and-white
streaks of venison drawing away across the prairie, with
the long, lithe forms of the great Greyhounds stretched
out and vaulting through the air so swiftly, so lightly, so
eagerly, that their feet scarce touch the earth. I can feel
the hot breath of the wiry little cow-pony on my thighs as

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HKJ OAMl, III' NOIMII AMKIMCA.

liH conu'H down to tin; Work, iiiid can J't'd his ."^idt^s swell
iH'nciitli tilt' siiddic as lie icaclit's lor the ^anic. and asserts,
hy Ids intense action, his dL'tmnination to be in al tlie
death.

Tlu're are many cxnerieiKH's of this nature that I might
onunierate, and I scarce know which would interest me
most; Iti the tellin^, and you in reading; but as representa-
tive runs, I will mirrate a few made in .lanuaiy, ISiSO.
Myself and a friend t<»ok four of my best hounds — Mike,
Jim, Terry, and .leff-and boarded the westbound train
for the home of the Anteloi)e. 'i'he liist ])oint at which we
stopped was (faiden City, a nourishing town in Fiiuiey
County, Kansas. My fiiend.Ioiu^s, who lives there, and who
is one of the famous Anielopediunters of the West, met us
at tlu^ train, by previous appointment, and had everything
in readiness to take us out the next morning, bright and
early, lo where he had located a held of about twenty-live.

Morning came, and we packeil our luggage and hounds
in wagons, and started. After driving some fourteen miles
north, .loiies' eagle eye spied the held feeding in the flats,
about a mile away. We drove our wagons into a low piece
of ground, to keep them out of sight of the game, then
saddled our horses, got the hounds out. and started to sur-
round the Antelope as nearly as. possible, keeping in the
lowest ground, and at the same time on the windward side
of them, for they are quick to catch the scent of any
approaching dangei'. After going some distance, we man-
aged to get within live or six hundred yards of them, and
they had not yet discovered us. But here was a rise in the
ground which we had to cross, and as this would bring us
in sight of the game, we decided that now was the time to
make a dash for them and send the hounds off. We
accordingly put whip and spurs to our horses, and away
we went.

.lust as we came in i)lain view of the Antelope and told
the hounds to go, a jack-rabbit jumped up and started in
the oi)posite direction from the Antelojie. Of course,
every hound saw it, and having been taught to run and kill

tuny

oounsiN(» riii: .\\Ti:i,tii'i: wii;; (;i;i:Yn(M'M>s. WX)

jiicks, stiirlt'd I'oi it, aiitl iifvci' smw llif AiiK'IoIh' iit nil.
Ah soon as wii (liscovcit'il our idt'dicaiuent we sl(»iti»f(l, Ixit
not ill time, for tlu* Aiilt'Iopi' li.-nl sfi'ii us, and ran oil' a
mile oi- two ht'l'ort' tlicy stoiipi'd. \\%^ wciv so an^iy uilli
tilt' hounds, rabliit. and our luck, that we never h»oUed back
to see whether the hounds caujilit the ralth't or noi, hut fol-
lowed on slowly after the Antelo[ie, so as to ;j;ive tlieni
another turn whtii the houinls should come up. After
awhile the li(»unds caiiuht up with us, and we auain si^hlfd
the Antelojie standing a mile or more away, on a ridge,
watching for us. We had to niaiieuvei' a good deal before
we could get any closer to tlieiu, for the country w:.s nearly
level, and there was not even a bunch of grass that wt; coidd
use for cover. After considerable delay and anxiety, for
fear another jack woidd get up, we nuide up our minds we
could get no closer; and as the Antelope hail seen us, and
were getting ready to start, we had to do .somelhingat once.
We spoke to the hounds, and away we went, the Antelope
at least Ji luilf-nnle away. They inade ;i swing to the light,
and the hounds .saw ihem for the lirst time. Tlu^n the
chase commenced in earnest. ]}ut there were big chances
in favor of tht^ game, and as my hounds had never seiMi an
Antelope (they being young), 1 was m)t sure they would
take hold of one, even if they could come up with them.

The Antelojie continued to swing to the right, and here
one of the hounds — Mike — exhibited tht* best judgment I
ever saw in a young dog. Instead of following the chase,
he shot off at an angle of ninety degrees, and as they saw
him coming they undei-took to he:id him off; but he was too
smart for them, and kept them on the outside until he fell
in behind them, not more than fiftv or sixty yards astern.
By this little piece of strategy he was away ahead of the
other hounds, and of the huntei's who were bringing up the
rear, yelling like Indians on the war-path. We could see
he Avas gaining on the herd, and for the first time I I'eali/i'd
that he was going to catch one if he had proper staying

iilities. We did not have to wait lony to deternuiie that

point, for in less than a ipiarter of a mile he (hished into

ImIi

1 . .1,

i:^l

- ..■..! .J!!i'''''!mmmmmmmimm

i^. ■**

[. I

■wr

! ! f I i ! !

1'^ i

;>:',<•.

UK. •; WIK ol NiilM II \M1 i;i< \.

lilt' iK'i'fl. I'll! oiif out -;i liii;<', tint' liiK'k — ami ill los time
(iiaii it tai;t's to writ*' it lir tlii>'\v it lit'»'ls ovt^i lifud, and the
oilitr lioiinils. svliidi liad iiieantiau' drawn tip, covnvd it
l»»-Co|-t' it could ;^i't ll|i.

Kv<'rvl)0(ly y<'ili d likf wild iiwn. and \vt> jml oni' iiorsps
to tin* best \)i\ct' ill tliLMii till ui- were all in the .stniuji-liiiu;
iiia.ss, wlieii .loiies drew' his knife, and, disnioimting, caught
the buck l»y the hcni and sevird its ju^ndar.

This run scattered the Actelope and made them very
wild, so we coiu'liided to yo to town, and try them the next
day.

Bright and ear!} the nex't moniintr. we were bark 'vhere
we lel't the liaiiie. Alter ilriviny over;'. lar;^e extent of terri-
tory, we found t lit' same bunch aj^ain. and tiirneil the hounds
loose, when Mike du]»licated Id- inevious day's record. For
four days we ifiuiiied to (he Hats, and each lay Mike sus-
taiiietl his i-eputation, and cau.uht ais Antelope every time he
was turned loose (>;' the lierd.

We had now caiiy,ht live out of this biincli, and felt
jiroudof our success; but the survivors had l)ecome so wild
that it was aluKjst impossible to <(et the dogs within sight
i>f tl'em, and we concluded to lake the first train to liait-
land, about thiity miles west, where Antelope were
reported plentiful, and in large bands.

AVhen we arrived at Ilartland, the sportsmen there
hiiighed at us for Ininging hounds to catch Antelope with,
riiey did not believe us when we told them we had caught
live at (farden City. They had some hounds that they said
could run some, and they had run them on Antelope lifty
times, but ne\er succeeded in c.itching one nnless it had
first been wounded, ai\d they kTiew it <'ouldn*t be done.
We offered to put up someThing on our dogs, but the local
lads didn't care to back their Antelope witli their wealth;
so, to satisfy them, we invited them to gather np their
hounds and go with us the next day.

We hunte<l north of town for twenty-five or thirty miles,
and at last sighted a herd of six, about half a mile away.
Til" crowd ])ecame much excited, and talked loudly, which

C<M-n-IN<i TIIK AXTKLoPK WITH (IHi: V lH 'f N PS. :H7

les.

finally :un"actt*il the attention <>f the Antrldiif. ;in(l tlu*y
began to move away l>efore \vt> linil <leri<le(l wlwit \\:is best
to ilo, Wh luul nn x\m^ to i.;irlt\v then, and T told all hands
to turn the luiund-* l<t<>-iH as (juickly as jiussiMe.

Away we all went, "'y ilou's in the leiid. the local paek
next, and the cavalry hrinirini!: up the re;ir. (lee whiz I
how the oayuses did t<-ar np the earthi and how tluKse
natives did cuss and kirk when they saw my dotjs tlirow-
ini: alkali dust in their do£rs" eyes I

15ut it was no use: the natives and the native dogs were
left. The latter rould run, sure enough, but they couldn't
stay with the th<>njU2h-breds. The only thinu' they could
see, in a minute or two, was the dust laised by my doys;
and once in awhile they would get a glimpse of the Pi'ong-
horns as they circleil. On went th« herd, cleaving the sod,
throwing gravel Ivhind them, and shivering the sage-lirush
in their course. V.'e w»-re wild with delight, and our friends
were blind wirh jealousy.

Finally, the Antelope swung off to the right, and, as
usual, the stalwart Mike got in his tine work. He drew
down on a short cut. and it would have done your heart
good to have seen liim run. Why. a streak of gieiised
lightning couldn't have kept in his dust. F( r awhile it
looked as though he did not see the game at all: but he
l)resently jirove*! hiinself smarter than anybody, for when
the Antelope made another turn to the left, he dropped in
behind theni, not four rods dis' uit, and in about ten sec-
onds caught a tine buck — two hundred yards ahead of the
other hounds I This satisfied the doubtinu' party that there
were some hounds that could catch an Antelope.

We followed the remaining five three or four miles
before we came in sight of them. Init they were so wild that
we could do nothing with them i so we then gave up the
chase for that day. and returned to t<iwn.

We i*emaine<l there and hunted out south from town five
days, catching eight fine Antelope, making in all thirteen.
But the Hartland fellows wouldn't go with us any more;
they were discons<rjlate. Tlie idea of a p;ick of tenderfeet

«3

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938

IM<. (. \\| !. '•!■ N'olMii \\| i;i:[t A.

<Ti>'yli(iuri<ls cKiiiiii;^ ill tli»'jv Miiil ilxiim' n\> tli-'ir iiiiihr
HfiK'k in sucli (i.-;istn»ns sIi.ijk^ was tou much for tlieiii. and
tlu'V rt'fii>s<'rl lo b*- r<»inf(»ilfil.

[ will (Ifxiilx- oMf molt' (lay's clnisf, mid I tliink it ron-
slitiitfd tilt' finest day's s|)(irt 1 cvfi' cnjoyt'il. \V»^ iiad
Toiind a herd of sixtt'cii wliich lia<l. ajipaieiilly. lU'Vcr Ix'en
cliased by hounds. We took l>ul two iiounds out that day.
Teriy and Mikf. tln' others not bfiiii;- in i-ood form. We
came u])on tlie ln'id standiiiii' lookinu at ns. about lialf a
mile away. The hounds hail Ifariied to look for them
when we stopj)e»l, ami ail we had to do was to }»oint in the
direction of the gaiiif. and say "Anteloijel "" The dog.s
would invariably catch siu'ht fiom the wauon. in whii 'i -.ve
always carried them.

Here Mike did the lipest work I ever saw. an<l I nevei'
expect to see it e([ualed. Th<' dog.s botii jumped from the
wau'on. and started olf; l)ut in crossing- ;i low place in the
ground the Anteloi»e were out of sight, wlim 'i'erry con-
i'luded lie was mistaken, and slojtiicd. Mike, however.
knew liis business, and ke])t on, getting within fifty yards
of the Anleloj)e before they saw liim. In the next quarter
of a mile he downed a large doe. while tlie balance of tlie
herd stopped half a mile away, on a ridge, and watched us.
AVe loaded the dead Antelope and hounds in the wagon.
and drove quartering toward the hei'd. keeping the hounds
on the lookout in the opjiosite direction, that they might be
rested for the next chase.

The Anteh)pe all this time were watching ns. and we
preseiil'ly began to i)ull in more toward them, watching every
move, so as to turn the hounds in their direction the moment
they started. Pretty soon tjiey cantered c^lf, and wIk^u we
pointed them out to the hounds, it was only an instant
until Mike and Terry both saw them, jumpetl (»ut of the
wagon together, and ran off side l)y side. The Anieloite
disapi)er:red over the ridge, and presently the hounds did
the same, apparently lunning side by side as they started.
As we had no saddle horses that day. we put the whip to the
horses, and went off at a rattling jtace for the ridge, whence

coru8ix« Tin: antkloim: wnii (.ur.YiiorNDs.

330

we fdiild st'c tilt' <'li;ist'. \Vt' tuok lio imlifc ol' I'lill'alo-
wiillows or (1'il;- (owns as we tlcw over ilirm; ami tlic way
\v»' {KHiiulfd tilt' .st'ats of that wairtin was a faiitidii In tfii-
tli'it'et't. Wlifii we arrivftl at tlif top ttf tlu' rid^^t- ovtT
uliicli lilt' htiiiiuls had disaiiiifart'tj, we saw tlif <j;i'andi'st
sifrlit 1 ever beheld in all my exiMTifiicr on tlif jilains.
Each one of the liouiuls had ciil out a line, laii;-e buck, anil,
as tlu-ydodtred back ami foith in their fiaiitic elVorls to keep
out of the jaws of the long-nt)sed hounds, which were now
al their very lieels, they would pass ami it'iiass each other,
'riit'v ke[)t this np, it seemed to ns, for five minutes; but, of
course, in our excitemi'iit and etforts tt) !i;et u^) tr) lielp tlio
dogs, 'lie time seemed much longer than it I'eally was. To
add to our anxiety, Terry had never caught one alon»^, and
we did not know what he would (h> with it after he got it.
Ihit. no doubt i'etding tlisgusted at himself for getting left
so badly in the last chase, he concliuh-d to play a lone hand
here, and to reihn'in himself by catching the largest one in
the lierd unassisted.

On we went, at better than a two-minute gate, our eyes
meanwhile on the chase. Finally, Mike caught his, and
they both fell in a pile. At the same instant, 'iV'iry made a
feaiful lunge, nailed his by the hind leg, and hung like a
vise, lie could not get it down, and it was jer,king him
aliout as a kite yanks its tail. Mike had succeeded in get-
ling his by the throat. First he was on top, then the buck;
but he never lost his grip. Our every effort was put to
test to get to Terry and help him out, as he had discovered
before this that he had an elephant on his hands which he
could neither ht)ld mn'letgo. In itselTorts to get away, the
buck would drag him around in a circle, of perhaps fifty
yards in diameter, and would pass within a few feet of
where Mike was wrestling with his: Init neither one paid
any attention to the other.

On our airival, T jumi)ed out, the team being on a run,
Just in time to meet Terry and his buck on their circuit. I
tried to grab the buck by the horns, but missed him, and
I 'rry discovered my piesence for the first time. He seemed

\, ■^rrtpmmm

340

ma <;amk of .vokth amkiuca.

to think liH had doiin soiviHtlnnu' ^vr«^n^^ and let go to l(»f)k
at nu'. The buck was nor many houis in getting on his
feet and striking out for Mexico. 1 yelled to Terry tocatch
liiiu. and the way in which ht^ responded proved that he
needed only the woi'd. He made a dash, and canght the
l»uck again l>y the fore leg, turning it a complete somer-
sault; and bf'foiv it could get up I fell on it with my hunt-
ing-knife and cut its thro.'.r. I then turned to look for
Mike and his buck. My partner had reached them, but as
he had nothing with which to <Mit the buck's throat, it was
:i rough-and-tuniI)le tight between him and it; first one was
on top, and then the other. I arrived a moment later, and
cut the Antelope's throat, when all hands, men and do^s,
laid down on the ground, completely exhausted.

After resting a half-hour, we loaded t)ur game in the
wagon, and started on in pursuit of the herd. We found
them again a mile farther on, showed them to the hounds,
and away they went. Terry soon lost sight of them, but
Mike persevered, and finally ran into the herd, when he cut
one out, and caught and killed it before we coidd get to him.
This made three he had caught alone that day, and out of
the thirteen caught on the trip, he had eleven to his
record.

This ended the hunt; and I think it safe to say that no
liarty of n.en ever enjoyed a week's sport more intensely
than we enjoyed that week with our noble Greyhounds.

frill

^Ma

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II look

on his

ocati'h

liJit he

;ht the

sonier-

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)ok i'or

but as

it was

one was

ter, antl

id dogs,

? in the
e found
hounds,
leni, but
n he out
t to him.
d out of
a to his

r that no
intensely
luuds.

,:i,

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t 1

THE DEATH OF VENUS.*

IJv \Vtij.iA¥ I'lTTMAN Lett.

LAS! poor Venus— noblest hound
That ever siu'uni.'' with caircr hound
Tho instant that tlic stent was fouud—

Tliy final hunt is o'l-rl
Never again thy hugle-nole
Shall on the breeze of morning float;
The matchless inusif of thy throat

Shall greet our ears no more.

Thi.s finger, hohling now the pen,

Wa.s on the ritle-trigger— when,

With lightning swiftness, down the glen

The liuek in terror came.
Fierce in his wake thy sfides came fast,
And loud thy voice swvlled on the blast.
Ah: little thought I 'twus thy la.st

Hun with the noble game!

Thou wert of stanch, unrivaled breed;
Swift as the Antelope in speed,
Tiiy voice was ever in the lead,

Thou queen of all the i)ack!
Not (me could wind the game like thee,
Or bound away so lithe ami free.
Or follow with such certainty

A cold and .scentless track!

True ns the be-t Damasc\is blade,
By process of refinement made;
Perfect, without a single shade

To mar thy malchless f:inie'
When thou wert slipped to scour the wood.
The watcher of the runway stood
With confidence that smoke and bluod

Would soon be tu the L'ame.

■M

' 4

"Venus was killed by \iin«:u .aif lfs.ily set out for Fixi's, Slii- was a uoblu houuii, true,
swift, and tirelesis, and liail iieeii iti at the death of many a Deer.

(iHl I

I f

' j

JM(i ».:\Mi; OK NOKIII AMKKK.A.

Oft Imvc r li^lriuil 111 flic Mniiid
Tliy liMii,Mic rani; i'cIkijih,' iirmind,
While on iM'forc, Willi Mtartlcd bound,

Tlic antlcD'd iiioiiarclt tlcii;
<»: liy Si. Hiiliiit' 'Iwa^i a yell,
Once liiard, wnuld tic rciiicmlicrcd well;
Its loud and ;;|orioiis iriini|M't-s\vell

Would almost wak- the dead!

Fierce us a Tii:<T on the run.

Yet ;jcntlc when Ihc clniM' was done;

Anil sure as holt from rillccl ^'un.

Alas! that thou art jronr!
Faithful lieyond cCn human faith,
Sad was the accidental scath
Which hurried thee to timeless death—

( If hounds the peerless oiu!

Hrave Venus! who will say 'tis wrong

For thee to sin^ a funeral soult,

Or censure sorrow, keen and strong,

For noblo beast like thee?
I would Uiat every earthly friend
May prove as constant to the end;
For even a <log a charm can lend

To proud humanity!

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN (lOAT,

IJV JullN FaNMN.

Mils iiniiiuil niny \m hriclly dt'sciiht'd jis follows:
Aver!i>;t' wciuiit :il)oiiT uiif hiiiidrt'd |»ouiids; lt'i;s
) : ''/ sliopr and sioiil; hoofs l)i'oMd and sliihliy; «'ais
^* l)ointt'd; liorns on l)otli sexes, curved backward,
from six to twelve inches lon^. ringed or r«)ugli for about
half their leiinth. then >niooth to their shar|» tips, jet-
black, and snsceiitil)le of a hiuh polish; lleece white, con-
sisting of a line wool next tlie skin and a long, straight
hair, pendent on sides of liody and legs, erect along line of
back, longer over shoulders and I'unip. giving the animal
the appearance of having a doulili' hump.

The liocky Mountain Goat has been reported as far
south as 3<5'' north latitude, and as fai' north as O'i";
but I am not aware that any dejinite information exists
res]»e('tiiig th^' limit of its northern range. My ojiinion is
that this animal will lie found as far north as theie are
mountains. This (Joat is extremely abundant in Hritish
Columbia, ranging from its southern boundary to the water-
shed of the Arctic, and from the coast-line to (he Kockies,
though i)robably mo>t abundant along the rugged jH'aks of
the Coast Range. Here, annd Nature's wildest scenes,
amid storm-swept canons and beetling crags, annd st<'el-
lilue glaciers an-l snowy peaks, where the silence is seldom
broken save by the rush of mountain torrent, the howling
of the storm, or the crashing of the treacherous avalanche;
liere, far removed from the trail of the oi'dinary hunter,
the Mountain (loat, solitary in its habits and contented
with its chaotic and gloomy surroumlings, increases and
niultijdies, v.jijle sportsmen, and even naturalists, are pre-
dicting its early extermimition. Indeed, there are few

:{44

ItKi (iAMK OF NolITll AMKKUA.

(

aniiiiiils (til til*' NdiiIi Aiufiiciiii Contiiit-iif of wliidi. lias ini;
if^^inl to it.s ilUtriliiitioii and ri-lativf aluiinhiuct'. >>u little
is known as (»f tlif HcM-liy Moiiniain (ioat.

'i'liis animal is known al^o liy tin- dillVivnt nani»'.-> of
Wliilf Cioat. Anit lojiH (toat. ami, \o tli*^ Indians of tliM
Noitliwcst Coast, as Slit-t'ii. Tlif llfcce is cliiiiit'd from
the drv skins hv these Imliaiis. and the wool and loiiu- hair
<'onn<'eted to^ethei', and iwistfd iiiio a coarse yarn liy roll-
iiiy- lift ween the hand and bare leg of the operator — this
worlv beinu'doiu' by the women. The yarn is then woven into
blankets, on the most jaimilive .sort of loom, consistin,u' of
two ni>right p(jsts, couiiected l)y two cross-bars, over which
the warp is stretched, when the weft is imssed over and
umlt'r with th(^ hand alone.

The iiianufacturi' of these blankets is still practiced by
the Indians of the Northwest Coast, but not iiearly to such
an extent as in foi nit-r days, being only indulged in by the
few who still adhere to primitive customs and those far
removed from the settlements; though a few years ago I
saw nearly one thousand of tht^se blankets given away at a
"potlatch" held by an Indian chief at Burrard Inlet.

Although, strictly speaking, an animal of the mountain-
peaks. 1 have known (xoats to be shot within a few hundred
yards of the seadevel. ami to be captured while in the act
of swimming rivers or wide stretches of .salt water. These
occurrences, however, are rare, and their Avanderings much
below the tind)er-liue are, perhaps, more from necessity
than choice. Occasionally, the deep snow forces them to
quit their lofty haunts in seaich of more favorable brows-
ing-ground in the timber below; and in tlie early spring,
when the snow has melted away from the ''slide-patches''
on the mountain-sides and along the borders of mountain
streams, the Coats wander down to nibl)le the young gra.ss
and weeds which si)ring up almost immediately with the
disappearance of the snow. Again, they f reipiently migrate,
at anv time of rear, from one mountain to another, or even
fi'om one range to another: crossing, (if course, in their
travels, whatever valleys or lowLands intervene. At such

Till i;<u KV MolMMN (.OAT.

:w:t

tiiiiHs a pot-shot may lu' liail witlmiii iiiiicli cliiiiltiiii'.
Wht'ii takfii youn^, tlicy ai>' «>a.->ily doiiH'sticjited, and will
I'dllow the iter.son wlut IW'ds tlifin with the litldity of a (l(l^^
Thi-y ill*', howt'vtT. soiiu'w liat niischicvdiis, and will ciicw
iij) aiiythiii;;' tlu'N haiipeii to coiiu' ai ross. IVoiii a iiockci
haiidkt'rchif'f \o an old boot; and one that I kept in coiiflne-
iiieiit was extremely pugnacions in the iiivscnct' ol' dogs
and cows.

Kxcept dniing the rut ling-season (Noxemiifri and in
mid-winter, they are not, to any extent, gregarious. They
are not an animal of speed, as the short, clumsy limi)swill at
once show; nor aie they ever in a hurry. Time is of Hide
importance to them; and even when startled by the appioacji
of the hunter, their mode of escape is usually in skulking
l)ehiiid some projecting rock, rather than in speedy llight.

Wonderful stories have lieen told conceining the cun-
ning and alertness of this strange animal of the luouniain-
peaks, and the great cauti<jn recpiired l»y the huniei in
stalking it; and Indians — even at the present time— will
warn you of certain rules which must be strictly followed
if you hope to become a successful (xoat -hunter. You must
not smoke; you must not l)uiUl a tire within three or four
miles of where Goats are supposed to be found; you must
wear moccasins — boots nuike toomucli noise; you must not
lire a random shot, for if you miss your (joat. gone is your
chance for that dav — all of which, so far as mv experience
goes, is the veriest rot. The Mountain Goat is, perhaps, the
most stupid animal in the mountains, and little or no skill
is required in hunting it. The great dilhculty is in reach-
ing tlie almost inaccessible places which they usuidly
inhabit.

The best time for a pleasurable litint is during the
months of Septenil)er and October, or before the "wet
sea:?on" sets in, although the skins are not in prime con-
dition till later on. Any of the modern makes of American
large-bore rifles will he found effective in the pui'snit of
this animal. In every case, when hunting, I have used a

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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2.2

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1.8

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

,-\

'<^

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 873-4503

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lUG GAMK OF N'OKTII AMKUICA.

44 Winchester, Jind have had no trouble in bringing down
the game; though rarely have I had to shoot over cue hun-
dreil yards.

There is one j^recaution which it will be well to observe;
that is, keep the wind in your face when x)ossible, as the
Goats, when they scent you, may take a notion to skulk off
among the j'ocks and keep out of sight, adding to your
trouble in finding them.

A couple of good Indians will be necessary, to pack your
grub and camp outfit, and to pick out the least difficult way
in making the trip up the mountain; for, during the months
above mentioned, Croats are rarely found below the sum-
mit. When the siiflumit is reached, if the game is not in
sight, the usual signs are sought for — a fresh track, or tuft
of wool hanging from bush or projecting rock. In places
where this game is abundant, trails will be found wjorn deep
in the soft ground.

Of course, there is always a certain amount of interest
and excitement attached to the hunting down of a wild
animal; but after his first Goat-hunt, the average sports-
man will probably conclude that the sport obtained in the
capture of the Goat hardly pays him for the leg-wearying
toil experienced in climbing the rocky heights to reach its
habitat.

During the winter months, say January and February,
if one take a canoe and a couple of Indians, and paddle
along the shore of any of the inlets which indent the coast-
line of British Columbia, he may get a shot at a Goat with-
out proceeding far from the water's edge. I have, on one
occasion, bagged three and got back to my canoe within
one hour from the time of leaving it. The only drawback
to a hunt during these months is the disagiveable, wet
weather which one is almost certain to .'ueounter in winter
on this Northwest Coast.

I have found more pleasure in sitting down on the
sunny side of a rock, and, with the aid of my field-glass,
watching an hour or two the queer actions of these sleepy-
looking denizens of the mountains, than I ever got out of a

TIIK KOCKY MOUNTAIN UOAT.

847

(Liy's shooting them. Still, the skin or liead of a Mountain
Goat can not be classed among the lesser trophies of the
sportsman's battle-field; and even in British Columbia, the
reputed home of this animal. th« white men who have killed
one can be easily counted. And then, again, there is a fas-
cination about mountain-climbing peculiarly its own. The
ever-shifting scenes of rugged peaks and gloomy canons, of
stretches of snow, of miniature lakes, of shadv "roves of
cypress and pine, the banks of blooming heather, together
with the expectation of starting, at every turn of the tortu-
ous trail, not only Goats, but Black and Cinnamon Bears and
Deer, all of which animals are found on the summit, ought
to repay him for the hard work and the many hair-breadth
escapes he has had in nuiking the ascent.

To the student of natural history, who has a desire to
study the habits of this animal, and who may be somewluit
anxious concerning its extermination in the early future,
I can say that, so far as British Columbia is concerned,
they are (m the increase instead of being diminished,
for the following reasons: The Indian, except in very
remote districts, has almost entirely abandoned the i»ursuit
of the Goat, for the reason that he finds more lucrative
employment in working for the whites, and his blankets
can now be had with less trouble than in scaling the rocky
heights to procure them from the tleece of the White Goat.
Then, again, of the white population which may till up the
country, not one in a thousand will ever develop into a Goat-
hunter. Mountain-climbing is no fool's-play, and is associ-
ated with many a discomfort which will not only van(piisli
the tenderfoot long before the summit is retiched, but will
often tax the patience and endurance of the old hunter of
the plains. The country may fill up with bustling enter-
prises and noisy industries, yet these will have litile or no
effect on the shaggy inhabitants of the mountain-peaks—
tlie conditions of food and cover for them will remain
unchanged.

Civilization may advance, but its attending influences
will play a small part indeed in (listurl)ing the solitude

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348

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

which surrounds the home of the Mountain Goat. Among
tliese rugged peaks, there is little for the avarice of man to
covet or his hand to develop; and, taking all these facts
into consideration, it may be safe to predict that the White
Goat of British Columbia will exist when all the larger
animals of the forest shall be exterminated or driven beyond
its boundaries.

One word respecting large Goats. From time to time,
stories have been told me about monster Goats that have
been met with in the mountains, and the opinion of not a
few is that a larger variety of this animal exists. During
a trip, last winter, of about a hundred miles up the coast of
British Columbia, out of about sixty skins which 1 exam-
ined at an Indian ranch, I picked out four large ones, three
of which measured five feet in length, while the fourth
measured seven feet, with a breadth of four feet ten inches.
This, even allowing lor stretching after being taken off, was
an enormous skin, and must have belonged to a monster
Goat. That two varieties of this animal exist I do not
believe; nor do I think that overgrown individuals are more
frequent with Mountain Goats than with other species of
wild animals.

As experience is the best teacher, it may be well to give
here narratis'es of two excursions after this animal, at two
different seasons of the year— one in May, the other in
September. These will give a fair idea as to the kind of
sport to be had and the nature of the difficulties to be
encountered. My experience extends over a i>eriod of many
years, and over the greater portion of this wonderful
country of forest, stream, and mountain — the coast region
of British Columbia; and I am only sorry that out of it
all I can not recall more excitement, more genuine sport,
in Mountain Goat hunting than is related in the following.
Both of these hunts took place on the north arm of Burrard
Inlet, about fifteen miles from the now flourishing city of
Vancouver, the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific
Railwav.

THE KOCKY MorXTAIX (iOAT.

349

On the morning of the 26th of May, I gathereil together
my campingoutlit, which is always of the most modest
description, consisting of llaiikets, grub, cooking-utensils,
and a 44 Winchester, and i)rocuring a couple of Indians
and a canoe, started for the head of the north arm. A
fair breeze was blowing; we hoisted sail, and our beauti-
fully modeled chinook canoe skimmed over the water like
a bird. After a four-hours' run we reached our destination,
and pitched our camp on the banks of a beautiful stream at
the head of the inlet.

It was early in tlie season, and we expected to find the
game without much climbing. The plan proposed by the
Indian was to simply paddle up and dowu the stream,
keeping a sharp lookout on the sides of the mountains
which hem in the canon. Sure enough, we had not pro-
ceeded far from camp when the old Indian pointed up the
mountain with his paddle, and said, " Sheei)."

I had with me a good field- glass, which I at once brought
to bear on the spot pointed out by the Indian. It was an
open, grassy place on the side of the mountain, down the
center of which a brook coursed its way, emptying into the
creek nearly opposite where we were standing. Anu)ng the
disjointed rocks, well up on the side of the canon -wall,
were three shaggy, white-coated animals. A council of war
was held, and an attack immediately decided upon. The
ascent of the mountain was comparatively easy, being
along the course of the stream until we neared the grassy
opening, when we had to make a long circuit to the left, in
order to keep under cover of the timber. The traveling
then became difficult, on account of the great number of
fallen trees and the immense growth of v species of
umbrella-plant, locally known as "devil's walking-stick;"
and woe to the hand which clutches one of these sticks
for a friendly support !

We at last reached the level on which the grassy spot
was situated, toward which, still picking our footsteps, and
guarding against the slightest snap of a twig, we kept on.
Fortune seemed to favor us, for right in front, and shutting

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350

BIO OAMK «»F NOHTII AMKIJKA.

ont the opening from view, was ta rocky, nioss-rovered
ridge, up the side of which we crept, and cautiousl;* peered
over the top. There, within (»ne liiindred yards, were tliree
Goats quietly feeding, apparently unconscious of our
ai)proach; while farther on, and about foui- hundred fnet
farther up, perched on the i>innacle of a rock, stood a large
buck Goat, whose attention was apparently attracted by
the prospect of fresh feeding-gi'ounds on the mountains
across the valley. Or he might have been a sentinel watch-
ing over the safety of his three companions in the little
oi»ening below him. If so, he was ii careless one, for his
l)osition commanded a clear view of the rock on which we
lay. and no warning of our approach had been given.

Choosing our victims, v.e fired, and the thiee dropped
almost in their tracks. Hastily throwing a fiesh cartridge
into my ritle, I turned to look for the sentinel, but hn liad
disajipeaved. In an instant, Charlt-y was olf, droi)ping
powder and ball into his old muzzle-loadt'r as he ran; and
while I was engaged in taking measurements of the three
Ave had killed, the loud report of his musket sounded -'ar
up the mountain-side, and jiresently he api)eared on the
point of rock on which we had first discovered the st'utinel,
and, shouting down the warning " Klash naiiUrh!" {\ou\^
out), before I could utter a woid to prevent him, he tumbled
the carcass of the unfortunate Goat over the cliff. Down it
came, a limp, shaggy, white mass, bounding from crag to
crag, till it reached the fiat on which we stood, shattered
and torn beyond use. Its horns were sjilit into shreds, its
jaws broken, and great patches of hair cut clean from the
skin — in fact, it was useless as a specimen.

I felt annoj'ed, and only awaited the api)roach of Charley
to give him a severe reprimand. But Ihe old hunter, chaf-
ing under Charley's success, and indignant at his presunip-
tion in acting without orders, at once opened out upcm him
with a burst of eloquence that, to anyone c(»nversant with
the guttural oratory of the Indian, must have been scathing
in the extreme. He concluded by informing Ciiarley that
we were collecting the skins of animals and birds solely in

THK ItorKY MnfXTAIX COAT.

351

the interents of wcieuce, siiid \\v\v not killing as do the
Indians, who hunt nierel}' io satisfy tlifir hungry stomachs.
But Charley took it all good-naturedly; and when the old
fellow's back was turned, lie held up two of his lingers, to
show that lie had killed two Goats, while the mighty
hunter had bagged oidy one.

Our descent of the mountains, tf) where we had left the
canoe, was not at all difhcult, as the hard snow along the
border of the creek allowed us to drag our si)eciniens with-
out injury to the skins.

The next day's si»ort, though of a somewhat exciting
character, did not redound nuich to my fame as a (Joat-
hunter. The ascent of the mountain had been difhcult, and
in many i)la(;es dangerous, and more than once the assist-
ance of my trusty guides had to make n[i for my lack of
iron nerve. Creeping along the face of a clilf, with a thou-
sand feet between y<»u and the tirst halting-place should
you happen to miss your footing, is a feat which few ama-
teurs in mountain ti-avel may accomplish with ease. Muscle
and endurance are valuable adjuncts to the comixtsition of
a sportsman, but in hunting the ^fountain Goat, muscle
and endurance will avail him nothing if he be lacking in
that most necessary of all qualifications, a steady liead; and
the enthusiastic hunter, uiged on by the excitement of the
chase, with the game kee])ing just beyond the reach of his
rifle, may lind himself at a point where to go on is impos-
sible, and to return recpiires the nerve and coolness of a
Bhmdin.

We at length readied a shelf, from which, to gain the
top, the old hunter had to mount on the shoulders of his
brother; after which he lowered the butt of his musket
for Charley to cling to, and, with my assistance, he also
ascended. The old fellow then formed a loop on one end of
his 'elt, and fastening the other to the butt of his musket,
pas!!>jd it down for my assistance. I, however, began to
look at the thing from a purelj'^ scientific point of view. I
had much to learn concerning the habits of the Mountain
Goat; in fact, I had only just commenced the task. Now,

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«IO <»AME OF NORTH AMEKKA.

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tilt" belt, which was an old one, might jiossibly break, and
a fall bjick to the narrow shelf on which I was standing
might carry me over its edge, and that would be the end of
me. So I told the Indians to go over the ridge, and if they
found any Goats, to come back, and I would then make the
attempt.

They hjid scarcely been gone ten minutes when they
commenced tiring, the sound of their muskets echoing and
reechoing along the mountain-side. Shot after shot was
fired, till the whole place appeared to resound with one
conti«uous roar of musketry. I became excited, and ran
along the shelf in hope of finding some more accessible
place by which to reach the top; but the search was fruit-
less, so I came back, sat down, and, lighting my pipe to
soothe my excitement, awaited the return of the Indians.

In the meantime the firing had ceased, and presently the
old hunter, with a frown on his swarthy brow, appeared on
the crest of tlie ridge, and sliding down on the shelf seated
himself beside me.

He was in a decidedly wrathy mood, refused to have
anything more to do with the hunt so long as Charley
remained, and urged me strongly to send him home. It
appeared that shortly after leaving me they came upon a
band of seven Goats, and as they had approached them
from above, there was a good opportunity for rare sport had
they returned to notify me, as I had instructed and as the
old hunter wislied. But the uncontrollable Charley at once
opened fire, and the old hunter, fearful lest he should again
be behind, followed suit. Whether from excitement or the
inaccuracy of their flint-lock muskets, it is hard to say —
out of all their shooting but one Goat fell, and that at
Charley's first fire.

As the old man Avas in bad humor, I decided to return to
camp; but on reaching the canoe, an exclamation from Char-
ley drew our attention to a mountain on the opposite side
of the creek, where, in a small opening, we discovered a she-
Goat with a young kid, the latter appearing like a mere
speck of snow skipi)ing about among the rocks.

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ike the

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WANTED-A FRIENDLY HAND.

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TIIK l{oi KV MorXTAIN (in.VT.

Hrt'ore isiartiiig out, 1 luicl olleifd ii lair reward for tlif
captiue of a kid, and this was tlie old man's oppoi! unity.
As lit* was strippinj^ for the chasf, hr tu!ii»'d to Cliailfy and
coniinandt'd him to r»'inain below and occupy his tinu* in
catching I rout, with which the stream abounded. He then
disappeared in the dense growth of timber which inter-
vened between the creek au<l tile foot of the mountains;
while 1 took up a favorable [tositiou, with my gla.ss, to wutcii

Goati — Female and Youn(?.

the success of the chase. The ascent must have been diffi-
cult, for two hours passed before the crouching form of the
Indian ai)peared in the oi)ening. A short time before this,
the old Goat must have snuffed the danger, for she started
up the mountain, and at the moment the Indian came in
sight had reached a shelf to which the kid was unable to
follow. All this time a large, white-headed eagle soared in
majestic circles directly over the scene. After several

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854

HIO <JA>IK OK NOKTII A M KUK A.

unsiiccfssriil MitHinpfs |(» r»'a('h its (hmi, tli»' kidsiart^'d Itjick
toward tlu! point IVoiii wliicli tiif Indian was advancing; hut
l»'l'ort'iii'on'('din^Mt'ry far, si)nin>,'<lown upotia narrow shell",
and stood (OMCHalHdl)en»'atii an ovcrlian^iin^^ busli.

Tlie Indian, in tin- infant inic \vori\in<i' his way iiitwnrd,
Mtop[MMl witliin a iVw I't-t-t of tlif phicf; but from ins actions
I was satisfied lie was i;;noran: of tiie iiid's j»ositi(»n, and
f«'arin<; tlic itrixe would t'scajM', in my excitement 1 shoutt'd
at tin* top of my voice. The sound must luive died away
before reachin^f him, for he took n(» notice. Presently, he
raised his musket and leveled it at the old one. which still
remained iti the same i)osition on the shelf above; but lower-
ing it a^aiii, he commenced a search among the rocks for
the lost kid.

His stupidity annoyed me. for, had he kept his position,
he c(»mman(h^d. so far as I couhl see, theoidy way by which
the kid could escape. Below was a perpendicular clilf of a
thousand feet, against the side of whi'-h no possible foot-
hoM f(ir anything without wings could be seen. Jiut in
this I was mistaken, for a rock, loosened by the Indian's
foot, rolling over the clilf started the little aninud from its
hiding-place, and, with a bound, it si»rung outward and
down. The thought of its fate sent a cold shudder thnjugh
me. A thousand feet sheer down, to be ground to atoms
on the rocks below I

But no — down it went, fifteen or twenty feet, and alighted
on a rocky cone which stood out at a slight angle from the
main cliff, on the to^) of which there was scarcely room for
its feet huddled together. Had it started from tliat point
and soared away over the tops of the trees which studtled
the valley, I would not have been more surprised, and I
waited breathlessly for the next move.

For a incnnent it I'ested like a speck of snow upon the
dark-gray granite cone. then, with ;i downward spring of
perhaps ten feet, it reached a narrow slielf which had before
escaped my notice, and which ran along the face of the cliff
to the wooded mountains on the right. But a sadder fate
awaited the unfo)tunate animal than if it had fallen into

Tin: l{«M KY MtMNTAIN <Hi.\T.

M.V.

the hiiiuls of tilt* Iiuliiiii. TliH tHnil)|«> bird wliidi. in iiar-
I'owin^ cii'clcfs, liiid kfpt alxtvt* tin* nc»'IU'. iind whets*' picic-
iiij; »•>■»' liinl tiiUt'ii ill tilt' vaiita^f (»l" the posilioii ilic Uitl
.sfjiaiatt'd I'riiiii tlif iirotfctittii oC ilstlaiii sIi»|i|m'(1 siiddi'iily
in itfs (•(Hirsf, tlifii swoopj'd dowiiwaril swift as tlii* li^ilii-
niiiK's Hash, and sfizinu; tlif poor kid. just w)<»'ii life and
Ijlit'ity se'HinHd so nt-ar, lioif it from thf dill', i ttt-rt'd a
niftint'iit in niid-air. thfn tlriflfd downwai'd :'ioii^' thf
iii(»iintain-hidt', ilisappearing bfluw thf tops -f the swaying
liis.

Tilt' ''use was ovt^f, and, with a sitrhof (lisai>])oiiitiiit'nt. T
shut up my glass and awaitfd thf rt'turn of tli' Indiaii It
was Ufaily dark whfu w*^ ivaclifd fanip. Afiti partaking
of stuiif of the dt?li('ious trout wliifh Charlfy had liottked
from tlif crffk. I lit my pipf, and bfing tirt-d with my f\t'r-
tions, rollfd myself in my l)lankfts. With a hfaiiiiful,
dear sky for a roof, aii<l tin* '"l-ahlilf, haMilf " t)f thf ciffk
for a lidlaby, I lay dozing, cogitatijig over tin* fv< nts of the
day.

Finally, tin* forms of thf two Indians, dimly outlined
through thf sinokt* of tin* camp-lirf, fach^l fiitirfiy away; 1
glich'd into dreamland, ami all through the night rfeiiat'ted
the scenes of the chase— the kitl's terrible leap, my frantic
exertions to reach the toi) of a dill" whcif (toats wcrt* being
killed by the two Imlians, till at last a largt*. whitf headed
bird lifted me fnjin the rocks, dropped me over a preci-
pice — then, with a start, I awoke and found it was daylight.
My dusky companitms were already astir; and after the
morning's meal I aniuMinced my intention of starting for
home, as I liad procured what specimens I required for tlie
present.

The next hunt was made in September, with the same two
Indians and an old companion, Dick Orrifftn, whose experi-
ence in Mountain Goat hunting equals, ii act surpasses,
mine. We reached the foot of the mountain which we
had decided to ascend about noon, and dividing our blank-
ets and grid) into two packs for the Indians to carry,

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350

BIO GAME OF NOKTII AMEHICA.

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coniiTU'iiced the ascent at half-past twelve. After five jihrl
a half hours of hard climbing, we pitched our camp within
the timber, a few hundred yards below the bare summit.
The Indians advised this, lest by cami)ing in the open
our camp-fire might warn the game of our presence.

By daylight tlie next morning we had eaten our break-
fast of bacon, crackers, and coffee, and leaving the timber
behind, passed up a beautiful, grassy lane to the summit.

We had scarcely reached this when a dense fog encircled
us in every direction. It was so thick that objects two
hundred yards distant were totally obscured. This was
aggravating, the more so as appearances indicated a contin-
uance of tills state of things all day. The air was chilly,
and, as we had left our coats at the foot of the mountain, we
were obliged to unpack our blankets and wrap them
around us.

At half-past eleven a sligiit breeze sprung up, a few
faint shafts of light penetrated the darkness, and then, as
if by magic, the great bank of fog rolled away; the sun
burst forth in all his splendor of noon, and dayliglit was
with us. ^Ve were now enabled to determine our position,
and found we were on the summit of the divide between
the north arm of Burrard Inlet and Seamour Creek — a
broken and uneven backbone, made up of sharp ridges,
deep ravines, and level stretches, as smooth as if graded
by human hands. Everywhere, except on the tops of
the rocky ridges, was heather— beautiful, sweet-scented
heather — over which we moved as if treading on carpet.

We now picked out a place for a permanent camp, and
leaving our grub and blankets there, started out on our
hunt. At every step we came upon fresh signs of the
game, but for awhile the Indians appeared puzzled as to
which way to steer; for although the country was open,
and the eye could reach for miles in any direction, yet the
broken state of the ground was such that Goats might be
within a few hundred yards of us and still be out of sight.

At length the old Indian left us, and started down the
side of the ridge. He had hardly gone two hundred yards

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.

857

when he turned and signaled lis to approach. Siipposii.g
the game to be at least three or four hundred yards away,
we hastily scrambled down after him; but what was my
surprise, upo" reaching him and peering over the clumi) of
cypress behind wliicli he was standing, to see four Goats —
two females and two kids — within thirty yards.

There was a clear, open field for a running-shot should
they attempt to escape, and feeling confident that I was
good for two of them before they could get out of range, I
stood out in open view to watch their actions. Thwre was
none of that startled look about them which we notice in
Deer and other wild animals at the approach of danger.
There was no throwing up the head for a moment, and then
bounding away as if a whirlwind had undertaken to pack
them out of sight. On the contrary, these silly brutes
appeared to look at us stupidly from under their eyebrows,
and then, with their heads scarcely raised a foot frojn the
ground, trotted off about a dozen yards to the right, wheeled,
and retraced their steps. I felt almost ashamed to shoot;
but hearing the lever of Dick's Bullard falling back to its
place, I opened fire, and with four shots we drojiped the
foui', within fifty feet of where we first discovered them.

It was past one o'clock when we got the pelts off, and
feeling somewhat liungry, we decided to make our noonday
meal of Mountain Goat, or rather of kid, for my experience
with this animal is that the adults are not of the 'most
savory character.

The i.ieal finished, I gave my rifle to the old Indian (who
had come without a gun), and taking my shotgun, started
toward the top of one of the ridges, on the lookout for
ptarmii.',an, while Dick and the two Indians moved along
the foot, to a gap which cut through the ridge about a quar-
ter of a mile from the point at which I was ascending.

Before reaching tlie top, I turned to take a look at the
country behind me; and just here I picked up a little expe-
rience concerning at least one Mountain Goat, which, taking
into consideration the wonderful stories told by the Indians
as to their acute senses of hearing and scent, surprised me.

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358

inO GAME OV XOIJTII AMERICA.

On the top of a ridge which ran at riglit-angles with the one
I was on — tlie two being separated by the gap before men-
tioned — I discovered a hirge buck Goat poking along on
tlie very edge. The side of this ridge appeared to nie to be
almost vertical, and its height about seven or eight hundi'ed
feet. About half-way between it and the one 1 was on, the
smoke of our camp-fire curled up and drifted off in the
direction of Seamour Creek.

This Goat ai)peared to care nothing for camp-fires. He
was going to come down the side of that ridge if he broke
his neck in the attempt; and so I sat lown to watch him.
His distance from me was not over five hundred yards, and
with my glass I could watch every move he made. About
thirty yards below him, growing out of the side of the cliff,
was a bunch of broad-leaf plants, which the Indians had
told me were a favorite food of the Goat. This spot
appeared to be his objective i)oint; and carefully he worked
his way down till he reached it, when he commenced
feeding.

Just then I was startled by a Ard; Mk-l-ak just above me,
and looking up, discovered a Hock of ptarmigan not twenty
yards away. There were eight of them, and I shot them
all, firing seven shots; yet the Goat stood there as uncon-
cerned as if he were a thousand miles away. And still he
must have heard the shooting, because Dick, who was twice
as far away, and nearly in the same direction, heard every
shot. I felt somewhat disappointed, on picking up my
birds, to find that they were the black-tail instead of Layo-
pus leuciirufi. They were also in the last stage of summer
plumage, and scarcely fit specimens to mount.

Hanging my game on the limb of a cypress, I reached
the top of the ridge, and found I commanded a view of the
opening into which my companions had gone through the
gap, and I at once began Xo look for them. "Presently, I
diiicovered two dark objects beneath the shadow of a spread-
ing pine, which, with the aid of my glass, I made out to be
Dick and the younger Si wash; while farther on, near the
foot of the opposite ridge, was Seaminux, creeping along as

TllK KOCKY MOIIXTAIX (iO.VT.

350

if on t)ie lookout for some animal nliead. The
Indian got up and started back toward the gap, anil just
then 1 heard a shot in tlie direction of Seammux; but before
I could bring my glass to bear on the spot, a dense fog
rolled up the opening, and enveloped the whole scene in
darkness. Then came another shot, and another, until 1
counted nine shots in quick successicm.

I became alarmed, thinking probably that my com-
panions had stumbled onto a Cinnamon Bear; and 1 was
on the point of starting down the ridge and through the
gaj) to join them, when the voice of Bick came iip through
the thick fog, "Catch 'im alive!" and then a hearty •"ha I
ha 1 ha I " from the same individual satisfied me that noth-
ing was wrong. So I resumed my seat, and waited for the
fog to lift. It rolled away almost as suddenly as it came,
and I then discovered Dick and Seammux bending over
some animal, which, with the aid of my glass, I made out
to be a Goat.

I turned to look for my friend on the cliff. He was still
in the same place feeding away, but another actor had come
upon the stage. A 'dark object was creeping toward the
white one. It was the young Siwash. Stealthily he i)icked
liis way along the side of the ridge until he got within what
appeared to me fifty yards of liis prey. Then he halted; a
puff of smoke shot out in front of him, the Goat sprung
backward— in fact, turned completely over — and fell, a tlis-
tance of fully five hundred feet, to the bottom of the cliff.

In a short time the young Indian joined me, bringing
with him the mutilated skin of the unfortunate Goat.
Ever since the start, there had been a jealous feeling
between the two Indians — more noticeable on the i)art of
Seammux — because 1 had engaged the young Indian as
guide; and all points as to routes and the chances for game
were referred to him. I did this out of spite, simply to
punish the old fellow for the way he acted on a former trip.
He, however, missed no opi)ortuiiity to sneer at any i)ropo-
cition the young fellow made; and n(»w it wjis Tillicum's
turn, and, as he seated himself beside me, he asked if 1 had

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KIO (1AM K OF NCJKTII AMEKICA.

H i

lieard the shooting' in the valley below us. 1 replied that 1
had, and a.sked what it was all about. With a sort of com-
ical grin on his greasy face, lie answered, ''K/o/ki.s.s sot/ers''^
(perhaps it was soldieis).

It turned out that Seamniux had lired the nine shots at
one Goat, and the young Indian had stood by and laughed
at him. In the meantime, Dick had brought down another
Goat, which made seven— more thau we could manage; so
I gave the order to shoot no more, to i)ick uj) our skins, and
head for camp.

It was live o'clock when we reached a spot about three
hundred feet above ourcump. and h)oking down and seeing
that everything was just as we left it, we sat down to rest
before going down ihe slo])*^. We had scarcely seated our-
selves, when Sean I mux, pointing across the valley in the
direction of Seamour Creek, exclaimed, "Xik<i tnm-tum
spaz " (I think that's a Bear). All eyes were turned in the
direction indicated, and, sure enough, a dark object was
discovered, which, with my glass, I made out to be a large
Black Bear, and with it three good-sized CTd)s. They were
in the bottom of a ravine, the mouth of which enteied the
valley directly ojiposite where we were sitting, and was
about three-quarteis of a mile away. Tlie hills on each
side were at least fifty feet high; that to the lei't timbered,
that on the right, with the exception of one solitary tree,
bare. But that tree proved to be in a favorable position, for
the wind coming from the left, the approach had to be made
up the slope on which it stood.

After all, there is a good deal of murder in the shooting
down of a wild animal; at least so it has seemed to me in
many cases of my own experience- -this one I am al)out to
relate, in particular. Here is an ? imal enjoying the free-
dom of a wilderness almost unknown to man. Theie is no
cautiousness — no thought of danger — because there is no
animal of her surroundings that she dreads. Slie strolls
leisurely along, stopping now and then to pick up some
choice root or caress a favoiite cub. The sun is sinking
lower and lower behind the hills. The shadows of approach-

that T
f coiu-

liots at
uiglied
uutlier
iige; so
ns, and

three
L seeing
. to rest

etl oiir-

in the
niii-tnm
d in the
ect was

a h\rge
ley were
I'led the
and was

on each
i inhered,
iuy tree,
jtion, for

be made

sliooting
L to me in
I about to
the free-
liere is no
iHve is no
he strolls
up some
is sinking
approach-

TllK IJiKKY MOIN'IAIX G(tAT.

361

ing night are creeping higher and higher up the opposite
slope. She stretches her great length on the heather-
covered ground, and placing her head between her paws,
quietly watches the playful frolics of her three cubs. Hark!
AVhat is that? Only a whistle; but it comes from the lips
of a human being, and. as if seized with the dread of some
terrible danger, she raises her head, turns it in the direc-
tion of the sound, when the object for whi(!li that whistle
was given is attained, and the next instant a. bullet from a
Winchester ritle crashes through her skull. She springs to
her feet, and uttering the most i^iteous wail I ever heard
from the lips of human or beast, drops dead among her
cubs, which a moment after share the fate of their mother.

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THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP.

By G. o. Suiki.ds (•Coqcixa').

^IIE Rocky Mountain Sheep is one of the wildest,
wariest, and most difficult to hunt, successfully, of
all North American game quadrupeds. His habi-
^' tat beii.g the highest, raggedest, and most forbid-
ding mouptiiin ranges, it is only by the most arduous
toil, th'^ most wearisome and, in many cases, dangerous
climbing, that the hunter can reach the feeding-grounds of
the wild Sheei? at all; and once there, his skill will be taxed
to its utmost to get within ritie-range of the game. He will
be fortunate indeed if, after he has crawled a quarter of a
mile, and has almost reached the point fi-om which he hoped
to make a successful shot, one of the capricious currents of
wind that are so often fatal to the hopes of the mountain
hunter does not sweep up a canon or around a crag, in a direc-
tion immediately opposite to that from which it has been
blowing, and carry his scent to the delicate nostrils of O0/5,
for the sense of smell in this animal is equally as keen as
that of sight. He will also be fortunate if, after hours of
careful and tedious, time-killing and back-breaking stalk-
ing, he does not displace a loose rock and start it rolling
down the mountain, or if he does not break a dry juniper-
twig, the sound of either of which would send the game
leaping and dancing away among the crags.

The Big Horn is gregarious in its tastes, and a few years
ago bands of several hundred were frequently seen together.
Now it is rare indeed that so many as fifty are found in one
place. The sportsman is extremely fortunate who can find
a band of ten or fifteen after riding and climbing a week to
reach their range.

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Hid <iAM^) (»F NOIITII AMKKICA.

When bands of Sheep are feeding, they usnally post a
sentinel on some piominent point, to vatcli for possible
(lan<;er; and when about to lie down, they seek the highest
ground in the neighborhood, in oi'der that each member
of the flock may act as his own guaidian.

The muscular development of this animal is simply mar-
velous; and while possibly nctt as graceful and elastic in his
movements as the Deer or the Antelope, yet he will leap
from crag to crag, will l)ound up over ragged ledges, over
ice-glazed slopes, or down perpendicular precipices, alighting
on broken and disordered masses of I'ock, with a courage
and a sure-footedness that must challenge the admiration
of everyone who has an opportunity to study him in his
mountain home.

It may be well to state once more, however, that all the
old stories of hunters and mountaineers, to the effect that
the Sheep jump over precipices and alight on their heads,
•are purely mythical. A full-grown ram weighs three hun-
dred pounds or more; and while his horns would probably
stand the shock of such a fall, his bones would not. His
neck, and probably every other l)one in his body, would, if
lie jumped from a precipice and fell fifty or a hundred feet,
be crushed to splinters. Besides, if the rams could stand
it, and come out of it safely, what would become of the ewes
and lambs, which have not the big horns, and which follow
wherever the rams lead 'i A Sheep never jumps down a
sheer precipice of more than ten or fifteen feet; and when
ever or wherever he does jump, he always lands on his feet.

General Gordon, one of the Special Indian Commission
ers, who was traveling in Northern Washington when I was
there, bought from a hunter the head of a ram that had the
tips of the horns broken. The General showed them to
several persons of ni}^ acquaintance, and said he had never
bi^fore believed the stories of the Sheep jumping down
mountains and alighting on their heads, but that now he
was compelled to believe them, for here was an undeniable
proof of the truth of them. This noble animal had, he
said, undoubtedly broken his horns in this way. But I can

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TIIK n(»<KY MorXTAIX SIIKKP.

866

assure the General that the horns on his specimen had been
broken while their formei- owner was en^^aj^ed in lif^hting;
and. Imndreds of others, wliich may be seen in nniseums and
in private collections throughout the country, have been
broken in the same way.

Generally speaking, the range of the Kooky Mountain
Sheep may be said to extend from Old Mexico to Alaska,
and from the eastern base of the Rock} Mountains to the
Pacific Coast, though there are some ranges of mountains
within these limits in which it has never been found. On
the other hand, it ranges down the Missouri and Yellow-
stone Rivers to a line some four hundred miles east of the
Rocky Mountains. Here it finds refuge in the Bad Lands
and rocky cliffs that border these streams.

This animal has few characteristics in common with the
domestic Sheep. The horns of the wild ram resemble some-
what those of the domestic species, although much more
massive; but the wild ewe has horns six to eight inches
long, that curve backward, while the domestic ewe has none.
The wild Sheep has a heavy coat of stiff, coarse hair, much
like that of the Elk. Some writers have stated that under-
neath this there is a heavy coat of wool. This is an exag-
geration. There is but a scant allotment of the wool — not
enough to hide the skin Avhen the hair is plucked out.

In color, also, Oi^is Montana closely resembles the Elk,
being of a light-brown, or almost red, in summer, and turn-
ing to a gray in winter. It has the same ashy-white patch
on the rump as is seen on the Elk, while tlie muzzle is
lighter colored, and the belly and Hanks are white. The
tail is only about two inches long, and seems to be entirely
useless.

The rams grow to a height of three feet and six inches
at the shoulder, and attain a weight of three hundred and
fifty pounds, while the ewes average about one-third smaller.

The horns of the male grow to a great size. I have in
my collection the head of a ram, killed in the Little Mis-
souri Bad Lands, the horns of which measure sixteen inches
in circumference at the base, and thirty-six and one-fourth

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HIO (i.VMK OF \(»|{TII AMKIJK A.

inclit's in l«'n<;lli. Tlicy arn badly battered at the tips,
from ti<;litin<;' pidbably two or tiiiee inches of each liorn
having Ijecn l)roi\en olf. The i)eculiai' shape of the horns
of the ewe lian fietpiently caused her to be mistaken for an
Ibex, or a speciesof " l{ed doat," by inexperienced Imnters.
The appearance of tiie Hi;;; Horn in tlie Missouri and Yel-
hmstone \''alleys seems to liave been due to some accident
or caprice, tiiough the bands that are tliere seem contented,

•T"

Mother and Son.

i I

and make no effort to migrate to the mountains. Tlie
favorite haunt of the species in general is, as already stated,
the higher ranges of mountains, in the neighborhood of per-
I>etual snow and ice. Tliey are occasionally found at an
altitude of twelve thousand feet in summer, though in the
early spring they frequently descend into the valleys, in
search of the first green vegetation, or of alkali.

The abilitj' of the wild Sheep to scale forbidding beds of
rock and ice is owing to their being -^hod with a pad of a
soft, bhick substance closely resembling crude rubber,

TIIK 1!0(KY MnfVTAIX SlIKl.l'

'M7

whidi clings with great tenacity to any (jbjt'ct with which
it conies in contact.

Tlie young of this species (usually one, hut s(rtnetijues
two in number) are (lroi»i»e(l in May or the early part of
June; and wlieu a few days old, will follow tlieii' mothers,
if alarmed, over rocky walls where it would seem that a
Wildcat could scarcely liiid a foot-hold.

The flesh of the liocky Mountain Shet-p is adjudged liy
most hunters the most delicious venison in the mountains,
and the roasted ribs of a fat young ram, with a couple of
hard-tacks, have often, after a hard day's climb, furnished
nie a repast that I have relished more, lieside my camp-tire,
than any spread I ever sat down to within t he confines ot
civilization.

Notwithstanding all the natural instincts of the Big
Horn, he may ))e overcome by the experienced and skillful
liunter. The natural alertness, the wariness, the keen eve,
the quick ear, and the acute scent of the one. are no match
for the trained eye, the cat-like tread of moccasined foot,
the superior reasoning faculties, and th(^ ])reech-loading
rifle of the other; for. after all, the white man is the snuirl-
est aninud on the earth. And so the doom (»f the Mountain
Sheep is written in his own l)lood. as is that of all the ' j,e
game animals on this c(mtinent. How long it will be before
the bones of the last specimen of this noble race are left to
whiten on his native rocks, it is inipo.ssible to say; but it is
only a question of time.

Within the memory of men now living, there were thou-
sands of wild Sheep on various mountain ranges in Colo-
rado where not a track of one has been seen for Ave years
past; and some of the best-infoinied hunters and guides
assert that there are not now a hundred Big Horns left in
that whole State. In all the far western States and Terri-
tories, the Sheep have been rapidly reduced in nundiers, year
by year, until now they can oidy be found in small bands,
and in the most remote fastnesses on the continent.

Perhaps the best liunting of this class is now to be found
in British Columbia; and as few readers of this volume will

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Uia OAME OF NOKTII AMEIMCA.

ev«.'r Jmve the opixjitunitit's tluit I have been fortunate
enough to enjoy for liunting and studying this game, I
will narnite some of the incidents of a trij) I made into this
northt-rn range in the autumn of 1887.

We liad traveled on horseback — carrying our camp
supplies on pack-aniiiKils— a distance of (me liundred and
eiglity-Hve miles fnmi Spokane Falls, and on arriving at
Loomis' ranch, the last one we were to pass before starting
up the mountain, we deposited there all our provisions
except enough to last us live days, and on the following
morning started on the trail that leads through the foot-hills
to and up Mount Chopaca.

We reached timber-line, on the first peak, late in the
afternoon, and hunted there that evening, but saw no signs
of Sheep, though we found plenty of Deer, and killed one
fawn for present use.

Before dark I i)rospected the range, and seeing another
peak about three nnles northwest that looked better, we
started for it at daylight next morning, with our rifles and
saddle-horses, leaving everything else behind. We reached
the base of it, and rode our horses up as far as they could
go. Then we jjicketed them on a grassy bench, and pro-
ceeded to climb to the top on foot.

We separated soon after leaving our horses. When I
reached the summit, I took out my field-glass, adjusted it,
and commenced to sweep the surrounding country for
game. I had just got fairly settled down to looking, when
I saw a large band of aninuds quietly feeding along the
side of a si)ur of the mountain nearly a mile away, and
several hundred feet below me. At first, it was difficult to
determine whether they were Mountain Sheep or Deer, but
a minute's scrutiny revealed the fact that they were Ovis
3Io)itann. I had now no interest in whatever else might be
seen from the peak, and returning the field-glass to its case,
I made a hurried descent from the summit, to get to the
diverging ridge on which the Sheep were.

And here let me digress to say that a good field-glass is
an almost indispensable item in a hunting-outfit for the

TIIK KOCKY MurN'TAIX SlIEKl'.

nnHintiiiiis. It often Haves one long wnlks tind weary (■Iinil)H.
Hyits aid you may often turn a black log into a Hear, a few-
gray rocks into a luincli of Sheej* or heer, or /vVv nrsa.
\\y its aid you may often lind game on wiiat appeal's to he
oj-en. unoccupied gntund, and where you woulil not tiiink
of going to look for game if you did not first see it there.
Tiien you liave a great advantage in stall^ing tlie game if
you kiu)w exactly whei-e it is while so far away. You
woidd often frighten it by a noisy misstep, or by api)roaching
it from the windward, if you did not know its exact where-
abouts. I shoidd never have seen this band of Siieep at all
had I not had the glass, for they were on ground that \
should not have considered favorable, and should never
liave gone there to look for them. Furthei-more, the glass
is useful in picking out routes through an uidviiown coun-
try. You may often see, by the aid of the glass, and fi'om
a promontory, a trail, miles away, winding up or down
the side of a mountain, or along a stream, or over a i)rairie,
that you would never have found with the naked eye.
You may, with it, tind broad fields of impassable slide-
rock, or great swamps, in time to avoid them, where to
the naked eye all looked fair. A good field-glass costs
but a few dollars, weighs only a pound or two, and, to
a hunter in the mountains, is often worth its weight in
gold.

When I got down onto the lower ridge, where I was out
of sight of the Sheep, my next precaution was to make a
wide detour, to get to the leeward of them. Then, being
within a few hu.i'lred yards of them, I started with cautious,
cat-like tread to move toward tliem. The hill was covered
with "chip rocks'' — that is, small flakes of shale, over
which it was almost impossible to walk without making
soni.> noise; but my feet being shod with moccasins, I was
able, by exercising the utmost care, to move quietly. How-
ever, when I reached 1 !^e top of the ridge opposite where I
thought the Sheep shoi d be, and peered cautiously over,
there stood the old r; a\, evidently the sultan who ruled
this large harem, looking at me.

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IU(i (iAMK <»F XCKTIl AMKIMCA.

Tlie ]iPH]-[)late of tlie rifle was already pressing my
slifiilder, and niy lirst view of him was over the gleaming
banel. Instantly, the little gold front sight gleamed like
II spark of lii'e on his great, broad, nmseular chest, and ere
he had determined what the strange appaiition was that
had risen so stealthily on the horizon, a clond of smoke hid
him motuenlaiily from me. a deafening detonation went
rolling and echoing across the canon, and the snltan fell
strnggling in his tracks. He was nearer to me than 1 had
tlionght. and having taken a little coarscM' aim than neces-
sary, the bullet had gone thi'ee or four inches higher than
I intended, and had bi'oken his neck.

Nearly all writers who have written of this animal have
told us of its wond^rfid vitality, and that if shot, almost
anywhere, even through the heart, it will invarial)ly run
from two hundi'ed yards to a mile befoie falling; and not
knowing that niy bid let had gone above the point aimed at,
I was surpi'ised to see this ram di'op in his tracks.

We have furthermoie been told, by these same writei's,
that the wild Slieej) of the mountains always run up-hill
when alarmed. This is also an error. All my experience
with them has been directly in cimtradictiou of this state-
ment; and this herd (like all the othei's I have ever fright-
ened) lit out down the hill at the best .speed they could
make. I lired two shots at them as they went, but none of
tliem stopped. They went to the bottom of a deep cai'ion.
crossed it. and clind)ed the other side, disappearing around
the point of a mountain half a mile away. I counted them
as they went up. and there were twenty-three of them,
neaily all ewes and lambs.

Then I turned my attention to the ram. He had stood on
the brink of the hill, and in his dying struggles was gradu-
ally working over it. H' he should once get stai'ted down
it, he woidd go to the bottom of the canon, which was at
least six hundred feet deep, and I had to catch him by a
hind foot and hoM him till he was dead.

Immediately after I finished my fusillade, I heard my
companion fire four shots in rapid succession, away across

W']!

TlIK IKIC'KY yioX N'TAn SlIKKP.

•Ml

tilt' ciiuon. When he cunh' to me, lie ,s;ii(l lie liiid located
four Sheei), and was sneakiiiu' on them when I liivd. My
shots alarmed them, and they ran. Ih' shot at llicm at
loni!,' range, and one ram IV'li. hut immc(liatt'ly <i(>t n\) ami
tried to run. lie kejit ialling and staggering till he leaohed
the brink of a great precipice, wiieu he fell over and
went to the bottom of it, no doubt crushed to a sha^ieless

The Sultan of Chopaca.

mass. ^Miller thinks the Sheej) was nearly dead when he
started (U)wn, and is sure he was nothing more than a mass
of sausage when he reached the foot, lie said he was not
hunting that kind of meat, and would not have gone down
that heathenish hill-side after him if there had h^en three
barrels of him.

We took the head, skin, and saddle of tlie big lam I
had killed (and whose portrait is shown herewith), carried

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372

mo OAMK OV NOUTII AMEllIi'A.

them down to our horses, hished them on our saddles, and
returned to camp.

The next morning I went back over the same ground, to
see if there were any more Sheep in sight, and as I neared
the top of the same ridge on whicli I had killed tlie big
ram, I heard strange noises issuing from beyond it; jind
advancing cautiously to the top, saw a Wildcat and a
Coyote /igaged in a tight over a shoulder-blade of this
same Sheep, which was already pretty well polished.

I was careful not to disturb them, and taking a reserved
seat in the front rov^ .vatched the circus till the end of
the last act. The varmints seemed well miitched in size,
strength, and courage, but their tactics varied widely.
The Cat, of course, dejiended mainly on its claws as weap-
ons, while the Coyote's best hold was with his teeth. The
Cat was quicker and more elastic in his movements, while
the little Wolf was the more delibr>iate, and the better
stayer. the Cat seemed the more sanguine of the tAvo,
the more anxious for the possession of the projDerty in dis-
pute> and in greater haste than his antagonist to i)ush. the
battle to a sj^eedy conclusion. He seemed determined to
have the bone, even though lie should have to wade through,
blood and hair a foot deep to get it; and the Canis latrans
seemed deterndned to stay by it as long as he had a piece
of skin on him as big as a postage-stamp.

When I first sighted the contestants, they were in the
midst of a sanguinary round, but finished it in a few
seconds, and separating, I's if by mutuid consent, both
backed off a few paces and sjit down. The Wolf growled,
!<riarled, showed his ivories, and licked his wounds in turn;
while the Cat hissed, spit, and caterwaiuled, nmch as a
domestic cat does when engaged in a family row.

Finally, the Coyote started for the Cat, and no sooner
had he taken a step tluin the Cat shot into the air, clearing
at least ten feet in a single leap, and lit on top of the Coy-
ote. Then tliere Avas snapping, clawing, snarling, yawling,
howling, and shrieking. Teeth and toe-nails contendetl
valorously for the victory; the air was filled with hair, and

TIIK KOCKV MOUXTAFX SIIKKP.

373

rent with cries of rage Jind shrieks of piiin. To i)araphrase
John Hay, or whoever it was that wrote it :

He tried for to cliiiw the neck of the Cat,

But llic Cut lie \s-<)ulilii'l Ix; chawed;
So he lit on tlie back of that there Wolf,

And i)il, and clawed, and clawed.
Oh, the hair it llew, and the Wolf he howled.

As the claws went into his hide,
And chunks of tlesh were ])eeled from his back,

And he tluniixed, and kicked, and kiyied.

Blood flowed until the snow looked as if a dozen chick-
ens had been beheaded at once and thrown out there to
flutter their lives away. The pent-up fury of Goths ;ind
A'andals seemed concentrated in these fiery little creatures.
They writhed, struggled, clawed, and gnawed each other
in a way that was truly frightftd. They rolled over and
over, and seemed like a single monster in the throes of
death. Sometimes they were almost buried in the cloud of
snow thrown up in their struggles. Hostile arrows from
the bows of enraged savages never flew with greater swift-
ness than did these creatures nu)ve in their eft'orts to devour
eatih other; nor did the arrows ever smite their victims with
more terrible emphasis than the claws and fangs of these
aninuils sought each other's vitals.

When both seemed exhausted, they again drew off.
Again thej- sat, nursing their wrath and recovering their
wind, for perhaps two or three minutes. Still, both seemed
anxious for the finish, and without awaiting the call of
"time," both sailed in. Another cloud of hair and snow
filled the air and enveloi)ed the ctmtestants. More screams
iiiid yells made the day hideous, and this round was fought
through much as the others had been. Rouiul after round
was savagely contested, and though both of the little gladi-
ators were becoming visibly weakened by suiyeringand loss
of blood, neither seemed disposed to yield. After tue fifth
round that I had seen, the rest was much longer than at
the end of either of the others. Neither combatant seemed
disposed to renew the trouble, though neither seemed the
least inclined to yield the belt, or the bone. I decided to

374

nUi OAMK OF XOIM'II AMKKK.'A.

[if t

assuint* the rule (jf referee, and nientiilly declaring the fight
a draw, took a shot at the Cat. This broke up the affair
suddenly.

The Cat stood with his head to my right wlien I fired.
I held for his shoulder, but realized that, as T pulled the
trigger, I pulled the imizzle off to the riglit. " There," I s:iid
to myself, "I have missed him." But when the smoke
cleared away, I was siirjirised to see him floundering where
he had stood. I then turned my attention to the Coyote,
wlu), notwithstanding the hard Avork he had lately done
and the large cpuintity of gore he had Avasted, was getting
out of the country at a rate that would have left the fastest
horse on the turf out of sight in five minutes. I shot at
him three times, but he did not sto)^ — at least not while I
could see him. He was headed straight for Mexico, and,
for aught I know, is there now,

Th^^n I went to pick up my Cat; but he was gone, too. I
went to where he h:ul stood when I shot, iind found some
small pieces of meat and bones, some blood and some hair,
but the rest of him was gone. There was a deep gulch close .
by, and I tracked him where he had rolled and tumbled
to the brink of this, npparently uudving his dying Ivicks as
he went. He had tumbled down into it, and I followed.
I saw several places where he had struck rocks or bushes,
leaving blood and hair on tliem, and fully expected to find
him dead al the foot of the hill, if not lodged .somewhere
this side. 1 slid and scrambled down al)out three hundred
feet, when I found where the pesky varmint had gotten his
feet again and gone off on a series of long jumps th:it
would have done honor to a healtliy jnck-rabbit. I fol-
lowed him a considerable distance, and though he was
leaving some blood on his trail, he seemed to be getting
nicely rested, and to have started for Hudson's Bay. So,
with a sad heart and a i)air of tired legs, I climbed back up
the almost perpendicular wall of th? gulch to the scene of
the battle. It seemed that I had not pulled off quite so far
as I supposed, and had shot away either his nose or his
lower iaw -most likelv the latter.

TIIK KOCKY MOIXT.VIX SUKKP.

■ii .

The band of Sheep we hiul frightened the day beft)re
seemed to have left this region, and not tinding any others,
we returned to the ranch, and outlitting anew for ten ihiys,
started for a Slieep country of wliich uf liad heard a great
deal, and which lay forty miles to the northwest. This
was near the head of Ashanola Creek, a stream which rises
among the snow-clad, storm-swept crags of the Cascade
Mountains, in Northern Washington, flows north, and emp-
ties into the Similkimeen River in British Columbia. The
country drained by this stream is undoubtedl}- one of the
greatest Mountain Sheep ranges remaining on this conti-
nent. Nearly all the mountains and foot-hills in this por-
tion of the range have large, open jilateaus and i)arks on
their tops or sides, which are covered with a luxuriant
growth of bunch-grass, affording good food for the wild
Sheep; and it seems that they have congregated here from
all other portions of the Cascade Range. They have made
this their home, their trysting-place, their breeding-ground,
and their pasture. In winter or summer, bands of them,
numbering anywhere from a dozen to lifty, may be seen
feeding or reposing in these parks, or on the rocky hill-
sides near them.

On the 3d of November, we started for this great
Sheep-range. The first day out, we rode to an Indian
ranch on Ashanola Creek, four miles above its mouth, and
went into camp at three o'clock. We had just taken the
saddles and pa^^ks off the horses, when a wild- looking
squaw rode up to us and demanded two dollars for the
privilege of camping on her land. We objected to paying
such a price, but she was obdurate. We discussed the
[)ropriety of saddling up and moving on, but the horses
were tired, and we didn't know how far we might have
to go to lind another place where they could graze; so
we finally compromised with the '' Kloochman" at a dollar
for the ]>rivilege of sleeping on her land over night.

We pulled out early in the iriorning, and after riding an
hour, arrived at the foot of a high, steep mountain, up
which a trail went zigzagging and winding over rocks and

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370

BIO GAMK OF XOHTII AMERICA.

crags as far as we could see. From the directions given us,
we supi)osed this to l)e the trail we were t(j follow. ^Ve
climbed the mountain to its summit, a haid piece of work,
which took till afternoon. When we got there. Ave found an
oi)t*n, grassy country, such as we weie looking foi'; but
bands of horses and cattle were grazing all over it, and not
a Sheep or Sheep-track was to be found.

My guide, a half-breed Indian, had, in the face of my
earnest prot(?st, allowed his dog to follow us. He was a
young mongrel, and I felt sure he would be a nuisance; but
Charley insisted that he was a good dog, ami would be
useful to us in various ways. He had already had several
runs after Deer along the trail, and now that we had got
into a country wheie they were abundant, liis squeaky yelp
Avas heard in the land all the time. He ran by si^'i, and
as soon as one Deer had gone away and left him. he Avould
jump another. Before we had had time to a.scertain
whether there were any Sheep on this mountain or not, I
Avas mad enough at the pup to shoot him all to pieces. I
knew that if there Avas any game in the country, he Avould
drive it all out long before we could get sight of it. I told
Charley if he didn't round up the infernal cur and picket
him, I Avould brand him with an Express Indlet. He said
he Avould, just as soon as he could catch him. but that was
a very indefinite quantity.

AVe Avent int(j camp, and the dog had Deer running all
around us before Ave got the tent pitched. Some of them
almost ran over us. A band of eight or ten came bounding
down the side of the mountain, and stopped Avi thin thirty
yards of us. Charley i)icked n\) his ritle and killed a fat
young buck, Avhich we needed in our business. Then some
Indians avIio AA'ere camped near us, hunting Deer and dry-
ing meat, came to us and asked if we Avanted that dog any
more. Charley said we did. and they said then we had
better tie him up; they Avanted what few Deer there Avere
around there, and he Avas driving them all aAvay. We
asked them about the Sheep, and they said Ave had climbed
the mountain too soon; that Ave must go back to the creek,

;/lili

TIIK IJOCKY MofX'I'AIX SIIHKP.

•M7

follow it up about two miles, and then clinib another
niountain like the one we were on.

It rained that night, and early the next morning we
started to retrace our j^teps. We slid down the mounrain,
followed the creek up till we found a trail leading up
another rocky wall, and followed it. This i)roved to he a
much higher mountain than the other, and my back was
almost broken when we reached the top of it. We saw
plenty of fresh Sheei)-tracJvs as we went up, however, and
the knowledge that at last we had found the home of the
Big Horns sweetened the toil.

Xear the top of the mountain, we met a g(Mitlenum from
Victoria, British Columbia, lie told us that if we had
come to hunt Sheep we need go no farther, for we were
then in a land where they were abundant. He had been
there, he said, ten days, and had killed nine— ail okl rams.
He could have killed many more in the time, but had shot
(mly such as he wanted — such as had line, large horns.
The proof of what he said lay all aroiuul his camp. Sturdy-
looking old heads, with massive, rolling horns, were on.
every log; plump, fat hams hung from the trees, aiul
skins were spread upon the ground. Mr. l^ike said he had
Hnished his hunt, and should start for home the next day,
when we would have the held all to ourselves.

We made camp on the bank of a little spring brook, and
tied the dog to the largest tree in the grove with the largest
rope we had. Then we started out, in opi)()site directions,
to ]n'ospect for game. I had gone but a short distance,
when the dog showed up, smiling, and ready for a iiin.
He had chewed the rope in two. With a club, I hit him a
blow across the hinder parts that sent him toward the
camp howling like a Coyote. From the top of a ridge, I
saw a band of seven Shee[) quietly feeding on an open
plateau half a mile away.

I made lively time over the intervening ground, and
crawling cautiously to the top of a ridge near iliem, peered
over. They had lain down, and were quietly clnnving their
cuds and basking in the afternoon sun. I was not yet near

378

mo GA.MJi OF NUUTII AMEKK'A.

enoi.j-li to make sure of my aim; and as the light wind was
favorable, I got behind a large lir-tree that stood farther
out on tile prairie toward them, and crawled cautiously to
it. Then I moved carefully to one side and took a look at
tliem. Beautiful creatures! Tiieir glossy, gray coats glis-
tened in the autumn sun, and their large, lustrous, dark
eyes were nov.- phiinly visible. There were three ewes, three
lambs, and a ram. The father of the herd had but a small
pair of horns, however, and to this fact he owes his life, if
hei)e still alive and well, as I hope he is.

1 selected the largest ewe, as I wanted the heads of a
family, for my collection, and training the Winchester so
that the little gold front sight gleamed on her side, just
back of the shoukler, pressed the trigger. The band sprung
to their feet, huddled close together for a moment, looking
in every direction for the source of the deafening roar. I
remained hidden, and being unable to sight or scent me, all
but The ewe I had aimed at went bounding away down an
almost perpendicular mountain-side, over rocks and among
trees, and in a moment were out of sight. The one that had
been my target started with the others, but after going jier-
haps twenty or thirty feet, she stopped, with her head down,
pausetl a moment, turned two or three times around, sank
down, and died without a struggle. The Express bullet
had done its work effectually. Two ribs were broken where
it went in, three where it came out, and her lungs were torn
to shreds.

Returning to camp, I found the half-breed there, with
the head of a large ram that he had killed. He reported
having seen two large herds. The evening was devoted to
skinning and i)reparing the heads of the two specimens, to
cooking, eating, cleaning rifles, etc. We gathered dry logs,
and branches of tir, pine, and cedar, and made a I'oaring
tire that might have been seen from mountains ten miles
away. We were in a hunter's paradise. Game was abun-
dant all about ns, awaiting the test of our skill in hunting
and shooting, on the morrow; our stomachs were full of
good, nutritious food; a cold, clear mountain brook war-

■I

■-t

TIIK KOOKY MorXTAIN SIIKEP.

879

bled its sweet miiMic in our vvillin<; ems; our tent was
pitched, and in it soft beds of tii'-l)()Ufi;hs awaited us; our
fire burned briglitly, and w*^ had been suceessful in our
afternoon's hunt. VVliat remained to complete our happi-
ness ?

Speaking for the half-breed, nothing. lie lay on his
stomach and gazed coini)lacently into the iire, saying notli'
ing save when si)oken to, and then usually answering in
racmosyllables and grunts. lie was good-natured and will-
ing, but inherited the moroseness of his maternal ancestors,
and on this night, as was his custom, went to bed soon after
supper.

But, speaking for myself, I lacked a comjianion, or half
a dozen of them, for that matter. If I had had a good,
genial friend there — one who could keep his end of the
whippletree up, or even one who would have listened
gracefully — I could have poured forth a string of yarns,
reminiscences, and the like, that would have reached far
into the night. I was in a mood to talk, but had no (jue
worth a continental to talk to; or, I could have listened
most eloquently had there been someone to talk to me. I
wanted somebody to connnune with; but this communing
is not Charley's forte. I could even have been happy
alone. I have spent many days and nights in the mount-
ains entirely alone, and never felt lonely, for then I could
commune with Nature and my own thoughts; but in poor
company I am always lonely.

Besides, I am of a generous nature, and if I have a good
thing, and there is more of it than I can use, I like to i)ass
it around. Here I had a large stock of camp comfort, of
enthusiasm, of vitality, of wood, food, water, and game, and
no one to unload them on. I simply had to bottle up my
sociability and save it for some future occasion. I hope to
corral a dozen or so of my friends in just such a i>lace as
this, some night, surrounded by just such pleasant confli-
tions as we were surrounded with there, and then aak theiu.
if they are not glad they enlisted.

ll, ■

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illf:

UUi <iAME Ol' NOKTII A .M KIMCA.

As th»i first rays of tliH <>;()l(lt'ii nioiiiing' liulit shot arross
tilt' fi'i-assy plateaus, tin; t'vcigrfeii ^novcs. the siiow-caiiiind
iH'aks of Moiiiil Ki-iclit-hiitl, I took up tlif tifld-glass and
scanned that portion of the eonntry visihlc from our t-anip.
for game. I scxtu located two uui<;iiili('<'nt old rams standing
on a ridge a few hundred yards away, gazing down in a stn-
l)id, curious way at our camp-lire. Their great, muscular
bodies, clad in their lieavy winter coats of dark, coarse liair,
with the i)eculiar white patch about the rump; their strong
but shapely lind)s and massive, rolling liorns, outlined
against the bright gray of the morning sky, afforded a line
study, and I watched them foi- some minutes with the most
intens«j interest before attempting to se<'ure one of them.

Thei-e was no cover that would enal)le us to approach
nearer to them, and our only chance for a shot was to take
it from where we wciv. We picked up our rifles, assumed
wliat is known on the rifle-ranges as the kneeling position,
took careful aim at the larger animal, and fired. They were
too far away, Innvever, for effective shooting, and we both
fiuled to score. At the double report they bounded away
a short distance, stopped, took another brief look at us,
and then disappeared behind the hill. Charley followed
them, while I breakfasted. lie failed to get another shot at
these, but returned in half an hour with a large ewe that he
liad killed a short distan(!e beyond where they had stood.

I went to the top of a high hill near cam}), and from
there saw four separate bands of Sheep. The smallest num-
bered twelve; the next larger, nineteen; the next, thirty-
two; and the largest, something over fifty. They were on
a broad, open table-land, about a mi'e away, in such a posi
tion that it was well-nigh impossible to get within shooting-
distance of them. I made a long <h^tour to the left in the
hope of approaching them — moving cautiously through
small groves of timber, crawling on the ground behind
slight elevations or ridges, skulking from tree to tree and
from rock to Jock.

In this way I traveled perhaps two miles. At frequent
intervals, a Mule Deer, and sometimes several of them,

'! , 1 i

TIIK IJorKY MoIXTAIV SlIKKP.

•.m

would get up, stare iit nie for n few minutes, and tlieii run,
usually toward the creek. One hand of teu daiict-il along
ahead of me for nearly a mile. They would run lifty or a
hun<lied yards, then stop and look at me; nibl)le the gi-ass
(»r shrubs until 1 came near them, and then hound away
again. Finally, they seemed to tiro of my .society, and
sailed away right through the Sheep-pasture. All this
hegira of the Deer alarmed the Sheej); they became restive,
and moved nervously about. I frequently peered over a
ridge or through a thick clump of trees and watched their
movements, but was careful that they should not get a
glimpse of me. 1 was also careful to keej) to the leeward,
or at least across the wind from the game, so that they might
not scent me.

One by one the smaller bands finally took the ahirm
from the Heeing Deer, stampeded, and ran away; but the
larger band, seendng to feel more confidence in its videttes,
stood its ground. Nearly all the herd went into :, deep
draw to escape the cold, raw wind that was now blowing,
and laid down. I felt sure of getting within easy range of
them. 1 passed on through a strip of down timber, then
over several wide beds of broken and disordered porphyry.
Having got opposite the pocket in which 1 had last seen the
Big Horns, I now started to crawl directly towaid it. I
hoped to get on the brink of the hill above them, and to
pick out and kill the best ram in the Hock, before tliey
becaiTie aware of my presence; but I still kept jumping
Deer, every one of which ran by the Sheep, and some of
them right through the herd.

When at last I reached the brow of the hill, removed
my hat, and cautiously peered through the grass on its
apex into the draw, there Avas not a Sheep in sight. Exam-
ining the ground, I found a great many tracks, all indicating
that the animals that made them had hurriedly lied to the
north. Silently following them up to the liead of the
ravine, over a barren, rocky ridge, and through a narrow
strip (jf stunted timber, I saw them in the middle of
another snudl park. They had again api)arently relapsed

4i.i

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'.i^2

nm (lA.MK dl' NOIMII A.MKIIKA.

info ii I'tM-Iiiin' of st'ciiiiiy, iiiul I crawit'd to williin ahoiit
lifly yards of llit'iii. The majoiily of tlifiii had i;(»iii' to
Iccdiiiy. ricvcial of tilt' laiiilis i^ay, s[iiiglitly litllf cicat-
uivs — WHi'H Hkijipiiig and gainholiiii;' mt-nily about, just as
you liavH st'cn donit'stici lanib.s jtlay in a i)asturc I'n'Ul.

Some of tlic older animals were t-ngaf^rd in the more
.serious occuiialion of lovt -nialvini;'. Two lusty old rams
became involved in a (^uarri'l over a demure-looking ewe,
whom holh st'enied anxious to captivate. As one of them
moved toward her, the other, which was a few feet in the
real', made a vicious rush at him. and striking him on the
port (piartei', sent him sj)inning and reeling a distance of
twenty feet; oi- more. 'Phis was the signal for ojten hostili-
ties. The jealous rivals .squaied away, faced each other,
and prepareil for war. For a moment they stood sulleidy
eying each other, their niaues erect and their eyes Hashing
lire. Then, as if at a given signal, they lowered tlieir
lieads and charged each other with all the force and fury
of mailed knighis in the lists. Theii- massive horns came
together with a shock that seemed suflicieiit to giind them
to splinters, and to dislocate the necks of the angry beasts;
but they simply reeled, staggered, .shook tlieir heads, and
then slowly backed olT, until thiity or i'orty feet apart, for
another encounter. Botli now seemed moie savage and
desperate than befop^. 'i'l'ey snorted, groaned, and pawed
the ground in their rage. By this time most of the herd
had aathered about \r, '>atch the battle. Thev formed
almost a perfect I'ing around the contestants, and seemed as
deeply interested in the light as are the toughs who gather
to watch a human slugging-nuitch.

Again the burly foes went at each other witli the speed
of race-horses, and met with the .same terrific shock as
before. The sound of their clashing horns could have been
heard a mile. The animals were evenly matched in size,
and the contest was bitterly waged. Each round consisted
of a .single a.ssault, and as the belligerents became heated
and blown, the waits between the acts were prolonged. each
requiring time to recuperate for the next onset. Both were

rmr'

llli: l!n( NV MdlNrAIN >lli:l;l'.

:w:?

iu)\v l)l('f'(liti<j: prol'iisfly at iiuni' and t'ai>. and ai'iiari'iitly
.siifT<M'iii<^ ^ival pain. Yft tin' tfiiililc l>li)\\s wnv j,ivcii and
it'ccivcd with as ^it-at sjiirit and as unwavt'iinfi' ('(Mirap' as
at first. Finally, after a <l()/t'n <>i' nioii' lonnds had hfcn
I'oM.nlit, both rams ht-uan to sta^'ut-r and totter on ihcii' I'et't.
Still, there wiis no indication as to wliich would be ilu'
victor.

At this stnn;o of the y-anie. a restless partisan of one of
tlie contestants made a iiish at the other, and strikin,<; him
stpiarely on tiie shoulder, knocked him down. No sooner
had he dealt tli»» blow, than he in turn received a counter-
char«;e, fi-om a chamition of his victim, that sent him to
iii'ass. These two then sijuared foi- each other, and the
li^iit at once became foiii-cornered. Shock aftei- shock
resounded over the hills, and the sound of the lilows was
like that made by powei-ful men bieaking rocks with great
sledg-ediamniei's.

Finally, the original paii' drew oil', neither having;
strength nor inclination to ]tursue the other: each stagger-
ing and r»'eling as if each step mu5t l)e his last. The fresh
combatants hammered awav at each other nntil tliev in
turn began to falter. ]iut these wci'fMiot so well paired as
the othens, the one that tirst enteied the lists for his friend
not being the equal of his antagonist in strength or .staying
(pialities. At every onst^t he was diiven back, and more
than once was forced to his knees by the superior weight
and strength of his adversary. At last he was thrown
backwai'd with such force that he fell prostrate on his side.
His antagonist followed up the advantage thus gained, and
when the unfortunate creature attempted to rise, struck
him ii fearful blow that hud him out, to all appeaiances
stone-dead. The victor then walked away with his head
up, and thus the battle was ended. The vantp;islied ram
soon recovered, partially, and slowly regaining his feet,
staggered away and left the herd.

Talk about your ancient battering-rams, your niodei-n
Columbiads, and your Zalinski dynamite-guns I Give me
half a dozen of these wild battering-rams, lariated and

' I

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Ill

^liipiiv

384

BIG GAME OF M)KTII AMPMUCA.

trained to the work, and I'll take a contract to knock down
the walls of Jericho in seven minutes, by the watch.

I had followed up this band with the intention of kill-
ing one or nioie of them; but these old rams, by their great
couriige, fortitude, and consequent suftering, had won
immunity from my ritle, and I allowed fl)em to go tlieir
way in peace. There were no others in the herd that I
cared for, so I went in quest of another band.

In the afterno'^)n, I went to a large park that lay about a
mile to the southeast. Crawling to the top of a ridge,
whence 1 could command a good view of the entire i)rairie,
and peering over, I saw a bunch of six Sheep lying down,
veiy near where I had killed the ewe the day before. There
were two rams in the lot — one two-year-old, and one large
one with a line pair of horns. I decided to shoot at the
two-year-old first, and take the chances on the old ram
afterward.

I supposed that after the first shot they would jump up
and stand for a moment, as they usually do, trying to
determine whence the report came, before running. In
order to get within easj' range, 1 had crawled to the same
big iirtree from which I had shot the day before, and draw-
ing a coarse bead on the shoulder of the j^oung ram, fired.
Tliey all sprung to their feet, and started at once for the
precipice beyond, which seemed to be tlieir place of refuge
at all times when alarmed.

The two-year-old fell dead after making two or three
bounds, but the remaining five were going like the wind.
I took a running-shot at the old ])atriarch just as they
reached the jnmping-off place, and as he disappeared I saw
a hind leg swinging from side to side, like the pendulum of
a clock, but rather faster. I followed them down the steep
mountain-side a short distance, and looking carefully ahead
of me through the brush and rocks, I saw the big, dark
eyes of the wounded ram glai'ing iit me over a ledge of
rocks, not more than :i hundred feet below. He had
apparently stopped and turned to see what it was that had

' "v™ IR !"

Tin; UOCKY MorXTAIV SHEEP.

:{85

struck him. His great, heavy, rolling lioins loomed ii[)
over the ledge as if they had been carved there from tlie
native granite.

But I had no time to aditnre the picture. Quick as a
Hash, the heel-plate of the ritle was at my shoulder; I saw
a momentary glimmer of a speck of gold between his eyes,
and instinctively niy linger pressed the trigger. But as I
<lid so, I saw his head suddenly swing to the right, and I
knew I had missed him. He had seen enough of iiie, and
liad sprung away in flight. But, quick as a tiash of light-
ning, the lever has swung down and back to place! Click —
ock— clic'k! The bright speck again gleamed on a fleeting
patch of gray hair^and bang ! The mountain bi'eeze
(piickly drove the smoke aside, bui tliis did not enable me
to see the game. It was gone— hidden in the labyrinth of
junipers, jack-jdnes, firs, and rocks. I sprang out on an
overhanging ledge, and strained my eyes, jieering into the
jungle. I could not yet see him, but could hear him. Now
lie is down, and seems to l)e in the death-throes. Hear the
small rocks rattle away down the mountain-side — a i)erie<!t
shower of themi He has dislodged them in his struggles.
But hark! he is uji again, and is making ofi. His progress
is slow and diffictdt, and 1 can hear him fall every minute
or two. But he is getting away, diagonally down and along
the mountain-side. Look I there is an open spac(\ away
ahead, in the direction he is going. It he i)asses through
it, I may get ant)ther shot. Sure enough, there he is in the
edge of it, and nearly five hundred feet below me! He has
stopi)ed; he reels, staggers, a?ul seems ready to lie down;
but I will not risk it. I will give him another shot. Flash!
bang! Now will you stop? Yes; he is down. But see!
there he gt)es again ! He is dead this time, though, and is
rolling, tumbling, heels over head, end over end, down the
almost perpendicular mountain side. \A'here on earth will
he stop C Now he is out of sight again in the thicket.
Crash ! thump I i-attle-te-bang ! he still goes. Now at last
the noise has ceased; but has he stopped, or is he so far
away that I can't hear it { Shall I go down and see ? And

. 1

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1 : ^ 1,1

il^K."

i ^

1 1

'.1.

j
i

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V !
i i

3S6

BIO (iAMK OF NORTir AMEHICA.

if I do, can I ever get back up here? Well, I'll chance
that.

It required no effort to go down, but it did requiie all
my strength to keep from going so fast as to break my neck
und all the rest of my bones. I had to hang on lo every
bush, tree, and projecting rock that I could get hold of, and
let nij^elf down with one until I could reach another.
FinaFy, after descending a))out six hundred feet, I fon: d
the object of my i>ursuit hanging to a small tir-treo. ')ii
of his horns had fortunat^^ly caught the tree, comp! 'I;
encircled it near the ground, aiid licld hin secMireJy. Ii
required all my strength to release him and get him in
position for dressing. If le had not caught on this or some
other friendly tree, he would doubtless have gone into Ash-
iinola Creek, fully two thousand feet below, before stop-
ping. The ball I fired at him when looking at me had cut
the tip of one horn as he swung his head; the next had
l)assed through his lianks, and the third through both
shoulders.

And now arose another serious question — Could I get
the game, or auy portion of it, to camp i It would seem to
require all wUe skill and all the power of the most expert
Alpine-climber to scale that mountain-side without any
incumbrance. But I said to myself that I would take the
head of the Sheej) to camp or stay with it till th'^ Indian
should come to hunt me. So I cut it off, skinning the neck
back to the shoulders, and started with it. Then I bethought
me that there was too much meat there to be wasted:
so I turned back and dressed the carcass, that we might
come after it next day, if I succeeded in getting to
camp with the head. I now tied a piece of quarter-inch
rope to the horns, forming a huge loop of it, and putting it
over my shoulders, so as to swing the head wt'i i)( on my
back, began the terrible ascent, fused my Ih ^j riile a-
an Alpine-stock, and with the other hand caught every
bush, tree, and rock that could afford me any help, pull
Irig myself up loot by foot and ir^cli Ly iuch, Once 1
caught hold of a (Uirrant-bush tluil gie.v if- -'iiallnv.' soil on

L cluince

:\\\\ve all

my nt"'"!^
to evtM y
lI of, and
another.
, Ifomd
eo. Ou
)m\)' ■ >;
irely. Ii
t liini ill
s or some
into Asli-
[ore stop-
le had cut
next had
lugh both

ould I get
Id seem to
ost expert
ihout any
Id take the
the Indian
ig the neck
: bethought
be wasted:
D we might
getting to
luarter-inch
d putting it
'i !!( on my
,^ ritie n>
aught ev.-ry
' help, pull-
-h. Once I
ullov,- soil on

' i

.' ! ' i

• i 1 1

* 1

! !

4 i

CAMPWARD BOUND

ifl

ITT

TUE KOCKY MorXTAIX SHEEP.

387

top of a bed of rock, iiiid was raising myself by it, when
its roots let go their slight hold, and I fell backward. I
should have gone, no one knows how far, down the fearful
declivity, even as my victim had lately gone, had I not
fortunately caught a strong juniper-shrub that stood near.
This friendly shrub was the means of my living to tell this
story.

I was compelled to stop every few minutes to rest. I
would throw m^'^self prostrate on any shelving rock or
friendly bit of level earth that was large enough to hold
me, and lie there like a dead man until I could recover
sufficient breath and strength to resume my way. I fre-
quently had to jump from point to point of projecting
rocks, across open chasms which I could cross in no other
waj', and which there was no means of going around.

Finally, after an almost superhuman struggle of more
than two hours, I reached the top of tlie mountain, and fell
on the soft grass in the park, more dead than alive. My
clothing was wet with perspiration, though the temperature
was far below the freezing-point. I lay there until I began
to feel the py ngs of cold and hunger; then I went and got
the good, faithful old horse, Blue, who was picketed in the
woods a few hundred yards away, lashed the Sheep-head on
my riding-saddle, and led him to the cann). It was dark
when I reached there, and Charley had a good, hot dinner
of mountain mutton-chops, boiled potatoes, baked beans,
and hot bread awaiting me. Did I eat i Well, you would
not believe it if I told you how much I ate, and if you want
to know, the best thing you can do is to go out there and
try it for yourself.

I could iind no better hunting-ground than the same
park, and went back tc it early the next morning. Sure
enough, there was another small band of Sheep. I picked
out a large, fat ewe this Mme, and killed her. Then for a
running-shot I selected a lamb. I broke his hind leg, also,
and he started down the hill, just as the ram had done the
day before. I followed, and found him lying down Just
below the edge of the prairie. Another ball through the

1H' H>

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I ':^ .'

' ■ ■ ! - ■

I ■ !■

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,388

lUO OAMK OF NOKTII AMKUICA.

ri!

I m

heart tinislied him, ami it was but a few minutes' work to
carry liim back to tlie level ground. Then I took a seam-
less grain-bag that I liad brought for the purpose, went
clown and cut off all the best meat from the ram, and
brought it up. The task was equally as severe as that of
bringing up the head; but I never waste meat when it is
possible to save it.

I brought old Blue to the front again, and with great
difficulty succeeded in loading the ewe onto him and cinch-
ing it down. Then I put the bag. of meat and the lamb on;
and just as I had linished packing and cinching the load,
I heard a snort, and looking in the direction whence it
came, I saw a large ram standing looking at me, not more
than fifty yards away. I had not expected to need my rille
on my way to camp, and had packed it in with the load. I
seized it by the stock, and after tugging frantically at it for
a minute or two, brought it out; but my visitor had con-
cluded that he had seen all he cared to see of the outfit, and
had taktua header down the mountain-side. We had now
all the meat, heads, and skins our horses could cany, and
returning to camp, made preparations to st:frt home the
next morning.

Anyone who may wish to visit the Ashanola country will
find the route T took perl); ')s the easiest, shortest, and
most pleasant — /. e., b}' way of the Xorthern Pacific Rail-
road to Spokane Falls, Washington; thence by team to
Looniis' ranch, and from there by saddle and jiack animals.
It is about two hundred and twenty -five miles from Spo-
kane to the hunting-grounds; but the trail leads through
an interesting and beautiful country all the way, and, when
once reached, the mountains along Ashanola Creek are, as
I have already said, unquestionably the finest Sheep-range
renuuning on the continent. Deer are also there in count-
less numbers. We never saw less than twenty-five or
thirty in a day, and one day we counted seventy-two. We
were not hunting them. If we had been, we could, of
course, have found a great many more. But I hope that no
man will ever be so unmanly as to go there and slaughter

"' f : I

TIU: UOCKY MOUNTAIN SJIEKP.

88!)

work to

a seani-
)se, went
•am, and
i that of
hen it is

dth great
nd cinch-

hinib on;

the load,
whence it

not more
;d my ritle
le load. 1
ly at it for
■ had con-
out tit, and
e had now
carry, and

home the

Duntry will
jrtest, and
acitic Rail-
)y team to

k animals.

from Spo-
tds through
, and, when
reek are, as
:5heep-range
•e in count -
nty-five or
v-two. We
e could, of
hope that no
id slaughter

iiiiine for the mere sake of sport, and then aUow it to be
wasted. Never kill more than you can take care of.

The Sheep are not nearly so plentiful there now as they
were five years ago, and i)rol)al)]y live years lience it will
be difii( t to find half adozen in a week's lumting. "Pass-
ing away" is writtnii over the gate-way to this liunter's
paradise, as it is over that leading to all hunting-grounds
on this continent; and let no man hasten the time of the
extinction of the Kocky Mountain Sheep more than is com
mensurate with his needs in the way of reasonable sport
and of trophies for preservation.

'''■(•»•.

•1 '

' i

THE PECCARY.

By a. G. Uequa.

HE Peccary, or South American Musk-hog, is found

jij;^ in large herds in OKI Mexico, and sonieliuies as far
nortli as Arizona an>.L -Soutliern Texas. The largest
<ri^' herds, however, are to be found in the interior of
Old Mexico.

In appearancf, tliis animal resembles the common hog,
but differs from it in many ways. The liesh of the Peccary
is good to eat; but it is necessary to remove thedoi'Sid pipe,
or gland, ininiediately after killing, otherwise the meat
will taste of the secretion Avhich is found on its back, near
the loin. The gland is about the size of a small orange,
and contains an odorous matter smelling like musk, hence
the name, Musk-hog. When they become angry, the odor
emitted is very strong.

There ai-e two species of Peccary found in North .Vmer-
ica. The connnon, or Collared Peccary, is about the size of
a small hog; the bristles on the neck are longer, forming a
mane, while a narrow, white collar surrounds the neck.
The White-lipped Peccary is considerably larger, and of
:i darker color, with conspicuously white lips. The ears,
which are short, and stand erect, are almost covered with
the mane. Tlie tail is not readily visible, but may be found
on close inspecti(ju. It is flat, and only about two inches
long. The male and female resemble each other closely.
Once a year the female brings forth one or two young, of a
uniform reddish tint.

The White-lii)ped Peccary is found in large herds, usu-
ally led by a male. AVlieu one of the herd is alarmed, he
makes a signal by stamping with his feet, which is at once

repeated by all the rest. They are then on their guard. If

(3on

! I

n,.h

892

ijm; (jami: iM' noktm amf.kka.

oiii' of tlicir iiiiiiihtT is womidt'd .so tluit it Miucals, tliB
wliolc lici'd Ix'comcs IVi'ot'ioiis, will ciuirgH their enemy
on siglit, iiiid si)e(-(lily (leslidv iiiiii, iiiile.sM lie escapes by
<'liinl)ing a tree or l)y Hiulit. It lias been stated by old
liiinfers that it' the leader ol' the band is killed, the lest will
lake to llighl, while they will not do so th<»ngh many ol' tlm
common herd be killed This is contiary to all the exi)eri-
ence lliave ever liad with them. They feed almost indis-
ci'iminalely on animal or vei>eial ]e substances, but it may
be considered that roots and grains form their principal
iiutiiment.

Both varieties are gregarious, herds of from two to
three hundred being sometimes found in the far Southwest,
Whei'eonly a few ai'e found together, the Mexican ranch-
men sometimes hunt them with dogs, but never when a
lai'ge herd is known to be in the country; for no ordinary
pack of dogs could live long in a contest wiih one of these
arndes of savage, fearless biuies. The Wild Boar, the
European congencM' of the Peccary, furnishes exciting sport
when pursued by hounds; but a single one of these animals
will often kill several valuable dogs befoie himself yielding
to the coml)ined attacks of the ])ack; and thougli the Pec-
cary is not nearly .so large or so powerful, and though not
armed with tlie great tusks of the Boar, yet he is equally
ferocious, and when congregated in such great numbers,
they wage a most bitter and bloody war on any foe by
whom they may be attacked.

Hunting the Peccary in Old Mexico is certainly excit-
ing enough for the average hunter. In the fall of 1880, I
left llermosilla, the capital of the State of Sonoia, with a
Mexican guide, to prosi)ect in the Sierra Madrc Mountains.
We had two pack-animals, two .saddle horses, and enough
provisions to last forty days, except meat. Our route lay
directly across the mountains. We were well armed, my
guide carrying a Long Tom, or Needle-gun, and a pair of
Colt's revolvers, while I had a pair of 44 Coifs and a H'2 40
Marlin repeater (which rilie, by the way, is my favorite for
small game).

! i!' I

1.1 t

cals, the
ir ciiemy
iciilies l)y
(l 1)V old
i rest will
iny of the
le exp»n"i-
ost imlis-
11 1 it may
priucipiil

II two to
oiithwest.
•an ranch-
:'i- when a
ovdiuai-y
le of these

Boar, the
itiiig sport
■se animals
If yielding
li the Pec-
hough not

is equally
- numbers,
my foe by

linly excit-
L of 1880, I
ora, with a
Mountains,
lud enough
ir route lay
armed, my
id a pair of
and a :ti 40
favorite lor

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AT BAY.

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TIIK I'KCCAIIV.

:v.)',]

Tilt' liist night out I \\;\h lucky enoiiii;'!! to k\]\ a large
Mult? Dt't'r, hut it j)rovr(l to !»•' ])oor. TIih m-xt dny wo
only travt'lt'd about twcnty-st'vt'ii miles, and cainpcd at a
small spring, well up in IIm' mountains. We saw numbers
ol' ilovt's, and al'ler we got our liorscs staked out 1 shot the
heads oJF several of them, and we had a Spanish stew,
which was very line, Near the spring, we noticed well-
beaten trails made liy the I'eccai'ies coming there for water.
iNfy giude insisted on going up the niountaiu to capture one
of them, but 1 would not listen to it, knowing the dangler
there is in attacking a drove of them on their way to water.

Early the next morning, W(> packed, and slarteil just as
the sun was showing over the mountain^ We had trav-
eled about five miles, when my guide pointed to the oppo-
site side of the canon we were traveling in, and about
three hundred yards distant I saw a large held of IVccai'ies
I'eeding. We stopped, and my guide being anxious to have
a shot, took the L(mg Tom, and afltM' raising the sights to
the proper distance, took deliberate aim. resting his gun on
a rock, and tired directly into the centei- of the bunch. At
the re]>ortof the gun they threw np thtdr heads, and seemed
to wonder where the noise came from. The ball siiiick too
high. The next shot was better, stiiking near the center
of the herd; but they only gathered closer together and
snuffed the air. The third shot struck a rock, and the ball
whi//ing through the aii' seemed to frighten them, for they
started down the canon and were soon out of sight. We
then remounted and I'esumed our journey.

There was water wliei'e we stopped at noon, so we stayed
late; and after filling our canteens and giving our animals
anotliei' drink, we traveled until ten (/clock at night, and
then made a dry camp. Next morning we were off before
daylight, so we could reach water before our animals got
too tliirsty. We reached the Yaqui River, which flows
south and empties into the Gulf of California. Here we
camped near a settlement of the Yaqui Indians whei'e we
got some fresh goat's milk and some fine cactus- fruit, of
which there are several kinds growing on this river.

4vi.!'l

H III

304

mu GAMK OF XOIITII AMERICA.

• ii

)6ti

The Yiiqui ludiuns f?x)eak the Spanish language poorly,
and are but luilf-civilized. Thev cultivate small iields, and'
plow with a i'oiked stick. Sometimes tiie women pull the
stick intended fo)' a plow, and sometimes a burro or sn'all
jack furnishes the motive power. We learned from
the natives that \':ere was a small insurrection going on,
down the river, between some of the Mexicans and Yaqui
Indians. I afterward learned that such things occurred
every time they had a good crop of beans. So, deciding
not to go into the mountains until things got more .settled,
we moved ui) the river ten miles, near an Indian settlement,
and p'epared to stay a week or two. The lirst two days
were spent iishing and i)icking fruit, whicli grows in great
abundance (;n the many kinds of cactus which are to be
found in the vicinity of this river.

The mammoth cactus grows here in great abundance, and
the novel way hunters have of picking this fruit would sur-
prise many of our Eastern friends. This cactus grows from
fifty to one hundred feet high, being -bout thi'ee to four
feet in diameter, and having one or two limbs, which are
the same size of the body. The top is as large as any i)art
of the body, and right on .he top is where the fruit grows.
In some instances, fifty or more blossoms come out. When
the fruit is ripe it looks and tastes much like a black njul-
berry. Each l)erry is protected by a kind of husk which
stands up around it. The fruit is about three inches long
and one inch in iliameter. The only way to get this fruit is
with the ritle, unless you cut the Avhole tree down; birt witli
the rifle it vin be had easily. Tlie to]) of the tree, under
the fruit, is soft and spongy. The trees usually grow on
the side of the mountain, which is quite steep. By climb-
ing up the mountain, opposite the top of the ti've, you can get
/ithin fifiy feet of the fruit, and directly opposite it; then,
by tiring eight or ten shots from your rifle, you iriay cut the
whole to[) off, and down comes the most delicious fruit that
man ever iit*^. Wn cislled it picking fruit with the Marlin.
The second day we were at this camp, a native came to us
and tried hard to buy my rifle. He told us the Peccaries

!»

:1l

TIIK PECCARY.

:?().■)

liiul destroyed all his crop, and he wanted to join tln' iuMir-
reftion; he said that was the only way he could get any-
thing to eat, since his cfop had heen destroyed. [ induced
him, by offering him a small sum of money ;ind ail the Pec-
caries he t-ould use, to show iis where to lind them. Xext
morning he was at our camp, mounted on a buri'o, and we
were soon off. Going up the river three miles, then tuin-
ing toward the mountains and following up a canon, we
came to his casa and a small lield which he luid irrigated
from a spring farther up the canon. He said he was always
bothered with the Peccaries, but had managed to raise a
ciop nntil this time, when they became so bold as to come
to the field in broad dayliglit.

We followed up this canon, fiiiding lots of trails, showing
that there were large bodies of the Peccaries together. AVe
traveled dii'ectly up the nuun canon about foui- miles, then
followed a well-beaten trail which turned u]* a small side
canon. After following this trail two miles, it seemed as if
tiiey had scattered, and eveiything indicated tluit we had
reached their feeding-grounds. The ground was rooted up
in every direction. We had been steadily climbing since we
left the riv: r, and must now have been three thousand feet
above its bed. The country was more level, and was covered
v\'ith underbrush, cactus, and a few tives. AVe were on the
wcond bench of the table-lands, which is usually the home
Oi' the Peccar . ,

As we rode out from the canon on this almost level land,
we could see for miles away, but were liable to see any
of our game, the brush being about '"ve feet liigh on an
average. The Vaqui had said but litt;e since we started up
the last canon, and as we got on top of this bench Im
8toi»ped and refused to go any farther, saying the Peccaries
were there — meaning in the brush — and that he would go
back in :he canon, get in a tree, and wait for us to come
back. I knew what the matter was; he was getting scared.
He then told lis there had been two Vaquis eaten by the
Peccaries, near there, a year ago, and that the way to g<'t
them was to wait until they came down for watei', an<l then

\> t^i

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809

WW, (;amk ok north America.

kill them from the sides of the canon. I began to think
that way myself, but my giiitle was Avild to get a sltot at
them, so we left our Indian and pressed on through the
brush; but our progress was slow% as the brush became
thicker. I was in the lead, when all at once my horse
stopped and began to snort; then for the lirst time 1 real-
ized tlie dangerous ground we were on, for the best time we
could make through ilie brush was a waik. My horse kept
snorting, and at last I saw, not moi'e than ten feet from me,
a dead Peccary, partially eaten. We rode up a little closer,
and discovered that it had just been killed. Getting off my
horse, T observed tracks made by the Silver Lion, or Cougar.

I then knew we were on dangerous ground, as the Lion
could not be far off. I got on my horse, and took my rifle in
my hand, just as I heard a flerce growl come from the bi'usli
directly in front of us. My horse was behaving badly, and
I could not get sight of the Lion. I told my guide to ride
up by my side and take his revolver in his hand, puttiD<<
his Long Tom in the case. I did the same; then we both
rode straight toward where the noise canie from. AVe got a
glimpse of tlie Lion as he ran through the brush, and both
fired at him. We could hear him traveling through the
brush, and i)retty soon saw him spring up on a rock abcmt
t\\o hundred yards away, and face around to get a good
look at us. This was my chance, and taking my Marlin
out of the case, I raised the sights, slid oif my horse, and
fired. ^ly guide said I had not touched him, but I was
i^ertain I had; and getting on my horse, we rode up to the
rock, and there lay our Lion, shot through the small of the
back. It proved to be a small fenuile. AVe took the skin,
and concluded to take the Indian's advice; so we went back
and found him in a scrub-pine, and the jack feeding near
him. lie had heard the slKioting and got scared, thinking
the Peccaries would be after us. He seemed to be very
much afraid, so we started down the canon to find water,
where we stopped and ate some lunch.

After letting oui' horses graze for an hour, we had just
started, when our Indian pointed to the mountain and then

;:] ^

think
sbot at
h tlie

jecaiue

horse

T real-

inie we
se kept
oni iiie,

closer,
f off my
L'oii^'ar.
he Lion
r ritie in
le brush
11 y, and
i to ride

puttii^f-:
we both
Ve got a
uid both
)ugh the
ck about
t a good
y Marlitt
)rse, and
ut I was
lip to the
x\\ of the
tlie skin,
rent back
Ling near
thinking
> be very
id water,

had just
and then

TIIK I'KCCAUY.

started down the cafion. Taking my field-glass, I could see
something coming down the trail. I told my guide to get
on his horse, but he would not. Pretty s(^)ou ve could hear
the n<»ise of tll^•;r hoofs as they came dow:- the moiiiUiiin.
I saw theie was only a sukiII bunch of tliem, so I tied my
horse and got down behind a large rock near the trail.
Just then my guule tired and killed one. Then he tired
again, and down went another. Then I hred, but only
wounded one, and it began to squeal, when the rest of them
caught sight of my guide and went after him. .lust then
the L(mg Ton' spoke again, and another one lolled ovei'.
Now there wei'e but three left, and they were not more than
twenty feet from me. I got two of them with my Marlin.
My guide had thrown down the Long Tom and drawn his
Colt's revolver, wlie?i *• e only one left chai'ged right at
him, and he killed it not more than two feet from the
muzzle of his revolver; making seven we hail killed in that
many seconds.

We cut the musk or gland from two of the .smallest, tied
them behind our saddles, and starte iwu the canon, well
pleased with (»ur day's hunt. We ii lud -lur Indian at
home, and when we told him what we had thuu' he swnied
surprised, as he expected us both to be eaten. We gave
him both the Peccaries, except the hams of one, .uid told
him to go and get the rest that night. AVe had fried Pec-
cary, fried iisli, and filed quail for sujiper.

All that evening my guide begged me to go again next
day. When T told him there was lots of dangei', he only
laughed, and said he would go alone if I wouh' not go with
him. Next morning, I again tried to ]tersuade him out of
the notion; but nothing would satisfy him, and at sunrise
he was off. It was the hist I ever saw of })oor Fiank Yanso

I put in the dny fishing, and that night I watched and
waited all night for him, but no Frank came; so, early the
next morning I was in the saddle, riding up the river on
a swinging lope. It did not take me long to get to the
house of the Indian who had showed us the hunting-
ground tw<j da\'s before, and speaking in Spanish, I asked

!< U

It I

III

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMP:RICA.

him if my guide liad been there. He said he had, at about
tlie siime time tlie uiorning before, and tried liard to get
him to go witli him, wliich lie did as far as tlie mouth of
the canon where we had killed the seven Peccaries. Tie had
got two on his burro, and came back, but Frank had gone
on u]) the same canon, saying he was going to kill a Lion
himself.

The Yaqui said he told him not to go, but it did no good.
Then I knew scmiething had hajjpened him; so I followed
u]) the canon nntil I came to where the small canon turned
off. I followed that, and came out where we had been two
days before. [ rode directly to the rock I had shot the Mount-
ain Lion from, hitched my horse, and climbed up on the
rock. After looking in every' direction, I saw a higher point
nearly a mile away. I went to that, making my way
through the nnlerbrush as best I could, and had goi. near
the point when my lun'se suddenly raised his head and
whinnied. Looking straight ahead, and beyond the rocks,
I saw Frank's horse tied to a small scrub-cedar. Riding to
him, I looked in every direction for Frank; th^-n I called,
but no answer. I went to the rcK'ks, and going on the
highest one, commenced looking with my tield-glass. At
last I took the ghiss down, and was getting down from the
rocks when I saw the Long Tom lying near, on the ground.
I crawled down, and saw that the ground was all torn up
around there, with blood-marks and hundreds of ti-acks
made by the Peccaries; and looking further, I found, small
pieces of clothing, and one of Frank's revolvers. I also
noticed tracks of the Lion. Then I went back on the rocks,
examined closely, and found tracks of Peccaries on the
rocks. By this time my hair was standing nearly straight.
I got down, picked up the revolver and rilie, got on my
horse, untied the other one, and started back. It seemed
lonesome up there, and I got back t<i the Indian's ranch as
soon as possible. When I told him what I had seen, he
seemed to think the Peccaries had done the work; but I
shall always believe it was the Lidii. Mj-^ opinion is that he
had hitched his horse and gone on the rocks to look for

-I
I

WHIM

at about
■d to get
luoiith of
Tie had
had gone
11 a Lion

no good.

followed
311 turned

been two
le Mounl-
ip on the
■ her point

my way
L got near
head and
the rocks,

Riding to

I I called,
ig on the
glass. At
a from the
le ground.

II torn up
of tracks

3und. small
rs. I also

the rocks,
ies on the
[y straight,
got on my

It seemed
i' s ranch as
ad seen, he
kork; but I
n is that he
to look for

TIIK PKfCARY.

;300

game; that he had shot at and probably wounded the Lion,
and it had killed him; that then the Peccaries came ah>ng
and ate the body. I think that if tlie Peccaries had killed
him, they would have tackled the horse, too, for they get
very savage when they are ex<'ited.

Next day I learned that the natives expected the troops
to make a raid down the river; so I hired a native, packed
up, and left.

Tlie next spring I was again in HermosilUi, and t-^lling
my friends of my troubles, they suggested we make up a
party and try to get even with the festive pigs. They
said they knew where to find a large herd, within one day's
travel; so it was decided to leave early the next morning.
There were four in the party, all armed with Marlin repeat-
ing- rifles and Colt's revolvers. Each had a saddle-hoi-se,
and we had two pack-animals. We got off at eight o'clock,
and at ten that night we camped about forty miles from ller-
niosilla, well up in the mountains, on the bank of a small
stream fed by a spring near by.

Next morning we could see signs of our game, where
they had come for water. After getting sometliing to eat,
we all started, leaving our horses. We kept together, fol-
lowing one of the man)' trails which led up tlie side of the
mountain. We had agreed to keep together, and not go in
the open country, but to keep near the trees, as that is the
only safe way where there are large herds. We had gone
about a mile Avlien we came to fresh signs, which we fol-
lowed. The wind was favorable, so we had no fear that
they woukl scent us, and we soon came in sight of a large
herd. They were feeding near the top of a small divide,
and we watched them until the last one had i)assed over;
then, hurrying to tlie top, we could see them not more than
eighty yards distant.

I counted three, and we all tired. They gathered closer
together, near one that had been killed, when we ga\e them
another round, this time with better effect, as we saw two
drop; then the firing became faster, and the Peccaries

; (

¥^U

I ■!

^'4: m

E I

4U<»

HIO GA.MK Ob' .NORTH AMKKK A.

ii '! '

seemed dazed. Tliey stood around and snuflfed the air,
while we emptied our rifles. While reloading, they seemed
to get sight of us for the first time, gave a snort, and down
the mountain tliey went. We fired at them until out of
sight, and on counting up, found we had killed eleven where
they stood and three wlule they were running.

We cut the hind quarters from four of the fattest, hung
them in some trees, and followed the herd, which it was
e.isy to do. Tlie ground being soft, they made a good trail,
and after following them about a mile we saw them again,
feeding. We made a circuit around a small hill and ;jot
close to them, but they brolce at the first fire. However,
we had good shots, as tliey ran close together, over compar-
iitively oi)en ground, and dispatched seven before they got
away. This was sport enough for one day, so we started
for camj).

That night we discussed the best plans for killing the
Peccaries, and concluded that we would try to get close to
them and near some trees; then one man could shoot and
cripple one of them; then let them smell us, and they would
come for us. We would then climb the trees, and while
they would try to gnaw the trees down we could kill the
whole herd, as it is a well-known fact that if they wind you
after one of them is crippled, they will charge you. Then,
the only show is to go up a tree or outrun them, which I
found, the following day, to be hard to do. We had deter-
mined to kill the whole herd if possible, though I now see
how foolish it was, as we had no use for them.

Early next morning Ave were oft" up the mountain, with
a hundred shells each, determined to kill all there were in
the herd, provided we could get them to charge us. As
befoi'e, we agreed to keep together and near the trees, there
being plenty of scrub-cedars growing on the sides of the
mountain. We went in the same direction we had gone
the first day, and going to where we killed the first ones, we
found one had been eaten and another carried off. We
saw by the tracks that this had been done by a Crrizzly,
and some of the boys wanted to follow him; so we took a

lif'

he air,
seemed
tl down
ovit of
a where

illiiig the
t close to
shoot and
liey would
luid while
[dkill the

wind you
.u. Then,
11, whic'li I
had deter-

I now see

[itain, with
ere were in
ge us. As
trees, there
ides of the
e had gone
rst ones, we
d off. We
J a Grizzly,
) we took a

THE I'ECC'AKY,

401

vote on it. Two were in favor of llie proposition and two
opposed. At last they left it to nie. Peccaries were large
enough game for me; soon we went, looking for fresii signs,
hy which the Peccaries are easily found. Taking my field
glass, I was able to see the opposite side of the canon, a
mile away, and could see something moving. There were a
number of animate ol)jects, but we coidd not decide what
they were, as the}' were soon out of sight. It was decided
that I should go down the canon a mile, cross, and go up
the other side, and if I found them to be Peccaries, I was
to lire my revolver three times, so the others could join me;
if they were not Peccaries, we were to go up the canon
until we found the game we were after, when the same
signal shoukl be given by the party linding them.

I was not long in reaching the ground where I had seen
the objects, and soon found that what I saw was a large
drove of turkeys, instead of Peccaries. The turkeys in
Mexico are smaller than our common wild turkey of the
North, and almost coal-black. I was anxious to get one;
so I followed the trail up the nioimtain, when all at once
up flew the whole flock. They had heard or seen me fol-
lowing them, and hid until I got right among them. One
of them lit in a tree near bj', and I was not long in getting
him down. The rest of the flock flew down the mountain;
so I took the one I luid killed and started d.-.sn after them.
Frequently I would get a glimpse of one running, down
below me, and at last got another shot, but missed. Then
they all flew clear across the canon. I watched them aliglit,
then sat down on a rock to rest, taking my coat o&, for by
this time I was quite warm.

1 had not sat there more than Ave minutes before I

heard the sharp noise of the Peccaries. They came in sight

not more than twenty yards below me. There were not

more than a dozen that I could see, and there were i)lenty

of small i^ines near by; so I thought I would just kill the

whole herd, provided they showed fight. As they came

into the open ground, they seemed to wind me, as they

began to snuff and paw. I fired at one, and, just as 1
ae

i!'..lf

iii^:

; 1

t,^'

• :i 'r

II'

t "

I 4.

402

151(i (iA.MK (JF NOinil AMKUICA.

.«

intended, only (•rii)i)led him. He set up ii great squealing,
and. sure enough, here they came! I was jufst a little
excited, and started for a tree, forgetting my coat and tur-
key. I liad scarcely time to get up when they were around
tile tree, and instead of twelve, they kept coming until
there were at least two hundred.

I coninieuced shooting, and killed live with my rifle,
that being the number of sliells in my gun. It then
occurred to me that my rifle-shells were in niy coat; so,
having no further use for my rifle, aiul realizing that it
wouhl become a burden to me if compelled to stay in the
tree several hotirs, as seemed likely, 1 threw it down.
Fortunately, I had both revolvers, and a belt full of car-
tiidges for them; so I went at them. The}'^ were chewing the
tree, and climbing over each other trying to get at me.
Ea<'h shot laid one out, and each shot seemed to make them
more and more furious, as they would rush at the tree, and
gnaw the bark and wood, while the white flakes of froth fell
from their mouths. All at once I remembered that my car-
tridges would soon lun out, so I quit shooting and watched
them. When one would rear up and act as if he wanted to
climb the tree, I would give him a load; then they would rush
at the ti'ee again, and bite and gnaw. I tried to count them,
and found that there were over two hundred left, and I had
killed twenty-three. The position I had was not a comfort-
able one, but I had to stand it. Then for the firot time I
thought of the boys. Had they heard my shooting ? If so,
would they come? Then I remembered I had not flred the
sign;d agreed on, and that I had "ollowed the turkej'S up
the mountain and down again, and by this time the boys
must be four miles up the canon, and on the opposite side. i;

The Peccaries showed no signs of leaving. It was now I
noon, and veiy warm. They would root around, then i-
coaie back to the tiee, and grunt, and paw, and bite the
tree: tlieii they would cool down a little, Avould go a short r
distance away, root around awhile, then come back again.
I w;is iii'tting tired of being treed, but it was just what we
had |>l,iuued the night before, only we were not all together.

! W

.(^nealiiifr-
t a littlt'
t and tui-
re around
liing until

niy rifle,
It then

,' coat; so,

ng that it

lay iu the
' it down,
full of car-
■hewing the

y-et at nie.

make them
he tree, and

of froth fell
that my car-
and watched
le wanted to
y would rush
1 count them,
ft, and I had
ot a comfort-
16 first time I
)ting < If so,
not fired the
le turkeys up
ime the boys
opposite side.
It was now
around, then

and bite the
Id go a short
le back again.
s just what we
:)t' all together.

\" ,

t; ^ I

^(i:

J i

ONLY WAITING.

■fH^

>: 1 I; I ^

Till', i'i;(t Ai;v.

408

If the boys ('((uld only lit-ar my liiiiii;-, and cunit' ovlt, liuw
quick we would wipe theiu out.

Such tliouij;litM mil tliidugh uiylicad; l)Ut still the \>\^h
stnyt'd. One o'clock cainc, tlicii two; still tln'y stayt'd.
'rin'U I thought 1 would lilt' a signal with my revolver may
be the boyn were hunting for me; so 1 made a noise, and
back to tlie tree they came. 1 killed three of them in about
asecond; then I waited. Thi'ee o'clock cann', then four, and
no signs of the boys. Some of the pigs woidd feed wiiile
others stood guard; then they would change oil". 1 was so
tired I could scar^^'ely stay in the tree; so I took my ))e]| off
and buckled myself fast to the trunk, so that I would not
fall out.

Seven o'clock! I could see no change; they still camped
near nie, showing no signs of weakening. Then the sun
went behind the mountain; daikness came on, and 1 was
thirsty, hungry, and tired; but, worse than all, I was a pris-
oner. Twelve o'clockl The moon shone brightly, and I
could see my sentinels scattered around. Two o'clock!
Then came a, signal from some of the outside ones; the rest
snnflfed the air, then away they all went. I ct)uld hear them
far below, going down the mountain.

I then commenced to wonder what had started them all
at once. Was it a Grizzly or a Siher Lion^ If either, I
was still in danger. I listened a few minutes, but could
hear nothing, see nothing; so I unloosed the belt and got
down, more dead than alive — so stiff and cramped that I
could scarcely walk. I went first towhei'e I left my turkey
and coat. Tlie turkey had been eaten, and my coat had
been thoroughly chewed. I found a few cartiidges scat-
tered around, and putting them in my ritle, I started for
camp, where I arrived just at day-break. 'I wo of the boys
were out on horseback, hunting for me. I was so tired I
could not stand, and after eating a little and having two
cups of strong coffee. I went to sleep. Wlien I awoke, at
twelve o'clock, the boys had come in. They said after I
left them they had gone back and tiailed the Grizzly six
miles into a deep caTum, but failed to get sight of him. I

l'^

'».'»

1 1

1 ::

:*i

:1,'

404

lIKi (lAMK <»!•' NOIMII AMKltM A.

told tlit'in I had all tli<' IVccaiiHs [ wanted, and was ivady
to ^o bark; so iicxt day Wf packt'd, and rodt' into ITcinio-
slllii well satislicd. IltTfafter, anyone who wants (o hunt
PeccarleH can hunt them and ho hlaidifd; hutl prt'tVi' hcmiih
kind of game that is not so I'onil of human llesh as they
are.

p i

THE COl'dAR.

By W. a. Pekkv ( "Sii.i.u.tcrM").

flllS animal lias tlie distinction of l)('iii<i- called a
ninnlx'i- of names. Likt^ tlie African Ijioii. he is a
t'erocions brnte, almost similm* to tliat animal in
color, and has the same trait of instantly killiiii;
Ills prey, lie was oii<iinally, and still is in some localities,
called the American Lion. Among the people in the West-
ern States it was formerly called the Panther, and by com-
mon cnstom this name deu,enerat(Ml into "I'ainter." In
New England it was sometimes called the (yatamonnt. The
French ii\ the early settlement of Louisiana called it Cougar,
and some of their natnralists, eager to make a. little
notoriety, gave it the name of ('arcajoii. which really
belongs to the (xlutton. Others called it by the ontlandish,
unpronounceable name of (louazoura, and if they conld
have fonnd ii worse name they would doubtless liave ap]>lied
it to tills much-named creatnre. By the title of Puma,
given to it by the Sontli Americans, and by the names of
California Liim and Mountain Lion, it is generally known in
the United States.

This animal is simlhir in shape to the Mnstela. its Iwdy
being long and slender, the legs short and stout. The head
is small when comjjared with the body, and is always
carried high. He is a rather proud chap, is our Cougar.

His color is silvery fawn, sometimes ajiproaching to red
on the upper part of the body, the tawny hairs of the upper
parts being whitish at the tips. The belly and inside of the
legs are almost white, the head black and gray irregularly
mixed. The female is colored like the male. The Cougar
varies in length from eight and one-half to eleven feet, from
point of nose to tip of tail.

(405)

Vh■^

■

:|i

W '

406

Iil<; v.AMK OF NOltTI' ..MKKK'A.

The Cougiiv is the Tiger of the Occident, being the hirgesfc
of the cat kii-d found in tlie northern part of the Western
Heniisi)hei'< . His range extends from tlie Arctic Circle to
Patagonia, but east of the Rocky Mountains he is alto-
getlier extir]:)ated or extremely rare, except in the Southern
States. It is yet abundant in Xorthern California, Hvegon,
Washington, British Columbia, au'l Alaska. It is especially
abundant in Xorthern Washington, along the Skagit and
Isookstick Rivers, the abundance oi Deer, grouse, rabbits,
and tish in the streiinis, furnishing it with a never-failing
supply of food; and Here it obtains its greatest development
In size.

Cougai and Young,

It is a sid)ject of discussion among hnnters as to the
numb'-r of young that the Cougai' produces at a birth.
The naturalists state thiit the litters usually vary from
three to Hve, but from my own personal experience, and
from extensive impiiries among other hunters and trappers,
I can not corro5)orate this statement. I have never found
more than two kittens in a littei- and veiy pretty little

e largest
Western
Circle to
; is alto-
Southern
, ■' >vegon,
;!,^)eeially
vagit and
, rabbits,
er-l'ailing
veloynient

^rs as to tlie

at a birth.

y vary Trom

)erience, and

md trappers,

never iound

pretty little

THK c(»r.;Ai:.

407

creatures they are, spotted, and sometimes striped like the
turquoise-shell cat. Tlie den tliey are born in is nsually a
cave in the rock on the mountain-side, or a hollow tiee in
some dense thicket. Tiie Cougar is ji v.ny afl'ectionate
mother, and will light to tlie death in defense of her young.

The Cougar is stat'^d by natui'nlists to be a nocturnal
animal, but in this Miey are also nustaken. Tie may be
noctmiial in a measure, Itut he is also diurnal, and seeks
his prey by day as well as night, as many a poor rancher
can testify, through losses of colts, sheep, calves, and cattle,
day-victims to this greedy maraudei-. Neither is it tiie
cowardly animal that the above-named gentlemen term it,
hut it will fight boldly in dv'fense of its young or its prey.
In another place I will relate several instances where it has
attacked peo^ile in daylight, and, on the other liand, I have
never known it to attack a person at night.

The food of the Cougar consists of Deer, I<]lk, sheep,
hogs, birds, sruiils. tish, labbits, rjits, and mice. He is
very destructive, often killing, apparently, tor the mere
delight of destroying. While I write tins, my feet j'est on
the skin of a Cougar that killed nineteen sheej) the morn-
ing that his skin became mine. The 13ear delights to feast
from the quivering Hesh of its living prey, while the Cou-
gar will not begin its meal until its victim is dead, and that
death is usually instantaneous. A Hash of lightning could
njt be more stulden in its work than is the leap of Fclis
"jincolor. A swoop of that great, muscular paw, and if the
'ictim's neck is not broken, the white, glistening', ivory
f; ngs cut through the neck and sever the rq>inal cord. WwX,
tnere are exceptions t(» this method, as in the case of fawns
and children These the Cougai . 'izes and carries away as
a cat does a mouse. But the fa; orite food of the ('ougar
appears to be liorse-llesh, and the youngei' the colt, tht more
to his taste. If the mare light in defense of her colt, she
will also become a victim, for the Cougar is a determined
brute, and only interference on the ])ai't of some powerful
enemy will divert him frf)m his piey I have known a
Cougar to kill a good-sized Indian pony and its colt, and

• \ ■

•i

; \'

^-l^i.

i i

I Will

f HI

}

408

I3IO GAJIE OF >'OKTlI AMEKICA.

drag them acroas a meadow and over a liigli fence into the
adjoining woods. This seems ahnost incredible; but many
instances are on record, attested hy indisputable evidence,
showing equally great feats of their strength.

I was a witness of a battle between a Jersey cow and a
Cougar, in which, however, the cow held her own. When I
first occupied my ranch on the Sunias, in 1877. the countrj'^
was a wilderness, theie being only live inhabitants in the
township. 1 was the possessor of live Jersey cows, and
one after the other fell victims to what 1 supposed were
Grizzly Bears, until only one was left. At last she disap-
peared, and I searched the woods far and near for two days,
but could (ind no trace of her. Early on the third moining
I was awakened by a loud bellowing, such as the cow only
makes when in extreme terror or distress. Hastily dress-
ing, I seized my ritie and ran up the liill into the lir grove
from whence the sounds came. Entering the grove, my
attention was at once attracted to a large Cougar, which was
sh)wly walking around the bellowing cow. She was backed
u[) against a large log, and u calf, api)arently a day old,
was lying almost under the log, directly behind the cow.
Knowing that the Cougar could not escape me. I became
an interested spectator of the light. Whenever the (jougar
approached too near, the cow, with a fearful bellow, would
charge the Cougar, which in turn would avoid lier sharp
horns, and strike a heavy blow at her neck with his paw,
whicli the cow would dodge as quii^kly as it was given. I
could see that the Cougar intended to draw the cow a\Aay
some distance, and then rush up and seize the calf; but
the cow appeared to be aware of this design, as she would
only chase the l)rute a short distance, then return and take
lier positicm over lier calf. At last the Cougar seemed
determined to end the battle. Walking to a convenient
distance for a J^pring, he crouched in front of the cow, but
as he was about to rise in the idr. a Winchester bullet
entered his brain, and he fell, writhing in the thi'oes of
death. The cow made a rush, phmted her horns in the

dr (l

iito the
It many
vidence,

w and a
AVhen I
country
s in tlie
)w.s, and
;ed wei'e
le disap-
wo days,
morning
cow only
ily dress-
iir grove
pove, my
\ liicli was
as backed
t\i\y t)ld,
. the cow.
I became
lie Cougar
ow, woukl
her sluirp
I his paw,
i given. I
cow away
' calf; but
she would
1 and take
ar seemed
convenient
It' cow, but
<ter bullet
■ throes of
rns in the

H-

■If

H^K

5^^

-—'a

«f

1^1

"if

pmrsmh|^. yi^m^j^^^^^^^^^^^Bfisv^Bimiii^^^K. ^H|ib*M&|fl

. ■If' /

V'-M''--^-"'

' /W *«*w^

^ '3 v •

■ i.

I ;

lino COIKSAH.

401)

prostrate animal, and goied and trampled liim until I drove
lier away.

At another time I was a witness of a Cougar seeking his
prey, but it was not of so lai'ge or so noble a species as
that I have just mentioned. One (hiy, while shooting ducks
on a marsh near Sunias Lake, I saw a huge animal going
through some eccentric molions, and drawing near, I saw it
was a Cougar trying to catch something that was concealed
beneath a cotton-wood log about tiMi feet long and three feet
in diameter. IlewouM stand erect brliiiKl the log, and with
his [)aws would give it a heavy jerk. I'olling the log a yard or
more, and at the same time would spring over il and sti-ike
heavy l)lows, first with (me paw and then with the otliei-. at
.some object on the gi'ound. I watdied him loll the log
over several times befoie he saw me, but when he did, he
beiit a hasty retreat. Cui'ious to kiu)w what he was trying
to catch, I, by the aid ol' a pole that 1 found near, rolled
the log over, and found — two mice. It was a most ridicu-
lous and awkward figure that the great lu'ute made in try-
ing to catch his diminutive prey.

There is a popular fallacy to the effect that the Cougar
secui'es his prey by remaining concealed over some game-
tiail, on the limb of a tree, and that by a sudden sjjiing
from his secure elevation he seizes and strikes his prey th-ad.
In Washington it is usually at least a hundri'd feet to
the lirst limb of the trees — a very inconvenient height for a
Cougar, or, in fact, for any living (piadru})t'd. to spiing fi'om.
I have tracked Cougars several times in th<' snow, where
thev were on the trail of Deer, and twice have found them
feasting on their quarry. In every case the mode of i)ro-
cedure had been the same. They had crept stealthily
l)ehind the Deer until neai' enough, when, by a sudden
spring, they had struck it down. Death in each case must
have been instantaneous, as they lay dead in their tracks,
and there was no sign of a stniggle.

One of the few authentic instances of a Cougar seizing
a large animal is given by Mr. John Darkness, of Ch-ar-
brook, Washington. One June evening, he went to drive

n' • !■

'•fn,-

I I

BIO OAMK OF XOUTir AMKIIICA.

iJf

i ■'■ i

}' mt'i

home Ids cows that pustuivd in a swamp near at hand.
Tliis sAvajn[) was boidered by a belt of willows. When
he reached the willows, he learned, by the ringing of the
bells, that the cows were coining home. Seating himself on
a log, he awaited their ccmdng. One by one they came
thiough the willow-bordered path, until the last one, a
yearling steci'. stopped a few feet away from him and began
to glaze; and just at this time he became aware of a
stealthy gray form that was intently creeping behind the
stt^er. It took but a glance to ascertain that the lithe
form was fhat of a large Cougar. John felt rather uncom-
fortable, but sat quietly, and watched the actions of the
Cougar.

The latter, crouching, almost crawling along the ground,
slowly neaivd its intended victim. Every motion of the
calf was carefully noted, and whenever it raised its head
the Cougar would crouch motioidess on the grass; but
when the calf drfjpped its head, the snake-like, insidious
ni(4ion in the long, lithe body of the great cat was resumed
until it was at the very heels of the calf. Then, rearing
slowly up, it reached its fore paws gently over the shoulders
of the calf. The Cougar was a sight to behold. With blaz-
ing eyes, and with lips curled upward exposing its white
fangs, it waited for the calf to raise its head. Then the
long, graceful Ixjdy would have surged, and with the clos-
ing of the iangs on the calfs neck, death would have been
instantaneous. But, before it could carry out its inten-
tions, John gave a loud yell, which so terrified the Cougar
that he fell backward, scrambled to his feet, and, with
one leap, vanished in the willows.

The Cougar will not eat carrion; neither will he refuse
an animal lately killed. One day, when shooting rabbits, I
tied together a number that I had killed, and hung them
on a branch of an alder which overhung the path. Return-
ing along the same path shortly after, I met a Cougar
trotting leisurely along Avith my rabbits in his mouth.
Having a shell loaded with buckshot, he i)aid for his dis-
honesty with his life.

t hand.

When

y of the

iTiself on

V came

one, a

id heiran

ire of a

lind the

he lithe

iincom-
is of the

^ ground,
>n of the

its head
;rass; but

insidious
s resumed
^n, rearing

shoulders
^Vith blaz-
; its white

Tlien the
1 the dos-
ha ve been

its inten-
he Cougar

and, with

[1 he refuse
g rabbits, I
hung them
L. Return -
t a Cougar
Ids mouth,
for his dis-

. 1

THE COUGAR.

411

The gait of a Cougar is the same as that of the <h)mestic
cat — either a trot or a plunging run. They are not very-
swift, and will easily tree to even a small cur dog. There
is nothing that the Cougar fears so mucli as a dog, and
they will take to tlie nearest tree at ihe sight of one. They
can climb with the greatest facility.

Sometimes, when the hunter is stalking the Deer in the
deep recesses of the forest, he is startled by a liendish ciy —
a cry so unearthly and so weird that even the nuiu of
stoutest heart will start in alfright; a cry that can only he
likened to a scream of demoniac laughter. This is the cry
of the male Cougar. If it is answcrt^l by the female, the
response will be similar to the wail of a child in terrible pain.

The method usually employed in hunting the Cougar is
chasing them with dogs. Any dog that will chase a cat
will pursue a Cougar, The best dogs I e>er used in hunt-
ing the Cougar were Collies. I oiu-e hunted a season with
a wise old Deer-hound, who was infallible when on the tiail
of a Cougar; but when he had succeeded in "treeing"
the animal, and I would prepare to shoot, he would mod-
estly retire. After hearing the report of my Winchester,
he would sedately return and inspect the dead Cougar with
solemn gravity. He was a scarieil hero of the wilderness,
and no doubt in his youth had waged so many battles with
the '' big kitty " that he had grown cautious in his old age.

Concerning the tenacity of life, I do not think that there
is an animal of its size that is so easily killed as that under
discussion. I have known them to be killed with a shot-
gun and Xo. 6 shot. The gun that I have always used in
hunting these animals was a Model '73 Winchester, 44
caliber; but to the novice or amateur who desires to hunt
these animals, I would recommend the Model '80 AVin-
chester repeater, in an\" caliber above 38. In a recent hunt-
ing-trip I used an "80 Model, 50-110, and found it to be the
most paralyzing rilie I ever used, killing Deer and Cinna-
mon Bears as if they had been struck by liglitning.

There is no systematic manner of hunting the Cougai'.
When still-hunting the Deer, the hunter often observes a

■ Vr.

I i

412

Ria flAMK OV NORTH AAIKIIICA,

^ a

»1

It! I '

shadow-like nioveninnt amon,i? tlie trees. He listeiiH, then
watches in the dii-ection wliere lie saw the shadow. If he
should see a tawny form appear, let him lire at it instantly.
If the shot has been well-aimed, he will be assured of its suc-
cess by hearing a i>iercing scream, or witnessing the most
exuberant exhibition of ground and lofty tumbling .that he
has ever seen. Sometimes he will also se<^ the great Cat
come plunging rai)idly in his direction. At one time, when
liunting on the Chilliwhack River, in British Columbia, I
saw what I thought was a Deer, stealing away from me in
the bushes. Drawing a bead on the vanishing animal, I
lii'ed, and instantly it changed its course and came rushing
at me. I saw that it was a large Cougar. The next shot
was more fortunate, and broke its spine, and even then it
dragged its body toward me on its fore legs. I then shot
out first one eye, and then the other. In a few moments it
ceased to struggle, and when I reached it I found that the
first shot had passed through its stomach. A wound in the
stomach enrages either a Dear or a Cougar.

If the spoi'tsman, desirous of killing a Cougar, proceeds
to any of the settlements in the mountain districts of Brit-
ish Columbia, he will not have to wait long before he has
the desired i>leasure. Let his wish be known, and it will
not be long before he notified, by some luckless rancher,
of a loss of some calf, colt, or sheep. Let him i)roceed to
the scene of slaughter, accompanied by a dog of any kind
that will chase a common cat. The Cougar always gorges
himself when he kills, and then goes to sleep. He will be
found near his prey, and, with little exertion and no attend-
ing danger, the hunter may secure the desired animal, as it
will take to the nearest tree on approach of the dog, who
by barking will notify the hunter of his quarry.

Tliei'e is no use attempting to still-hunt the Cougar. If
aware you are on his trail, he will keeji but a short distance
away from you; but so noiseless are his steps, so keen his
sight, and so accurate is his scent, that the hunter is not
likely to obtain a glimpse of his royal catship. Sometimes
the game will circle around and follow directly in the trail

. ll^

Tiip; coroAU.

413

of the hunter, clogging his footsteps for miles; but let him
take the bacl^ trat'li, and he will soon discover tluit the Cou-
gar lias again doubled on his tiail.

In order to show that the Cougar is not the cowardly or
nocturnal animal that the naturalists claim it to be, 1 will
relate a few instances in which it has attacked jjcople in
day-time. One of these instances illustrates a remarkable
case of boyish heroism.

In the spring of 1S80, the children of a Mr. Farnham,
who resides a few miles from Olympia, Washington, were
returning from school, when Walter, the eldest, a boy of
twelve, noticed something that he thought was a large yel-
low dog, trotting in the road behind them. They paid no
attention to it, as large mongrel dogs, of this color, abound
everywhere in the vicinity of the Indian camps, but played
leisurely along, as is the custom of children the world over.
The youngest boy, a chubb^^ little chap of six sunmiers, who
was behind his brothers, suddenly came rolling along in
front of his brothers, and a moment later the gre it cat
sprung over the heads of the two astonished boys, seized
the. little fellow in its mouth, and with a spring vanished
from sight in the bushes.

A cry of terror rose from the lips of the now terrified
boys, that was answered by one of pain, fright, and agony
from the jungle. The elder brother did not deliberate on
what to do. He had no weapon other than an empty brandy-
bottle, in which he had carried milk for their dinner, and with
this he rushed into the bushes. He saw his little brotlier
lying prostrate, grasi)ing a small tree with both hands, and
holding on with the desperation of despair, while the
Cougar, with his fangs luckily embedded only in the child's
clothing, was trying to break the deathlike grip with which
the child held to the tree. With a scream, Walter threw
himself on the Cougar, beat it over the head with the bottle
until the latter was shattered into fragments, and then with
the ragged edges of the neck of the bottle, which he still
held in his hand, he endeavored to cut out the Cougar's

I '

■ hi'

1 !

414

UIG (iAMK OK XOinil AMKUK A.

i i,

eyes. At last, tlu? Coiigiir, with a yell of rage, dropped his
hold on tlie chihl and r:iii up a trci' iit'ar at hand; whih' the
ht'roic boy, lifting Wis l)r()thpr in liis iuins, carried him into
the road, and fell, fainting, upon him.

The otlier brother had nu-antinit* fled, screaming, up the
road, and it so })!ippened that two men were chopping wood
not far away, who, on hearing tlie screams (jf the diildren,
came running to the rescue, and met the boy in the road. As
soon as he could, he told them the cause of his cries. Seeing
tlie otiier children lying in the road, they rushed to them,
and found th(i little heio senseless, still grasping the neck
of the broken bottle tightly in .lis hand. The Cougar's vic-
tim was too horrified to sjieak. but pointed to where the
savage beast was lying on a lind), in plain view. One of the
men had a revolver, and with a few shots killnd the (Jougar.
Both children were badly scratched and bruised, but soon
recovered.

Another instance in which a Cougar attacked a man in
daylight, happened but a few years ago. A Swedish sailor
named Joseph Joigenson ran away from a British man-of-
war that was anchored at Esquimalt, British Columbia, and
found his way through the woods until he rested under the
doniiun of the stariy flag. Arriving at my father's farm, on
the Sumas, he wiis glnd to obtain employment and to enjoy
the comforts of a ranch home. As there was at that time
plenty of Government land, and as Joe, like the majority of
his race, was an industrious, honest fellow, my father
advised him to homestead an excellent quarter-section of
land in the near vicinity.

Joe was elated with the prospect of becoming a land-
holder and a citizen of the United States, and as soon as the
requisite papers arrived, set off one morning to clear a spot
whereon to build his house; but the clearing of that spot
was interrupted by a. Cougar, in a very unceremonious way.
Joe had scarcely begun to work, and was wielding his spade
vigorously, when suddenly his arm was seized as in a vise.
He wheeled instantly, and found that liis ai"m was in the
jaws of a Cougar. He was a young and powerful man, with

THK ( (>l'(iAH.

pped his
vhile the
liiiu into

,111) til*-'

llljr \V()<k\

chiklivn,
roiul. As
. Seeing
to them,
the neck
liar's vic-
^here the
)ne of the
i Cougar,
but soon

I man in
lisli sailor
ih man-of-
imbia, and
under the
s farm, oii
d to enjoy
) that time
majority of
my fatlier
-section of

ng a hind-
soon as the
.'lear a spot
f that spot
)nious way.
g his spade
IS in a vise,
was in tlie
.1 man, with

ail intense desire for a long life; so, without any pielinii- "
iiaries, he dealt his assailant such a kick in the stomach as to
hieak its hold on his arm and to lay it prostrate at his feet.

The Cougar instantly resented tins rude treatment.
Crouching, it sprung at .Joe's throat, l)iil lie warded lis head
from his throat with his left arm, while with his right he
dealt it a Sullivanic blow in the ribs that again prostrated
it at his side. Quick as a Hash, itretiuned to the attack and
.seized him by the left hand, driving its fangs through the
llesh and fearfully lacerating it. It was a light for Hie, and
Joe, with his l)rawny fists and heavy boots, beat and kicked
the animal with such force tliat it released its grip on his
hand and retreated a short distance. Then it crouclied and
sprung at him again, landing on his breast a^id knocking
him heavily against a tree; l)ut again he ourt'ed and kicked
it, until it again I'etreated and crouched for anotli r spring.

Fortunately, Joe, looking down, saw the spath^ he had
been using lying at his feet. Stooping quickly, he grasped
it, and rose just in time to ward off the Cougar's spring by
giving it a thrust with the spade. The brute fell at his feet,
but instantly rose and .seized him by the thigh. Maddened
with pain, Joe made a gladiatorial thrust at the Cougar's
head. The sharp blade of the spade went crashing through
its skull, and it fell dead at his feet.

The place where this battle occurred was a mile from my
father" s house, and we can imagine the feelings of the i)oor
fellow, so dreadfully bitten and scratched, as he reeled
homeward, the blood streaming from every wound. Hap-
pily, he was observed when he reached the edge of the
prairie, and assistance soon reached him. lie was conveyed
to the house, wdiere all possible assistance was rendered him.
It was many weeks before he recovered, and when he grew
strong again, he shipped on an American coaster as a sailor,
saying that he had less fear of the sharks of the ocean than
of the " big kitties " of the land.

Miss Mary Campbell, of York, British Columbia, now
the wife of John Kelly, of Sumas, Washington, had an

i \

410

[t|(J OAMK Ol' N'nltTir AMi:i!l( A.

lulveDture with ii Cougar tluit nlie i.s not likely to I'orget. I
will give the incident in her own words:

"Let nie see," she said; "yes, it was just six years ago
last February when I was so badly frightened by a Cougar.
The way it happened was this: One alternoon 1 started to
visit the Musselwhite girls, who live six miles from York.
on the Cariboo road. My pony was a swift one, and I was
riding along at a last gallop. 1 was within two niilcs of my
destination, wiien something spiimg out of the l)ushes and
landed in the road just at the pony's head. He reareil, the
saddle turnnl, and 1 was, of course. Hung on the frozen road,
HO violently that for a moment i was .senseless. When
1 became conscious and op«'ned my eyes, 1 was horrilied to
see two great green eyes glaring in my face, to say nothing
of a horrid row of teeth; for standing directly over me, with
one heavy paw pressing on my breast, was a big Cougar.

''1 lay for a nu)ment terrihcd; but you know a woman's
last resort is to scream, and I did scream, so loudly that it
seemed to frighten the Cougar, for it instantly sprung to
one side, and 1 legained my feet as(piickly as jxjssible, but
1 was so terribly fi'ighteiied that 1 c(juld not think oi' move.
I stood trembling in the roiul, bewildered and dazed, while
the terrible monster crouched in front of me, trendding with
eagerness, its tail lashing from side to side; bnt it did not
uttemi)t to spring upon me. It ke])t its glaring eyes fixed
intently on my face with a cruel, wicked stare.

"Seeing that it did not attempt to si)ring, I began to walk
slowly backward. The Cougar did not move then, but kept
on intently glaring at me. Unluckily, it was between me and
Musselwhiie's. It was oidy two miles there, while it was
four nules home; but I did not dare to attempt to pass it.
As it did not move until I was quite a distance from it, I
turned quickly, and ran toward home as fast as I could, and
ran until I had to pause from exhaustion. But judge of
my distress when, lookiixg back, L saw the Cougar crouch-
ing just behind me. I turned and looked at it again until
I got some distance from it, and until I had recovered my
breath; then I turned and ran again, but, looking backward.

TJiK corn AH.

4i;

rears a,i;()
LCouj;ar.
itartfd til
,111 Vurk,
iiul 1 was
1»^H of luy
ishes ami
-iin-il. till'
,/('ii roail,
4. When
oiriiied to
,y nothin;^'
r nu', witli
Jougar.
a woman's
illy that it

spiling to
)ssil)lt', l)Ut
k or move,
iized, while
ihling with

it did not
r eyes lixed

'gan to walk
11, but kei)t
veen me and
^vhile it was
t to pass it.
e from it. I
I could, and
lilt judge of
ugar croucli-
t again until
•ecovered my
ig backward.

T could see tile C'ougnr trotting swiftly al'tt-i' nie. I ran
until 1 could I'Uii iio longer, and then wheeled and faced tiie
Cougar again, which again stopped and crouched in the road.

" I began to take courage, seeing that the animal did not
atteuipl to do nif injury so long as I was looking at it, and
.so I continued to walk backward. 1 had come mor • than a
mile since the Cougar first made his appearance, and I hoped
when I got out of the woods into the prairie, which now
was not more than a mih' distant, that the Cougar would
leave me; so I kept on my retrograde way. When i got
about a hundred yards away from the Cougai-, it rose from
its recumbent i»osition and cume trotting (m toward me,
iiiid when it came within a few feet, crouched again. At
liiat time my heart gave a great leap for joy, for on the peb-
bled load came the sound of the Hying footsteps of a horse.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw it was my pony, ridden
by a half-breed boy who lived at the fai'rn. Hut my joy
was of short duration, for when he saw the (Joiigar In'
wheeled the pony, and the sound of his footsteps soon
became faint in the distance.

" Walking slowly backward, but with fainting heart, I
reached the edge of the i)rairie. As soon as the Cougar saw
the oi)en expanse before it, a change came over it. ll grew
excited. It came rushing toward me, and instead of crouch-
ing as before, ran past me, and stood in the road before me,
evidently intending to bar the way and drive me back into
the woods. I tried to walk around it, but it would keep
directl V in front of me, and seemed determined that 1 should
not jtroceed any farther. It grew bolder every minute, and
at last came boldly up and seized my dress. I screamed, and
tore myself away from it, leaving most of my dress-skirt in
its paws.

" Then came a sight that I hope no other girl may ever
be compelled to witness, as an experience of her own. The
brute became maddened, and began junii)ing quickly around
nie, keeping its eyes intently lixed on mine. At times it
would stop, lie down, and roll ovei-, playfully clutching at
the scanty remnants of my dress that ic had not already torn

I fe i

¥.^.

mi:

;■?,!>

t Mi

418

i!i>. (.ami; or \oiri II \\ii;i;it \.

oil". 1 ili-'ii T'-lt tint llic t'lid was lu'iir. I IVIi that tlicCon.
gar Wiis playing uitii nit\ as the cat plays with tiif iiioiis.'.
and that at any inniiifiii, whoi it lived of torment inu- nic. I
would 1>H torn to pitn-cs. A ft'plin<j: <»f IV.intncss stMzed nu\
1 tried to taUf my eyes from thf Ita-r.ltif nrt'cn eyes that
were stariiij^ so criieily into mint', with the triumph ui con-
ipieiiiijr Mtreni^th and satisfactory possession, but could not.
A sound as of riisliing waters was in tny ears; 1 reeled and
sta.u'gered like a drutiken person, and lie^^ian crying like a
<'hild; 1 felr like one must feel \,hen life and light are tlut-
ti'ringaway; then I reeled and Tell on the margin of the
l)rairie. But jtist at that instant two dark bodies went Hy-
ing i>ast me, there came a loud baying an<I a det-p snarling;
then again came a clattering of h'.)(;fs, and then the ringing
and aliriost continuous reports of a AVimdieste ritle, I
s| rung to my feet and looked toward the Cougar. It was
.struggling in death, and g!-owlingand tearing at it were our

I wo great hounds, Lead and .lowle". Then someone spoke
to me; I turned, and there stood father. I fainted again,
fell in his arms, and knew nothing more for many days, for
this terrible experience was followed by an attack of brain-
fever."

Mr. Charles Harmon, of Mount Veinon, Skagit County,
Washington, had an experience with a Cougar similar to
that just described. While engaged in looking for sonit^
oxen that had strayed away from his logging-camp, he heard

II crashing in the bushes, and saw .», large Cougar a little
distance from him, standing on a log. lie uttered a loud
yell, thiidving he woidd have the satisfaction of seeing the
Cougar rushing wildly away from him; but, to his no small
consternation, it came trotting swiftly toward him. It did
not attempt to spring upon him, but stood at his side, look-
ing intently at him.

About that time he discovered that iie had pressitig busi-
ness at the camp, and started down the path that led thither.
The Cougar, with its easy, swinging step, kept right behind
him, and fre^luently would reach up and lick his hand. No

riii'; coiiiAi;.

•11 ;•

W'Ht: '

it i

I lit' Con-

I* UKtUS.'.

nin nil'. 1

V/A'd IUt\

eyes that
\\ of con-
otild not.
't'lt'd and
ng like a
t aiv tlnt-
riu ol' 111"
, went Hy-
snarling;
w ringing
> ritle. I
1-. It was
it were our
?()iie spoke
ited again,
y days, loi'
■k ot brain-

git County,
• similar to
g for some
ip, he heard
igar a little
ered a hnid
)f seeing the
his no small
lim. It did
is side, look-

»ressing bnsi-

it led thither.

right behind

lis hand. No

]iot>t ever describi-d ;i situation mor<> aecnrately than did
Coleridge descrilM- this one u lien he wrote:

" t.iki' iiiU' III It (111 :l liilicsiiiiii' idiul
Idilli walk in Icur .iiid I'lcad,
AiiilliavinLr<mci'tiirii( i 1 niml, wiilksoii
Ami turns no more his li<!i(l,
lii'ciiuvc 111' k?iii\vxa I'riirliifii! tii'iul
Dolli v\o-iv Ix'liinil him In nil.'

This Cougar acted in the same manner as did tlie on«i
which attacked Mi.ss Campbell, following Harmon right into
the camp, a distance of two nules, and succeeded in teniing
most of his clothing off before lie reached slielter. When
Harmon arrived at the camp, the Cougar crouched near the
door until it was shot.

Mf. Cathcart, of Snohomish, Wa.shington, was also at-
tacked by a Cougar in daylight. He was returning from a
visit to a neighbor, and was a short distance from his own
residence, when a Cougar sprung out of the ])la('e wlu're he
had been concealed in a dense thicket, and atleni2)ted to
strike hinj down, but luckily missed him, and landed in the
path at hisieet. With a large cane that he held in his hand,
he made such a detei'inined fight for his life thai lie held t'le
Cougar at b:'.y. at the same time lustily calling for help.
His faithful dog heard him and came to the rescue, and
none too soon, for Cathcart v.-as almost exhausted with his
liattle with the ainmal. On the appearance of the dog, the
Cougar took to a tre(\ and was afterwai'o shot.

A Cougar also attacked Mr. John Potter, of Brownsville,
British Cohnnbiu, while he was riding along the road, on a
journey to New Westndfister. Without any warning, it
si)rung on his horse's neck. The horse reared, and threw his
ridei', also the Cougar, and when they scrambled to their
feet, the man and Cougar stared intently at each other,
until the Cougar with one leap disappeared into tlie bushes
at the side of the road.

The Cougars that attacked Miss Campbell and Mr. Har-
mon were both females. Some old hunters that 1 have con-

r '%

420

BIO <»AMF. OK NoKTII AMKIIH A.

versed with daiiu that at (.vrtuiu lehods the leniiile Coii^^iir
becomes very bold, and lories tli*^' hist inct of prey in the desire
for ••om)i!inionshi|i. but that uliPii s\u^ liiids liow lielpless ;iii
imurnicd mortal is, she j[iroceeds at once lu destroy him.

The following incident was related to n»e by Hon. Orange
Jacobs, cx-delefiat*' to Congress from Washington:

"In isiM," said the .Iudg<\ "T was out with a party,
high np in the Cascade Mountains. Our party consisted of
nine persons, including myself. Our camp was at the end
of a long, narrow j)rairie, which was about a mile from tlu^
Santiam River, one of the piiiicii)al eastern tril)utaries of
the Willamette. Deer were plentiful, but they kept con-
cealed in the day-time, in the almost impenetrable brush
and ferns. One of our party had twice .started a tine buck,
th'it on each occasion had run across the upper end of the
prairie towartl the river. Meat was getting scarce in camp,
and that buck v . must have. Your humble .servant was
accounted the best running-shot in the party, and was
accordiiijily sent to the upper end of the [)rairie to take a
stand, while the others beat the brush to start the antlered
beauty.

- *'Tlie plan succeeded, and he bounded across the prairie
some seven or eight rods from me. I lired, and shot him
through the thigh, lie jilunged on, however, thi'ough the
dense brush toward the river. I followed slowlv after him,
clambering over and crawling under logs, believing that I
wotdd find him dead or dying at the foot of the first em-
bankment that he descended. I soon came to a dry gully.
lap[>roached the brink carefully, and lookingover the bank,
there — not more than twenty feet from me— lay the Deer,
dead. But immediately over him stood a large male Cou-
gar, gazing int(^ntly in tht> eye of the Deer. I raised my
ritie, took a quick aim, lired, and the Cougar fell dead.
For some umtccountable reason, I did not reload my rifle,
but quickly slid down the bank, taking my gun with me. I
straightened out the Cougars tail; as he was a very large
one. I was in the act of i)ausing to get his length, when, to

•""Tj" n

TIIK (olt.AK.

■J-Jl

he dt'sii't'
•1 J. less nil
him.

n. Orange

;i party,
»nsist»'(l of
it the »'ii(l
;. from the
mliiries of

Uept «'oU-
ible brush

tine buck,
eu«l of the
ce in camp,
ervant \va,s
y, and was
ie to take a
he antlered

s the prairie
nd shot him
through tlie
ly after him,
eving that I
the tirst em-
, adry gully.
,ver the bank,
lay the Peer,
•ge male Cou-
I raised my
•ar fell dead,
load my ritle,
in with lue. I
, a very large
ngth, when, to

my asronislimeiit, some lini' bark ft'ljoti my li-'ad and before
my face. I turned, anil on looking up into an o\t'ilianging
ash tree, there, crouched on a limb, not iwcnly feet away,
was the female Coii<rai'. Her hair was all standing, like
that of a mad cat. and her tail was vibi-aiin.;' rrom side to
side.

**1 could not run, because ilu' hi'usli and l<>us wot' too
thick. My trusty ritle was empty. I fixed my fvcs mi tin-
niaddene<l brute, raised my jxtwderdiorn to my iiioiitli it his
was before the breech loading lilies came into geueial use).
l)iille(l out the stopjH'r with my teeth, felt for the niu/,/Je of
the gun, and poured the jiowder in. When I thought I had
jilenty, 1 diopped the horn, got a bullet from my pouch,
and ran it down un])atched. Taking a <"ii) from my vest-
pocket, I placed it on the nipple. As I laised the gun, she
doubled over the limb. I lired immediately. As the gun
Clacked, I jumi)ed back, and tlie animal i)ounded through
the air toward me, brushing my shoiildei' as she went past.
A man will do a great deal of thinking, under such ciicum-
stances, in a very short time. I thought, from the way she
sprung, that I had nussed her; but she fell on the ground,
and did not attenii)t to rise again. I was glad to see iier
lying dead, for I must confess that I was a little bit -yes, ti
great deal — frightened. I had my hunting-knil'e in my
hand, and I was fully determined, had it come to a hand-to-
hand encounter, to sell my life as dearly as jiossible."

Mr. John Davis, of Snohomish, was awakened one night
by his hounds barking furiously. From the noise they
made, he kn(>w that something unusual was in tiie vicinity;
.so, taking his gun, he ran out, not even stopping to di-ess
him.self. As soon as the dogs .saw him, they ma<le a rush
at some large animal, which immediately jumi)ed over the
fence and ran up the hill into the woods. Mi'. Davis fol-
lowed swiftly aftei', and was soon delighted to hear the
dogs barking steatlily in one place, as this indicated that
the game had treed. Hurrying along as fast as the darkness
atid the i '.ture of the ground v. ould permit, he soon reached

ItKi (iA.NtK ol' NulMII AMKincA.

tlif iiliii'i' wlicrf till' (lo^s were. 'I'li'-y i'»'(1()m1)I(m1 tlicir iioi-^i'
wImmi tln'V saw him iiit[)n»iicli. Looking into tin- top of iIh'
fir-tren iij* wliidi tin- doi^s wcic baikiiiu', lie was able to dis-
Vfvn till' litlii', lawny form of a Coiiuar stiftclnMl out mion
II liml), inii'iilly wjitcliiii^' t lie doi^s below. Raisin;;' liis ;L^un,
he fiffd on'- lianvl, aiming af the animal's slioidder. This
sliot seemed to have till etTert; but at the report of tlie
second barrel, the Couiiar fell fror. .the ti'ee, stiikiiiu' the
ground at his >iile. Instantly reco\erin,<i; itself, the ("ougar
crouciied ands[»rungat him. strikin,!;- him on the slioulder
with it- chest, knocking him down and falling upon him.
At this critical moment, one of his dogs sei/ed the now
iid'uriated brute by a fore leg. Instantly releasing its hold
on tlie man. the ("ougar caught the dog by the he;id, and
one bite was sullicieut to lay him struggling in death.

Davis by this time had regaine<l hisl'eet, and the Cougar,
di-o])ping the dog. jumped at him again. Leajjing aside, he
jjti'uck it with his gun. but witli no other eil'ect than to
break the stock olV the barrel. The brute turned and
sprung at him once more: but. uio\ ing (juickly to cue si(h',
he eimU'd it, and, as it was passing in the air, thi'ev his h^ft
arm around its l)ody just behind its fore h'gs. Then, throw-
ing his weight upon the animal, he forced it to the ground.
Instantly raising thegun-bari'el in his right hand, he struck
it a teri'itic blow .in the liead. and quickly followed it up
witli another, and then otiieis. until he could sti'ike no
longer, and the Cougar hud ceased to struggle, and lay dead
beneath him.

Strange to say, with the exception of a few scratches,
Mr. I)a\ is was uninjured; his greatest los.: being his new
isixty-dollar breechdoaehn- and a suit of undei'-clolliing that
was torn to shreds in the encounter. Going quietly home,
he went to be<l, and did not even mention the cause c>f liia
delay to his wife until the next morning.

When he an<l his neiuhlxirs went to the scene of the fray
and skinned the Cougar, it nu'asuied eleven feet. Cougar-
skins are uo curiosity liere — one can be proems d at any
time, almost, for a song; but thatCougar's skin was cut into

' r,

TIIK ( iMiJAi:.

!•.>:?

. (.r till'
• to ilis-

llt Ulitlll

his ,ii-mi.
r. Tlii^

1 ol' till-

\'uvj: tilt'
Couuiir

slioiildfr

)()U him.

the now
o- its hold
hr;id, illld
:.th.

ic Cougar,
X, aside, he
t tliati to
lined Mini
) o.ie si(h',
ev his h'ft
It'll, tlnow-
he ground.
[, he struck
)\ved it up
I strike no
id lay dead

,' scratches,
ug liis new
olhing that
ietly home,
cause of his

e of the fray
it. Cougar-
iired at any
was cut uito

\ I

fragments, every hunter in the vicinity claiming a iii.'ci' as
a meniento of tlie streugtli and cotirage of a lua\e man.

The following account of a ('ougae limit was related to
me by Mr. ij. Ij. iiates. an old-tiin<' I'riend and fellow-
hunter, for whost^ vei.icity many residents of Seattle and
vicinity can vouch:

" Tt was in the month of March, 1SS7." snid Mr. Hates,
"tliat I concluded to take a ciiiis,' up Charli-r's ("reck, to
look for Heaver-signs, i took my ritle and best I ret 'dog.
Spot, thinking 1 might get some Heai's or Fishers while on
niy cruise. I had just left the spruce timber, on tide land,
and had gaine<l the lir timber, two miles n\) from (iray's
Harbor, when 1 came to the carcass of an Elk lying in a
thicket of salnion-buslies in a b.'iid of t!ie creek. Wli.it
was left of the Elk was carefully covered up with sticks
and grass.

'•'Cougars, by gum I " 1 thought, out IoikI. 1 wanted
time to talce in the situation before alarming ilie varmints;
so the lirst thing was to secui'e my (big before he gathered
scent of rlie C'ougars. I quietly started on my liack track
to where 1 had hisr seen the dog.

"Ah, here he isl 'S[M)t. old boy. tlu're's work alieml for
you.' As I .said this, 1 nuit-kly slipped a collar on his neck
and chained him t(j a small ti'ee. I took off tny coat and
threw it near him. for I knew he wonld sta}' quiet while lie
had something of mine to wa.'ch. | then retraced my step.s,
and began a careful e.xaminafion of the dead Elk and eveiy-
lliing about it. I soon uiade up my mind that I here were
two full grown Congars in the scheme, as there wo'e sev
eral fresli beds near l)y. in j..iis. and a well-beaten trail
from the carcass down to the water, wliere they jiad sev-
eral tiines gone to driidv.

'' T had two more good dogs at camp., and for a moment
I consideretl whether I had bi'tter go back and get liiem, ov
whether to try the tig-ht witli old S[iot alone. It would
take Hie three iiours to go for tin- dogs jiud get l)ack. While
1 was gone, the Cougars might rome around, get my scent,

Piilif

it-

! \

ill

( : ! :

'■ ; t

r I'-'

'■ t

i^: I

I i

■i: I

ill'

liiP

)i!

•4-J4

nid <;.\M!C <H' NcilMII AMI.KICA.

;iii(l skip out. Ill lliiit cjist' the (l<»^» iiii^lit follow tlieiii out
of my lit'iiiin^ ln'foiv lit't-inir tln'iii. and tlifif would Itf a
failiiif. (You must icuit'iul)*-!' that is :i I'ough. liilly coiiii-
tiy hack of (Jiay's Ihiilior, with u'grcat (h'al of uiuh'r
hnisli.j To tiy it willi oiih dog. I knew would In* daiigt-r
ous for him, foi- a Cougaf will soiuctinit'S tuiii on a siiiglt'
<log. In that rase I W(»uld Vfiy likt'ly lose my dog. Ihit I
liually (h'cidt'd to takf t he chauci's, and try it with one dog.
If 1 failed, anil lost him, I still had t hi' rhance left of get-
ting the otJK'r dogs and making anothef run.

" 1 <'.\amiin'd what was left of the dead Kik. It had
been a laigt! cow. heavy with calf. The Cougars had prob-
ably followed h«'ra longtime, watching for a good chance to
light on her. This chance came when the cow went in on
this narrow point (»f l.ind to feed on the salmon-brush.
The baidvs of the ci'eek are about eight feet high, and per
pendicular.

'• In my mind, I went over again the desperate struggles
of this noble old cow for life, against big odds; how the
sneaking Cougars, with their cruel eyes gleaming, had both
sprung at once fi'om a log near by. Yes, there were their
chiw-inarks. plain as day, in that log; and liertM he bushes
were trampled down, and the ground covered with blood,
showing i)Iainly the death-struggles of the po()r Klk. These
two Cougars, I learned l.y stepping the distance, had
cleared just twenty-six feet in that fatal leap, from the log
o!i Avhich they rested to where the Elk stood when they
struck her. 'Yes, S]>()t. you and 1 will do our best to bring
those two blood-thirsty brutes to their death; and it will be
a great comfort to see them stretched out dead, after they
have slaughtered such a noble beast as this. .Vnd if we
don't take home a couple of Cougar-scalps, it will be
because you don't i)ut theni up a tree soon enough."

''The signs indicated that the i'ougars were u]» the creek
from where the Elk lay, and T knew they could net be far
olf; for, like an Indian, a Cougar always wants to lie down
and sleep when he gets his belly full. 'Now, old dog. if
you'll keep still till we get near them, they will tree soon;

wm,

THK ( t>r(iAi:.

■ir>

It'll! out

Id 1).' a
y coilU-
uiuler-
(laii;i:<i'-
;i siii.ult^
, But I
ont'dog.
t of get-
It had
lid prob-
■haiKH' to
I'Ut ill oil
)n-l'i'usli.
and i><'i'

struggles
how the
had both
vere their
li«» bushes
til l)lood,
k. These
mce, had
ilU tlu' log
kheu they
^t to bring
, it will be
after they
Km\ if we
it will be
■h."

) the creek
ui-t be far
(> lie down
old dog, if
L tree soon;

but if you buy tiit'in on a cold trail, liicy will g.-t a long
start, and give yon a long run. 'I'lii'ii 1 could not keep in
liearing, and we would never get tliein."

"1 had now gone down, got my dog, and oonie back up.
As I glanced over the evidences of that feaifid struggle
again. I was more than ever anxious to kill tlutse skulking
Cougars. I tied :i string around the dog's jitws, so lh:it he
couldn't give tongue, ami held him on llie eh;iin until he
got the trail fresli. All ([uestjou as to the vaiinints being
near was soon removed. It would have done you good to
se(i that dog. lie rolled, tumbled, and pawed at that string
oil his jaws, worse than a mad cat. 'I guess this sign's
flesh enough,' 1 thought, out loud; so I loosed the eolhir,
cut the string, and the dog was oil" as if he had been shot
out of a gun. And when he went out of sight in the
bushes, every hair on his back stood straight up like ])orcu-

pilie (piills.

"I followed with the best speed I conld make in the
brush and over the down timber. As luck would have it,
the dog never said a word fora])out three minutes. Then
there ica-s music. He let out the blamedest string of yells
[ ever lieard from one dog in my life. It lasted for only
al)out two minutes, when the yelling ceased, and 1 heard
the welcome ooh ! ooh ! ooh !

" ' Yes, they've treed, sure as I'm alive, and they must
have gone up the nearest tr(H^ to their bedl' Former experi-
ence with Cougars had taught me to make as little noise as
l)ossible when approaching them in a tree, as they are liable
1o jumj) where tliere is but one dog, and make off. I crept
up cautiously, and coming in sight of the hemlock-tree up
which the dog was barking, saw a large Cougar about rifti-en
feet above the ground. His ears were l.-ud back tlai on his
head, and his long tail was ner\ously twisting about.

" I didn't stop to look for the other one, as one Cougar
at a time is enough foi' me. In a moment I had the sights
of my rifle in line with the butt of his ear, and when I
pressed the trigger he sprang at least six feet in the air, and
came down dead. Ashe struck the ground. I saw a vellow

li?

: 'if-'

' \

' * '

; !o

it,

i 1

;

4*j(;

UUi (iAMK <iK \(ti:iH AMKIIKA.

Hash ill the air, aii<l tin- (lt'a<l Cougar's iiiatf li'ft llifsaiiii-
trtit', a little liiulii r up, and witli a hold It-ap stniciv tiic
gi'ditiid lliii t y i'ci't away.

'• I si,iit«'(l tilt? (logon tlif track of this one, and folh»\vt'd
n[t thf fliast'. The Cougar took to the iiill-sidi-. 1 had just
Kucct't'dfd ill torfJMg my way tlirougli a mass of salmon
l)rusli, and liadg(»t uihui a. log tliat lay in tlie edge of a IVrn
opi-ning, wlu'ii' 1 cnnld si-c a hundifd yards up tlin lull; the
(h)g and Cougar liail disapiwarcd in the l»rus|i on the oppo-
siti' side of tilt! opt-ning. wln-n 1 was dazed at sci-iiiga white
and black ohject coming through the ferns toward me with
tile velocity of an anow. 'What in thunder is it T I
thoiiglil, onl lond. 'Mydogf My noble dog! Now, i)i'a\e
Saxon, holdthv nerve anil (hd'end thv friend. A cool head,
u Httnidy liand. and you may, by good fortune, save your
dog 1 ■ These thoughts had but just thished through my
frenzied brain when I discovered the Cougar vaulting in
mid-air. Two more lea[)s like that, and good bye olddogl
As the varmint raised ill the air the next time, the report
of my rille waked the echoes of the foivst.

" M), you muttondiead 1 made a clean miss — dunged if
you didn't I ' The n<'xt bound, and tlie Cougar fell u])on my
do-. One mullled \ell. ami all was over with poor Spot I
Th(j Cougar had crushed his skull with uiie grasp of his
miti'litv jaws.

"Agaituux ritie was leveled: but what strange movements
Jire these ( The Cougai' has straighteneil out on the ground
near my dog. What, dead J Yes, dead; and, on examina-
tion, ! found that my bullet had passed through her heart,
coming onl at tiie lifth rib! And that ( 'ougar killed my dog
after receiving that shot! Hhe measured eight b-et from (ip
of nose to tip of tail, aii(| wouhl (|i|ve weighed fully one
hundred and sixty lioUmls; ^v||l|y l||h llltlle Cougar— the
one liiiled from the tree -was tlln luiest specimen I liave
ever seen, measuring ten feet oiie hicji III jeiiglh.

"Poor old 8l)ot ! I[e (lie(l while lelreulilig fl'oni the
enemy; but I never blamed him. i lulve JlBvbi' kliUWU ((.
single dog to stand a rush like tiiat.

llll. (oi (iAi;.

427

ticlv till'

f,.l lowed

hail just

saliiHiM
».l' a It'll!

hill; ih''
till' oi»i>u-
o-a white-
l lilt' with
is itr I
()\v, brave
cool lu'ad.
savf yoiii'
rougii iiiy
aulting ill
e old doii'.
tlu> IVpoVT

— dansfd it'

ell upon i^iy

poor Spot !
■■rasp o£ lii^

; movements
I the uround
on I'xamiua-
•h her heart,
■illtMlinydog
I'.'cl I'roiii tip
,,l fully one
Cougar— the
'lineu I have

Ih.

iiig I'rom the

3vev KlHI^VH H'

"At th»' root of a lit'iiilock-lifo I diii,' ii shallow gravt',
and covt'it'tl tlif pottr old do^ with i-arlli and rot'l\>. and as
tlie siiiiiinerb cuuie aiid go, may their softest breezes sigh his
requiem."

TTTR LYNX.

By J. C. NATTIlAfW.

iicir iiiiDHH and meTiiouH oi mumii^- are sinniar to tiiose
of tlif Cougar.

Tlu'ie aif four varieties of Lynx common to the United
States, or at least to the Northern Continent, South America
liavin^ none. Tlie Canada Lynx, being tiie lai-ge.st and best
known, will receive the bulk of our attention in tliis paper.
Besides the Canada Lynx, we have the Calatnouiit, tiie
American Wildcat, and the Red Cat. The entire Lyiiceun
gi'oup embraces —

Tlic FiUropi'iin liViix Lynx Virfinfiin.

Tlu: Soutliern, or Pardiiie Lyn.K Li/n.r I'urdiiiuH.

The Boi>tc(l Lynx l.yiu- V(tU;/<i(iiii.

The ( 'Mnicul Cdntcii/ Milniwtia.

The C'hans Chunx Luliifim.

The Ciiniula Lynx l^ynx Vdiuukiuiis.

Tlie American Wildcat Lj/nx liiifiin.

Tlie Red Cat Lynx Fiixfiittiin.

The Cutaniouiit Lynx MiiculntiiH.

The European and Canada Lynx closely resemble each
other. The Euroi^ean is a native of Europe and Asia. Its
color is 'I. rkgray, tinted with red; has a lew large, spotted
patche •; on h< dy, and many small blotches on limbs.

The Southern Lynx is the most beautiful of all the
group, huViDg a beautiful, heavy, ruddj'-chesinut fui', cov-
ered with Leopard-like spots. It is a native of Sardinia,
Portugal, Spain, and other southern countries.

(42!))

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Photographic

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

<f.

430

BIG GAMK OF NORTH AMERICA.

ii li ■ J ' a

1 ' i

The Booted Lynx —so named because of the deep-black
coloring of the lower part of its legs — is of a reddish-tawny
hue of deep gray, spotted with black hairs, ti.ve legs being
striped, well up, with brown; there are two brown stripes
on each side of the face. It is a native of India, Africa,
Asia, Egypt, and Barbary.

The Caracal has an extremely short tail. Its color is a
reddish, i)ale brown, darker on back than under parts,
spotted slightly with reddish or black spots; lips and
chin white; ears black. It is a native of Asia, Africa,
India, Arabia, Nubia, Egypt, Barbary, the Cape, and has
a very wide range. The Caracal is an active, lithe animal,
though not large, seldom if ever exceeding thirty pounds
in weight. It bears the reputation of being the most
morose, surly, and untamable of all the group.

The Chans is darker on the back than sides, being of a
tawny hue, with black-tipped hairs scattered over the fur,
forming rings on the tail and stripes on the body and
limbs; tip of tail is black; the cheeks are white, and a
white spot is under each eye. It inhabits the shores of the
Caspian Sea, Persia, India, Asia, and Africa.

The American Wildcat, though exterminated in many
sections, was formerly found over nearly all of the North
American Continent. The tail of the Wildcat is its chief
distinguishing feature, being short and rather bushy. It
stands somewhat higher on its legs, and has a coarser and
rougher head, than the domestic cat. Climatic changes
cause a variation in color in different localities, which is
usually a yellowish or sandy gray; body and limbs striped
with dark streaks, similar to those of the Tiger, running at
right-angles with the line of the body and limbs; the
spine is striped with a dark chain of streaks; the tail has
a black tip and dark rings. The fur is rather heavy and
thick. The adult measures two to three feet in length,
including tail, which is barely half the length of the body.
Its home is found among caves, clefts of rocks, hollow tree-
trunks, or even in the nest of a large bird. It brings forth
from one to five kittens at a litter.

Til 10 LYXX.

431

The Catamount common to California, Arizona, Mexico,
and Texas is similar to the other varieties, excepting that
it has longer ears and dark lines along the sides of the
neck.

The Red Cat is also similar, and has a very heavy and
soft coat; the back being of a rich chestnut-brown.

The Canada Lynx is the laigest and heaviest of all
American species. It has larger feet and limbs; the neck
has a pointed ruff on each side; tail short, well covered
with fur; claws strong and white.

In some climates the color is almost white, but is usually
a dark-gray, tinged with chestnut, the limbs being darker
than the body. Back and elbow-joints are mottled, blotched
with large, indistinct blotches of darker color — hairs white
at extremities; ears tufted, and penciled at the tips with
black. The feet being large, and limbs powerful and well
clothed with hair, give the animal a general aspect of
clumsiness.

When leaping over the ground, as it does in a series of
successive bounds, with back arched, the tail so short as to
be almost indiscernible, it presents altogether a quaint,
weird appearance, which has been described by many
hunters and backwoodsmen as laughable and peculiar in the
extreme — some of them imagining it to resemble a ghost;
but how a ghost really does look, in life or death, is more
than I can conjecture, never having seen one.

The Canada Lynx is not very tenacious of life— a slight
blow on the back, or base of the skull, with a club, or a shot
from a small-caliber rifle, being sufficient to readily kill
him.

As accuracy in a rifle is the main desideratum, the small-
bores are preferable as weapons for hunting the Lynx, he
being an extremely wary and timid animal, and possessing
the faculty of concealment to a wonderful degree. He will,
like the Cougar, hide himself on a small limb, flattening
himself out thereon so that he is almost concealed; and only
the most vigilant and well-trained eye can discover him.
His coat closely resembling, in color, his hiding-place, he is

!!'M.:

4»

III:

1 ) j ■,;: ■ i

432

BIO (lAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

i I '■ ■

frequently passed by, ev en when searched for by a keen and
penetrating eye. The surface presented for the sight to
cover is a small one, and the more accurate the weapon,
the surer the kill.

I would recommend a 38-caliber Winchester repeater for
hunting this animal. The 82-40 is an excellent arm for the
purpose, so far as it goes, but I dislike a single-shot rifle in
the woods. Use a repeater, by all means. For sights, I
prefer either the Winchester or Lyman ivory bead front
sight, and the open rear notch sight.

A white front siglit has a great advantage over any other
in heavy and thick timber, where semi-darkness often reigns
supreme, as the white bead will here loom up conspicuously
against the fur of the crouching animal.

A bead taken, if possible, an inch above and exactly
between tli<' eyes, will, if the hunter hold right, insure him
no waste of ammunition, very little noise— and consequent
scaring of other game — and a handsome pelt, which is
always sought after and paid liberally for, if properly
cured. This shot also insures an instantaneous kill, which is
always a jource of great pleasure to the true hunter. If
such a shot be not presented, a bead taken behind the
shoulder, well down toward the brisket, or one taken along
the spine, will be almost equally fatal; but no spot can you
strike which will cause a more instant death than the first-
mentioned.

The Lynx exceeds three feet in length when developed,
and I have seen specimens that weighed sixty pounds; forty
pounds, however, is a fair average. He is a splendid swim
mer — rapid in his movements —his broad, heayy limbs giving
him great power and speed in the water. The dog that can
keep within hailing-distanrp of tliis big cat, in the river or
in the lake, must be a Lustier, and no mistake.

I once saw a good-sized specimen take to the water, in
Lake Leman, in British Columbia, when hard-pressed by
our dogs, and swim clear across the lake, which is about a
mile wide. He speedily left the dogs far behind, and would
have escaped up the other bank but for a stray bullet which

THE LYXV.

433

struck him between the ears. Tlie French colonists desig-
nate him as the Pecsho, or Ije Chat. Tlie Indians of tlie
Nortliwest call him tlie Tenas-Puss-Puss. The home t)f the
Lynx is found among the I'ocks, caves, and hollow tree-
trunks. The female brings forth from one to four kittens,
usually in April.

The principal food of the Lynx is the rabbit, or cotton-
tail, small birds and animals of all kinds. He affects the
heads of the grouse in particular. A small Deer is a much-
cherished dainty. The Cougar contributes unwittingly in
keeping his cousin's larder supplietl with Deer, sheej), pigs,
and beef. What the Cougai* leaves carefully hidden away
in a secure place for future reference, the Lynx as carefully
unearths and feasts upon.

The Lynx has been known to associate with the domestic
cat. A beautiful specimen of the latter lies on my rug at
the present writing, whose grandfather on the njother's side
is believed to have been a full-blood Lynx. The specimen
in question shows all the markings of her grandfather
except the tufted and penciled ears and the heavy limbs.
She is a gentle, affectionate, and intelligent animal. The
children can tease her with impunity; but game must never
be allowed near her, for when her teeth close on a game bird,
her wild instincts are aroused. She is then a fury, and will
fight to the death.

While cleaning some grouse one day, several of them
being laid out on the table, she came purring up, rubbing
her arched back caressingly against my knee, when she
got her eyes on the birds. She seized one in her teeth, and
started to make off with it to the bushes. I seized her by
the tail and attempted to take the bird from her, when all
her wild instincts sprung into instant play. Her fur
turned the wrong way, her tail bushed out, her sharp,
white claws were displayed, while her eyes blazed with
fury. Fighting like a demon, she clung to the grouse
with her sharp teeth. I became thoroughly indignant,
lifted her aloft, and banged her down on a log with consid-
erable force; so heartily, indeed, that the pheasant rolled

484

BIO OAME OF NORTH AMElilOA.

into the bushes. After tho trouble was all over, she calmed
down into tlie same old serene and complacent, piirrinj^
pussy, sliowing no malice — in fact, seeming to forget all
about the matter.

rier mother is the property of Mr. Perry, the renowned
sportsman, and my esteemed friend and hunting companion,
or "Sillalicum," as we .say here in the Korthwest. Tlu^
mother has a short, thick tail, not over three inches long,
and she is similar to all other house-cats in disposition and
looks, but is much stronger — in fact, she is a great lightei',
and thrashes everything in the cat ol* dog line in the neigh-
borhood. She is a wonderful ratter, and is withal very shy.
She will make friends with no one but her master. Some of
her kittens have the regular short tail of the Lynx, while
others have a longer one; but none have as long a tail as the
common house-cat. Their heads also have a wilder and
coarser look. They are all gray, with stripes on the body
and limbs; black-tipped and black-ringed tails. In size they
are a little larger than the ordinary domestic pnss.

Mary Perry, unlike most ladies, was not in the least
timid. Refined, educated, a popular writer, she was, like
her brother, a good hunter, and loved the gun. She was
afraid of no animal that ever skulked in an American forest.
She knew the habits of all the game in the neighborhood —
knew where to find a covey of grouse, a flock of mallards,
a herd of Deer, a Cultus Bear, or a Cougar; and knew how
to kill them, too.

While walking with her mother one day, on a visit' to a
neighbor, her hound. Prince, put a Lynx into a tree some
distance from the trail. Hastening in to where the dog
stood barking, and bidding her mother stay and watch the
dog and Lynx, she hastened back to the house, got her
light, twelve-gauge gun, and hurried back into the woods
where her mother and the hound were on guard. Lying on
a limb, blinking, snarling, and spitting at the dog, was the
ugly creature. Raising her gun to her face, Mary took a
steady aim and pressed the trigger. The gun flashed, the

THE LYNX.

435

* calmed

purring

arget uH

enowned
npiinion,
«t. The
lies long,
;ition and
it ligbtev,
he neigh-
very shy.
Some of
ynx, while
tail as the
^rilder and
I the body
n size they
s.

I the least
e was, like
She was
ican forest,
liborhood—
f mallards,
I knew how

a visit" to a
a tree some
ere the dog
d watch the
use, got her
to the woods
Lying on
log, was the
Mary took a
flashed, the

entire charge entered the hesid of tlic Lynx, and il tumbU'd
t(» tlie ground, stone-dend. Prince stood lliere with danc-
ing eyes, quivering limbs, and open jaws. He tsprung upon
the limp carcass and shook it to liis iicai't's (-(mtent. Then
liis mistress carried her trophy lionie in triumph.

The Lynx measured three feet and a half in length from
tip to tip, weighed thirty -eight pounds, and was a beauti-
ful sjjecimen. Such a powerful animal, if it were to turn
its full strength and its natui'al weai)ons against the most
l)o\verful man, could make short work of him. if unarmed.
Though usually considered harailess, the Lynx is a most
powerful brute. No dog can mat(!li him. He can tear the
strongest and fiercest dog into shreds in a few seconds, if
he (!hoose to fight. Nor is he as cowardly as the Cougar;
many old hunters considering him more to be feared than
the latter.

Two young lads, Ernest Holmes and Tom Berry, while
passing through a neighbor's ranch with their sheep-dog,
Rover, had their attention drawn to the dog's antics.
Rover, after circling through the timber some moments, at
hist settled down to trail some animal which had passed
some time before, lie soon oi)ened up, and barking wildly,
disappeared along the banks of a creek. Tlie boys followed,
and the barking at last seeming to locate in a bunch of vine
mai)les. They rushed in, and saw a large animal perched
about five feet from the ground, on a swaying sapling
within their reach.

They had no weapons other than their penknives, and
so, knowing no danger, attacked the Lynx— for s,ich it
proved to be — with these. They could just reach the brute
by standing on their tiptoes. First one, then the other
.»y, would reach up and stab the Lynx in the back and
limbs, bringing the blood in many streams. So heartily
did they ply their knives, that the beast soon loosened its
grip on the stunted nuiple and fell to the ground, half-dead
from loss of blood. The dog sfized him by the throat, and
soon choked the life out of him. His coat was literally cut

rtj^ii

1' I

. i

430

BIO GAME OK N(»irni AMKKICA.

W i

to pieces by the boys' knives. Tie was ji little over two feet
in length, and weighed twenty-eight pounds.

A certain ranchman's hen-roost having been sadly
depleted by the inroads of some nocturnal visitor for sev-
eral weeks, his Teutonic blood at last became aroused, and
he declared that the varmint that had been so unlawfully
depriving him of his chickens had to go— and that suddenly.
The ranchman had noticed sundry large and cat-like tracks
around the roost every morning, and decided that the
poacher was a Lynx. Knowing the habits and resorts of
the varmint thoroughly, Hank sat ui) several nights in suc-
cession, with his old musket heavily loaded with powder
and coarse shot; but in vain. The Lynx failed to appear
while the owner of the poultry was on guard. Weary with
his vigils, Hank turned in at dark the next night, leaving
his hens unprotected. On the following i; orning a fresh
trail was discovered, and another hen was missing. Hank
was thoroughly disgusted, and vowed that he would not
sleep again till the nmrauder had been summarily dealt
with. Calling in several of his neighbors, who also had
sulfeied by the depredations of the rascal, a solemn i)ow-
wow and council of war was held; it being ultimately
decided that the entire outfit encamp on his trail till
death, most cruel and violent, should be meted out to him.

Several good hunting-dogs being mustered, the outfit
took up the fresh trail, near Hank's hen-house. A slight
flurry of snow had lately fallen, which aided their designs
materially. The dogs were taken to the tracks, and* after
snuffing around suspiciously, the leader took uj) the trail,
and the entire pack followed. They struck up a musical
shout, each dog in his own individual key; some loud, some
sharp, some deej), but each doing his or her best. The dogs
were eagerly followed by the relentless and blood-thirsty
poultry-owners.

They crossed the young orchard, plunged into the thick
timber on the other side, making for the upland and green
timber, where the dogs apparently lost the trail; but the

a'Ji

'[ Ft

THE LYNX.

4:}7

old lender soon recovered it, and the wild refrain a^ain
went fortli. Doubling hark, they retnnied to tiie lake,
passed along the slioi-e Tor some three hundred 3ai-ds, and
then went into the thick timber again. Then they went
direct to and across the Canadian boiindarv-line, and were
on British soil. Lake Leman was soon reached and left
behind, the timber growing thicker and denser, the under-
growth more difiicult to penetrate, till even the dogs could
scarce get through. A halt was called, and refreshments
partaken of. A short rest, and again tlie party started
foith, with renewed vigor.

After doubling and running, walking and tund)ling—
after a great deal of profanity liad been indulged in — the
hunters began to fear they woidd not be able to overtake
the Lynx before sundown. But at last tlie dogs stopped
beneath a tree, howling, yelling, and roaring. The hunters
knew then that the end was not far off — that the Lvnx was
treed; and hastening into the thick undergrowtli wliere the
dogs were, they began to scan the limbs of the tree. There,
sure enough, was a big brindled fellow, tired, sjiiritless, and
half-dead from his long run. He crouched against a lind),
evidently hoping to escape being seen by the hunters. But
no, nothing can escape their keen, experienced eyes, and
the loads from six or seven guns are simultaneously emptied
into him. He comes down with a thump among the dogs,
stone-dead, riddled with all kinds of leaden missiles, from
BB shot to forty-five-caliber bullets. The dogs lit into him
and shook him till he was a shapeless mass, and then all
returned home in great glee.

W\'\

I \

The Lynx is easily trapped; a rabbit placed in a snare or
ordinary trap, or attached to the trigger of a spring-gun, will
often result in the death of one of their number. Finding
the track of a Lynx in the snow, while shooting ducks on a
creek, and being desirous of cai)turing him, I hurried home,
returning with a strong Fox-trap, having powerful springs
and sharp, heavy teeth. I set it in the trail, at a place that
was mucli tracked up and tramped upon. There were also

ill

i '

438

ttUi (JAMK ol- MtlJTII •..MKKHA.

particles of fur, .showing where the Lynx had evidently tal-
lied quite often, this being in a setiuded, out-of-the-way
gulcli.

Setting the trap on the ground, I covered it loosely over
with snow, and iiung a dead rabbit above the traj) sopie
three fnet, tying it securely to a vine mai)le, in such i)osition
that the Lynx would be compelled to step on the trap to get
at the rabl)it. Keturning home, I repaired to the tiap again
towai'd sundown tlie following day. t)u ai)i)roaciiiug the
trap, 1 discovered my victim securely held by a foi-e foot,
the h'g being much lacerated, as, not relishing hisimi>risoii-
inent, he had tiled to pull his big paw bodily therefrom. A
blow of a slick, on his spiiu^ soon ended his sufferings.

In regions nuich frecpiented by Lynx, an inclosure some-
times is built, to keep out the rancher's or Indian's dog, and
to apprise the hunter of the danger within, and a steel-
trap, spi'ing-gun, or pitfall prepared, baited with a rabbit,
grouse, or small bird — the inclosure being visited at inter-
vals to ascertain results. Many trappers have a series of
such inclosures and traps, which they visit, one after the
other, each day. A Beai-trap is set on a run where a Bear
travels in search of salmon; a lieaver-trap is placed in a
swamp, slough, or other place where the Beaver nuUies his
home and has his dam; one or more traps being set in
sections of the woods traversed by the Lynx, Wildcat, or
Cougar.

While hunting Deer in the Cascade Range, and on our
second day out, we wounded a tine buck. We followed his
trail for several hours, blood l)eing liberally spiinkled all
along it. When almost up to where we expected to tind him,
certain feline tmcks, following the Deer's, attracted our
attention. Believing them to be those made by the Mount-
ain Lion, we carefully concealed ourselves in the brush,
listening intently for the faintest sound ahead. Hearing
nothing, we advanced cautiously and silently through the
thick timber, great care being taken to step upon no twig
or broken limb, nor to cause the slightest sound. Our

THK LYNX.

430

brt'iithiuff almost siis|H'n(l»'(l. \vh iulvjinoed upon the tliick»*t
where wo expected our g:une to hiy.

Th(^ tliickt't was tiiially gained, an opening ahead dis-
cloned — a ciawl on liands and knees brin^in^- us to a hu^e
tretf-trnid^. Then another is gained; a close snrvey ahead,
and from behind the tree, with I'illes (uirefnlly held at a
''ready," a scene met our eyes that we shall never forget.

There lay our big buck fast breathing his last, the blood
spurting from a ghastly wound in his neck, while I lack,
clotted blood trickled down from each slender nosti'il to the
velvet forest carpet upon which he lay stretched. At his
side, with sharp, white fangs buried deep in his tlesh, was a
big Gray Lynx. One* huge paw rested upon the dying Deer's
side, the cruel, white claws tearing through haii-, llesh, and
sinew. So busily engaged was the Lynx on the Deer, that
he stopi)ed to notice notiiing else, his only object appearing
to be to get on the outside of the largest possible amount of
venison in the shortest jjossible time.

From the side he sprung again to the throat. At this
instant two rities cracked. The smoke, hanging heavily
upon the still atmosphere of the forest, for a brief interval
obscured our view. \Ve rushed forward, with litles ready,
and trained upon the si)()t v.here lay the Lynx. ]^it no
mnscle quivers; the breath has left his body; he is dead, cut
down so fiuddenly his last breath went out with teeth deeply
set in the Deer's neck.

The Lynx is seldom hunted systematically, as are the
Deer, Elk, Bear, and other game animals, unless it be by
professional hunters or trap[)ers, who value him for his
pelt. With them, the nsual method is to hunt him with
dogs trained to follow the trail by scent. In other cases,
his track is followed tlnough the snow, by the eye, by a
party of hunters, who, when stai'ting out, must be prepared
to make a long, hard tramji of many hours, or possibly sev-
eral days. I have known a party, who wanted a I^ynx
badly, to follow the trail of one all day, returning home as
darkness set in. They returned to the hunt next morning,

I i

i-!' '\

440

ma OAMR OF xoinir AMKUifA.

IM'

'I I ;:

took up tliH trail wlu'iv they l»'ft it the ni^lit lipfor*', imd fol-
lowed it iiU (lay, and a^'aiii tlin next day. till tlicy llnally
trailfd tlm beast lu its lair, treed and shot it. In luomit-
uinoiis. timbered eoiiutries, however, such heroic uiethods
are .seldom necessary. Tor if one 'IVnas-Puss-Puss escajjes,
anf)tlier is usually soon found, without traveling days or

WeeKs
'I'

rile dog most suitable for the jjurpose is a Deor-hound.or
across between a Deer-hound and a Collie. A swift dog
U not desirable; the nii.iii (pialilications being, that he will
trail by scent, give mouth Itoldl)'. stay to his woi'k, i»ul
the varmint ui) a tree, and Ueej) him there. It is not ex-
pected that any (h)g will be recjulred to kill the beast alone;
.so size is not so uiuch an object as scent, voice, and staying
qualities. The hunter usiudly wants to do the killing Inm-
self. If the dogs have to do that, it will need a good pack
of them, well trained, who will woiry, harass, and attack
him from all sides, ainnug to get him b,v the throat or spine,
as his back is easily broken. The dog, in front of those tei--
rible claws and fangs, must have great sagacity, coniage, and
knowledge of the science of self-defense, looking out for his
own skin, first, last, and all the time.

One wild and stormy December night, a trio of hunters,
tired, cold, and hungry, in camp on the side of one of Mount
Baker's foot-hills, sat around the blazing file, devouring
their evening meal of venison, bread, and cheese; a pot of
.steaming black coffee hung above the blazing logs. The
wind whistled, howled, and screamed through the gigantic
fir-tops on all sides. The forest all about was mantled in
a shroud of white; the tine snow drifted in through the
cracks and crannies of the rude log cabin.

The hunters finished their repast, put away cooking-
utensils, and those that u.sed the fragrant weed filled their
pipes, lighting them with a brand from the lire, and settled
themselves down on blankets and furs, with their feet close
to the glowing embers. Then came the season of hi mi -wall-
loali — heap talk— each in turn relating incidents a.i' I " l-ent-

jindfol-

y finally

iiiounf-

nu'llnxl^

(lays (»r

loinul.of
rtil't <l(»g
; lie will
(»i'k. i»iit
! lud ex-
ist alont';
I HtayiiiK
Mill,' iiiin-

i)()(l \MH'k

1(1 attack
or spine,
those ter-
laji'e, and
lit for his

* liunters,
of Mount
levoiiring
; a pot of
)os. The
' gi<ianti('.
antled in
I'ough the

rooking-
lled their
lid settled

feet close
h ill II -wall -
'-rent-

i 1

^"Mfl

THE LYXX.

441

ures of camp-life, of mountain-life, of hunts on the great
plains or the deep forests.

The night waned, but the screaming wind without howled
on in tli.-siujvl, weird, and solemn discord. The snow fell
faster and faster. Growing cold, the veteran of the party
rose and piled new logs on the lire, sending a cloud of sjiarks
lip among the log rafters above.

"A bad night, boys! I jiity the poor unfortunate who
may be out in this storm.''

Tne howl of a Mountain AVolf rose above the roar of the
elements. The scream of a Panther joined in the discord,
rendering the night truly hideous. The scent of the game
that hung about the camp kept the beasts of the mountains
hovering around; but the glare and smoke from the cal)in,
and the presence of their human foes, prevented them from
coming too near.

The attention of the hunters being turned to the Puma,
Mountain Lion, or Cougar — otherwise known as Panther —
many thrilling and blood-curdling stories were narrated of
the sneaking, powerful cat, till the blood of the listeners
almost ran cold, and more than one anxious nye was uneasily
turned into a dark corner, or cast into the darkness without,
in search for possible prowlers.

The subject next discussed was the Lynx, and him the
hunters proposed to hunt on the following day. Several line
Cougar-skins already graced the cabin, a splendid IJrown
Bear had been killed, a number of Deer and Mountain
Sbeep were hung safe above the reach of tlie prowling
W »lves without, but no Lynx had yei fallen to our score.
Miiny big Lynx-tracks had been seen in the snow, but until
now no special thought had been given them. It was there-
fore proposed that the two following days be devoted to
this cowardly but powerful animal.

A last look to rifles, knives, and cartridge-belts is taken;
hot coals are raked ovei the ground, then the same removed,
leaving a warm bed of earth, upon which the blankets are
spread, and three tired but expectant hunters recline their
weary limbs thereon. AVith feet to the lire, and heavy

' 1 1, .

; • "

.* !::!:

': n

442

BIO (JAME VV NOKTII AMKIJK'A.

blankets piled over them, they Hleej), dreaming of thrilling
encounters with mammoth denizens of the forest and
mountains, of skillful shots, instant deaths, herds of game,
and beasts galore.

And, dreaming, they rerk not of the night, nor of the
howling blizzard without. The night wore on, and as the
first faint streaks of daylight came stealing down upon the
cabin amidst the virgin forest, one member of the party
awakes, and springisig to his feet, replenishes the tire,
which has almost died out. In ^e logs being placed thereon.
The coflfee-i)ot, a strip of venison, and a slice of bacon are
placed above the hot coals. His companions are now on
foot, and the steaming breakfast is hastily devoured. The
dogs are fed, cartridge-belts adjusted, and away they go.

Only one dog — a Cougar-dog — is taken, the others being-
left at cami), greatly to their consternation, and long after
camp is left can their dismal bowlings be heard. The snow
in all directions is closely scanned. Deer,' Coon, Cougar,
Wolf, and Elk tracks alike are passed by. The track of
the Bear is not now seen; he is taking hit,' winter's sleep,
and does not meander forth till spring brings him out, rav-
enous with hunger, to ravish the lands below. Then the
skunk-cabbage and the rancher's hogs will suffer.

At last a track is discovered by the engineer, the veteran
of the party, who, undecided, beckons the writer to his side.
The truck is not heavy enough or wide enough for that of a
Cougar, nor is it the dog-like track of the Wolf, but yet it
seems too big for that of a Lynx. All three hunters now
examine the track, which at last they decide to be that of
a Canada Lynx.

The dog for to-day's work is a cross between a Collie and
a Deer-hound, showing many points of each, but not having
the long coat of the former, nor the short coat of the latter;
being, instead, covered with a thick, wiry hair, short and
stiff. He has the head and body of the hound, but the
color of the Collie. A strong, swift, keen-nosed animal is
Badger— the hero of many a Cougar, Bear, amVCoon hunt;
intelligent and docile, but a ravenous feeder, and cross to

■. m

i 1

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THE LYXX.

443

strangers.

He was not a house-dog, but a dog for big
game surpassed by few. Alas,.poor Badger ! lie has since
passed away, in a most miserable manner, liaving been poi-
soned by an Indian wlio claimed lie liad bitten him.

Badger's attention was caUed to tlie trail, whicli he
sniffed and smelled, and soon took up. With nose to the
snow, he slowly trails along; then, lifting up his voice in a
deep bay, he dashes away, hot on the trail of the Lynx.

We followed him, over fallen tree-trunks covered deep
with snow, under snow-covered and reclining limbs, through
thick undergrowths and tangles of all kinds, where one
touch of the hand, body, or boot was sullicieiil to shake
down the soft snow upon coat, cap, and ritle, till the entire
party are white from head to focjt. Now the dog runs
silent, having missed the trail; but soon his keen nose
strikes it again, and away he goes, his deep, bass notes
guiding the hunters aright.

The storm has abated; the sun coldly peeps through the
thick foliage and towering tree-tops. Warming uj) as the
tlay grows older, ten thousand diamonds sparkle from limb,
leaf, and trunk, till the beautiful snow-white covering, glit-
tering, glinting in the rays of the December sun, dazzles
the eye. Nature now in her grandest form calls forth
the wonder and delight of the enthusiastic worshipers at
her shrine.

But the Lynx is not yet caught, and that, not Nature-
worship, is the business of to day; so onward we spring, the
footstep silent and noiseless as death, no sound breaking the
stillness but the baying of the dog, the chirp of a stpiirrel, or
the whir of a grouse as it starts from under foot, and, straight
as an arrow, sails onto a limb, and sits there, a big brown
bird with outstretched neck, stupidly allowing the intruder
to pass beneath without stirring a feather. The moaning
of the wind through the tree-tops adds its melody or dis-
cord, as you may please to term it. t(j the other slight dis-
turbances, save which, all is a vast, unbroken solitude.

The track of the Lynx is i)lainly outlined before us, deep
cut into the soft snow. Where an extra jump has been

1 >:

I,!:

■f,-i

444

BIG GAME OF NOUTII AMKKICA.

f I'

' i

m ■'

niiicle, tlie sharp, cruel claws cut into the snow, the heel in
l>laces being also plainly marked, making an imprint not
unlike a man's bare foot — long, and tapering back to the heel.

Now Badger shows a fresh burst of s^jeed, and we have
trouble in keeping within hearing of him. The quarry is
started, and probably the dog has sighted it, for he roars on,
heedless of obstacles. Surely, now the Lynx will soon take
to a tree. At an exclamation from one of the party, all eyes
are turned in the direction of his gaze. There, upon a bare
surface, and in an opening in the brush, is seen a Goat-like
beast, with humped back and tufted ears, taking long-
bounds — an uncouth, ungainly, clumsy gait indeed.

Badger has seen him, too, and Avith a tremendous burst of
speed he passes, like a bolt, before our gaze. Yes, there
goes the Lynx up a tree. Now Badger is beneath, howling
at the top of his voice. , Although tired unto death, the
perspiration oozing from every pore, and our limbs ready
to wilt to the ground, the sight of the quarry, and the
knowledge that the chase is ended, gives us new strength,
and we are soon beneath the tree.

A 50-110 Winchester Express, a 38- caliber Winchester,
and a 45-60 are leveled at the crouching, trembling, and
quivering mass of gray fur above. Three reports ring out
as one, and down comes the big-limbed animal, perforated
Avith lead enough to kill an elephant. Badger is allowed to
shake his enemy a few seconds, and then the limp body is
taken away from him to save the pelt, which is a very hand-
some one. We judged him to weigh at least forty -five
pounds.

After skinning and rolling up the pelt, we made our
weary way back to camp, which we reached about dark,
jaded and worn out, but jubilant at our success.

The next day we decided to still-hunt another Lynx,
whose track we had crossed while following our big chap.
Now, still-hunting the Lynx, in thick timber and over rough
grt)und, upon a mountain-side, is an extremely uncertain
undertaking.

) heel in
riiit not
tlie heel.
Ave have
[iiarry is
roiivs on,
oon take
, all eyes
on a bare
Gloat-like
ing long
L

s burst of
res, there
., howling
leath, the
i)bs ready
, and the
' strength,

'inchester,
bling, and
s ring out
perforated
allowed to
mp body is
very hand-
t forty -Ave

made our
bout dark,

ther Lynx,
r big chap.
, over rough
y uncertain

THE LYNX.

445

But, nothing daunted, the writer and the engineer took
up the trail tiie following morning, while our couipanion
remained at camp to nurse a contused ankle, which he had
sustained while jumping from a huge log the previous day.
The hurt was painful, but not serious.

The trail was readily picked uj), but, being somewhat
old, was discarded for a new one which crossed it, and was
evidently but a few hours old. Though not large, it promised
good sport, and at least another pelt. This track crossed
much of the same ground as that of the day previous, but
went down to the lowland, into the green timber. Having
reason to believe that the Lynx had lingered, and was not a
great march ahead, we tramped leisurely (m.

Sundry grouse- feathers bestrewed the snow where he had
been feeding. Being a skillful fowler, the Lynx is seldom
at a loss for the staff of life here in the Cascade Range, where
birds are so abundant. Like a dog, he will scent his game.
Knowing how to proceed, from long experience and a con-
stant necessity of linstling for himself, he advances on his
unsuspecting victim, silently, noiselessly, and concealed, per-
haps, behind some mound of earth or tree-trunk, he sneaks
along, with his belly on the ground, till he is as near as he
can get without flushing the grouse. Strutting upon a log,
perchance, is the proud bird; every feather ruffled, the
black feathers around his neck puffed out, he paces majes-
tically to and fro, ever and anon emitting a slight "■clack-
cluck," similar to that produced by moistening the lips,
holding them together, then separating them with a snap;
or, if it be in the spring of the year, he drums and booms,
producing a sound similar to that i)roduced by beating raj)-
idly on an immense bass-drum.

Or possibly the partridge is quietly feeding, pecking at
stray morsels of food, unconscious of the treacherous, ci-awl-
ing destroyer so near at hand. The bird" s head being turned
to one side for a second, there is a streak, a flash of fur, and
the next instant the cruel fangs pierce through feathers,
flesh, and bone, and the jioor bird never ktiows what struck
him.

{

t ; ■

h ]

I *■(*/■*

440

BIG GAME OF NORTH AMKHirA.

"'"

Even if the grouse is too far off, or the cat luis ini.scak'u-
hited his leaj), and the bird takes to liis wings, \\iii('li are of
great strengtli, and whicli often carry Inm tlirough the
liunter's lire unscathed, the Lynx is not yet foiled, nor are
las resources yet at an end. No aim is truer, mo calculation
more accurate, no motion swifter, than the si)ring which is
now made, as the bird rises from the ground, and is caught
in mid-air, with a tremendous leap of lightning-like swift-
ness; and the bird is crushed between jaws of steel.

The feathers show us that the beast has tarried here; and
this delay may be fatal to him. Going still slowei', we move
silently along in the fresh-cut tracks. Here he has turned;
now he has doubled back. We must be careful, or we will
lose him in this thick jungle.

"Very likely he is in there," we think, as we lift one
foot ahead of the other — one eye on the trail, the other
examining every limb and trunk ahead of us, and on each
side.

"No, he can't be in here."

The tracks continue through; now his jumps are longer;
he is fairly humping himself, no doubt having pressing
business on hand in some other county. We don't believe
he has heard or seen us, for we have the wind and have come
very cautiously and quietly. No sound can he have heard.
Now the trail leads us into an almost impenetrable jungle,
along a ravine. A wind-fall blocks our further i)rogress;
trees of all sizes are piled above each other, till it seems an
impossibility for even a cat to enter.

A council of war is held, in whispered accents. The
area of the wind-fall is not great, so we decide to encircle
it. Hoping to put puss out if hidden therein. The engineer
climbs doAvn into the rugged, rocky, shelving mountain-
gulch, carefully watching for the trail. The writer circles
in the opposite direction, which proves less precipitotis;
also watches the snow-covered ground for the trail.

A low whistle from the engineer hastens his footsteps.
We are soon together again. The veteran silently points a
linger up the craggy sides of the gulch, where a ledge of

^"'

TIIK LYXX.

447

rock projects almost perpendiciihuly above, Tlie foot-
prints of the Lynx, or some other hirge animal, lead
directly to it, and above it thei'e are no ti'acks.

The veteran's face, sntfused with smiles, is benignantly
turned upon me.

"There's our varmint; but how will we get tlierei — that's
the question."

The sides of the ravine are closely scanned for a scaling-
point, but none presents itself which will admit of speedy
travel. The only course left open is to attempt the as(^ent,
which appears extremely hazardous. Boulders and rocks,
big as the Chicago Court-house, have to be scaled, whose
sides tower straight up. Then, again, loose rocks of all
sizes present themselves, a touch only being required to
hurl them below. Still, having come so far for that Lynx,
we can not go back now, but must have him, rocks or no
rocks. So, strapping our rifles to our backs, we climb up
till we get to the most prominent obstruction, a jutting
ledge, which it appears almost impossible to surmount. A
bank of soft earth is discovered to the right of it, in which
our hunting-knives soon make holes for our hands and feet.
A tedious, risky climb brings us on the ledge above, which
is covered with two feet of snow, where the Lynx-track is
again recovered. A fissure in the rock next receives our
attention.

" If there is no other entrance to this cave, we've got you,
old gray-back!" ejaculates the engineer, as we thrust our
rifles into the opening, and endeavor to pierce the gloom
within. The darkness is too thick, and at iirst nothing is
to be seen. Presently, however, the eye becomes accus-
tomed to the gloom, and a deep iissure is found which will
admit us both. Stooping low, we advance slowly into tlie
darkness. A match is struck, and there, liuddled up on a
ledge of rock, are two dark bodies. The match flickers arid
dies. Another is struck, and a pair of rifles thrust in the
direction of the two bodies; a pair of large, shining eyes
appear on each side of the sight on the business end of the
rifle; two reports thunder together in tiie cramped quarters.

iMJ

iUl

448

BIO OAMK OF NORTH AMEUICA.

11 K

piece
and r
ing

Darkness, thick and impenetrable, follows. We liear
writhing, struggling, and a smothered scream in the direc-
one of tlie bodies, and l)oth our rifles are again dis-
fl in the direction of the sound; then all is still,
match is now struck; but the smoke hangs so
d black that we are unable to see through it.
iiing to the mouth of the cave, an oiled rag and a
tarred rope are discovered in a pocket. The 4'ag
t^ are twisted together and set on fire, and the burn-
is thrown far into the cave, bringing brightness
and light to every corner of it. We return, and find the
two animals dead; two balls having passed through one of
them, while the death of the other had been instant as the
result of one shot.

Both are drawn ont to the daylight, and examined with
gieat interest. One was the largest Lynx we had ever seen,
and wo lid have weighed, as nearly as we could judge, about
fifty pounds. He was three feet long, exclusive of the tail.
The other Lynx was much smaller, and a female, measur-
ing somewhat under thirty inches, and weighing about
half as much as the male. Securing the pelts, we retraced
our steps. This ended the most exciting Lynx-chase we
ever had, and the most prolific of results.

When not more than half-way back to camp, night over-
took us, and we lost our way in tlie darkness. The svinc-
tacle of a pair of bosom friends, old hunters, lost on a prai-
rie, or even in most forests, conjures up no feelings of horror
in the mind of the reader. To be lost in such a forest and on
Buch iiiountains as these, where the snow lies from two to
five feet deep; the smallest tree three feet in thickness; the
darkness so intense that you can cut it with a knife; the
only sounds being the sobbing and moaning of the trees,
the distant howl of the Mountain Wolf — a savage, cold-
blooded, cruel beast^or the scream of the Mountain Lion,
the occasional " tu-hoot, tu-hoot, tu-tu-lioot" of the screech-
owl — is not x)leasant, to say the least. Add to these the
knowledge that the first huge tree-trunk you come to may
harbor beneath its roots, entombed in a bed of snow, a huge

i'll'^. >

TIIK LYXX.

445)

Ciiltus Bear, sleeping his long lii'oemul sleep, but needing
only a rap or i. kick on the trunk of the tree to wake liini
up and turn him out into the darkness, " madder' n a nest
of hornets," and you ciin readily imagine that we were
not exactly comfortable. AVe would far rather have been
tucked up in our beds at home, or be stretched out in
camp with a huge log tire hissing and crackling before us.
No, dear reader, I advise you never to get lost in the piny
forests of British Colund)ia, or in our Northwest mount-
ain ranges. You'll feel lonesome and homesick if you do.

But lost we were, and we knew that no amount of repin-
ing would enable us to find ourselves. After an immense
amount of conjecturing and figuring as to where we were,
we decided that it was useless to try to reach camp that
night, and that our only means of living through it was to
build a big fire and keep it uj). We ransacked the neigh-
borhood for dry limbs, dry leaves— in fact, anything dry;
but alas! dry things were not to be found. The soft, yield-
ing snow encased all in a mantle of jjerpetual whiteness
and wetness.

Strips were cut from our clothing, and matches pulled,
and scratched across any dry spot that we could find; but
they soon burned out. The thought of remaining out this
cold, windy night without a fire became almost maddening.

One, two, three, a dozen shots were fired, in rapid suc-
cession, from our rifles. Hopeless hope! No hunter is
nearer than our camp, and the solitary occupant of that is
far beyond the sound of our weapons. How gladly would
he find us, if only he knew where we were! It being
impossible to start a fire, and the cold becoming too great
for us to stand idle much longer, we were compelled to
resume our march.

We went floundering through snow and brush, scarcely
making any headway in the intense darkness. We tum-
bled, rolled, and wandered aimlessly on. hour after hour,
till, almost sinking down through sheer weariness, we were
in utter despair. At intervals we fired our rifles, in hopes
of reaching the ear of some distant camp.

Hvii

t ,:5 .' 'I

4SU

1U(J <K\NfK OK NOUTII AMKItlCA.

At litst we faiu'y we heai* ii shot. TIk'Ii iiiiolher. Yes,
there are three more. We are saved! Jiliiidly groping oin
way in the direction of the welcome sounds, we tire tlie last
shots remaining in our belts, ;ind keel) yelling at the top of
our voices. At last we heiir the answei'ing shouts, and soon
see the torch, carried by the party who so opportunely had
lieard our shots.

We are soon anumg them; they are Lummi Indians. Tread-
ing us to their cami>, wt^ aie soon seated by a blazing lire.
For several minutes we absoib the warmth, too glad to
utter a sound. Though no cpiestions are asked by our res-
cuers, nuiny questioning glances are cast in our direction.
Finally, having got our lind)s and tongues thawed out,
the engineer proceeded to enlighten the Indians, in Chi-
m)ok, as to the reiison of our strange ai)peai'ance amongst
them. They set before us a piece of venison and a IjowI of
corn-mush, which soon disappeared; then the pipe was
passed, and they all settled down again into gloomy silence.

A motley group were they— some young, some okl; dark-
skinned, black-haired, broad-faced, lieavy-limbed; short of
stature, but broad and long bodied, with short legs, reced-
ing brow.s, and prominent cheek and skull bones.

They sat cross-legged, gazing into the glowing coals, pay-
ing no further attention to us. They were a hunting-party
who were out after the ]?ig Horns, the Lc^er, Elk, Cougar.
Bear, and 'Coons. Their only weapons were the ancient
pieces of ii'on, with the wooden handles, such as are bar-
tered by the Hudson's Bay Company in exchange for furs.
They are, however, carefully cleaned every night, oiled, and
put awaj' in the woolen or buckskin sack, for further use
the following day.

The Paget Sound Indian is not, as a rule, a good shot,
but understands the habits of all game, and wild animals.
He is very saving of his ammunition, and wastes no powder
or balls on uncertainties. He must be close to his quarry
before his ancient piece of ordnance is discharged. Snaking
himself through the woods on all fours, traveling, perhaps,
not more than a hundred yards in an hour, he is a

■

ll«M-. Yes,
•()l»iiig (Mir
ic the lust
the top of
s, and Hooii
timely had

ans. Lead-
)h»zing liie.
)o glad 1()
by our les-
r dirertiou.
hawed out,
lus, in Chi-
nee amongst
id a bowl of
le pipe wa«
loniy silence,
le (dd; (hvrk-
)ed; short of

legs, reced-
es.

ig coals, pay-
imting-party
Elk, Cougar,

the ancient
I as are bar-

nge for furs,
•ht, oiled, and
V further use

a good shot,
wild animals.
tes no powder
to his quarry
red. Snaking
ling, perhaps,
our, he is a

TIIK T,Y\.\.

451

relentless foe to the Deer or Elk. lie is dirty and tiltliy in
liis liubits, subsisting prin('ii)ally on snioke<l salmon and salt
meat -living a life several degrtvs below that of a beast.

The glowing accounts of the noble red juan which we
have read in our youth, and the exaltecl opinion we have
held of his manly attributes, brave deeds, and daring mien,
are all dispelled upon being brought face to face with the
filthy reality. Gratitude or generosity are unknown ele-
ments in his make-up. There are many powerful, hardy
specimens of manhood among them, but this is attributable
to their out-door life, and wanderings in the I'oi-ests and
mountains. Shrewdness and cunning they possess in a
marked degree, in all that pertains to their own interests.
Patience, also, is one of their leading characteristics.

A night in an Indian hovel under oi'dinary cinuinistances
would be unendurable, but on the occasion I have described
anything was preferable to the midnight bowlings of the
woods. We passed the night as best we could among our
red brethren, buo were nj) and off at the first streak of day-
light in the morning. Our homeward way was soon dis-
covered in the brightness of the sun, and a long, luu'^ " aniii
brought us again to our cabin, where we found our comrade
in a great state of fear, not knowing what had happened
to us.

Mf^

i: i

\fM'* ^

I •

- \

i^; V

'':>^i:i

; 1

■f M

1 %

1 -TP^

n ■ \.:\,

'i.: I

1,1

Hi!

THE WOLF.

By William Piitman Lett.

Hark to that minstrelsy, riiigiii)^ iind clcnr!

'Tis the chonis of dcatli on llic triiil of tlic Doorl

The tierce forest IJiood-liouiuls are jiMtheriiiu; in might;

Tlieir eelioing 3ell.s Willie tlie silence of nigiil, ,'

As relentless they stretch over mountiiiu and plain,

The blood of tlieir fast-speedinj;; victim to drain.

They close — lie stands i)roudly on<' moment at hay;

'Tis Ids last — they are on him to ravage and slay I

fHE Wolf belongs to the genus Cttnis, or Canine
family. According to Audubon and Baclunan's
"Quadrupeds of America," the Wolf has six inci-
sors in the upper and six in the lower jaw, one
canine tooth in etich jaw, and six molars above and six
below. The three lirst teeth in the upper jaw and the four
in the lower jaw are trenchant and snudl, and are Jilso
called false molars. The great carnivorous tooth above is
bicuspid, with a small tubercle cm the inner side; that below
hits the posterior lobe altogether tubercular. There are two
tuberculous teeth beliind each of the great ctirnivorous
teeth. The muzzle of the Wolf is elongate; the tongue
soft; the ears erect, but sometimes pendulous in the d(mies-
tic varieties. The fore feet are pentadactylous, or live-toed;
the hind feet, tetradactylous, or four-toed; the teats are
both inguinal and ventral.

The Gray Wolf of Ctmada — /. e., the large Wolf of all
Northern America — is about five feet six inches in length,
from the point of he nose to extreme end of the tail;
ordinarily about tw nty-six inches high at the shoulder,
larger ones, howevrer, measuring twenty-eight inches in
height and weighing from seventy to one hundred pounds.
I give the latter measurement and height from the bodies

(453)

■I

I il

' 1

1 1

iH D

! 1

4.54

BIO '.AME (\F NOUTII AMEUICA.

of WolvHs that I have killed, and I am confident that I am
under rather than over the actual size and height of the
Gray Wolf.

There are several varieties of American Wolves, differ-
ing so much from each other, chiefly in color, i\^ to lead some
naturalists to the conclusion that they are different in spe-
cies, and that they do not originate from the same primeval
stock. They are all about the same size, and band together
in the same pack; the white, gray, and red varieties being
specifically identical.

In size and other peculiarities, all the larger Wolves dif-
fer from the Prairie Wolf and the Coyote; both of these
smaller varieties burrow in the earth, are much less savage
and destructive, and much more docile and aft'ectionate in
a state of domestication, than are those of any variety of
the larger species. According to the best zoological author-
ities, all the larger Wolves are dwellers upon the surface
of the earth — sleeping in the t)pen air, or making their dens
in caves or crevices of rocks.

The most valuable skins are obtained from the White
Arctic Wolf; the next, in thickness of fur and costliness,
is the skin of the Gray AVolf of Northern America; and so
on down to the pelt of the black variety, which, being a
southern aninud, ranging in a warmer habitat, cai-ries the
thinnest and coarsest coat of the entire genus, and conse-
quently is of the least value.

The (fray Wolf, the variety most common in Canada,
bears a very strikiug resemblance to the European Wolf.
There are, however, diffei-ences between them, which at one
time appeared to l)e distinct and permanent. Naturalists
of late years appear to be unanimous in the conclusion that
the larger Wolves of the Okl and New World all belong to
one species. The American Wolf, notably the Canadian
variety, is at least equal in size to that of anj-^ other
country.

Billings tells us that "the body of the American Wolf
is I'lUg and gaunt; muzzle elongated, and somewhat thicker
than that of the Pyrenean Wolf; head thick, nose long,

; that I am
gilt of tlie

Ives, cliff ev-

lead some
rent in spe-
(le primeval
ml together
ieties being

Wolves clif-
)tli of these
L less savage
ectionate in
y variety of
i-ical author-
the surface
ig their dens

a the White
d costliness,
rica; and so
lich, being a
carries the
i, and conse-

1 in Canada,
opean Wolf,
which at one

Naturalists
nclusion that
all belong to
he Canadian
)f any other

nerican Wolf
?\vhat thicker
k, nose long,

TIIK WOLF.

45^

ears erect and conical, as is the case with all true Wolves;
pupil of the eye circulai'; tail stiaight — the animal does
not carry it curled over his back, like a dog."

To this excellent description, I niiiy add that the eye of
the American Wolf is of a lighi greenish color, its exi»i'es-
sion is sneaking and sinister, intermingled with an aspect
of cunning sinular to, although surpassing in force, the
yellow eye of the Fox. As stated above, the tail of the
Wolf is bushy; but it is neither so long nor so elegantly
rounded and heavy as that of a Pox.

At one time, the Gfray Wolf was found all over the Con-
tinent of America, as far south as the (lulf of Mexico. It
is still to be met with in considerable numbers on the great
plains of the West, on the slopes of the liocky Mountains,
and in more or less abundance, according to location,
in all the remote and spaisely settled portions of Canada,
Newfoundland, and Cape Ih'^on. In voice, form, generic
character, and maunei' of hunting their prey, all the vai'ie-
ties of the large North American Wolves are essentially
similar.

In the early history of Canada, and the United States,
not less than in the valley of the Ottawa. Wolves were
dangerously abundant. In those old times, in all new set-
tlements, shee})— when a farmer was fortunate enough to
own any — had to be penned up carefully every night, other-
wise wool would certainly be Hying before nM)rning.

It was not alone that in one of those nocturnal laids many
slieex> A^ere devoured — that was not the worst feature of
the transaction. A coni)le of those blood-thirsty maraud-
ers, in one night would kill lifteen or twenty sheep, simply
tearing open their throats without otherwise nuitilating
their carcasses.

After such a, catastrophe, cheap mutton was easily })ro-
curable; frecpiently, too, at a season of the year when the
old pioneers were obliged to livf^ without meat of any kind,
fresh or salt, for months at a time. For the information
of those unacquainted with the hardships and privations of
the men who cut down the wilderness and cleared the land,

H- .

I ;r

456

BIO (;amk of XOKTir amkrica.

|!i:;i

I il

\l\i

I iiuiy say that this enforced economical fast usually did
not terminate until the pigs were killed, in December.

Apart from tiie information whicli I have derived from
the authentic records of natural history, I have had a
somewluit intinuite personal acquaintance with this fei'o-
cious bandit of the wilderness, through practical observa-
t' jnj as well as by the agency of steel-tra[)s.

Now, it is a generally receive 1 opinion -like many other
popuhir fallacies -that the Fox surpasses all other animals
in cunning. T ,iavehad what I consider good and sufficient
reason to doubt the correctness of this ancient conclusion.
I think anyone who tries to catch a Wolf in a steel-trap
Avill agree with me, that the AVolf is a much more cunning
animal than the Fox.

In my younger days, I trapped many Wolves and Foxes,
as well as iishers, minks, anc' muskrats. I used no pun-
geut oils or other extraneous attractions to wile them, but
simply matched my own intelligence against their instinct-
ive cunning; and in the case of the Wolf, I have often, for
many successive days, found myself completely circum-
vented.

In proof of the persistent cunning of the Wolf, I may
relate a circumstance of some weight. While trapping, in
the month of December, 1840, I fastened a piece of liver
upon the knotty spike of a hemlock-tree, about three feet
from the ground, and set a well-concealed trap under it.
The Wolves f retpieuted the spot every night; and although
they tramped a circle in the sno'v six feet fi'om the tree,
or twelve feet iu diameter, their dread of the trap ])re-
vented them from toiu'hing the meat, uotwithstaTiding the
fact that it remained in its position until the first day of
April.

A short distance frt)m the same spot, during the same
winter, I caught three Wolves, twenty-seven Foxes, three
fishers, and one marten. I experienced more difficulty in
capturing the Wolves than all the others put together.
I took the Wolves in the following manner: I dejujsited a
(pumtity of pigs' livers and other oiial in the center of a

w:.

3ually did
iber.

ived from
ive had a
this fero-
1 observa-

lany otlier
iv animals
I sufficient
■onclusion.
L steel-trap
•e cunning

and Foxes,
id no pun-
tliem, but
ir instinct-
e often, for
ly circum-

oll', I may
capping, in
ce of liver

three feet
) under it.
d although
ni the tree,

trap pre-
anding the
lirst day of

r the same
'oxes, three
liiriculty in
it together,
leposited a
center of a

THE WOLF.

457

dense ci'dar-swamp, near the present site of the Carp Mi-
lage, in the Township of Huntly. I had heard the Wolves
howling after Deer on several occasions previously; and I
was also aware that they had killed a numl)er of sheep and
a few young cuttle in the ininiedhite vicinity.

The AVolves soon scented the bait, and gathered around
it— as I frequently had the pleasure of listening to their
illimitable music in the swamp. I visited the spot three
times in each week, always stejiping in the sanu' trai-ks
going and returning, from and back to the main traveled
road. I found that, during three weeks, they had not vent-
med neai or than about six or eight feet of the bait, and
that ui) to that point the snow all around it was beaten
down by their tracks.

At the beginning of the fourth week, they attacked and
devoured the greater i)art of the olfal. I then I'enewed the
l)ait, and set u trap in front of it where they had com-
menced eating. I was particular, after the trap was placed,
in leaving the surface of the snow exact! v in the same con-
dition as I found it. Next morning I found the si)i'lngs of
the trap bare; the snow had been scratched away, and the
bait had been eaten on the other side. I then set another
ti'ap on the opposite side, and next morning louiid both
traps bare. I was somewhat puzzled, but I deteiinined to
persevere. I then set both traps in such a manner that,
sliould the Wolves attempt the scratching trick again, the
lirst part of the traps that could possibly l)e touched would
be tlie pan. They came that night, and one remained there;
for, to my great satisfaction, I found him, in the morning,
fast in one of the traps. H(? was a line, large sp»H'imen,
twenty-eight inches in height at the shoulder, and corres-
pondingly long-bodied and bulky His weight must have
been at least eighty pounds, oi- peihaps more.

As it has fortunately turned out, for the purposes of
this sketch, I put Mr. Lupus through a somewhat critical
examination. I poked him up smartly, and experimented
upon him, with the view of learning something wtiich I did
not then know about the amiable members of his interesting

" i

''f. ■>

'HI

4:)S

inVr «AMK OF NOUTII AMP:UI('.\.

I'iice. I eiidt'iivored to make him ^ive tongue, but failed.
Like a liound witliout a scent, he was silent. I coukl not
induce him to iitt'er a sound; nor did he attempt either to
snarl or growl. I noticed that when I stepped off a few paces,
at each step he raised his body until standing at his full
height. At each step as Iai)proached him again, he lowered
himself gradually until flat on the ground, with his head
between his paws, in which jiosition he remained as long as
I st(jod beside him. He seemed exceedingly shy and timor-
ous, but made no attempt to escape; while lie was far too
cunning to display any ferocity. An otter, a flsher, or a
marten would have snarled, growled, and fought viciously
under similar conditions.

I feel convinced that with a dog-collar and chain, after
freeing him from the trap, I could without difficulty have
led him home. I put this idea to the test in the following
manner: For the purpose of fastening the trap, I cut down a
balsam sapling, about three inches in diameter, the root end
of which I cut ofi square. Into this 1 drove a staple, to
which I locked the chain of the trap with a small padlock.
I then planted the tree precisely in the position in which it
grew, and where the AVolves had been in the habit of seeing
it, night after night, for weeks.

When I had compl ;ted my zoological experiments, never
then expecting to tell my readers anything about them, I
unlocked the trap, and walked cpuetly oft" toward home.
The Wolf got up and followed me, without any resistance,
for about a quarter of a mile, when I accidentally trii)ped
over a large pine-root and fell. Had 1 not known something
about the history and character of my companion, there
might then and there have occurred a tragedy. The instant
I fell, and before I attempted to rise, I turned my head
quickly and looked my prisoner straight in the eye. I
found him with eyes flashing and his whole body gathered
for a spring. The moment I caught his eye, he cowered
before my gaze. Had I not been i)rompt, it is quite possible
that my present story might never have been told. How-
ever, I was young, strong, and active then, and the reader

it failed,
•ould not
either to
ew puces,
s his full
e lowered
his head
IS long as
nd timor-
is far too
sher, or a
; viciously

lain, after
nilty have
following
!ut down a
e root end
, staple, to
I padlock,
n which it
t of seeing

snts, never
lit them, I
a I'd home,
resistance,
Uy tripped
something
nion, there
riie instant
I my head
he eye. I
y gathered
lie cowered
ite possible
old. How-
tlie reader

! :

1 1;

TIIK WOLF.

may rest assured that 1 could not have been silenced with-
out a determined and sanguinary struggle. Long before
this, I had learned that it was dangerous to fail in the pres-
ence of even a domesticated Wolf.

I need scarcely say that I did not trouble my amial)le
companion to follow me any farther, lest 1 might get
another fall. With one blow of a stick which I usually
carried for the purpose, I laid him out ready for skinning;
as doubtless, in his time, he luul treated many a beaulifid
Deer prior to devouring it.

As I have before remarked, the three Wolves which I
had killed formed part of a pack that, during a few weeks
before their tragical departure to the happy hunting-
grounds, had committed many serious depredations. 1 pir
the succeeding two, each of which was ecpial in size to the
first one, through a similar investigating process, but failed
to elicit anything new. Iliad fre(piently heard the i)ack in
full cry, at night; and although, if heard close at hand, the
sound might have proved tvirifying to peisons not gifted
Avith an ear capable of appreciating Natun 's magnificent
harmonies, so far as I am a judge of music, the moonlight
concert of those Wolves seemed to me to be the iw plus
ultra of forest harmony.

The Madawaska River, wliich was once, so far as unri-
valed natural beauty could make it so, the rushing, foaming
queen of Ottawa's peerless tributaries, has along its tur-
bulent course many rapids and chutes of wondrous grand-
eur and beauty. One of those chutes, about one hundred
miles from the City of Ottawa, is called the \\o\i Port-
age. It was so named on iiccount of the Wolves chasing
Deer into the water at that point during winter, The
hunted Deer were in the habit of rushing into the rapids to
escape the fangs of their sanguinary })ursuers. In catching
the Deer at the Wolf Portage, the Wolves displayed much
cunning. When a Deer took to water at the head, it was
quickly carried over the rough chute and down the lapids
into the gradually narrowing, ice-inclosed ghule, or channel,
at the foot. Just at the si)ot where the current drove

-1

I . V

•' m

460

pro OAME OF NOUTII AMERICA.

it against the ice, nmler which it would immediately be
whirled, a number of the Wolves stood on the ice, and the
instant the Deer tonched its edge, it was seized by the
fierce and hungry animals, dragged out upon the ice, and
devoured. In the early lumbering-times upon the Mada-
waska, the skeletons of Deer could alwaj's l)e seen, in win-
ter, lying on the i(;e at the foot of the Wolf Portage.

80 numerous were the Wolves on the Madawaska, that,
during the years 1840 and 1841, the Deer were driven com-
pletelv out of the large sectitm of country lyuig between
the High Falls and Keminisiveek Lake — a distance of sixty
miles. In 1844 the Deer began gradually to reappear; and
when they returned in force to their old liann'' ., the AVolves
followed them, hunting them back to their old habitat,
where for years they have been comparatively abundant.

The old Stony Swamp, on the Richmond road, in the
Township of Nepean, twelve miles from Ottawa, was at
one time much infested by Wolves, chietly on account of
its having been a famous fastness for Deer. The Wolves
of the Stony Swamp did considerable damage amongst the
flocks in the neighborhood.

In connection with this old road, I remember an incident
AAhich took place there in the ysar 1880. In that early
period in the history of the County of Carleton, oxen
were chiefly used for all purposes of travel and draught by
the farmers, simply because they had no horses. Farm
l)roduce, such as hay, oats, wheat, coi-n, and potatoes, were
then hauled to Bytown market on ox-sleighs; and then, as
now, the journey was partly performed in the night.

One clear, moonlight night, a farmer from the westerly
part of Nepean was driving his hea-'ily laden oxen along
the lonely windings of the road through the Stony
Swamp. The season was winter. He had a small dog
with him, which was running along a short distance in
front of the team. Suddenl3% he heard a piteous howl
from tne dog, a. id looking in the direction of the sound,
saw an enormous Wolf darting away through the trees with
the struggling dog in his mouth.

Wf:

THE WOLF.

4fil

lately be
■, and the
[\ by the
> ire, and
he Mada-
II, In win-

age.

ska, that,
iven c'om-
f between
e of sixty
ipear; and
lie Wolves
I habitat,
mndant.
ad, in the
;a, was at
accoiint of
le Wolves
nongst the

an incident
that eavly
eton, oxen
[Irauglit by
ses. Farm
atoes, were
nd then, as
ight.

he westerly
oxen along

the Stony
, small dog
distance in
iteous howl

the sonnd,
e trees with

During the first few years after the early settlement of
Hull, Wolves were numerous and destructive in the neigh-
borhood. They had kilh'd many sheep, and had, also, very
much disturbed the minds of timid i)eop]e by their nightly
bowlings. Something decisive had to be done to abate the
nuisance. A hunter set a trap, and succeeded in capturing
one of the offenders. He muzzled him, and skinm'd ])art of
his head and sides, and then fastened a broad, red collar,
to which was attached a bell, around his neck. The Wolf
was then liberated; and, according to the story, Wolves
became scarce around Hull, and remained so for numy
years.

In October, 1839, when the trees, the stately sentinels of
earth, seemed to wear the livery of heaven, I was out, one
morning, duck-shooting. The time was the interval of twi-
light just preceding the dawn. Suddenly, I heard the voices
of a large pack of AVolves in full cry after a Deer. The
River Goodwood, npon the bank of which I stood, is about
forty yards wide. The Wolves were running in thick
cover, a short distance from the shore, on the opposite side.
The moment was an exciting one, but I have no recollection
of having been frightened in the least. I stood close to the
edge of the water, ready to tackle them with a single-
barreled muzzle-loader charged with No. 3 shot, and regret-
ted that they did not show themselves. Tiie Deer and its
pursuers passed rapidly on through the thick undergrowth;
and shortly afterward the Wolves caught the Deer, as indi-
cated by the ceasing of their howls. Clear daylight then
appeared; and, if I remember correctly, ten wild ducks (con-
stituted the result of my morning's tramp before breakfast.
I had no dog with me, and consequently had to swim after
every one of them.

On various occasions, in many a hunt since the occur-
rence referred to, I have listened to the nuitchless melody
of the hounds in full cry upon the steaming tiail of the
Deer. I need scarcely tell the sportsman who has been
there, how far such a chorus surpasses the highest and
most scientiHc effort of a full cornet-band. Nevertheless,

I '■f, -i

r^ ■■!

'I
. .1 1

402

BIG OAMK or .XdUTlI A.MEKICA.

J. ..

Miu'll a wild, weird, clcarsoundiug, imisicid j)erf()rjTi!ni('«^ as
that with wliich I was iavoivd on th(^ luuiiiiiig in (iiiestiun,
I liav(^ never siuce lieard.

Tlie "angry growl" attriVinted to the Wolf by the nov-
elist and the literary story-teller — who possibly never saw
or heard one, and knows, perhaps, as little, either practi-
cally or theoretically, al)()nt the animal as the generality of
ordiiuirv writers do about the correct mode of writing the
Tipperary idiom — is just as far from the natural habit
of the Wolf as is its capacity for playing the Highland
bagpipe.

Talking of the bagpipe, I once read an account of a
benighted piper in an American forest who was surrounded
by Wolves, and, as a last resort, he struck up "The Camp-
bells are Coming," and the result was that the Wolves
took flight as if pursued by a i)raiiie-iire. Neither Lion,
Tiger, Wolf, Jaguar, or Grizzly J5ear could face, for one
minute, the charge of a Highland piper in full blast with
the [)ibroch.

Personally, if accompanied by two thorough-bred Bull-
terriers of good size, and armed with a AVinchester repeat-
ing-rilie, I should be delighted at any time, in daylight, to
pay my respects to six of the largest W'^olves in America.

About twelve years ago, the hunting-party to wliich I
have the honor to belong was encamped on the bank of
Bear Brook, about twelve miles from Ottawa. It was during
a very (^old time, in the month of December — a fact which I
distinctly remember, in consequence of having to cut a large
supply of birch stove-wood to keep the tent warm.

During our stay in camp, on one occasion, about mid-
night, we were awakened by the howling of Wolves near at
hand, accompanied by a noise like that made by a large
animal jumping through the snow\ Rifles were grasped, but
the noise suddenly ceased, and all again became still. By
the tracks found in the snow, next nu)rning, we learned that
a large buck had run within less than twenty feet of the
back of our tent, and had then turned aside. Ui)on follow-
ing the tracks of the Deer a short distance, the foot-prints

'It,:

TIM-; \V<»I,K

40;}

of the Wolves were discovered. We did not follow the trail
fur; had we done .'so, we should doubtless, sooner or laler,
have found the mangled ivniains of the Deer. Had the
buck given one more jnmp from the spot where his tracks
appeared at tlm back of the tent, we should have had an
immediate row of more than oi'dinaiy interest and excite-
ment. I have often regretted that the Deer and the Wolves
did not land amongst us. In that case, T could have given
you a true story eclipsing the most tiorid narrative of the
most ingenious and accomplished newspaper rei)orter of the
present day.

Wolves were quite numerous in the Township of (ilou-
cester, adjacent to the City of Ottawa, up to a few years
ago; and doubtless there are many still, in the s(jlitudes of
the vast tamarack and cedar swamps still «'xisting within
less than twenty-tive miles of the City of Ottawa.

In December, 1868, Doctor Bell, of New Edinburgh, was
driving through the long sAvamp below Eastman's Springs.
At that time there were many Wolves within even ten miles
of the City of Ottawa. While jogging along at an ordinary
rate, the Doctor's horse suddenly became restive, pricked
up his ears in a startled manner, and stood still. Just then
a. Deer crossed the road a few yards in front of the horse.
The howling of Wolves close by greeted the ears of the Doc-
tor, and after a few seconds eleven of these ferocious sleuth-
hounds of the forest rushed across the road on the trail of
the tired Deer, which, without doubt, was soon pulled down
and torn to pieces. What a glorious chance for ai'epeating-
rifle! The worthy Doctor, however, although a keen sports-
man, was armed only with what modern i)athological
science regards as the most killing weapon, at shoit range,
of the faculty- his lancet.

Roman history tells us that Romulus and Remus, the
founders of the City of the Seven Hills, were suckled and
reared by a she-Wolf. If this story be true, the foster-
mother of those distinguished sons of the Tiber in her
nature was not all Wolf. This incident has been partially
paralleled by the story of Androcles and the Lion, as well

' ii

i':f iPi

464

ma (JAMK OF NORTH AMERICA.-

;l:i

as by thiit of Maldonatii and tlie Puma. All three of these
interesting incidents are highly creditable to the character
of the brute creation. It is certain that the ancient Konians,
as a race, inhei'ited none of the characteristic cowardice
which tine drawn physiologu^al science might trace to the
source of their ancestors' early sustenance. Nevertheless,
the blood thirsty and predatory instincts of the Lupine race
were amply exemplified by the humane and gentle rule of
many of the Roman Emperors — notably, Caligula, Nero,
Galba, and A'"itellius.

In the history of America, the instances have been rare
indeed in which Wolves are authentically reported to have
attacked human beings. Emboklened by nund)ers and
stimulated by liunger, the Wolves of Russia and Siberia
have for ages been a standing threat and terror to night
travelers in the inhospitable countries mentioned, in the
dangerous mountain fastnesses of which they are met with
in such multitudes. In a part of the world in which the
hiunanizing intiuences of a relined civilization for hundreds
of years found no resting-place, it was the custom in intes-
tine wars t(^ leave the dead and dying on the field of battle —
to rot, or be devoured by beasts of prey. Is it any wonder
tliat, under such conditions, like the Bengal Tiger, the
Wolves of Russia became man-eaters ?

In contradistinction to the habits of their European con-
geners, North American Wolves, although comparatively
bold under the pressure of hunger, dread the presence of
man, and flee from him, as do the Deer and the Black Bear.

I remember a story currt at in old times, about a gigantic
Indian named Clouthier— a rather Gallic designation for a
pure Algonquin — who was well known to the late Squire
Wright, the founder of the ancient Village of Hull. My
story may be quite true in every particular, for the Indian
in question was of Herculean proportions and almost
superhuman strength. On one of his hunting excursions,
Clouthier was attacked and torn to pieces by a large pack
of Wolves. It was sumiised by those who discovered his
remains and fragments of his clothing, that after he had

i ;

II'

THE WOLF.

405

e of these
cluinu'ter
, llonuins,
cowaiilice
Lice to the
rertheless.
iipine viu'v
tie rule of
ula, Nero,

( been rare
ed to have
mbers and
ind Siberia
jr to night
lied, in the
re met with
t which the
ir hundreds
oni in intes-
l of battle-
any wonder
Tiger, the

iropean con-
mparatively
presence of
Black Bear.
Lit a gigantic
i;nation for a

late Squire
f Hull. My
V the Indian

and almost
r excursions,

a large pack
Lscovered his
after he had

shot one of his assailants with liis single-barreled, Hint-lock
gun, he had drawn his tomahawk from his belt, and fouglit
desperately for his life. From tlif numlx'r of skulls and
otluT portions (»f thw bodies of tlic Wolves found at the
Ktene of the tragedy, it was concluded that tlie Indian had
killed fourteen of the Wolves before he had been over-
powered^Ul of which had been devoured by their fellows
excepting the Ixmes. Like his scriptural prototype, the
Algompiiu Sampson did not fall unavenged.

In connection with my subject, the following story may
prove interesting. It is an old tradition now. 1 shall give
it as told by a great-grandson of the hero of the tale, who
died, in this county, about ten years ago. Whether' true
or not, it is a credited tradition amongst the Tete du Boule
Indians, who inhabit the region surrounding the upi)er and
head waters of the Gatineau, one of the largest tributaries
of the Ottawa River, the i)oint of confluence of which with
the latter stream is within about one mile of the north-
eastern limits of the City of Ottawa.

During the early settlement of Ciinada by the French, an
adventurous hunter named Baptiste Sal)ourin penetrated
this northern wilderness, and began trapping and hunting
within the limits of the hunting-grounds of the Tete du
Boule Indians, about two hundred miles north of the
Ottawa River. His adventure was a daring one, but the
temptation was great, as, at that early day, the forests
were full of game. Moose, Caribou, Otters, Beavers, Bears,
and Black Foxes abounded in those primeval solitudes, the
peltries of which could be advantageously disposed of
at Montreal and Quebec.

Sabourin had been hunting but a short time when he
was discovered and surprised by a party of Indians, who
took him i^risoner and brought him before Wanonga, the
chief of the Tete du Boules. A council was called, and
after the usual deliberations, the daring hunter was con-
demned to death; but, as in the case of Pocahontas and
Captai^ John Smith, the execution of the sentence was

I' f.

■'.■ \

fiil

ill.

iiii

4()()

lUO OAMK OK XdKTII AMKUICA.

I^i' '

*:i,

ari't'sft'd hy the hiiiid ol" a woiiiiin. Tlit* Fit'iicli Imntir
appt'iux to liiivc bt'fii a liru', liandsoine fallow, t\v»'Uty-li\i'
y»^ars of a^v, six i'cft lall, and ol' lillic, iiiiiiily i)ropoitioii>.
His adiuirablH proportions and physical beauty Imd inadf i
Mtroii,L;' iiii[)r(',ssiou iipon Taniiido. th»' only djiii^iiittT ol" tlir
<'liit'i', a lovely <i;iil of ♦•inhtt'cn, wIiosh stately, iq»ri<;lit
liKiiie, linely cut features, and ihisliinti,- black eyes had nut
escaiM'd the notice of the condemned man.

When the prlsoliei' was about to be delivered over to
the tender nieicies of the elder IndiiiU women, the chiefs
(laughter intercech'd with her father for his life. Her iiitei-
cession proved successful, and Sabourin became a member
of the tribe. A mutual affecticm, or a case of '• love at lirst
sight," se»'ms to have Inlluenced the two young people, for,
after a short residence with ih<' Indians, the couple were
married according to the nuptial ceremonial of the tribe,
and Sabourin remained to the end of his life among his
dusky friends. In the course of time he became the most
expert and daring liunter amongst them.

Liite in the fall, on one of his hunting excursions, the
white hunter encountered two large bucks of the Woodland
Caribou species. They had been lighting, and their antlers
became interlociod in a most inextricable maimer. Strange
to say, and enthely ('(mtrarj^ to wliat a pure Indian would
liave done, hv d\\ not kill them, ))ut immediately repaired
to the camp hii- assistance to take them alive. In company
with a number of Indians, he returned to the scene of
battle, and the two animals were secured, iind bound with
strong thongs of Deer-skin. Afterward, they were sepa-
rated by cutting away a prong or two from the antlers of
one of them.

The animals, securely bound, were then drawn on tobog-
gans to the camp. A suitable inclosure was then formed,
in which they were placed. They were liberally supplied
with mosses, lichens, and other food, by the younger mem-
bers of the conununity, and soon became tame and docile.
After a few months' confinement, they became great pets,
and in due time were liberated, and the gate of the indos-

ich Imiitrr
t\v»'Ut\ -li\"
loportions.
luiil niiidt' ;i
;htt'r ol' lilt'
ly, upiijilit

^■t'H lliul 11' it
M'tMl OVt'V 1<>

, tli»' fliifr-^
, Her intt'i-
le Ji mtMulx'r
■ love at liisl
; people, I'oi',
couple were
of the tribe,
e amonj;' h\^
me the most:

cursions, the
he Woodland

their antlers
mer. Stranjjje
[ndian would
tely repaired
In company

the scene of
id bound with

y were sepu-

the antlers of

awn on tobog-
then I'oi-nied,

rally supplied
younger mem-
le and docile,
ne great pets,
of the inclos-

THK Wol,F.

4t;7

are was left open. For many days they did not Iravt- the
vicinity of the cami). Finally, they became almost as
domestic in their habits as cows. Tliey frecpieiitly wan-
dered olf in the woods, but invariably n'tiirned in the even-
ing and slept in the inclosui'e; although (tn many occasious
they lemained feeding niton the i)Iains all night, and tiieu
would come back in the moriung.

About a year aftei- the cai)ture (d* the animals, and when
they were >'in'sually tame, Sabourin conceived the idea of
training them to harness, lie made a set of rude harness
out of the thick, strong hi(h» of the Moose; and before hitch-
ing them to Ids (niiiie .sf/i/raf/c, he di'ove them around
!d)reast for some days, at the first trial having them led by
one of the young Indian boys. After about thiec^ weeks of
patient training, he had the satisfaction of being able to
drive them wherever lie pleased, as the Laplander does his
Keiudeer. In his hiinfing excursions, Sal)ourin found his
horned team of trotters of the greatest use. On the wide,
open plains, he was accustomed to drive close up to a herd
of Caribou without alarnnng them in the least, and thus
was enabled to obtain many a sure and successful sliot
without subjecting himself to the labor and fatigue of a
slow and protracted stalk upon this wary game.

According to the story, the two Deer remained with the
hunter for eight years. Tliey w-ere frequently absent in the
forest for two or three days at a time, but, stiange to say,
never appeared to separate, and never failed to returiu The
younger members of the tribe wondered at wluit they
thought the magic of the white man, attested by the taming
of such proverbially wild and shy animals. To some of the
elders of the tribe, however, the accomplishment of the dif-
ficult task did not seem so unaccountable. They appeared
to have had a dim recollection of a tradition, handed down
fi'om one generation to another, from the far-back past,
that their remote ancestors, in other lands, had been accus-
tomed to use the Keindeer for similar purposes.

Can it be that a possibility exists of a lineal relationship
existing between the Laplanders and the aborigines of the

\ml

468

inu GAME OF NOIJTII AMKRICA.

North American Coiitiuen^ 2 There certainly appear to
exist some strongly marked physical similarities between
the Tete du Boule Indians and the Laplanders.

Now I am obliged to come to the melancholy and tragic
part of the story, which, were it a mere fiction, instead of
a.generally accej)ted tradition in the nnwritten records of
the tribe, I shonld tell in a different manner.

On one occasion, as usual with him, Sabourin was out
alone, hunting Caribou. He had driven his team up to a
herd, and had succeeded in killing two of their number.
He was then about twenty miles from home. Shortly
before sunset, he had fastened the carcasses to his sledge
and started for home, which he expected to reach in a
coui)le of hours.

Night had fallen, and while passing through a pine for-
est, he was suddenly startled by the howling of Wolves
close at hand; and before he could unloose and throw the
carcasses off his sledge, the savage animals, in great num-
bers, rushed upon his team, both of which they pulled
down and tore to pieces in a few minutes. Meanwhile, the
hunter had climbed to the branches of a pine-tree. He
carried his gun up with him, and commenced firing down
upon the dark mass of Wolves. He killed a number
of them, as was seen afterward, which were soon devoured
by their fellows; but his ainmunition soon became ex-
hausted. Still the blood-roust-d monsters kept watch.

Daylight at last came, and all was silence in that dreary
solitude. Not having arrived at the camp, fears were felt
for his safety, and a searcliing-party started upon his trail
next day, and on arriving at the scene of the last night's
tragedy, they discovered the nussing man still seated on a
branch of the pin<', about twelve feet from the ground.
One of the Indians climbed up, after vainly uttering numy
shouts to wake him from his sleep, as they inuigined, and
upon touching the liuuter, he found that he was dead. lie
had been frozen stiff.

It is well known that intense cold superinduces sleep.
The Indians rightly concluded that poor Saboii'in had

:5i! •• I

.'■' i

appear to
les betweeu

f and tragic
L, instead of
I records of

rin was out
nun lip to a
leir number,
ne. Shortly
:o his sledge
» reach in a

ti a pine for-
g of Wolves
nd throw the
a great nuni-
, they pulled
eanwhile, the
ine-tree. He
d tiring down
ed a number
soon devoured

I became ex-
pt watch.

in that dreary
fears were felt
upon his trail
lie last night's
ill seated on a

II the ground,
uttering many

imagined, and
was dead. He

rinduces sleep. i>
Sabov.-in had

t. Is

^1- !

\i •:.]

msm

I
I
\

It •

THE WOLF.

400

i'liUen asleejD; and so it wan. Worn out by fiiligue, anxk-ry,
niid watcliing, lie was seized by that fatal and everlasting
blumber which, in this world, knows no waking.

Taniiroo was stricken with frantic grief at the tragical
death of her husband, for whom she had entertained the
most constant and fervent affection. She mourned sincerely
for him for many months. After the period of liei' devoted
mourning was at an end, being still compiiratively young,
her hand was sought by a number of the most distin-
gui.'-hed warriors of the tribe; but, ever true to the memoiy
of the last partner of her life, she turned a deaf ear to their
entreaties, and devoted herself to the rearing of her two
sons in those valued branches of wood-craft essential to the
character of a brave warrior and expert hunter. At the
present day, the very best blood of the Tete un Boules can
1)(! trailed back to the intrepid hunter, Bapaste Sabourin.

Were my nnrrative simply a romance of fancy, I might
liave ended it by causing the faithful, bereaved wife, under
1 he influence of a paroxj^sm of grief, to precipitate herself
from some convenient clilf, or to end her soriows beneath
the waters of some placid lake. I have preferred, liowever,
to relate the incidents of the tragedy as they havti been
chronicled and handed down by the traditions of the tribe.
I have said chronicled, for it is well known that, in many
of the aboriginal tribes, records of famous and notable
events are perpetuated by signs and symbols inscribed or
depicted upon rolls of smooth bircl.-bark.

Hunting the Wolf in Candida "s chiefly confined to trap-
ping, or poisoJiing by stiychnine, the latter being a ques-
tionable and unsportsmiinlike mode of destroying wild
animals, which, except in very peculiar cases, ought to be
frowned upon and discouraged. Many of the animals
killed by poison wander olf a long distance before they
die, suffering dreadful torture, and are never found.

Wolves are seldom seen in the woods, even I)}' those
whose vocations oblige them continually to travel through
the most solitary fastnesses. So keen is the eye ami the

■f.-.

i ■:! J

470

BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

i\i

ear, Jind so acute is the Wolfs sense of smell, that the
hunter or bush-ranger is either seen, scented, or heard before
he has any idea that a Wolf had been near. Now and
then an accidental shot -may be obtained, but even such
< " '" 'es are few and far between.

■ ^ yeiirs ago, I saw an enormous Wolf on the Mada-
wab^a River. He had been started by anoti)cr hunter from
the top of a mountain, and had rushed down the side of a
ravine, at the end of which I was watching for him. When
nearly within range, he jumped up, and stood upon a log
behind two pine-trees, which concealed every part of his
body but his nose and the end of his tail. Neither of the
visible parts being as vulnerable as the nose of a bear, I
waited for him to advance one more step. This he did not
do, but jumped off the log and disappeared in the thick
brush and tall weeds. Thus I lost my chance of getting a
grand trophy, and thus, owing to his escape, I feel con-
vinced that numy a beautiful Deer afterward lost its life.

Spearing the Gray Wolf on the open i)rairies, in the
style of "pig-sticking" in India, is a most exciting kind
of si)ort. Some of the more exjjert cowboys also have great
sport roping him. This is usually only practiced where
several of the men are riding together, .n order that they
may harass and tui-n the Wolf at frequent intervals, thus
breaking his speed and playing into each other's hands.

These runs are not, however, always unattended by dan-
ger, occasioned by badger-holes and prairie-dog towns,
wliicli are frequently encountered in the chase. But the
gi'andest sport with the Gray, or, as he is called on the
plains, the Timber Wolf, may be enjoyed in coursing the
animal with strong and courageous Greyhounds. Although
the Gray Wolf is an animal of great speed and endurance,
he is soon overtaken by the fleet-footed Gazehounds, w' Ich
snap at and wound him with their powerful jaws and teeth,
and by their extreme agility avoid his dangerous attacks,
keeping him .it bay until the mounted hunter arrives and
terminates the chase by a well-directed pistol-shot. In
consequence of the sv,'iftne:)S and great staying powers of

I,,,,

THK WOLF.

471

1, that the

leai'cl before

Now and

; even such

I the Mada-
hunter from
the side oi a
him. Wlien

upon a log
^ part of his
either of the

of a bear, I
lis he did not

in the thick

of getting a
e, I feel con-
L lost its life,
airies, in the
exciting kind
Iso have great
■acticed where
■der that they
intervals, thus
Ler s hands,
ended by dan-
rie-dog towns,
lase. But the
i called on the
n coursing the
nds. Although
and endurance,
ehounds, \v' Ich

jaws and teeth,
gerous attacks,
iter arrives and

pistol-shot. In
aying powers of

the Wolf, for a time this kind of hunting taxes all the
energies of the hounds. The sjieed of the Wolf, neverthe-
less, when contrasted with the lightning performances of
the telephone of the prairies— the jack-rabbit, or great hare
of the plains — is comjiaratively trilling.

It has been affirmed by the earlier naturalists that the
aborigines of North America, before the advent of white
men, had domesticated AVolves instead of (h)gs. This
account can readily be credited by anyone acipuiinted with
the character and ai)pearance of the Indian dog of even
the present day. Wliile smaller in size — a condition super-
induced by ages of starvation — the Indian dog of the i)res-
ent is peculiarly and i^ositively wolfish in appearance.

It is a notable fact that an irreconcilable antii)athy has
always existed between our domestic dog and tlie tamed
Wolf of the Indians. In their constant combats and quar-
rels with eacli other, the former are alwa} s the aggresscjrs.
The Indian dogs always act upon the defensive, usually

trying

to avoid a conflict with their more

courageous

Iri

nsiiien.

During the peiiod when the lordly Bison frequented and
ornamented, with the grandeur of his magnitude, the lim-
itless prairies of the Great Northwest in countless millions,
the AVolf was his persistent and peri)etual enemy; tracking
the calves, the old, the wounded, and the helpless, until an
opportunity presented itself for a safe attack. AVolves
never dared to attack a herd, or even a full-grown animal in
full vigor, but waited patiently for a chance to fall ujxm
the disabled. A .single \Vliite Arctic Wolf will run down
a Barren-ground Caribou, and by one savage bite in the
llank disable the largest buck. Sir John Richardson — a
celebrated Arctic exi)lorer, who has contributed numy
interesting and valual)le facts pertaining to the fauna of
Northern Americti to the general fund of uatui'al history —
tells us that the Wolves of that region run down and capt-
ure Poxes whenever they hnd them on the open plains at
a distance from their undnrground dens. A large White
Wolf has sufficient strength to carrv off an Arctic Fox in

I.'

I'
' ill

472

BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA.

li\.

! /4 I

■i:'i i

his iiioiith, at a rate of speed far surpassing that of huntei's
ujion snow-shoes. They frequently, also, attack and carry
off the sleigh-dogs of tlie Indians.

The Northern Indians improve the breed of their sleigh-
dogs by crossing them with the Wolf. This i)ro('ess adds
to their size, s])eed, und strength. The voice of the Wolf
and that of the Indian dog, to my own personal knowledge,
in volume and sound are strikinglv similar. I remember
Deer, many years ago, with a large-sized
He was one of the best doiis that I ever

having hunted
ludhin dot

turned loose upon a Deer-track. As he untlaggingly pur-
sued his quarry, his tongue was distinctly and unuiistak-
abl}'^ the howl of a Wolf — loud, clear, and prolonged, with-
out a single sharp bark like that of a dog. This dog, true
to the blood of his ancestry, never failed to find a Deer, if
there was one within reach; and when once the game was
found, he stuck to the trail, like his wild progenitors, until
he tasted blood.

When I speak of Indian dogs, I do not mean the miser-
able, diminutive race of curs generally found in starving
annoyance around an Indian camp to-day. Such attenu-
ated whelps, in my o^nnion, can trace their origin to the
Fox; certainly not to t' • Wolf. I allude to the strong and
li-ardy Wolf-dogs as the traveler finds them, drawing the
sleighs of the Indians in the Northwest, and speevling the
Eskimos over the snow, beneath the crackling flame of
the Aurora Borealis, in the Arctic Circle.

The late Sheriff Dickson, of Pakenham, who during
many years of his life was a most successful Deer-hunter,
and an enthusiastic student of geology, in an article on
the Gray Wolf, iMiblished many years ago in "Billing's
Canadian Naturalist and Geologist," gives us many inter-
esting particulars respecting the AVolf. From personal
ex[)erience, he beai's testimony to the proverbial cowartlice
of Wolves. He states that when caught in a trap, wounded
by a gunsliot, or cornered up so that they coidd not escape,
he invariably killed them with a club or a tomahawk with-
out meeting any resistance. When iu numbers, he had seen

■(?

!i I!

THE WOI.K

473

of hnntei-s
and carry

leir sleigh -
L-ocess adds
f the Wolf
knowledge,
[ remember
large-sized
hat I ever
gingly pur-
l uumistak-
)nged, with-
lis dog, true
:). a Deer, if
e game was
'uitors, until

m the miser-
in starving
Such attenu-
rigin to the
e strong and
drawing the
speeding the
in>

tiame of

who during
Deer-hunter,
an article on
in "Billing's
s many inter-
rom personal
hial cowardice
trap, wounded
dd not escape,
uahawk with-
rs, he had seen

Wolves display boldness after they had pulled down a
Deer; but they always gave way when a shot was lii'ed
among them. The experience of Mr. Dickson corresi)(>nds
ill .11 points with my own.

When pursued by Wolves, Deor make for the nearest
Avater, in which they have a chance to escai)e, being id)le to
swim much faster than theii' euemies. Should the river or
lake be narrow, the Deer generally swim eitlun' up or down,
seldom straight across; frequently landing, after a detour,
on the same side in whirh they entered the water. By this
means the Wolves are puzzled and put off the scent. If
there are thick weeds or brush along the shore, a Deer fre-
quently sinks his body under water so that no part will
appear above the surface but his head, and by this means is
enabled to evade the cunning of his pursuers. On glare-ice,
the AVolf soon ends the chicse. When frightened, the
Deer falls at every bound, and is easily oveitaken.

Should the Deer be driven into a strong i-apid, aiul the
AVolves attempt to follow, they get swept olT their feet, and
are carried down the rapids. Should one of them hold his
own, and api)roach close enough, a large buck will often kill
him with a blow of his sharp hoof. Courageous hounds are
often killed in the same nmnnei'. When thei'e is a cinst on
the snow which will bear the AVolves. but which is not
strong enough to supjjort the Deei-. vast numbers of the
latter are killed by those sanguinary maraiiders.

From personal experience, 1 have no hesitation in assign-
ing to the AVolf of the Ottawa A'alley— the typical Gray
AA^olf of North America — if not a preeminence in size and
weight, at least an equality in magnitude, and in all other
amiable characteristics of the genus Li/jjus, with his blood
relations of any other land.

iii:

i i l!

■ COURSING THE GRAY WOLF.*

By Duncan S. Cage.

W LIVED some years in 'he Texas Panhan<lle, where the
(luestion as to the W-<i (loy to us»^ in coursing tiic Gray
Wolf w;is a vital one, and my experience in the niat-
^ ter may prove ol' interest to other lovers of that grand
spoi't. Let me premise by saying that I tirndy believe that
any dog — no matter of what breed or strength — that will,
single-handed, seize and iiold his grip on a Gray Wolf will
hardly survive his first enconnter. The thick hair and
tough, loose skin of the Wolf protect him from serious
injury from the dog's teeth, while his own powerful fangs
cut at each snap like a circular-saw. Of course, where a
number of large dogs, of almost any breed, close in on a
Wolf, they may, in a combined attack, easily pull him
down and kill him, whereas it would be suicidal for any
one or two of them to atteuipt it alone.

My conclusion was, that if destruction of the Wolves
is the only object, the ordinary Fox-hound is by odds the
best; not that dogs of this breed can capture or kill his
Wolfship, but they trail him to his den, and this once
located, his death is easily compassed. We used to use
balls of cotton soaked in liquid carbolic acid and turpen-
tine, and, igniting them, throw them in. In most cases this
soon brought the game out, so nearly suffocated that he
could be killed with a club — though I must say we did not
practice this mode of dispatching him. A wheezing, foam-
ing, staggering Wolf might well bluflf the Sorosis Club
itself; so we generally preferred to piei'ce him with bullets.

! n

:li

* Froui tijjurta AJivUI, •>>' kind in'rinission of tl' lJubli.sht•^•^.

'^ I ^

ii !i

478

mo OA.Ml-: Ul- NtJlM'll AMKKICA.

while we .stood !it !i safe distance. Tliis metliod was effect-
ive ill tile wlieli»iii,i,f-season, and men were enii)loyed spe-
cially for this w(jik on the ranch where 1 was then woiking
— one of the largest in that section. Theie is, however,
little sport in this; bnt, with the proper access'ories, tiie
Wali fni'iiishes as exciting a run as the most enthusiastic
rider could wish.

To my mind, there is always something lacking in a
sport where the game is helpless when caught. Jso matter
how the pulses tlirob during the wild chase, there is always
a sharj) revulsion when the hoarse, agonized bleat of the
Anteloi)e tells that the fangs of his iierce pursuers are rend-
ing his tleet limbs, or even when the sharp scream of the
jack-rabbit ends the chase; but there are no such com-
punctions when the cruel ^Volf feels the tortures he has so
often iniiicted on others; and he is a formidable adversary
when, grim and bristling, he turns at bay.

As to the cpiestion of speed, it is mostly a matter of
condition. A gorged Wolf is not fast, and I have shot
several in this state by running up to them on average cow-
pcmies; but when properly ''gaunted," few horses can catch
a Gray Wolf; antl they have tremendous endurance.

On the ranch I mentioned, we had seven cross-bred Stag-
hounds and Greyhounds that ran and fought well together,
and we all looked forward each season to the brief interval
between the close of winter work and the spring round- up,
when we would have leisure for hunting. Though we killed
many Gray AVolves, it was always necessary to shoot them
after the dogs overhauled them. They could keep the
Wolves down, but could not kill them.

I shall never forget the first one they caught. Wolves
had shown up numerously that winter, and in my camp we
were all eager to go into headquarters in spring and take
the dogs out after them. Many were the speculations as to
how the dogs would come out — whether they would tackle
the Wolf, etc.

At last the momentous day arrived; and behold us, six in
number, mounted on our "top-horses," sallying forth in

T^v^

COURSING THK (iHAY WOF.F.

4T7

vas effet't-
oyeil spe-
ll working
however,
i^'ories, the
iitlmsmstio

•king in a
Jso matter
■e is always
U:at of the
rs are rend-
eam of tlie
such cora-
is he has so
Le adversary

a matter of
I have shot
iverage cow-
ses can catch
ranee.

ss-bred Stag-
rell together,
)rief interval
ng round-up,
igh we killed
o shoot them
ikl keep the

ght

Wolves

1 my camp we

)ring and take

culations as to

would tackle

?hold us, six in
lying forth in

search of our wily foes. How the day comes back to nie
now as my mind reverts to it, and

" Old mctnorioi crowd upon me;
Old forms !iii iroopiiiit past."

The day was perfect. The breath of spring was in the
air; a subtle perfume rose from the tender grass crushed
under our horses feet as they nu)ved under us with that
strong and s]mngy step which is in itself a joy. Our gii"int
dogs were all eagerness as they threw their lithe forms in
the air and bounded with delighted yelps around us. We
were all true friends and comrades. What nu)re could
mortal wish i

In the distance rose the abrupt wall of the great Staked
Plain, and arouml us stretched the gently rolling V'alley of
the Canadian, with its emeiald carpet of buft'alo-grass— an
ideal coursing-ground. Anteloi)e were in sight in nuiny
places; but to-day our thoughts were on fiercer game, and
we avoided them, keeping the dogs close to us. Thus we rode
for several miles, keeping a sharp lookout for Wolves, but
beginning to fear that we were doomed to disappointment.

At length, glancing toward a ridge on the left, I cauglit a
fleeting glimpse of some animal disappearing over its crest.
Hardly daring to hope that it wa,'. a Wolf, we galloiied to
the top of the ridge, and a simultaneous yell broke from our
lips as, less than two hundred yards away, moving along
with that indescribably lazy and insolent lope he assumes
when he thinks a safe distance is between him !.nd an
enemy, we saw a large Graj- Wolf.

At the sound of our voices, he glanced back, and, drojj-
ping his insouc/'ancc, lit out like a gray streak; and well he
might, for behind him the dogs were vaulting across the
prairie with the velocity, almost, of so many arrows, and
were closing in on the fated jirowler despite his most
strenuous efforts to leave them behind. The horses, strain-
ing every nerve, as in a quarter- race, were keeping well up;
while, to ease our minds, encourage the dogs, and rattle the
Wolf, we were giving vent to yells which would not have
discredited a Comanche. The dogs were running well

ill

iifl'

1 >

•I I

:il

» I

I ■ il

478

BKJ (JAMK (»F NOUTll AMKUICA.

buiiclicd, iiiid giiinin^ I'Mpidly. Now a (lUiirtcr lins been run,
and hardly twt'iity yards .separate tlicin from tlie cliasf. Our
yt'lls rcdoul)!*' as, witli a iiiaguilictMit spurt, our I'avorite,
Kate, slioots out from tlie press, and, witli strides the eye
call scarcely follow, doses on the ^\^)lf as if he weie tied.
Quick as thought he turns at hay; hut Kate avoids the
gleaming fangs, aiul seizes his hind leg as she tlies [)ast.
Both come to the ground with tlu^ shock, and befo',' he can
rise the pack is on liiiu. In a moment more we are up.
Fjiirh man shouts encouragement to the dogs, liolding
ah)fr his ready six-shooter in one hand, while the other
restrains his plunging horse as the aninml rears i"' the
writhing, growling nuiss almost under his feet. mil

shaip yelps tell of cuts inflicted by the clashing jiiw> oi the
grim quarry, and each of us is waiting for a chaiu-e to tire
without danger to tht^ dogs or horses. The dogs light witli
courage and skill — with (piick, sharp 8nai)s — leaping back
out of reach; for tlie dog that holds his grip on a Wolf, in
the language of the range, "may linger, but he can't stay."

Suddenly, with a nuglity eil'ort, the wolf shakes himself
free from his foes aiul gains his feet. What a picture of
ferocity I —his rumpled hair bristling, jaws dripping bloody
foam, gray eyes glaring with demoniacs fury. 8nudl won-
der that tlie dogs shrink for a moment into a wider circle !
He sees his chance, and makes a dash for liberty; but it is
fatal, for it brings him past the best shot on the range.
Judy, the nearest dog, bounds on the Wolf; but, ere she
touches him, the shot has sped, and he lies quivering on
the ground.

The dogs rush in, worry and mangle him to their heart's
content. We dismount, and placing our hats on the
ground, pour the water from our canteens in their indented
crowns to refresh our i)antii'<; allies. A brief rest is taken,
during which praise and petting is lavished on our proud
dogs, Kate coming in for a double share; and having
secured the scalp of our victim, we return leisurely to liglit
the battle over again over the bountiful ranch dinner, and
plan new forays against the marauding Wolves.

1 '

Ix'cn run,
hast'. Our
• I'avorite,
es the eye
\v»Mv tit'd.
ivoids the
tlies past,
'ore he call
ve are up.
s, lioldiug

the otlier
s r. the
t. 'lid

jawN oi the
auce to tire
4 light with
aping baeli

a Wolf, in

i-an't stay."

ves himself

a picture of

)ing- bloody

Small won-

ider circle !
ty; but it is

the range,
but, ere she
uivering on

their heart's
uits on the
leir indented
■est is taken,
\n our proud
and having
irely to light
dinner, and
s.

I i

THE WOLVERINE.

By C. a. COOI'KII ( " SlUYLLKNE "). .

^PJ||XCEPT to naturalists and dwellers in the Arctic
1^1 regions, the characteristics of the Wolverine are but
¥:-^A, slightly known. In the temperate and torrid zones,
we iind peojde able to minuf I y describe the hoop-
snake; but ask these people, or evfii their better-informed
neighbors, what they know about the Wolverine, and if
you do not get the answer, " Well, there are plenty of them
in Michigan, but I never happened to see one," you will
probably be given some of the fifteenth-century theories of
Olaus Magnus, a better archbishop than naturalist, whose
writings upon this animal have been handed down with
clock-work regularity.

Naturally, there are various causes for this lack of
knowledge, the first and foremost being that the Wolverine
has virtiudly been exterminated within the borders of the
United States. Even in the "good old days" there were
comparatively few of them.

The menageries and zoological gardens know him not,
and his stuffed form is principally noted for its absence
from a majority of the museums throughout the land.
Were it not for the frequent revival of the name, through
Michigan being known as the Wolverine State, the fact
that such an animal exists woidd be unknown to a majority
of the busy people of this continent.

Being nocturnal, wary, and solitary in habit, it is not
surprising that the Wolverine is so seldom seen; especially
as it now inhabits only the boreal regions, or the most
secluded portions of elevated forests in the north temper-
ate zone. \Vitli the exception of one or two points in
British America, it can not be said to have been abundant

(479)

480

BIG GA.HK OF NORTH AMEUICA.

I ?

• !

at any time, as the following partial comparative record of
Iliulsons Bay Company's sales conclusively shows: "Sa-
bles, four millions; minks, two and a half millions; otters,
one and a half millions; Wolverines, one hundred thou-
sand."

Except when some overwise old Wolverine has taken a
contract to persistently' destroy their traps, the Hudson's
Bay trappers do not make them a particular object of pur-
suit, on account of their extreme cunninp;, iiud scarcity,
and their mid-rank in value amon^;: fur-bearing animals.
When, too, we consider that the severe winters, and insect
pests at other seasons, keep all save a few hardy tfdventur-
ers from invading its d >niain; that only the outlying dis-
tricts receive nocturnal visits from the animal when it is on
the verge of starvation, jind that until recently' the outskirts
of its territory have been free from railroad encroachments,
we see why the few sober and reliable articles uj)on this
species have failed to dispel the mystery and exaggeration
of centuries.

In Northern Europe and Asia, the animal is generally
known as the Glutt.n, the term Wolverine being an Ameri-
canism Qi the eighteenth century.

Owing to the difficulty of getting reliable data, nearly
every country or tribe has seen tit to invest the animal with
a name which, in the opinion of the original investigators,
had some distinguishing reference to the supposed form
or character of the beast; but, in addition to Wolverine
and Glutton, the only one not substantially local is the
French Canadian Carcajou, which is also well kj»own to
residents of portions of British America aiid the United
States.

Until about the year 1850, the Cflutton of Europe and
Asiii was thought to differ nuiteriallv from tlie American
Wolverine. Later investigation, however, has shown it to
be identical. The latest edition of Webster's Unabridged
Dictionary is not at all clear on this point. It not only
defines the Carcajou as "the Ameiican Badgei,"" but
presents cuts showing the Glutton to be epicurean and

'>v

THE WOLVEllINE.

481

record of
's: " Sa-
s; otters,
■ed tliou-

s taken a
Hudson's
•t of pur-
scarcity,
; animals.
fi.nd insect
ifdventur-
tlying dis-
en it is on
d outskirts ,
)achnients,
upon this
;aggeration

i generally
; an Anieri-

ata, nearly
ninuil witli

estimators,
josed form

Wolverine

ocal is the
known to

the United

•Europe and
; American
;lio\vn it to
I'uabridged
It not only
idiier,"' but
icurean and

lamb-like; while the Wolveiine, on aii Jther page, is appai-
ently sprightly, and ever anxious for a light.

In fact, all of the well-known names applied to tliis car-
nivorous mammal seem to have origiuated in inisconce])tion
and error. The Latin Gi/lo, signifying glutton, selected
by writers as early as KmO, and still used by modern
authors t(" prevent confusion, gives but a faint idea of the
gastronomic feats of the species as related by Old World
naturalists, who seemed determined that the animal should
do Justice to the name they had given it. The repasta
of those ancient gentlemen, Milo of Crotona and The-
ogenes of Thasos, who could eacli devour a whole ox in
one day, are insignilicant atfairs as compared with the
voracity imputed to the Glutton, which, weighing only
thirty pounds, could linish an Elk at one meal, stopping
only occasionally to unbtirden itself by squeezing between
two trees. One of these ancient authors. Linnams, gave to
the "American form of the creature" the name of UrsKS
lascus, which signilies a Bear with one eye; the foundation
for his conclusions being a single unlucky specimen from
Hudson's Bay which had lost an eye.

The wariness, the nocturnal habits, and the exaggerated
ferocity of the Timber Wolf, were all ascribed to the Wol-
verine at an early day; hence the name. At least, a pre-
p(;aderance of evidence favors this view, and agrees in its
being a more approjjriate name than Glutton.

Dr. Elliott Cones, who has written uucli the best scien-
tific article on the Wolverine I ha e yet seen, is of the
opinion that Carcajou, or Carcajou qulncajon^ said to have
been first applied by Charlevoix to either the Wolverine or
some animal of the "at kind, is derived from the Cree
Indian word 0-kee-coo-haw-gew, and that Quickhatch, or
Qui-qui hatch, another term familiar to the whites of Brit-
ish America, has the same origin. Richardson and others
agree with him.

The Wolverine belongs to the family Miisielidce, sub-
family MnsteVnue, genus Gulo, and is known to the scien-
tific worl 1 as Oido liisciis — a veiy absurd name indeed. Id.

''k\ r

482

m<; (iAMH OF NOUTII AMERICA.

1,!

t I

the structure of its teeth it reseinl)les the martens; in it>-
eyes and incomplete plantigrade walk, the Beiir; the
markings suggest the skunk or l)adger; while its habits,
endurance, and I'erocitj' have vaguely connected it with tli^^
Wolf.

As in the case of the Bear, the after parts droojx and the
head is usually carried low. In general appearance, it
would somewhat resemble a fat, three-months-old Oinna-
nion Bear, were it not for its bushy tail. A casual front

riS;

I'^i

!« ■ it

! It-

Wolverine.

view would render the de(^eption complete. The head is
rather large and short, and tapers rapidly to the muzzle.
The ears are short and broad, the neck and body rather
long, and the eyes very small and black. In length, the
body of an adult specimen, including the head, measures
about thirty-two inches, the extreme length of the tail add-
ing slightly more than a foot to the measurement. The
legs are short and large. The feet are also large, and make
tracks in the snow so nearly resembling those of a small
Bear that the inexperienced hunter is genei'ally deceived.
To the practi(,'ed eye, they are readily distinguished by the
short steps of the AVolverine,

f! \' W

tHis; in it-

Beiir; tlu"

! its habits,

L it with thM

>op, and the
ppurance, it
5-okl Cinna-
caiual trout

The head is

the muzzle.

1 l)ody rather
In length, the
ead, measures
1' the tail add-
irement. The
rge. and make
)se of a suuiU
•ally deceived.
;uished by the

TIIK WOLVKIMXK.

483

Perhaps the uiost prominent and distinguishing external
feature is the stul)by tail, Avhich is covered with sol't, dark
liair seven inches long. This, while soft and inclined to
dioop, is still remarkably Huffy and l)usliy, the iiupressiou,
iit lirst sight, being that souinthing droll or defective has
been dressed in gorgeous rainuMit.

On account of the feet being semi -plantigrade, its gait
approaches the awkward and shanibhng walk of the Bear,
which, together with its short and thick legs, conveys the
idea of grtat strength.

The line and valuable fur is partially concealed by a
growth of coarse hair, which attains a length of four inches
along the sides and hips. Like some of the other fur-
bearers, the anal glands contain a very unsavory liquid, as
the subjoined narrative of an experience of Captain James
Ross will show:

"At Victoria Harbor, in the middle of the winter, two
or three nu^nths before we abau led the shij), we were
one day surprised l)y a visit by (»iif i \\'olveiiue), which,
pressed hard by hunger, had climbed th«' snow-wall which
surrounded our vessel, and came boldly on deck, where
our crew were walking for exercise. Und'smased ;it the
presence of twelve or fourteen men, he seized upon a canis-
ter which had some meat in it, and was in so ravenous a
state that, while busily engaged at his feast, he suffere<1 tne
to pass a noose over his head, by which he was immediately
secured and strangled. By dischai'ging the contents of t\\ o
secretory organs, he emitted a most insupportable steu<'ti.
These secretory vessels are about the size of a walnut, anl
discharge a fluid of a yellowish-brown color and of the
consistence of honey,"

The claws of the Wolverine are horn-colored, inclining
to whitish, and about an inch long. Johnson's Natural
History says: "The women of Kamchatka use the while
paics of this aniuuil in dressing their ha"\" As the paws
are black, the intention is not clear.

There is considerable variation in the light colors of the
body. A light-colored stripe, varying from reddish-brown

h I '

iii'

484

lUCI (JAMi: '»F NOUTH AMEKU'A.

to creamy-gray, and iisually about two inches broad,
extends from the top of the base of the tail, along tlie
middle of each side, to the shoulders. Rarely, this stripe is
three inches broad, and almost white, and when thus fouiid,
in connection with g^ay hairs throughout the dark of the
specimen, is an indication of old age. Most of the speci-
mens I have seen have had more or less gray upon the front
of the head, and small, irregular blovches of white upon tht^
throat and brisket. With the exception of the aforemen
tioned light colors, the whole of the animal is a dark-
brown, shading into black upon the back and feet. A
specimen in the Chamber of Commerce library at Den\ ^r,
Colorado, from which our illustration is drawn, has a
gray stripe across the forehead, and large white blotches
on ne( k und chest, but the body-stripe is hardly distin-
guishable.

Four adults taken at Trappers" Lake, Colorado, in the
winter of 1889, were beautifully marked, the broad, light-
colored bands contrasting magnificently with tho surround-
ing dark and glossy fur. A specimen in the possession of
J. A. Murdock, an editor and naturalist of Pilot Mound,
Manitoba, has, in addition to the irregular throat-marks,
considerable white around the nose. Audubon says: "A
white stripe ex i^nds across the forehead;" but this is by no
means regular.

The fur of adults does not change color in winter. I
have never seen the very young, which are said to be quite
woolly and of a dirty-vdiite color; neither have I been able
to find anyone who couid say anything authentic concern-
ing them. As the oft-repeated "dirty-white " color would
be something of an absurdity in nature, I do not accept it
readily, but, instead, believe the young to resemble the
parents; in which event, t.iey would easily be mistaken for
young minks, sables, or possibly otters, by all except ana-
•tomical naturalists.

Notwithstanding its want of great agility, and the con
sequent apparent difficulty of procuring food in the bleak
North, the Wolverine is usually very fat. Thirty-five

THE WOLVERINE.

48r)

]K Hinds may be said to be the average weight of those in

good condition.

There are eighteen teeth in the upper jaw and twenty
below, divided as follows: Incisors, twelve; canines, Umv;
pre-molars, sixteen; molars, six. As in tlie marten, the
upper back molars are set transversely in the jaw.

The Wolverine may be said to be confined to tiie north-
ern parts of Europe, Asia, and Anierica, and is usually
found only in wooded districts. In the Rocky .Mountain
region, its southern limit is probably 38", and near the
eastern coast of the United States, about 42". Audubon
killed one in Rensselaer County, Xew York, in 1810. In
several natural histories we find accounts of occasional
specimens having been taken, previous to 1850, at about
latitude 42° and 43°, in the States of New York, Massachu-
setts, New Hampshire, and Vermont; but I ran no^ v call a
single account of its occurrence in the Ohio or Mississippi
A'alleys, nor in Canada, though it is probable the animal is
still to be found in the latter country.* We have late and
authentic records of its occurrence in the Rocky Mountains
as far south as latitude 39°, though I have never heard of one
in this latitude below an altitude of nine thousanii feet. As
we proceed toward the Arctic regions, along the Continental
Divide, we hear of its presence from time to time; but until
we reach the Peaot; and Mackenzie River regions, in British

• 111 a letter to the editoi-, ilated March ^".t. IWUO, Mr. Williaiii 1'. I.ott nays: " 1 Hiul hi the
' Naturalist and Geologist,' pubUsUoil \>y the late Elkaiiah liilliiiKs, the paleoutol'iKist of tlio
Oeiilogioal Survey of Cauaila, the followiug; 'Tlie Gluftmi tduln Ltmrnn, Liun.) is tlie t'ar-
lajou of Le lloutau aud the French Caiiailiaus; Quickhatch t i'rmiln ujjini.i Aiiicn'cuiut ) of
I ute.sby (Carolina); Quickhatch of the Knglish resident-sat lluds(jn's Bay. (Jiiicklialch or
Wolverine of Klll.s; Wolverine of Pennant; Wolverine, Quiiiui-hatch, or C'are.ijou of Gra-
liani (Manuscripts); Ka-blee-a-ri-oo of the Kskiiiios cjf .Mellville Peninsula; Kae-week of
tlie Eskimos of Boothia Felix; Na-glia-i-eh of the Chipiiewas: Oinei'-that-see.s 0-kee-coo-
ha« -gew (whence, Sir John Richardson observes, the term Quickhatch of the European
labiireis in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company is evidently derived; of the Crecs or
AlgniKiuins; Rosom.ak of the Russians; Jarf Filfress of tlie Faidin Sufciar, Timnii of
the Ivamehatkans; Haeppi of the Koratzki; Gluton of the French: (fitlo of Glaus Magnu-s;
(liilo rivl/rass o{ Genet; Hyena and L'luiin Hitdinnu'sof Brissou; .^fnalela (liito uud L'latls
[,iisrusot Linnneus; Umus diihi itf Pallas and Gmelln: Tn.fiin (riilo »( Ti(^denlalln; (!ulo
ArrticuK of Desmarest; f/ii/o \'vUjaris of Grililllh's Cuvier; <i\tUi Luscuh of Sabine.' I
can n(jt find any aiitheutic account of this animal having been killed or ul).serve<l in vlie
Ottawa Valley of late years: but one was' Killed, about forty years ago, while suiiuiiiing
acro.ss the Gatineau River, which stream enters the Otta'wa River about one mile below
this city. I dare say there are some up there yet."

:fij;[ j

486

BIG GAME OF NOIITII AMERICA.

f: ■■

■- 1

America, it can not be said to be, nor has it ever been,
plentiful. On the west, north, and east, the range of the
animal extends to the ocean. The four skins which I had
the pleasure of examining at Trappers' Lake were from
specimens trap[)ed in the winter of 1889, at an elevation of
ten thousand feet, in Garfield County, Colorado, on the
fortieth parallel.

While crossing the mountains between Middle and
Egeria Parks, Colorado, in the winter of 1883, T was fortu-
nate enough to kill one of these animals. I say fortunate,
becanse for twenty-five years I have annuallj'" passed from
two weeks to three months in the wildest portions of Colo-
rado, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and never have seen but
this one living sjjecimen at large.

It was late in the afternoon of a day that promised snow,
that I had seated niyself in the edge of a clump of pines
for a moment's rest, before starting upon a down-hill jour-
ney of ten miles. While mentally discussing the chances
of getting lost in a snow-storm, were I to leave a well-known
creek for a more direct but untried route, a Wolverine
came out of a gulch, and was about to jiass within fifty
yards of me. It caught the movement as I raised my rifie,
and sat upon its haunches, when almost instantly its neck
was broken by a bullet in the throat. It proved to be a
male in good condition, and was killed so tpiicklj- that it
gave forth no fetid odor. The lateness of the hour, and my
heavy load, jjrevented taking more than the hurriedly
stripped skin; and even this was given to a friend to keep as
a memento of our hunt.

I I

The following account of the capture of a Wolverine,
written by Frank T. Wjmian, of Boise City, Idaho, I take
pleasure in quoting tcrhatim:

''The Wolverine spoken of was killed by my brother,
Charles M. Wyman, in February, 1889. He had spent the
night in a cabin on the top of Lion Hill, about forty miles
south-southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah. The altitude is
about nine thousand feet above the sea. Early in the morn-

1 r

TIIH Wnl.VKIUXi:.

487

ever been,
iige of the
hicU 1 liad
were from
levation of
do, oil tlie

ylidtUe and
was fortu-
Y fortunate,
massed from
)ns of Colo-
ire seen but

imised snow,
lup of pines
wn-hill jour-

the olianees
I well-known
a Wolverine

within iifty
ised my ritie,
ntly its neck
oved to be a
uickly that it
liour, and my
;lie hurriedly
nd to keep as

a Wolverine,
Idaho, I take

V my brother,
liad spent the
)ut forty miles
'he altitude is
y in the morn-

ing, some miners passed the cabin, foHowing what they
called the tracks of a Mountain Lion. My brother foHowed
them, and found the tracks ended at the opening of a
mining-shaft. A heavy fall of snow had nearly covered
this over, and the animal had accidentally fallen some forty
feet to the bottom, where a foot or two of snow pi-evented
any serious injury from the fall.

"Charles lowered himself to the bottom, when a shot-
gun loaded with heavy shot, and a lantern, were sent
down. The miners above were opposed to his proceeding,
and wished to haul him out, but in vain. From the bottom
of the shaft a drift extended about thirty feet, and then
branched into a 'Y." At the point of branching was a
large timber to hold the roof. Pausing here a moment be-
fore proceeding to explore the right-hand oi)ening, Charles
pointed the gun into this drift, and started tt) advance,
when, with a snarl which sounded loud enough in the nar-
row drift, the Wolverine came from the other branch. My
brother was unable to point the gun into that drift in time
to shoot, because of the timber, and so was defenseless.

"Acting on the principle that wild animals are usually
afraid of an artificial light, he swung the lantern into its
face, which caused it to retreat. As cpiickly as possible,
the gun was brought to bear upon the proper point, whei'e-
upon the Wolverine uttered another snarl and came again.
Taking as good an aim as i»ossible in the uncertain light, a
shot was tired, which of course extinguished the light.
After waiting for a time, with one finger upcm the other
trigger, Charles relighted the lantern, and found the
Wolverine dead, just in front of him.

"There were no other Wolverines in the vicinity, so far
as known. A sheep-herder, near by, had complained dur-
ing the sununer of losing sheep and lam])s, supposing them
to have been taken l)y
seen in the vicinitv."

Mountain Lions, which had been

As Scandinavian naturalists have so often spoken of the
Glutton s fondness for mutton, it is probable that the

: >:

/:i !

488

DIG GAMK OF Noimr AA[i;i{It'A.

slieep-liei'cler, in tills case, could justly have charged part
of his loss to the Wolverine. M. Iledberg' tells us that
three were captured young in the Parish of (lellivaara, in
Lapland. "They were allowed their fidl liberty; bnt in
the autumn, the servant having forgotten to fasten the
door of the building wherein the sheep were conlined, the
Gluttons found their way into it and killed several sheep.*'

As before stated, the Wolverine is nocturnal in habit,
and there are but few recorded instances of its having been
seen during the day. An aged trapper once told nie of
having seen one in Pot-hole Valley. Colorado, one wintry
day; and Mr. Lockhart, in Cones" " Pur-bearing Animals,"
mentions two cases, in each of which the animal sat upon
its haunches and shaded its eyes with a paw, the inference
being that it could not see well in the sunlight. It does
not hibernate, but in winter prosecutes its search for food
with even more vigor than in summer.

Exami^les coming within my own observation show the
male jind female to be equid in size.

Without doubt, its most conspicnous habit is that of fol-
lowing the trapper and destroying his wooden traps. To
the Hudson's Bay trapper, who was formerly nnable to
obtain poison and steel-traps, except at ruinous prices,*
this was highly exasperating. Imagine the feelings of a
man who has built, set, and baited one hundred and lifty
trajis, extending over a circuit of fifty miles, and who finds
on his first visit, perhai)s a week later, every one destroyed,
the baits eaten, and the catch torn in pieces or carried away!

* What these prices were, we luv unable to say. Imt. if we may jii(lj;e from an article in
the Feljruary, IS'.IO, (JiisniojiDlitan .\[<(<iii:.iiie, l\v .T. Jlucelonalil (Jxley. thi' profits i)rol)ably
exceeded tlie conservative tliree i)er cent, of our Government. Note tliis: "Tliere lias been
a wonderful clian>;e in values since the (;ood old days in the early part of this century.
When Fort Dunveffan was established, on the Peace Kivei'. near the Kockies, the regular
price of a tradc-nuisket was Kocky Jlountain sables pileil up on each side until tliey were
level with its nuizzle when held upright. Now. these sables were worth in EuKland about
three i)ouiids apiece, while the cost of Ihennisket did not exceed one pound."

While this practice may liave been uiori' satisfactory to the Indians than that of the
early Hollanders, who are said to have used "the stron;; riRht hand" as a j)ouiidweight
when weighiiiK l>eltry, the result was practically the same. Mr. o.-cley further says:
"These muskets came to he wofully loiij;, in time." If we suppose them to have been fifty
inches lonir. and each hide to have occupied an inch of space, we have n gross profit of
$1,49.") on each musket '.

■^■^Y"

urged part
lis lis tlltlt
Uivsuvi'u, in
I'ty; but in

fasten the
julinecT, tlie
■ral sheep."'
ill in habit,
having been

told me of
, one wintry
g Animals,"
nal sat upon
he inference
-•ht. It does
iroh for food

ion show the

is that of fol-
^n traps. To
•ly unable to
nous prices,*
feelings of a
dred and lifty
and who tinds
me destroyed,
■ carried away!

idt'e fi'oni an articlf in
■, the proflts probably
this: '■TlicivhaslH'eii
liiu-t of this (century.
1,- Kocliii'S, tlR^ n-K'uUir
chsichMUililtliey were
51-th ill EiiKlanil about

jmiUIkI."'

i.lians tlum that of the
.1 •■ as a jiounil-weight

Oxley tui'tlief says:
hem to liave been fifty
,e have n gross profit of

TIIK WOLVKIM.VK.

489

Fortunately, there is nothing on rec<ji'(l to show what tliese
liardy adventurers said when thus irritated, though we can
imagine it might sound better if t(jld in an unknown
tongue. Very often tlicy uouhl ciiplure the destroyer of
their ecpnininiity and tni^js, Imt sometimes his cunning sur-
passed their best elforts, and they would abandon their
lines until their tormentor had found otlu-r pastures.

The cunning, strength, and perseverance disphiyed by
tliese aninuils, and which will be icfei-red to further on, is
so truly wonderful that \\v may well excuse the early writ-
ers their exaggeration. The posts composing the back of
the dead-fall were frequently ptdled up and cari'ied away,
the small sticks destroyed, the logs scattered, the clogs to
the steel-traps chewed in two, and the traps and contents
carried for miles and buried in the snow. When (/i/Io
lu.sru.s had taken the danger out of the contrivance, he
would cheerfully eat the bait. By the way, this seems to
be his idea of a practical joke. AlasI were he addicted to
Latin nnd guava jelly, we might admit his instinct to reach
the borders of reason.

For several reasons, he prefers to use, when traveling, the
trails of the marten-trappers; his legs are short, the snow
is deejD, and often light, while his ))ody is heavy. More-
over, the wise old Carcajou appears to like the idea of
matching the cunning of his would-be captor, knowing,
probably from experience, just how and how not to get at
the baits.

The Wolverine's long nocturnal journeys, in deep snow,
show his endurance, while his usual plethora S^ priindfacie
evidence of success in foraging. It is true he has a keener
nose than the Fox; but how a carnivorous mamnuil so ener-
getic as the Glutton can keep fat during the Arctic winters
is considerable of a mystery. His fare during the snowy
months is, generally speaking, limited to grouse and rab-
bits, and various fur-bearing animals, which he generally
steals after they have been trapped. Richardson says: " I
have seen one chasing an American hare which was at the
same time harassed by a snowy owl."" At long intervals,

T'^ f

I 'i

?■;•

■I'

400

1U(J GAME (»!•' N(»KTII AMElllCA.

our poaclif 1' fiiuis tlie carcass of a large animal, when for a
time lie lives luxuriously. In summer he fares much
better; mice, moles, marmots, rabbits, ami Foxes are then
(lug- from their burrows, while his keen nose directs him
to all the carrion in his neighborhood. lie also preys upon
nesting birds, particularly water I'owl. and their eggs; and
some writers have added decaying lish lo his warm weather
bill of fare. Judging from his ferocity and strength, it is
probable that he also preys upon both young and disabled
Deer. Ihifl'on. 1 believe, is responsible for the statement
that it is :i common practice of the animal to lie secreted
near Beaver-ponds, and pounce upon the unsus})ecting
laborers when they come ashore. Of one he had caged, he
speaks as follows: " Ills voracity has been nuu'h exagger-
ated; he ate indeed a great deal, but when deprived of food
he was not im[)ortunate. lie is rather wild, avoids water,
and moves with a kind of leap. After eating, he covers
himself in the cage with straw. In drinking, he lajis like
a dog. If indulged, he would devour more than four
jjounds of tiesh in a day. He is almost perpetually in
motion."

Audubon thus describes one he saw in Denmark, which
had been exhibited two years: "We took him out of his
cage; he was very gentle, ojiened his mouth to enable us to
examine his teeth, and buried his head in our laps while
we admired his long claws and felt his woolly feet. He
seemed pleased to escape from the continement of the cage,
ran around us in short circles, and nuule awkward attempts
to play with and caress us. lie had been taught to sit on
his haunches and hold in his mouth a German pipe. We
observed he was somewhat averse to the light of the sun,
keeping his eyes half-closed v.-hen exposed to its rays. The
keeper informed us that he suffered a good deal from the
heat in warm weather. There was in the same cage a
marmot, from the Alps, to which the Wolverine seemed
much attached."

It is customary with the Wolverine to pass the day,
especially the hours of sunshine, in some subterranean

lien for ii
•es nuu'li

are then
fect.s him
reyH upon
eggs; and
n weather
ngth, it is
I disal)led
statement
e secreted
uispecting

caged, he
1 exagger-
'ed of food
3ids water,

he covers
e hips like

than four
ietually in

liuk, which
out of liis
'uable us to
hips while
y feet. He
of the cage,
ird attempts
;-ht to sit on
1 pipe. ^Ve
of the sun,
[srays. The
eal from the
iame cage a
rine seemed

ass the day,
subterranean

■J

THK \V(»I,Vi;iM.VE.

401

cavity, usually the one in which he makes his home. lie
does not litter his den with a surplusage of food, hut
diooses to bury it elsewhere, inviiriably leaving unsiivory
evidence of his visit above his treasures to coiicejd them
from the Fox or other iiupiisitive prowler. The bed is
ordinarily a large heup of leiives.

Each year, in June, tlui female gives birth to her young,
which she protects until the following winter, when they
are forced to provide for themselves. A naturalist, who
lived four years in the spruce-forest country lying between
the southern prairies and jioliir biiri'eus of ibitish America,
informs me that the litter consists of two usually a iu:de
and a female. This, coming from a close obseivfi', togvlher
with the general belief of northern residents to the elTect
that AVolverines are fcuind in piiirs throughotit a gieater
part of ^he year, naturally leads one to believe the species
monogamous; but, on the other hand, Mr. L. Lloyd informs
us that four young Clliittons were seen together t)n a stone
in a rapid, fishing for grayling. Excellent authorities also
unite in asserting that the litter may consist of four; and,
desi)ite the aforementioned belief, 1 am of the opinion that
the Wolverine is ofteiier found alone than in ])airs. The
rutting-season is believed to be early in March. They utter
no cry or call at any time when undisturbed, though when
attacked they give vent to their rage in growls.

They sometimes climb rough and soft barked trees, in
quest of food previously located by their keen powers of
scent, but never to escape from a lone enemy. Vuv similar
reasons, they also swim rivers. When transported to hot
countries, they show no aversion to water, but rather seek
it as a means of reducing their temperature.

The rather heavy ])ody and short legs of the Wolverine
convey an idea of clumsiness and a slothful pace. Like the
stove-pipe hat, which is laid away through sprinting — that
sport and dignity being at variance — so is the Wolverine
often brought to grief through an untimely pride or bra-
vado; but do not try to catch him when (mce he has con-
cluded that safety lies Just over the next mountain chain.

1 * .

;

(

' t
t

• ! ■

4'.)2

Hid (lAME OF XoUTIl AMKIJK'A.

n..^^

I '}

Tor you will Murely fail. A Maiiitohii friend is with me in
this iisscilion. iiiid fiiitlnT eonlirniiition couit's from an inci-
dent which liapptMit'd durinii,- an ontin<j,' in the snninu'i' (»f
ISSS. At the time, my companion was Imntin.u Deei' in
Rock Creek Canon, E^^^eria J*ark, Colorado, and npon coni-
in<i,' to camp, told of havin,!i,' seen a strange animal, at
dnsk. which ran (hrongh tin? scuittering cpiaking as[)ens
with Huch Hi)eed that lie was nnal)le to hring his ritie to
bear ui)on it. Wl en he described tlie animal, we became
certain that he had iieeii a Wolverine.

At this date, there is practically no market value upon
the skins. The very fe.'- which reach Colora(h) buyei's sell
at from six to eight dollars each; those fit for mounting
commanding tlie best figures. Formerly, they were consid-
er<'d nearly worthless in commerce, as is evinced by the
post-traders intrusting many of those bought at low prices
to tlie care of certain Indians, who traded them to distant
tribes for salable peltry. As the possession of a skin
marked the owner as a skillful trapper, and the middle-
men n^'eived liberal commissions, considerable trading of
this kind was done; the skins finally finding their way to
the trading-stations again whenever the wants of poor Lo
w»n'e great.

The Cree Indians, who luive tlie best opportunities for
studying the breeding-habits of this species, say the mother
boldly defends her young when molested by man or beast.
Unless provided with some means of defense, the Indians
avoid the mother at this time, notwithstanding the state-
ment of Johnson to the effect that the AVolverine flees from
the face of man, and that he recpiires no other arm than a
stick to kill it. Though a suitable green club would surely
win. a large majority of hunters would prefer a weapon of
longer range, and favor pitting the chances of a miss or a
misfire against that of being disrobed in an animated
set-to, in a frigid country, where the clothing-stores are
often two hundred miles apart.

A curious trait of this animal is the susincion with which
it at first regards anything that has been touched by the

tm vij

TlIK WnrVKlUN'K.

4!):{

li me in
1 nil iuci-
iimit'i' of
Deer in
I Kill com-
limal. lit
ij>' aspens
is litle to
H bt^canie

line upon
iiyei's sell
niouiitiii;^'
re consid-
^(1 by the
low prices
to distant
of a skin
le middle-
trading of
lieir way to
of pool" Lo

tunities for
the mother
m or beast,
the Indians
g the state-
le tlees from
arm than a
vould surely
a weapon of
a miss or a
m animated
ig-stores are

in with which
iched by the

hand of man, and the [teitinacity it shows, after one day
for delil)eration, in gaining i)t)ssession of it. Mr. 1*. De
(fiaff, of New York, wht» passed one winter in the Pt-ace
River country, lias this to say concei'iiiiig tliis peculiarity:

•'Tlie Caicajoii iiiiist be very hungry indeed if Ik- will
touch a baited trap tiie liist night, and so it is witli game
left in the woods. About tlie time we built our canii), I
killed a Moose, and hung tli»' head on a. branch of a tree,
out of the reach of wild animals. Some time afterward,
I thought I would test wliat I had heard about this habit
of the Carcajou, and knocked the head down after a fall of
snow. Next day, I found a Carcajou had been within three
feet of it, lint had not touched it. Then I turned the head
over, and the result was the same; but three days after this
the head was gone. We did not consider the exiierimeiit
conclusive, for we found that traps which had been set
early in the morning sometimes contained a Carcajou next
morning, but as we did not make a practice of visiting our
traps every day, we could not always be sure about it; yet
we concluded that generally they were too suspicious to
touch a trap as long as the scent of our tracks remained."

Mr. Ross, quoted in Coues" "Fur-bearing Animals,"
vouches for the following: "An instance occurred within
my own knowledge in which a hunter and his family hav-
ing left their lodge unguarded during their absence, on
their return found it completely gutted — the walls were
there, but nothing else. Blankets, guns, knives, kettles,
axes, cans, and all the other ^)araphernalia of a trapper's
tent, had vanished, and the tracks left showed that a Wol-
verine had been the thief. The family set to work, and by
carefully following up all his paths, recovered, with some
trifling exceptions, the whole of the lost property."

Steel-traps and dead-falls are commonly used in the
capture of the Wolverine, although when he has once
escaped from a trap, or been frightened by the fall of a log,
some other means must be devised for his subjection. In
time they even Vjecome suspicious of poisons which have no
taste or smell, and it is the same with castoreniit or any

^\k

iif

J' ;

' i m.

I ;■

mV '

i ^ u

I 1

i' w

494

BIO GAME OF NOUTII AMERICA.

other fur-reticliiiig odor when used as a luie. The surviv-
ors i») eacli district somehow learn to associate the death of
their congeners with tlie thing liabitually used to destroy,
and thus ])ecome workl-wise in a degree highly distressing
to the trappers. When ordinary means 1' we failed, a
'quadrangular trap of heavy logs, having the appearance of
a cachf;, will usually succeed. In these contriA-ances the
bait is buried or concealed, and steel-trap ■; covered with
snow or leaves often placed theiein. Touching this, I quote
from Mr. De Graff's letter:

''I caught a troublesome Carcajou that winter in this
way: I scoured a heavy steel- trap, and set it, and then
hung it in a tree until the odoi from handling it had disap-
peared. Then I dug away the snow, and piled it in a hard
bank around the spot. The bait was put in one corner, and
the trap, by the use of a stick, in the center. Then I cov-
ered them over, and laid small k»gs across the top of the
bank, on top of which I piled snow and rubbish two feet
df^' p. It worked like a charm, and I got the be;'.st the first
time I mndii niy rounds.''

That my readers may know why the Wolverine is re-
garded by many as an ''insatiable ghirton, a blood-thirsty
demon, and a prowling monster," I will (piote briefly from
some attractive bui not wholly reliable works at hand —
such as were often given Ub in boyhood l)y well-meaning
parents or friends.

"The Glutton.'" says Mr. Lloyd, ' • approaclies Ids prey
with caution, craw ing toward it till within ;i short distance,
and then, with a few sudden springs, pounces upon it. He
is very destructive to the wild Reindeer, parti( \darly in the
winter; for when these animals are necessitated partially' to
bury tlieir heads in the snow, for the purpose of getting
lichens and other vege<"able sulisrances lying below, he is
enabled to approach them with facility. When once seized
by the blood-thirsty beast, it is in vain that the wounded
Deer endeavors to disengage itself, from its enemy by rush-
ing among the surrounding trees; no foi'ce can obiig.' liim
■ to quit his hold; he maintains his position, and continues

TIIK WOLVKI'JNK.

495

to suck the blood of the tiying victim till it falh down
exhausted with pain and fatigue. AVhen the Glutton has
captured a large animal, he liides the carcass, after luiving
satisfied his i)resent liunger, in tlie cleft of a rock or in a
thick brake, carefilly covered with moss if in ari exposed
place. Even tlie upper part of a tive serves him for a
larder, so that the Fox may not have access to the good
things."

Bingley, in 1870, spoke of tlie Glutton in a similar
strain: " We are informed that they climl) into trees in the
neighborhood of herds of Deer, and carry along with them
a considei'able quantity cf a kind of moss to wlncli the Deer
are partial. As soon as any of the hei'd liappens to
approach the tree, tlie Glutton throws down the moss. If
the Deer stops to eat, the Glutton instantly darts upon its
back, and, after fixing himself fiiinly l)etween the horns,
tears out its eyes, which torments the animal to such a
•degree that, eitlier to end its torments or to get rid of its
cruel enemy, it strikes its head against tlie trees till it falls
down dead.''

Pontoppidan, wliile correcting a belief of his time as to
the Wolverine being tlie third cub of a Bear, tells us this:
"A friend of mine, a man of probity, has assured me, from
ocular demonstration, that when the (ilutton is caught alive
(which seldom happens), and is chained to a stone wall, his
hunger does not decline the stones and .uovtar, luit he will

eat himself into the wall By the practic^e of

squeezing between two trees, he exonerates his stomach,
which has not time to digest what he has so voraciously
devoured."

Bingley gives a good description of the Wolverine. He
had evidently received trust worth j' information irom Brit-
ish American sources, though seemingly he did not suspect
the Wolverine and Glutton to be identical. Ilis .statement,
on information, relating to a Wolverine which upset the
greater part of a wood-pile, more than seventy yards in cir-
cumference, to get at some provisions hidden in the center,
is generally considered too heavy for discussion, though I

I ■

1 I

496

BIG GAME OF N<^>UT1I AMEltlCA.

believe the animal would win could we find some way to
reduce the size of the wood-pile atiout one-half.

Cuvier, Ilearne, GrifRth, and nearly all the Old World
writers, also fell into the error of supposing the Glutton
and Wolverine to differ in form and character.

Cones has critically compared the European Glutton with
examples from the United States and the British Posses-
sions, and iinding only such differences as frequently occur
in specimens from any given locality, modestly concludes
in the following language: "The identity of the animals of
the two continents is to be considered fairly established,
whatever range of variation in size and color either may
present."

Previous to the construction of the Canadian Pacific
Railway, nearly everyone who had written more than a few
lines ux)on the habits of this animal, had gladly accepted
whatever they could get from the courteous offlcers of the
Hudson's Bay Company, who, in turn, were usually obliged'
to get their iufornuition from the Indian.? and white trap-
pers of that region. While it maj^ now seem an easy matter
to testify to the correctness of this hearsay evidence, it
should be remembered that no one man can do so from per-
sonal experience; that many of the Hudson's Bay posts no
longer exist; that the home of the Wolverine is still hun-
dreds of miles north of the railroad; that the most desira-
ble points have only one mail a year, and that in that
sparsely settled region the few competent to furnish infor-
mation are either unknown to the outside world or do not
wish to trouble themselves for the advancement of science
alone. Under these conditions, verification has been dif-
ficult; and we may well forgive the exaggeration of the
earlier writers, while cpioting from Pope in my own behalf:

" If 1 iiin liiilil, Tliy ,!;r;icc iinpurt
Still ill tlii; right U) slay;
If 1 am wrong, oil, ti'iuii my heart
To tiiul ;hf bcUer way."

From a mass of numuscript relating to the fauna of
the North, collected by the Smithsonian Institution in times

ne way to

Hd World
Le Glutton

uttou Avith
sh Posses-
■ntly occur
,' concludes
I animals of
sstablished,
either may

[ian Pacific
} than a few
lly accepted
icers of the
ally ohligecl

white trap-
. easy matter

evidence, it
so from per-
3ay posts no

is still hun-
most desira-

hat in that
uvnish infor-
ild or do not
lit of science
lus been dif-

ation of the
own behalf:

THE WOLYEPJXE.

497

the fauna of
iition in times

past, Elliott Coues selected and embodied in his exhaustive
article the matter he considered reliable and best calculated
to show the nature of this wonderful animal. Some of
these entertaining passages I give, adding a few anecdotes
from other reliable sources, which it is hoped will prove
interesting reading.

"The winter I passed at Fort Simpson," w-rites Mr,
Lockhart, " I had a line of marten and Fox traps and Lynx-
snares extending as far as Lac de Brochet, Visiting tlieni
on one occasion, T found a Lynx alive in one of my snares,
and being indisposed to carry it so far home, determined to
kill and skin it l)efore it should freeze. But how to cac/ie
the skin till my return^ This was a serious question, for
Carcajou tracks Avere numerous. Placing the carcass, as a
decoy, in a clump of willows at one side of the patli, I
went some distance on the opposite side, dug a hole with
my snow-shoe (^about three feet deep) in the snow, paclced
the skin in the smallest possilde compass, and ^Mit it in the
bottom of the hole, which I filled up again very carefully —
packing the snow down hard, and then strewing loose snow
over the surface till the spot looketl as if it had never been
disturbed. I also strewed blood and entrails in the path
and around the willows. Returning next morning, I found
that the carcass was gone, as I expected it would be, but
that the place where the skin was cached was apparently
undisturbed. 'Ah, you lascall' said 1, addressing aloud
the absent Carcajou, 'I have outwitted yon for once.' I
lighted my pipe, and proceeded leisurely to dig up the skin
to place in my nuiskiinoot. I went clear down to the
ground, on this side and on that, but no Lynx-skin was
there. The Carcajcju had ])een there before me, and had
carried it off along with the carcass; but he had taken Jie
pains to fill up the hole again and make everything as
smooth as before.

"At Peel's River, on one occasion, a very old Carcajou
discovered my marten-road, on which I had nearly a hun-
dred and fifty traps. I was in the habit of visiting the line
about once a fortnight, but the beast fell into the way of

498

mo GAMK OF XOHTII AMERICA.

coming ofteuer than I did — to my great annoyance and vex-
ation. 1 determined to jiut a stop to his tliieving and hi;s

81X Strong

life together, cost what it might; so T made
tra])s at as many different jHjints, and also set thi'ee steel-
traps. For three weeks I tried my best to catch the beast,
Avithout success; and my worst enemy would allow that I
am no green hand in these matters. The animal carefully
avoided the traps set for his own benelit, and seemed to be
taking more delight than ever in demolishing my marten-
traps and eating the martens— scattering the poles in every
direction, and caching what baits or martens he did not
de\ our on the spot. As we had no poisons in those days, I
next set a gun on the bank of a little lake. The gun was
concealed in some low bushes, but the bait was so placed
that the Carcajou must see it on his way up the bank. I
blockaded my path to the gun with a small pine-tree, which
comjiletely hid it. On my first visit afterward. 1 found that
the beast had gone up to the bait and smelled it, but had
left it untoiu'hed. He had next pulled up the pine-tree
that blocked the path, and gone aiouud the gun and cut the
line which connected the l)ait with the trigger, just behind
the muzzle. Then he had gone back and pulled the
bait away, and cai'ried it out on the lake, where he laid
down and devoured it at his leisure. There I found my
string.

"I could scarcely believe that all this had been done
designedly, for it seemed that faculties fully on a par with
human reason would be required for such an exploit, if
done intentionally. I therefore re-arranged things, tying
the string where it had been bitten, but the result was
exactly the same on three successive occasions, as I could
plainly see b}^ the foot-pruits; and what is most singular of
all, each time the brute was careful to cut the line a little
back of Avhere it had been tied before, as if actually reason-
ing with himself that even the knots might be some new^
device of mine, and therefore a source of hidden danger he
would prudently avoid. 1 came to the conclusion that that
Carcajou ought to live, as he must be something at least

THE WOLVERIXE.

499

26 and vex-
ing and lli^^
six strong
three steel-
i tlie beast,
How that I
al carefully
eemed to be
niy niarten-
les in every
he did not
hose days, I
rhe gun was
IS so placed
he bank. I
5-tree, Avhich
1 foiind that
il it, but had
he pine-tree
1 and cut the
, just behind
. pulled the
here he laid
1 found my

id been done
on a par with
ui exploit, if
things, tying
le result was
>ns, as I could
)st singular of
he line a little
:tually reason-
be some new
.den danger he
ision that that
'thing at least

liuman, if not more. I gave it up, and abandoned the road
for a period.

"On another occasion, a Carcajou anuised himself by
tracking my line from one end to the otherj and demolish-
ing my traps as fast as I could set them. I imt a large
steel-trap in the middle of a path that l)ran('hed off among
some willows, spreadhig no bait, but risking tlic chance
that the animal would 'put his foot in it' on his way to
break a trap at tlie end of a i)atli. On my next visit, I
found that the trap was gone, but I noticed th»^ blood and
entrails of a hare that had evidently been caught in the
trap, and devoured by the Carcajou on the spot. Examin-
ing his foot-prints, I w^as satisfied that he had not been
caught, and I took up his trail.

"Proceeding about a mile through tht^ woods, I came to
a snuill lake, on the banks of which I recognized traces of
the trap, which the beast had laid down while he went a
few steps to one side. lie had then retained and picked
Ui) the trap, which he had carried across the lake, with
many a twist and turn on the hard crust of snow to mislead
his expected pursuer, and then again entered the woods. I
followed for about half a mile farther, and then came to a
large hole dug in the snow. This place, however, seemed
not to have suited him, for there Avas nothing there. A
few yards farther on, howevei", I found a neatly built
mound of snow on which the animal had left his mark; this
I knew was his cache. Using one of mv snow-shoes for
a spade, I dug into the hillock ami down to the gi-ound, the
snow being aboxit four feet deep; and there I found my trap,
with the toes of a rabbit still in the jaws. Could it have
been the animal's instinctive impulse to hide prey that made
him carry my trap so far merely for the morsel of meat
still held in Hi Or did his cunning nature prompt him
to hide the trap, for fear that on some future occasion
he might put his own toes in it and share the rabbit's
fate?"

Cones also selects the following frouj Captain (Jart-
wright's journal: "Incoming to the foot of Table Hill, I

500

lUa GAME OF NOKTH AMP:UICA,

i::'r!i

! ;i

f i

i ill :

crossed the track of a Wolverine with one of Mr. Calling-
ham's traps on his foot; the Foxes had followed his bleed
ing track. As this beast went through the thick of the
woods, under the north side of the hill, where the snow was
so deep and light that it was with the greatest difficulty I
could follow him, even on Indian rackets, I was cpiite
puzzled to know how he had contrived to i)revent the tvn\)
from catching hold of the branches of trees, or sinking in
the snow. But on coming up with him, I discovered how
he had managed; for after making an attempt to fly at me,
lie took the trap in his mouth and ran upon three legs.
These creatures are surprisingly strong in proi^ortion to
their size; this one weighed only twenty-six pounds, and
the trap eight, yet, including all the turns he had taken, ne
had carried it six miles."'

The Earl of Southesk, in "Saskatchewan," has this to
say of his experience with the \Volverine, at Fort Felly, on
December 11, ISHO:

"A few nights ago, Mr. Murray heard his dog barking
incessantly for no apparent reason. Happening next morn-
ing to o]jen a half-flnished store-house, the dog rushed
furiously in, but came out again with still greater quick-
ness, upon which his master looked into the shed, and
there beheld the cause of the disturbance in the shape of
a Wolverine, who, after his nocturnal prowlings, had taken
refuge in -this convenient hiding-place. The beast was
slowly retreating, with his face to the door through which
the dog had entered; but an ounce of shot soon tamed his
courage by ending his life. . . . No beast is so cunning
as the Wolverine — the Fox is a sucking dove compared to
him. . . . Where he haunts, it is useless to store meat
on stages, for, Beaver-like, he cuts through great trees
with his teeth, and soon brings down any edifice of wood.
His courage is dauntless; he flies neither from man nor
beast, and woe to the dog that comes within reach of his
jaws."

In the ensuing description of a cache, in "Ocean to
Ocean," by the Rev. U. M. Grant, the above-mentioned

Ir. Calling-
l liis bleed
liick of tlie
le snow was
difficulty I
; was quite
jnt the trap
v sinking in
•overed how
to fly at nie,
I three legs.
I'oportion to
pounds, and
ad taken, ne

* has this to
'ort Pelly, on

dog barking
,g next niorn-

dog rushed
reater quick-
he shed, and
the shape of
gs, had taken
[le beast was
hrough which
oon tamed his
; is so cunning
i compared to
3 to store meat
rli great trees
iifice of wood,
from man nor
n reach of his

in "Ocean to
)ove-mentioned

TIIK WULVKKIXE.

601

■I

i'i

propensity of the animal for tree-cutting is again hinted at,
as well as his keenness of scent:

"Brown advised that, as this was a good place, some
provisions be cached for those of the party wlio were to
return from Jasper's; and Yalad selecting a site in the
greenwood, he and Beaupre went off to it I'lom the oppo-
site direction, with about twenty-five pounds of pemniican
and flour, tied up first in canvas and then in oil-skin, as
the Wolverine —most dreaded plunderer of cacZ/cA' —dislikes
the smell of oil. Selecting two suitable pine-trees in the
thick wood, they skinned (barked) them to prevent animals
from climbing; then placing a pole between the two, some
eighteen feet from the ground, they hung a St. Andrew's
cross of two small sticks from the pole, and suspended
their bag from the end of one, tliat the least movement, or
even iniff of wind, would set it swinging. Such a cache
^"alad guaranteed against bird and beast of whatever
kind."'

Whether his guarantee held good, or whether the Wol-
verine, disregarding the cross and defying the ingenuity
of the vo7/afjeurs, plundered the cacJie, the historian does
not state.

I '■

TTT

THE WILDCAT.

By Daniel AimowHMrrii ("Sangamon").

^HIS animal is coninion to the wliole of the Middle

^^ and Western United States; but it is not nearly so

plentiful now as formerly, when those States were

^i comparatively a wilderness. At present, it is only

fonnd in broken, liilly, rocky, brushy, and thinly settled

districts.

In size, the AVildcat is about two and one-half feet in
length, fifteen inches in height at the shoulders, and weighs
from twenty to thirty i)ounds. It is of a dark brindlc-
gray color on the back and down to mid-sides; the giound-
color becomes lighter as it ai)proaches the belly; the lower
sides and belly are covered with round, black spots, edged
or circled Avith a yellowish hue. These spots are from the
size of a hickory-nut, on the sides, to that of a small pea on
the belly.

The tail is about four inches long, and has a curtailed,
stumpy appearance. The eyes and ears are large, the
former being about the size of those of the gi'eat horned
owl, and bearing a striking resemblance to them; the feet.
about the size of those of the Gray Fox, and armed witii
strong, hooked, and very sharp (;laws, which are concealed
when at rest, as is the case with all Fdidcv.

The whole body is covered with a dense fur, somewhat
longer than that of the house-cat, to which, in fact, he
bears a striking resemblance in body and form; but the
Wildca* i« about two and one-half times as large as the
largest "Tcmi'' t)f our domestic cats.

The Wildcat dens in clefts of I'ocks, and old hollow logs,
and preys upon birds, rabbits, and other small aninuds,
being particularly destructive to young pigs. One pair of

■«H

1 I

\ \

( -m )

i ■

ru»4

uk; OAMI-: <»r noimii amkkk a.

tliese " vjirniiiits'' has 1)een known to destnw ;i whole lit-
ter of from elylit to t^-n pi.u'-s in a sin^in night. They will
isteal iij) toil hog-bed, spring into it, .snutch nji iv i)ig and
make their t^scaix- almost linfijre the old sow is aware ol'
their presence. Tlipy gnnFrally go in pairs -male and
female; and where von find (jne, von mav certainlv connt
on tliH other being near.

The rntting-snason of this Cat is from the middle of
December to the middle of .lannary. and they diop their
young— of whieh there av fiom three to six — from about
the middle to the last of . jarch. Duiing the love-making
season, they are not unlik** the douiestie Thomas and Maria
in making night in the woods ami hills hideous with their
ear-splitting sci'eams and caterwauls.

The "Wildcat is a savage tighter. An old Tom can stand
off a whole pack of common dogs, and indeed it takes a
very resolute dog to seize and kill one; for while the dog is
worrying him. he is getting in his work on the dou', in a
most lively and viuorous manner, with teeth and toe-nails.
About this time, one can safely wager that there is some
hair Hying.

The most successful method of hunting these animals is
to start them up with the Foxdiound, before Avhich thej''
nndve a good, exciting run of from one to t^yo hours; and in
this run thev are as cunninu' to dodge and double as Rev-
nard. But Avhen chjse pressed, they Avill take to a tree,
fi'om which they can easily be shot.

They are often caught in steel-traps. While residing in
Southwest Missouri. I l^new a boy who caught eight or ten,
during the winter of 18(57- (i8. l)v building in the woods, with
small poles, a pen, in which he placed some old live
roosters, and covered the pen so as to protect them. He
then placed steel-traps along each side of the outside of the
pen. Tlie crowing of the old cocks would attract the
attention of any Wihlcat that was near, and lure him to
the pen; and in his endeavors to get at the chickens, lie
^yould get a foot into a trap, and then fall an easy victim to
"Bent" Shelton's old musket in the morning.

Till', WILIX AT.

mC)

whole lit-
They will
;i pig iind
a ware of
iiialc mid
inly fount

middle of
drnp their
roiii about
ve-niaking
and Maria
with their

1 ran stand
it takes a
the dog is
dog, in a

I toe-nails.

^re is some

animals is

vhich they

urs; and in

•1h as Rey-

to a tree,

residing in
[gilt or ten,
voods, with
e old live
them. He
tside of the
attract the
lure him to
hickens. he
iv victim to

My first introduction to this variety of sport was late in
the fall of 1S08, while on a hunting-trip in Cass County,
Missouri. (Jne night, there came si light fidl of snow. The
next morning, by tlu^ time it was light. 1 was in the woods,
near a large, open prairie-bottom about one and a half ndles
hngbyhalf a mile wide. This bottom lay on the south sid(»
of (fraud lliver, just Ixdow the mouth of Poiiy Creek. I
was looking for Deer, as this regi(ui was at that time a
famous place for both Deer and wild turkeys. Wolves,
'Coons, Wildcats, and other "varmints'' abounded. It
being but a short time after the close of the great fratri-
cidal strife that agitated our country, during which there
was a general let-up in the hunting of the natuial fauna of
the woods and prairies, these animals had multiplied and
were abundant. 1 had just come out, and was standing
inside the brush, on a little ridge just above the bottom,
when 1 saw a large buck coming out of the woods some
eighty yards below me. I bleated I'oi' him to stop, ajid on
his doing so, tired and shot him through, but too far l)ack
to down him at once. Upon being struck, he plunged off
down into the bottom, and was so(m lost to sight in the tall
"rail," or slough-grass, with which this pai't of the bottom
was covered.

Reloading my rifle. I took uji his trail and struck out
alter him, hoping to soon liud hiiu dead, tletting out into
the long grass, I almost stepped on a large doe, which
bounded up; and by the time she made her second jump. I
put a bullet through her, and laid her out. At the crack of
my rifle, up bounded two tremeiuhuis l)ucks that had been
lying some twenty feet ahead of me. and made oft' through
the high grass. After noting the place, so as to have no
trouble in finding my dead Deer, I went on and tried to
trail up my wounded buck. Because of the lightness of the
fall of snow which here lay upon the high grass, it was
difficult trailing. The sun coming up clear and warm, soon
melted the snow, so T gave it up as a hard job. I then went
across to the timber which lay along the river, and fol-
lowed it down to the eastern or lo\ver jioint of the oi>en

BIO (;amf: of xoirrir ameiiica.

i'f

: 'II

i ■ i;

'■: ^

bottom, iiiul liad just turned to go back up to where my
(It'iid doe lay, when I heard a pack of Fox-hoiiiulH open out
in full cry oii some liigh, brushy, and rocky points at the
extreme uppei' t'ud of the Ijottom through which 1 had just
been liunting.

A loud "whoop-ee" told me that a chase of some kind
was. on hand. The hounds seamed to be coming down
tlirougli th" norlii side of the little ])rairie. 1 concluded
tln'v had jumi)ed a Deer; and in hopes of getting in a shot,
I slipped ou up the south side of the bottom to a narrow
l)olnt of timber which jutted out into it, and there took a
stan<l to await developments. 1 soon saw some five or six
horsemen s('atter out and take favorable positions for
shooting; two of them on my side of the bottom, the rest
on the river side.

The hounds were discoursing some lively music, and
running rapidly, keeping well out in the high grass. I soon
found that it was not a Beer they were chasing, for had it
been, I could have seen it bounding through and over the
grass. I was satisfied on this point. The hounds, after run-
ning the entii'e length of the bottom, were thrown off the
trail for perhaps ten minutes. They then tacked about and
started back up through nearly the center of the strip,
making the woods fairly ring with their musical notes.

I Avalked up to the nearest horseman, whom I found to
be "Bart" Holderman. lie said that he, his brother Billy,
George Pulliaiu, and the Stephens boys were out after
Cats, and that th-- hounds were now making it hot for
one of the crittei's. This being a new game to me, I
determined to see it, and be in at the death if possible.
After a run of perhai)s three-quarters of an hour, during
which the quarry doubled some two or three times, they
finally overhauled and brought it to bay. on tlii* ground in
the high grass, about one hundred yards from the timber,
and some two hundred yards above our stand. We struck
out at our best gait for the scene of combat, and there, in
the center of a small area, where the grass had been
knocked down by the hounds in the scuffle, lay, on its

4-m '

I ! ;1ii5

; .r

TlIK WH.IMAT.

noT

licre my
open out
ts jit tlu^
1 1 Jul just

)me kind

11^ (luWU

oncludcil
in a shot,
a narrow
e took a
VH oi" six
tions for
, tliH rest

usic, and
I soon
for had it

over the
after run-

n olf the
ibout and
the strip,
lotes.

found to
lier ]iilly,
out after
t liot for
to me, I

possible,
ir, during
mes, they
ground in
le timber,
Ve struck

there, in
lad been
ly, on its

bar'li, one of tlie lieroestdooking animals, f<»r its si/.i-, tliat I
had ever seen. It seemed tiiat wlien the hounds luul over-
taken it, tliey liad seized it, and, in turn, liad been forced
to h4 go, and get out of reacli of its teetli and sliaip
chiws.

Tiiis was plainly evi(hmt t'r<tm tlie bloody marks on their
heads, necks, and sides. The uiore resolute dogs, on being
urged, would spring foi'ward to get a hold; but with a tierce
"spit" of rage and a swift stroke of the paw, the brute
would send them Hying back out of its reach. The boys
had all coiue riding up except two, one of whom w;is I'ul-
liam, who was farthest away when the Cat was overtaken.
He soon showed up, too, and with him was his large, ugly,
dark brindle-colored dtjg. mimed Stump- a legidar "var-
mint dog'' — II combination of meat-ax and l)idl, whose
tail luid beendiscounteil fifty, twenty-live, and ten jiercent.;
hence his name. His chief and only reputation was that
lie would light to the death with any vaiinint, no nuitter
what were the odds. With the boys, on occasions like this,
he was a necessary adjunct, and the main stand-by.

As soon as Bart saw George conung, he called to him to
hurry up with old tStumi).

"Here, Stump, here, here, whoop-eel"

All this time, the baying of the hounds — eight of them
— together with the cheers of the hunters, nuide a most
deafening racket. Old Stump, guided alone by the noise,
soon put in an ai)pearance, and was not loath to lay hold,
notwithstanding the severe punishmt nts he had in former
times and on similar occasions I'eceiveJ, (tiieof which was the
loss of an ear. which had either been clawed oi- chewed off
so close to his head that the remnant resembled the upper
section of a coarse-toothed buzz-saw; and of the other, but
little more remained, and that ju-etty well split up. He
seemed to know just what was expected of him. With a
growl and a rush, he seized the Cat across the breast, just
below the arms, crushed and sho jk it as a ratter would a rat,
and soon took all the light out of it. No so<mer had he Inid
hold than in rushed the other dogs, oidy to get a further

I ii I

■)( IS

HKJ GAMK OF N'OKTJI AMKKICA.

i;;i

ID. I

i"! iH

'11 ..lit

■i

,,:j

'i !S I;

touch of lt'rrii>lt' i-uiiisluiit-iii from tlin ft^et of ilin Cut in its

On jiuothcr occasion, a geiitlenian by ilu:" name of Ilav-
rison, and mysflf. with a pair of Foxhound puppies beh)ng-
ing to hirn. started and ])ut uji, af.cr a t\vo-l»ouis' run, a
huge nude ('at. A four-inch snow hiy on the ground: the
day was still and clnai', and quite waiiu a line day for the
sport. Wh came across the tracks of the animal where it
had ))een rustling around on tlie previous inght. Igniting
the puppies on the trail, we soon junipcd him from some
huge roclvii where he liad l)een lying, sunning hinu-elf. In
the run that followed, he tried his doubling tactics fonr or
five times; but we being well mounted, and there being no
fences to bother ns, ke})t close to die jiuppies, and \vorud
l»ut them to "rights" when the Cat wtudd , *^tenipt its
dodges. AVe also had with ns a Creyhound. When, after
i'.bout two hours' chasing, this Greylionnd got siglit of the
quarry, we witnessed some tall runiung for about two linn-
dred yards. Then the old "'Tom"" ran np a shelhbark
hickory-tree, and ensconced himself in a body-crotch about
forty ft 't above the ground. Fron» this perch, Harrison
tundded i:im out, dead, with a load of Inickshot fi'oni an
old Harper' 3 Fei-ry musket which he carried. This "Wildcat
was the largest ol the species I ever saw, and Avould have
cleaned out, in a fair light, all three of our dogs.

Cur iu its

3 of TTav-

'S beloiig-
•s" I'un, a

111 id; the
ly I'or tli(^

wliere it
l^iitting

oin some
isell". Ill
•s four or

Ix'iiig no

11(1 V/OViid

tempt its
lieu, after
M of tlie

two liuii-
shell-bark
tell about

Harrison
t fi'oni an
s AVildcat
M\\d have

1 >l

t' I

<i'

i I

1
( ■

I 1'

m m

': f

'COON-IirXTING IX SOrTIIEllN ILLINOIS.

Bv DaMKI, AltUdW-iMlTII (" SA.NiiA.MON ").

UK Kaccoon is found tlirouo-hont tho wIioIh oI" tlu'
I'liittr-d States ami the soutlieiii parts ol' British

rAnieiica. It is one of the smaller species of the
Plantigrade, or Bear tribe, and is about three feet
in length from hosh to tip of tail, the laiter being altout
ten inclies long. The body is covered with a long-, dense
coat of dark-brown fur, the outer tips of a grayish color.
The tail has live l)lack rings of coarse fur, some two
inclies apart, and the tip is black. The animal when in
full flesh, in late autumn, weighs fi'om fifteen to twenty-live
pounds — some few specimens exceeding the laiter ligiire by
a few pounds.

The Raccoon is one of the valuable fur-bearing animals
of North America. In the early settlement of the Missis-
sippi Valley States, when money was scarce, the "Coon-skin
passed as current funds, and was usually valued at twenty-
live cents.

The Raccoon is a nocturnal animal. It scarcely ever
shows itself during the day-time, but lies coiled up in the
upper hollow of some old, decaying tree, and then comes
forth after night-fall to rustle for its food.

It is omnivorous. In the spring and early summer, it
feeds on craw-lish, frogs, birds, and eggs, and will make
frecpient visits to the hen-roosts of the farmer. It also eats
berries, wild grajjcs, acorns, and corn, of which it is as fond
as a hog. It fretiuents the corn fi'dds frou) the time of
roasting-ears until the corn is all gathered. On such food,
it becomes exceedingly fat, and when in this condition,
ma^.^'S a sjDlendid roast for the table.

( 50!) J

ij?

!■ f

:i'. '

iiii

Bli «

^ fii

t ;i

'l%

nio

Hi<; (;A>fK or noimii wikkfca.

IJkf tlif IMiick lit'iir, tilt* 'Coon hihf'rniitps dnrins the

cold storms of winter; Ixit should llie weiitliel' he ^^\^^'^\. he
Avill lie out every lllirht.

TlK'ir nitriii^-sciisoii is from about the 'ioth of January
to the tiiidille of Feliruary, and they bring forth, about the
1st of April, from three to six voiinii:.

The Kaceoon is easily taken in steel-ti-aps: and to be
successful in their capture, the trap should always be set
imder water, ne;ir tlie edges of swamps or running streams.
Bu' the best sport to be had in their capture is to hunt

Raccoon.

them in the night, with dogs trained for the pur]iose. The
best dog for this si)ort is the black-and-t;>.n Fox hound.

It has been asserted that the "(joon leaves the least foot-
scent of any knoum animal; hut I beg leave to diiTer from
those who make this asseition. He is a night truvehn*, at a
time of the twenty-four hours when the temperatuie is the
lowest; whilf animals like the Fox. the rabbit, or tlw T)eer,
a,re generally chased during the day. when the temperature
is higher. Take a Fox-hound ami put him. in the early
part of the daj", wlu'U the temperature is rising, on a 'Coon-
trail which was mjule in the early part of the previous

(In linn the

)(' open. llH

if .liinuary
. iihont the

jind to be
ivays bn set
n,ir streams.

is to hunt

r]inse. The
-hound,
le least foot-
) differ from
i'ave]'>r. at a
ratUie is the
or tli'> Deer,
temperatnre
in the early
. ou a Toon-
:he previous

('(M»N IMN 11 \(i IN -nrilllKN I I.l.l \( >I>.

.Ml

niii'lit. and lie will iiivarialily trail l!ir '('ooii to wticrf it lias
holed-up for the day. 'Phis, with my hounds, 1 liiivf
repeatedly done: and 1 have seen it done by hounds owni'd
by others.

Durin.ir tlie winter of IStU-ii."). I saw a Fox hound bitcii,
owned by Mr. llduy Fry. trail and tret' Kaecdoiis at mid-
day which had l)e<'ii riiuniiiir lh«' previous iiiuht. there
beiiiii; a ten-inch snow that had been dii the irround for
some lime. The warm snn diirinu,- the day had softened
the snow, and at ni<,dit it had frozen hard enou,L;h to form
a crust sufficiently firm to bear up even a don-; ainl it
l)ein<; the ruttlng-season. the 'Coons were ont on their
amorous trips every niirlit. racing around, when the crust
would bear them.

On tlie f()llf)win,u: day, l*"'ry and myself w.aihl take our
axes and his hound into the woods, and just so soon as the
warm rays of the sun would soften the snow-crust, makiiiy
it damp, she would, on coiuini!: to where a '("oon had been,
take its ti'ail and follow it to the tree up which it had ,L;<tne.
and in an ui^pei' hollow of which it was then ensconced.
We would then cut the tree down and j^et the "(^oon.
Sometimes we wouhl uet two out of the same hollow. It
is not the "cold foot"" of the "('o(m. but the linie of
the night or tlie day in which it has left its trail, thai
hinders or aids tlie dog in following it. Tliis is why the
best nights for 'Coondiunting are when the wind is from
the south.

"Hark! Listen! Wliat noise is that, away oil" in the
Old Town woods.'"' was asked, by a recent arrival in this
region, of a lesident friend with whom he was riding along
the road skirting the above-named we.ods, one dark night
in November. They halted their horse--, when 'Hoo-wdo-
ouh I " " Youck I yoiick I youck I " " Whoop-ee ! '" came
floating to tlieii- ears, on the gentle southwest l)reeze. from
the dark a'ld lonely forest.

"Oh," answers his companion, "'that's Fry and Arrow-
smith, out with their hoiuids after a 'Coon."

■1t^.

1 '

» u

If ^1!

I I

ni-i

l!I>. i.AMK ul' MilMII A.\Ii;i;i( A.

••Al'tt'ia '(.'ouii this time of iiiglit ^ Is tlitit tlu- \v;iy to
hunt 'L'ooiis f Ct'i'tuiiily, tiieif ciiii't Ix- nmcli spoit in lr;iMH)
ing tlirougli tlif (hiik woods on sucli ii night as tliis. Why
nor hunt iIk'Mi in tlif duy-tiint'f"

l*<t()i'. un;ipiiivci;itivt' I'dlow, who has never known the
I'lin of racing tiu'ougli tlie (hiili aisles of tlie forest, falling-
ov^r twisted roots or rotten logs, dodging under low. out-
stretched liiiil)s, Iveeping time to the enlivening music of a
dozen liuunils in fidl cry! Yes, and how well would eitliei'
of us like to liave him with us, to initiate him l)y losing
him and leaving him to keep uj) with us as best he coiddl
The latter lit- would be compelled, under the circumstances,
to (h); for it would be worse than useless for him to under-
take to tind Ins way. uiuiided. out of these dark, wild
woods, to light and civilization. A few brier-scratches, u
slight rent or two in his coat, or a few beggardice adhering
to his garments, would go a long way toward taking all
the taste for 'Coon-hunting out of him. ^fany's the time
we have c(»oked such fellows. Once was enough; they
wanted no more.

But softly, my dear friend; before you condemn such
si)ort. come with us. and enjoy the music of the woods
after niglit-fall -the low, niurmuring trill of the brooklet,
the soft, gentle breezt> in its whispers through the tops of
the lofty oaks, the tall shell-bark hickories, the towering
mai)les. and the wide-spreading elms; the silence broken
occasionally by the ghostly •* to-who-who-wlio-who-ah " of
the great horned owl. as he calls to his mate from his pendi
on the (lead lind) of some anc'ent monarch of the foivst.
The very stillness is of itself music to the ardent lover of
Nature and Nature's God

Silently we travel from point to point, guided, in our
wanderings through the trackless woods, by the constella-
tions of Orion, the great Northern Dipper, Ursus Major,
and the Pleiades, whose silent tongues tell us our course.

Just at dusk on a warm evening in early November, as a
gentle breeze came up from the south, Henry Fry rode up
t6 my gate, accompanied by his two black-and-tan hounds.

( imiN-IIINUm; in xilllllKN II.IINOI-

.•|:{

H' \v;iy In
ill lrinni>
lis. Whv

Liiown tilt'
'St. rallinji'

[■ low, Ollt-

iiiiisic of a
)ul(l t'itliHi'
l)y losing
r he could:
iinstaiicHS.
1 to uiidtT-
laik. wild
cratfhes, a
p adlu'i'iiio;
takiiiu' all
s tlit^ time
)ugli; they

ilemn surh
the woods
le brooklet,
file tops of
le towering
nee l)rokeu
/lio-ah" of
n his perch
the forest,
lit lover of

[led. in oui'
e roiistella-
i'sns Major,
our course,
ember, as a
^ly rode up
tan hounds,

nrunimer and Mliicht-i'. ami rallrd to nic lo get my lille and
liounds. and comh- with lum. for it was going tu ht- ;i
"boss" night fill' 'Coons. Ila\ing put his Ikhsc in tiif
stable. I got my old Ib-miimiou ritlf and limiting liorn.
On liie latter 1 gave three b|;i.si>. to rnthiix' tin- hounds
and make them keen for the sport, and we .starte(l for tiie
woods.

•' Where shall we hunt to-night. Ib'iiry t" I asked.

" Well, as ilie m(Hin doiTl ii->f till latf. aiul the foiv [)art
of the night will be dark, mi lliat \\>' can't see so well to
shoot, we'd better strike for thr i-'iiiik woods. I-'iink has
reserved this tract for the speciid lieiieiit of us '('o(»n liunt
ers. Here we are allowed to cut and carve, if the moon
was up. we'd hunt along the edues of the tiuibei', wliere they
don't allow cho[»piug. for there we could >hoot."'

Funk's woods was a tiact of some six ov seven hundred
acres of the heaviest and Itest timber in the State, and
owned by an old land speculator by tin name of Funk. On
it nochop[>ing was alloweil. save the cutting of •* bee trees"
and "'Coon-trees.'' Funk lived in a remote part of the
couutv. therefore it would have been a liiige undertaking
to lind out and prosecute trespa.ssers, even had he wished
to do so.

Soon after entering the woods, old Drummer opened
up on a fresh trail, some two hundred yards ahead of us.
Soon every hound respon<led totln' deep, musical bell-tones
of the old "strike-dog." and joined him in hot liaste. mak-
ing "the welkin ring." To all was given an encouraging
"whoop-ee' l)y the hunters.

The hounds for a few nioments ajipeared to he at fault,
which generally is the case on first s.triking a trail, no mat-
ter how fresh it may 1»e. This is due. perhaps, to the zig-
zag course that the Raccoon generally travels in, especi:dly
if he l)e feeding inider beecdi or biiii-oaks. or in a corn-tield.
Now, however, they have ^rraigliTeued (.at on the trail, and
are taking it up fast ".d furious. Tlie voice of each is
easily distinguisheil from that of another. Tenor, soft and
dee[) bass are blen<led in melxlious harmony, making the

i i1

w '

I i

014

l!I(i <.A\li; Hi NnlMII AMKUH A,

<li'iisH \v(»(m1s riiii'ly vihnitt'. 'I'lu'v sooii '"akH nj) the t'dioes
of lilt' rui-olV hills, as tlit'V spctMlily clcsf up the (listaiicf
between llieiii and the old iilantiura*!* . uho is now l)e<,dii
nin;^ to I'ealize t hat he is alMHii •• to lie caiiuht out in a hard
shower." and had best betake hiaisell' to shelter, whieh lif
does hy scalinu' the laiyest tree within reach. He is noiir
too soon, I'oi' the seeiinniily wild and I'uiious demons aie
alrea<ly at the roots oi' the tree eic he has reached a ]ilace
ol' concealment.

Findin.u' that the 'Coon has irone uj) the tre(^ tlie tones of
tile lioiinds chaniie from the musical bawl to shai'ii, deliant
barks, plainly announcin<r the fact that they have tieed,
and need our assistance. An encouraiiinu' •'tally ho" ti-lls
them we are cominu'. Now it is a blind race to the dons —
every fellow for himself — through brush, over fallen \o<xh\
.stnbbing our toes against grubs or twisted roots; bat-
ting onr lieads against sai)lings that we didn't, or perhai>s
couldn't, see; or. if youi' course lay, for a time, in an old
road, 1)1 unging from ankl. -deep to knee-deep in water and
imid. Such is the wild i-ace. and no one is worse for tlie
wear. Indeed, who .-ver hear<l of a real enthusiastic
'Coon-liunter getting seriously hurt while mandiing on the
double-cpuck to th»' exciting music of the liounds. No mat-
ter how dark the night, or how many wild grape-vine tan-
gles he max encounter, or how rough the ground he passes
over, he feinds at the tree, "top side up. with care," every
time.

I vmce hit a young hunting- friend a severe blow, with the
muzzle of a long, twelve-pound liHe, across the eyebrows,
felling him to the ground; but he claimed tluit "it didn't
hurt him a bit." although his left e\e was black for a week.
^Ve had put up a "Coon with olll liouinjs. one dai'k inght.
(»n a large, tall red oak, and had built a I'ousing fire
hear the roots of the tree, to kt^Hi lis |!tl|ill'ii|'|id)le until day-
light. Avhen we would be abh^ to locate ainl shoot f)|e 'Coon.
On the approach of daylight. 1 siiw tlic oM colli s|eii|n('
high up in the tree, and knew tluit from Its poHlJloM jt
Avas likely to fall, when shot, right into our lire.

"n^

COONIIIN I I Ni, IN sol rilllJN 1 1,1.1 Ni i|>.

:.i5

the t'clioi'^

It' (listiiiict'

now hegill-
t ill :i liMld
■. \vlii<'li lit'

\\t' is IIOlU'

U'lnoiis ;iH'
ht'd ;i phu'f

lit' tones of
iiip, (leliiint
havt' tivt'd,
y-ho" t.'Us
I tilt' dog's —
I'alli'ii logs;
roots; biit-
or i>tM'h:ii>s
e. in an old
I water and
orse for the
pnthusiastic
lihig on till'
Is. No inat-
pe-vine tan-
iid he i)asses
fare," every

ow, with the
p eyebrows,
it 'Ml didin
: I'or a week,
dark night,
rousing fire
le until day-

)| llie "Coon.
(•tli'll-slt'tllMl'

I pOHJIloU II

I told iny lii<nd to \<" i-.'M.ly fo snatch it out should it
fiill tht'it'. He was standing just hciiind nif from I In- liii',
and at the erack of my lillf. sprung l't)r\vard as j Ittwt'ii'd it
IVoui my shouldi-r, and receivi'd a murdi'roiis blow. Ncvt-r-
tht'less. he rt'gaiiu'd his feet, ;ind snatcht'd tin- "Coon up
out oi" the einlii'is as soon as it It'll. I \v;is well auaif iliat
suidi a blow did hurt, but he insisted that it did not; ami
since then I have had many a laugh at him aboiii it. lie
was doubtless ,so t'xcited at the time, ttver tlie sccuiing oi"
the game, that he didn't feel the l>low.

Fry and myself soon reached the point where our dogs
were b;iying, found they had treed the 'Coon on a lai'ge
sugar-maple, and soon Itn'ated him. in a crotch i)retty wtdl
up toward the to]). A well-directi^d bullet soon brought
liini criishing through the branches to Ima Jirmti.

After allowing our dog.s to worry him a few moments, as
a recompense for their chase, we stripped olf his jacket,
and started on for another chase. We soon reached the
dee]) woods of the Funk tract, when, far olf to our left,
we heard Bogus — a splendid, heavy, young hound belong-
ing to the writer — give mouth to a long-drawn, dt^e]), wail-
ing tone.

"A cold track,"" said Henry.

"Yes; he's come out early,"

We gave a "whoop him up, old fellow," and almost
immi^liately he was joined by others of the pack. Here
thev were delaved for some time. '• Let's go over to them
and encourage them, and aid them in working it m),"" was
suggested.

"All right.""

The woods here bt»ing free from dense underbrush, we
soon came to where the hounds were trying io unravel the
trail, beneath some large burr-oaks, where there was an
aliiiiidance of acorns on the ground. Here a 'Coon had
been riislling around eai'ly in the evening, feeding on the
(tills mast; had gone lirst in one direction and then in
tlllollier, and had crossed and recrossed his tracks so often as
foiiliike It almost an impossibility for the dogs to follow him.

111!

fiKi

lUti fiAMK OK NulMll A.MKKH A.

'I'lif do^.s \v*'r»' scatttMvd iiboiit, ♦•iidHavorin/j: to (U'<ii»liHr
and solvf tin' pidhlt'iii. ()iit» Would nioiint a Ion; lunniii:;
aloiii;' upon it, and srmtin;; it rlosrly, lit' would lind wIk'h-
it liiid, in its coui'st'. crossed the lo^j. Then he would throw
his Jit-ad hiiih in air, and ^iv** veut to a loii^'-diawn wail,
when the other (h>^s would run to his ai<l. to take up, if
possible, the trail

" P.ut where is old Dniinnieri lie was here jii.st before
We canie up."

This old hound, beinf? np to the tricks of the Raccoon,
had struck oil' to make a wide detour on the outside, and
soon ^ave tongue, in a livelier tone, some (»ne hundred and
fifty yards away, apiiarently leading/; toward a larye swam[)
or pond near a Held of corn. He was soon joined l)y tiie
othei's of the [)ack; but the trail beiny' cold, they could not
move olf (jii it much faster than we could walk. Having-
now got the general course the "Coon had t^Uven. they were
not himh'red luuch when at fault, but would strike out in a
lialf-circle in that direction, and soon strike it again.

" Yes, he's going for that pond, where he will [day
awhile, and then he'll go over into that corn-lield. where no
doid)t, he now is," said Fry.

The hounds are working ont his trail, and making good
lieadway; but occasionally coming to some burr-oak or
cliin(piai>in, where the 'Coon had rambled awhile, they
woidd follow his windings and then strike out again.

TJie ])on(l was reached. Here the game liad meandered
again. The dogs race back and forth through the shallow-
water, and gi\e tongue wherever they can lind the scent.

" Hark! Old Spring has found him I Just listen."

Sure enough. She liad tired of the slow work of trailing
him in detail, and had struck off into the corn-tield. There
in the dense corn, wdiere the falling temperature could not
so readily reach the ground, the track of the "Coon was
apparently fresh; and now it was a regular Sioux war-cry
of '• Hi-yi-ki-yi." in her tine voice. The other liounds heal-
ing her, and I'ealizing the situation, tliere was a perfect
bedlam, of hound-music. No time was lost in getting

I , 1

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<iM»N-|||'.\ I 1 NO IN -III |||i:|;\ Il,|.|\<>l>.

r.i7

tliroii.uli Mild (ivcr lilt' t't'iicc inin iln' Ni;iinliiiu tnin llt'if.
;i> w»'ll as ill tilt' wixmIs. Mastt'i' I'laliliui.Kl'' lia<l iiiailc
nuiiieiuus and various uiiKliims, Inn ilit- scfiii I'l-inn siimi^r,
tliis (lid not sf-rioiisly IiIikI.-i iIi.- imu <'x<ili'd pai-k. On
tiit-y went, llif iiiiisi<' uf liii'ii \uic.'- -lariiuti fvny I'arm-
(loir in tilt' conniiy to haikiim. ^o duiilii iIh-sc i ms
nyivttt'd that tlit'y wt'ii' Mot hounds, tiial I hey too could
have soint' of tlif fun.

Tilt' lioiiuds soon rt'acht'il tlu' far sidi- of thf corn, sonit^
twenty acres, and auain tiirneil toward the wt)ods.

"Let's ^et on thf fence down in that low piece of
ground, and kei'ii still, for he is likely to pass out Ihen^
when the do;;s yet ch»se to him: and if In- doe-, we'll i»rol)-
al)ly hear him.""

" Ves, here they come; and thny are warming him to Ills
work — in fact, making him walk his chunk. Hark I Hear
liini, as he strikes some down stalks that are in his

coui'se

Ves; and he's quite a distanoe ahead of the ht)nnds.
But hold; the dogs ai'e at fault. Ih- has tacked on his
course to throw them oiJ, l)ut not for long, for they soon
find it again; and here they come, knocking down the corn,
in their wild career, like so many scnred cattle. Soon they
turn back into the tield. The moon now lifts her golden
head, away off in the ntn-theastern horizon, as if to asceitaiu
the cause of so much racket — lighting iii* the uloomy aisles
of tlie forest; while two or three old cat-owls begin their
"wah, wall, wall, wah-o-ah," from the dead top of an old
red oak near by.

Iltn]: I The hounds have again turned, and now, distant
some three hundred yards, are coming almost straight
throi gh tl]t; corn to where we are on the fence; t-ach vying
with the other for the lead. The trail is fresh and hot, and
each is giving tongue, fast and lively. Listen ! \Ve hear a
slight rustling among the dry corn-stalks, some ten yards
distant, and soon hear Mr. "Coon creeping thrt)ugh between
the rails of the fence. Now we hear him making off
through the dry leaves that lay thick on the ground.

I i

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

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Photograpliic

Sciences
Corporation

:<\^

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4503

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518

BKJ liAMK OF NOinri AMERICA.

q ff't ■'

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None too soon, old fellow, for here they come; the whole
pack not five yards apart. They have reached the old
eiyht-rail fence, and no time is lost in scaling it, as they
make the top rails rattle in their displacement by their
Hying heels.

"Look! do you see that, Cottie T' as a rabbit dashed
out of a corner of the fence, near where the dogs crossed,
and took down through an open path parallel to the fence.

Our old owls, too, have made haste and sought some
other part of the woods, where they can see just as well,
and not be disturbed by the pandemonium. The old plant-

igrade.

finding

things rather livelier in his rear than he

had bargained for, after running about one hundred yards
from the field fence, took shelter in the upper branches of
a large burr-oak. The moon having risen sufficiently high,
there was no trouble in locating and shooting him. And
now, having had sport enough for one night, we turned
our steps homeward.

One morning, about the first of June, 1886, just at sunrise,
I had taken a bucket and started to the well, distant about

eighty yards from the house, when Mrs. A , who had

been feeding her poultry, called to me, and said there was a
young turkey missing. I started on down the path leading
to the well, when I saw in the dust of the patli the tracks of
an uncommonly large 'Coon, made some time during the
past night. He had follq|[fl|| the path down to the well and
past it, toward a large swhip, of some five acres, that lay
ten or fifteen rods beyond, and extended into the big woods.
After returning with the water, I told my wife that I had
got on the track of her turkey -thief, and that while she was
getting breakfast, I would get out a writ and have him
arrested.

I took my rifle, got my ax, whistled up old "Boag,"
and pointed out the track to him. He sniffed around a
little while, threw up his head, and gave one of those long
blasts of Fox-hound music that always means business.
He then struck oif toward the swamp, from which he
had already, in times i)ast, started numy a Raccoon, and

C0O.V-|irMlN(; IX scM'TIIKKX ILLINOIS.

ft 10

le whole
the old
as tliey

by their

dashed
crossed,
;he fence,
ght some
it as well,
old plant-
L- than he
red yards
•anches of
ntly higli,
lim. And
we turned

, at sunrise,
stant about
-, who had
there was a
,ath leading
he tracks of
during the
the well and
res, that lay
le big woods,
e that I had
diile she was
id have him

old "Boag,"
[fed around a
of those long
ans business,
om which he
Raccoon, and

run it to its death. After a IVw luoiiuMits of slow trailiiijj:
among the red willows and small swamp ash-hriisli, he led
off into the old woods, making things fairly jingle in his
course.

After trailing some tluee-(innrieis of a mile. I heard
him change his tune into baying. Kjiowing he had treed,
I hastened on, and
found him baying
at the root of a
tall, red el in -tree,
up which the 'Coon
had gone and en-
tered a hole formed
by the top being
broken off. I could
not cut this tree
without felling it
across a wire fence,
over w h i c h it
leaned. Like the
old man who found
the rude hoy steal-
ing his apjiles. I
said, "If I can't get
you, old sinnei'. l)y
felling the tree, pil
just try a plan on
you, some time dur-
ing tlieday, that no
doubt will elevate
you out of your
cozy den." 80 I returned to tlie house, ate my l)reakfast.
and went about my work until tiie afieiuoon, when I got
an old lialf-pint tlask. lilled it witli gunjiowder, took :d)out
one foot of tape fuse, put one end into the bottle and fast-
ened it tight. I then got some miilches. and a strip of old
cotton rags to tie to the othei' end of the fuse, so as to
make a slow match, thus giviim me time after lighting it

Blown Out.

■J I

1 a 1 1

C2()

IlKi fJAMK OF \()I!TM AMKKK'A.

to (le.sceiicl from the tree. I took niv ritie, called old
*' Boag," als(j a fiiU-gron-ii young pointer that was as
lilucky as a Wildcat in a tussle with a 'Coon, and put out
to try what virtue there was in guni>owder. An'iving at
the tree, I got things in readiness. A good many small
branches grew from the trunk near the ground, and were
distiil)uted from Iht-nce to the top, makhig the tree easy to
climb. 1 climbed up the tree to a height of about iifty feet,
and within ten feet of the top, where I came to a hole that
Avood peckers had dug out and that reached into the hollow.
Through this hole I could see the old cuss coiled up just a
little below, insidn. Tlip hole was hardly large encMigh to
adndt the Ijottle of powder, so I took my i)ocket-knife and
enlarged it so that I could pass the bottle in. This the old
'Coon didn't like at all. and resented the intrusion by sav
age growls. He made several attempts to sntip my fingers
wliile I was at work.

"But never mind, old boy; I'll give j'ou something to
chew on directly. '

I struck a match, set the cotton rags on lire, coiled the
fuse around tiie flask, dumped the infernal niachine in
on top of the 'Coon, and then made haste to get down the
tree; for I wouldn't have been up there wlien the mine
exploded for all the "Coons in Old Town woods.

Some fifteen minutes after reaching the ground, I heard
the fuse begin to sputter, and also heard the 'Coon scram-
bling up the hollow — concluding, no doubt, that a bumble-
bee had gotten into his bed; when piiesently — "AVhangI''
went the powder, like the roar of an old army-musket flred
into a large barrel.

A dense column of smoke, rotten wood, and other dthris
flew from the top of the hollow, and in the midst of it, out
poj)ped the old plantigrade, with a tremendous leap clear
from the tree, coming down and striking the ground like a
bag full of wind, but apparently ncme the worse from the
effects of the powder, save that the wool on his rump was
somewhat scorched. The Pointer bounced him as soon as
he struck the ground. The 'Coon was as large-framed as

T Ui

'(;()i>x-iiuxTi\(i i\ soriiii:i:.\ Illinois.

.Vil

lied old
was as
j)Ut out
riving at
ay fsiiuiU
ind were
ie easy to
tifty feet,
li(»le that
le hollow,
up just a
enough to
knire and
liis the old
on by 3av-
luy fingers

any I liave ever seen, and gjive both dogs a lively tight for
several minutes before he was overcome. They finally laiil
him out, however; and when I took him to the iioiise, my
wife said she knew, from his full stoiunch and his sneaking
look, that he was outside of her pet turkey.

methiug to

<'!

coiled the
inachine in
■t down the
sn the mine

ind, I heard
Coon scram-
at a bumble-
" Whang'."'
musket fired

other debris
dst of it, out
us leap dear
ground like a
orse from the
his rump was
im as soon as

•ge-framed as

'^^^''^''''^'m
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'^\i:^^ ^ij #wi fc ta>ii^.-

r-?^^'

'II'

.il!

FOX-HUNTING IN VIRGINIA.

By 1)u. M. f}. Ki.i.zBY.

lp|fIIERE are, in Aineiica, two modes of lumtiiig tlie
Wy%, Fox; one with lioiiiuls mikI lioisc. tin- oilier with
hoiiiKl iiiid ii gun, al'tcr thf iiiaiiiicr of driviiiu- hi't-i'.
^' With the hitter of these iiu'tiiods, the writer lias
no aeqnaintance. It prevail^ ai the North, in <dini!ry
inipraeticahle for tlie chMse as juactieed at iheSoiitii. and
is said by those devoted lo it to he vei y ex<'itin<;' and eji joy-
able sport. They desire a slow lioiind. whieh is ;i ixmnl
trailer, that tliey may .stand at a likely place, aloiiulhe run,
and shoot the Fox as he anil>les alony' in front of the
lioiind. The sale of the pelr is the ultimate olijeci. the
ai)i)arent ni f s-mi f/'rh'c it\' the sport. L<'aviiig the descrip-
tion of this method to those who are familiar with its enjoy-
ments, 1 i)r()('eed to attempt a (lescription of the Fox-ehase
as I have known and enjoyed it in Old \'iitiinia. where a
paclvof hounds is used to kill the lAix, or run him toeaiih.
The chase here is similar to the Eiii^lish hunt in its main
features, thoiifiU <lifferin,<;- in details, so far as it is ren-
dered necessary by the nature of the country, the liai)its of
the people, and especially by the dilferences between tiieir
Foxes and ours. I am persua(h^d that the American Red
Fox, a^-i found in the iStates of Maryland, Viriiinia. West
Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, is an animal far
sni)erior to the English Fox, in speed, endurance, cunning,
and resource, when in front of a dangerous i)ack. He
laughs an inferior pack to scorn,

I will preface the pro])osed account of the sport by a
brief sketch of the Fox. We have about half a dozen sorts
of this animal, including the varieties of the far North.
Authors divide them up for classification and nomenclature

I i 1

i^J

1^1

l)f

; I
(I

* I

i ;

r)-24

uui <i.\.MK (»!•' n»»i;tii a.mkkica.

us Slim Weller gave the ortliogmiihy of his iiiiiiH'. " accord -
iii^f til Ihf tastH and fancy of the si»elh'i'." " For my part,''
observes Mr. Weller, " I spells it with a irr."

Tile Fox is mutually fertile with the Wolf and domestic
dog, which seems to be true of all existing canine species;
whether the cross-bred offspring jtreseiits the character of
mongrels, or of fertile hyl)rids, lias not been determined.
Not even, as a rule, have naturalists, all run to mori»hol()g-
Ical views as they are, clearly recognized these differences;
for the greatest naturalists have confounded atavic varia-
tion with the reversion of hybrid>; to a i)ai'ent form. Leav-
ing this question of specijic distinctions as we lind it, the
sportsman's distinction between our Foxes is, broadly, into
red and gray. The cross-Fox is merely a Red Fox thus
maiked; the kit-Fox, a dwarfish individual.

The Gray Fox, treated by some naturalists as being a
mere color variety, has habits entirely different from the
lied, in almost all possible respects. So far as my personal
ob.servations inform nie, the following are some of the prin-
cipal distinctions : First, as to reproduction, the Red Fox
nearly always brings forth its young in an earth den; the
Giay Fox, generally in a hollow log or tree, or, at most,
under a r(x'k. The last one I found with lier young was
a Gray. The young, only a few liours old, were in the liol-
low stump of an old rotten tree, broken off about five feet
high. As I came up. the old one jumped out of the top of
the stump and ran oif. I looked down the hole, and saw,
at the bottom, five young ones, scarcely dry. I have sel-
dom seen a Gray with more than five, and often with only
four young. I never found a Red with less than five. I
have seen one with nine, and several with seven. I think
it certain, therefore, that the Reds are more prolific.

Second, as to hunting for prey and subsistence: The
Reds are bolder in pursuit, and hunt over a much greater
territory than the Grays. Whether the Grays ever climb
trees in pursuit of prey, I am uncertain; but they take to a
tree as readily as a cat when hard run by hounds. I think
it nearly certain that they climb for liersimmons, grapes,

I'nX-III NTI.\(i IN VIKiilNIA.

r.-.).-)

iccord-
part,

omestic
■(Itt'fies;

IClt'V of

niiiiied.
(liolog-

ic varia-
Leav-
(1 it, the
Aly, into
^i'ox tlms

J being a
from the
: personal
the prin-
Red Fox
I den; the
•, at most,
y'oung was
in the hol-
ut five feet
the top of
}, and saw,
I have sel-
i with only
uin iive. I
u. I think
)lific.

tence: The
luch greater
3 ever climb
ley take to a
ids. 1 think
ions, grapes,

and berries. Red Foxes never clliub tret-s under any fir
onnjslances; wlien liard run, they i^^u toeaitli.

(tray Foxes run before hounds only a sliort distance,
doubling e(»nstantly, and for a slioif time, wiien tliey eiihei-
hole in a tree or climl) one. 1 have known the Red Fox to
run strai^lit away nearly twenty miles. \'ery coiiinionly,
they run eight or ten miles away, and then run Itack in a jiai-
nllel course. 1 have known them to run the four sides of a
quadrilateral, nine or ten miles long by about two miles
broad. It is doubtful whether a tirst-rate specimen of a
Ked Fox, taken at his best iu i»oinr of condition, can t-itlier
be killed or run To earth bv any pack of iioiinds livinir,
such are his matchless speed and endurance. It is but a
sorry pack which fails t(» kill or tree a (rray Fox in an
honr's run.

The young of the Gray Fox closely resemble small,
blackish puppies; those of the Red Fox are distinctly vul-
pine in physiognomy when oidy a few hours old.

The above are striking varietal distinctions; cliaracter-
istics of less sigiulicaiice are often given much higher
value by oai)able naturalists. Yet, from such information
as I possess, I am of opinion that all living, and most likely
all extinct ('(iiii(hi\ constitute a single physiological group,
mutually fertile, and their cro.ss-bred offspring feitile inli r
se. This groiif) is at present broken up into many good
and distinct mori)hological species. I think the above facts
clearly show that the Red Fox differs from the (iiay in
many iniixntant particidars, and that they are in error who
seem to regard the two as mere color varieties- the dis-
tinctive marks being graded away and disai)peaiing when
hirge .series of individnals are compared. Any Fox-hunter,
not a greenhorn, can tell whether it be n Red or a (Jray
F'ox in front of his i)ack on the darkest night, as readily
as if the animal v.ere in plain view; and yet the color varia-
tion of red and gray niay bring the two sorts nearly
together in extreme specimens in a series. 1 thiidc that, in
this manner, a comparison of series of kins may leail the
best naturalist to erroneous conclusions. In this case,

.iJ

!. '/

I
' I

■ I

I in

n-in

UUi (lA.Mi: nr Noinil amkuk v.

Wf may salV'ly coiicliHlf that ^^nu* Kfd Koxes aiv colored
iiiiH'li likf (ii'ay K«txt's, and that sftrin' (Jray FoXfs ai'n col-
oit-d imich lik*- Kt'(l Foxes; but if \v>' p» flirt lit'i', and con-
cliid*' that ill all otluT ivsjicrts tin- two sorts a itMnh* sort,
\VH fall ht'adloiiK into an nrror as ^fi-oimdlpss as ahsurd— an
♦•nor which a park of hounds will soon (l»'iiionsfratc. and at
which anyone in thn least degree experienced as a Fox-
hunter will laugh.

In this place, it is proposed to oiler a few thoughts and
suggestions as to the true position of Fox-liunting among
tile manly and athletic sjiorts of the field. The proposition
is boldly advanced that no other riding-school in the world
can coini)are with the hunting-Held in the pntdiiction of
the liighest type of hoi'seback-riding— bringing into full
play, as it does, all the nerve, strengtli, skill, and judgment
of tlie rider. Often, in a moment, some great difficult}'
presents itself, immediately in front of him. to surmount
which reipiires a great leat of horsemanship. It must be
surmounted, or he will simply be left. Is it a thing simply
not to I)e gotten overJ Then, being in nowise a fool, the
great horseman will draw rein, and see how l)est to get
around it, even though that implies not even being within
hearing at the kill. Is it a vigorous difficulty, surmount-
able by good horsemanship, or cmly by great liorsemanshipi
Then the bold horseman summons all his own faculties,
rouses all the resources of his steed, and goes over it in
grand style, as if he had never recognized its i)r(^sence.
Courage, good sense, decision, presence of mind— these are
the qualities brought out by this grand si)ort. Such
qualities must be possessed by the horse no less than by
his rider; otherwise the greatest horseman will be paralyzed
in the presence of such a difficulty, if mounted on a duffer,
or a lunk-headed fool and coward of a horse.

Xow, a .second pi-oposition is l)oldly advanced. The first
place, therefore, among all manly sports of the field, must
be awarded to riding to hounds. We advance immediately
to a third and final proposition, viz. : The manliest of manly
sjiorts should be the recognized national sport of the

FnX-UfNTINii I\ VII!(.| Vl A.

•uv fol-
iiul con-

(*, and i»t
» 11 Fox-

i^htH and
ig among
•opoHitiou
tlic world
Inction of

into full
jndgnit'nt

diffl<"nlty

surmount
[t must be
iug simi'ly
a fool, the
)est to get
eing within

surmount-
•senuinshiv^
n faculties,

over it in

s presence.
\__these are
port. Such

less than by
he paralyzed

on a duffer,

d. The first
xe field, must
immediately
iest of manly
sport of the

greatest, the most enlightont'd. and the njost progressive
nation of tlie mod»'rn world, to wit, the Inited States of
America. No arguim-nt nt-fd bf advanced in supjtort of
sucli a proposition; tiie tiuth of it a|>pHars to Ih* self-evi-
dent upon the mere statement of the case.

I take it no well-infoniied person will (piestion the
national value and importance of the preservation, the
extension, and the th'velopnient of superior liorsenianshiii
a.s a national characteristic of our jieople. This will carry
witli it the pre.servation, the development, the imi)rovemeiii
of that fountain-source of all excellence and greatness in
horse-tiesh, that is to say. the English race horse. If we
are to liave Fox-hunting as our national s^iort, we must
liave an American-bred hunting-horse. No jiorse can be
bred fit to ride to hounds without large recouise to the
blood of the race-horse. No horseman will deny that.

It has been said by one of the greatest of ?Jiglish writ-
ers on the hoi'se, that the very best liunters in Kngland
were very nearly, though not (piite, thorough-bred. This
is ecpuilly true of the greatest of Atueiican trotters. The
two-minute trotter will be common enough after awhile,
and will be nearly, but not quite, thorouglibicd. It will
be, practically, the race-horse slightly modified in breeding,
handled, trained, and selected foi- a diflerent way of going.
This statement is liable to paralyze certain people with
astonishment, not unnungled with scorn. Nevertheless,
what is writ is writ.

The hunting-horse fit for the American Fox-chase will
have to be nearly, tlujugh not (piite. thorough-bred, but
not a trotting-horse. Rather a running and jumping hor.se,
bred, selected (foi temper, especially), handled, and trained
for the hunting-field- not a race horse, bred, selected,
trained, and handled for the turf. Doubtless a skilled
horseman, versed in the science of heredity, and himself a
practiced rider to hounds, may select as the foundation of
a breeding-stud strictly thoroughbred horses, and produce
from them unequaled hunters. We are not to believe there
is anything kicking to the blood of the thorough-bred

528

ItIO <»A.MK uF NOltlM A.MKItlCA.

- I

■m

tlisabliiig it, wlit'ii i>urt*, lioiii pioduciiig hunters of the
very hi^hnnt iittaiiiaMf excellence.

If such horsi'sas Sir Arcliy and liis ^fn*at son, Tiinoleon,
or Ulack Maria. lia<l lieen trained foi- th«' huntin^'-lield, th»'y
could iiav«' carrit'cl a rider six U-r\ two indies, wei^ihin^ two
limiilrt'd and t\vtMity-liv«' pounds, a distance in advance «»r
any fit-id of liuntinj,'-l)red hoi'ses ever mounted. Or, talce
Hucli an animal as American Eclipse, or li»'venue, or Planet,
for riders, say fiom live IVet ten inches to six feet, and fr(»m
one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty pounds;
(»r, fancy old Ari '1, the fairy (pieen of the running-turf,
carrying a high-spirited lady rider. We may fancy a liigli-
lued maiden, in the lirst l)loom of her beauty, riding througli
a dashing chase at the head of a gallant lield of hunt\^rs.
Cold runs the blood in Ins veins whose whole being does
n(»t dilate with tlie thought. I admit that my own lieart
bounds with the conceptictn.

1 confess that I have, for some years, felt that there must
be some sustaining demand to back up the breed of race-
liorses, outside of the current demand for fast milediorses
for tlie gambling needs of the racing rurf. Are the great
old four-nulers, along witii the great race of men who jtro-
duced them, gone without return ? I have an opinion that
a horse may be jtroduced, i)henonienally fast for a ndle
and plieiiomenally unlit for every useful com uon i)urpose,
whether he be trotted or I'un. If the bree<l of racediorses
deteriorates, everything lower in the scale of h )rse-Hesh will
corres]>ouditigly go down. Does anyone believe tliat any
tV)unlain of excellence can be led higher and maintained at
a level above its souice ^ IVlieve it not I

If Fox-hunting be established as our national sport,
there will arise a demand foi' huntingdumses, for hulies and
gentlemen, whi<'h can not at iiist be met. It will of course
ultimately be met. No demand can be made ui)on the cre-
ative genius of the Amei-ican people which can not be met
in due time. In the earlier stages of that demand, the
breeders who have the knowledge, the skill, and the means
combined to j)roduce Hrst-class hunters, for ladies and gen-

f "^ *

111!

HtX lilN IINU |\ VII!(.|\|A.

:.•.>!»

8 of tllH
illlolt'Oll,

t'M, tlu-y
hiiiji two
viince «)!'
Or, taUf

rPlillirl.

iiiwl from
pounds;
iinj,' turf,
y a high-
;tliiduj;li
liunti'is.
fiiig does
iwu heart

WYo must
(I of racH-
lilH-horses
' tlit^ great
who pro-
iniou tliiit
)r a mile
I purpose,
iice-horses
'-flesh will
' That any
ntaineil at

nal sport,
liidies and
of course
)n the cre-
lot he met
nuind, the
the means
5S and gen-

tlfiuen. will 'tf idilr to sell tliem for " Itijr nioliey." Tm ;:o

furtlit-r Willi tin- tt'clmicul dt-scripiion of tin- Imiitini: Ihmm-.
in this plat-)-. woiiM lead out <i|' IxiMMih. We mioi turn
our attention to tii<- pucU, :ind tln-ii to tht* hunt.

i>«'ss than thrtM'('ou|ilfsof hounds ran scarcely he called :i
pack. Soiuc persons fancy odd numlters, and would picfcr
a pack of thirlccn hounds loo: »f fourteen ay of i\vc|\c.
More than tnirtecn hounds are. ii iiy judgment, too many
to run well together, or I o he |<M| t well in haml. I have
Heen thirty couples in a di;, •, hni not more than m\u' of
the best hounds did the ii'.d runninv'. A gentleman of
moderate means will lind that >i\ or seven hiMinds, well
trained and kept, will alTord he.u-r spoil than will a greater
niimlicr than can l»e well used.

One of the niost hcantiful ami ex-iting chases ( remem
ber ever to have witnessed, was made hy a couple of hlack
and-tan spayed hitches. In a lun of aliout f(»rty nnniiles,
they killed a line Wed Fo,\, which for three miles was not
over five lo fifteen feet ill front of them; nor was there for
that distance, at any time, three lengih.slietween tlie hitches.
Thisiiair little sisters -owned l>v mv father, weieceriainlv
the fastest pair of lioundH he ever owned in I'orly years'
devotion to IioiiikIs and to Fox hunting. Kminiiig with
the pack, they always led. fiecpi.-nlly running iieck-and-
neck thiity or forty yards in advance of the pack. They
were named Juno and N'anity, and each of them was
known, in seveial instances, to start, run, and kill a fine
Red Fox alone.

if maybe said, then, that a single hound may catch a
Fox; a jiair of hounds, if of the very best breeding and
training, may idV'M'd good spoi-t; that si.x or seven make a
nice pack; and that the best number is thirteen. These,
three neighboring uentlenien may own and keep between
them, when they will do tpnte as well, or even hettei-, than
when all kejit in one kennel. Spayed bitches are to be
hiiihlv recommen<led. if spa.ed when not more than two

~ » I. »

to six weeks old, which is the best time, for they do not
exhibit the tendency to become fat and lazy which results

I 'I

I i:

'Mi

ry.io

HKf (iAMK (tK N'OKTII AM KKICA.

from the operation at an age subsequent to sexual develop-
ment. They are as fast as the best dogs; their scenting
l)o\vers are equal to any; their sagacity in managing the
woiking of a Fox in all its details can not be surpassed;
they are easier to break and tiain; they are quiet about
lionie, and seldom go olf, on their own hook, to observe the
country and make mental notes of the grazing-fields of a
neighbor's sheep. It is certain they are far less prone to
mischief than dogs. In the matter of tongue, they gener-
ally incline to treble, and their notes are often of a Hute-
like sweetness. In the matter of endurance, they are ncjt
surpassed. These observations are the results of personal
knowledge based on a wide experience.

The (Hjlor of hounds is a matter of taste. I have known
great Fox-dogs of almost every variety of color. The best
I ever knew were black-and-tans; the handsomest and
deepest-mouthed were hounds of the old blue-mottled breed
from the famous Crawford pack of Maryland. I should
say coloi' is a matter of taste, music a matter of science in
selection, speed a thing to be tested, and it, as well as
«nduran<!e, belongs to particular strains. If you want to
breed a litter of Red Fox hounds, you will have to breed
the fastest bitch to be had to the fastest dog. You can do
it successfully in that way, and in no other.

There are few strains of hounds, perhaps, now living,
which are at all reliable to kill a Red Fox. I do nt)t
believe that any dogs bred, owned, trained, and run in Eng-
land can kill our Red Foxes. It is not by resort to
importations, therefore, that Red Fox dogs are to be had
here. They must l)e bred from the few American strains
which have demonstrated their ability to kill American
Red Foxes, Tliis is no random, unsupported notion. I
liave seen many imported d(jgs run, and never saw one
capable of staying with our own best packs.

No doubt this declaration will bring loud jeers from
some peoi)le. Very well, let tliem jeer; 1 have no objection
to that sort of thing. In this matter, I feel that I know
what I am talking about. In the matter of size, EnglisI

FOX-IIUNTlXti IN VIItcilXIA.

r.3i

leveloii-
sceuting
>ing the
I'passed;
it about
serve the
3kTs of a
prone to
'V gener-
I:' a tlute-
r are not
personal

ire known
The best
mest and
led breed
I shoiikl
science in
IS well as
I want to
i to breed
oil can do

)w living,
I do not

m in Eng-
resort to

to be had

an strains
American

notion. I
stiw one

jeers from
o objection
lat I know
ie, Englisi.

hounds are too large for the country we 1 ,int. It is beyond
doubt true that medium-sized liouuds are best for our work.
They should iu)t be above tifty [louiuls in weight. Some
years ago, I knew an imported pack winch I lliiuk would
have averaged eighty pouuds, and Ihey could not stay witli
a native pacli of small hounds of only moderate excellence.

The kennel discipline of hounds should l)e simple, and
all the accommodations inexpensive. When not in the
kennel, they ought to be coupled together, in pairs, iiy an
ir<m rod about a foot long, with a ring in each end, through
which passes a leathercollar to be buckled around the neck.
My father's kennel was simply a big, square-built l«g house,
with a dirt floor, on which clean Ix^dding was kept. During
the hunting-season, the dogs were kept altogether in this
house. Out of season, they were coupled, and went in and
out at pleasure. They weie called to be fed with the horn,
and always worked with the same horn for everything they
were required to do. They were fed. inexpensively, on
coarse corn-meal, with the husks left in, and baked in large
pones. They also had scraps from the tables, and sour
milk, buttermilk, and bonny-clabber from the daily. A
case of disease or sickness among them is a thing which,
during thirtj^ years, I can scarcely remember.

Probably an average of twenty were kept; sometimes the
number ran iip to thirty; sometimes there weie not more
than thirteen in the kennel. The entire success of the.se
simple kennel arrangements, during so many years, seems
to entitle such a method to great contidence. My father,
who was doul)tless tlie most enthusiastic and successful
Fox-hunter of his time, in Virginia, pursued, also, in break-
ing his young hounds, a method perfectly simple. \Vheu-
ever he went out, on horseback, which was well-nigh
every day of his life, up to within a week of his death, he
took the young hounds with him, and so accustomed them
to obedience and a love of companionship with himse.f;
and when they were to be taught to run the Red Fox, lie
took them out with a few of the best Fox-hounds he had,
and let them run. They soon learned all there is for a

' i\

I I

^li

ilij'
It

f!ll:

BIO GAME OF XUHTII AMKKICA.

hound to know; and, l)e it known to the inexperienced,
there are few more sagacious animals than the Fox-hound.
I myself doubt whether any other dog, except the Collie,
has equal capacity to acquire a knowledge of his work as
the Fox-hound, if not spoiled by ignorant or incompetent
handlers.

There is left for description the hunt itself. The crowd
whi(;h goes out with the hounds in a genuine English hunt
is ax)t to be distasteful to our best Fox-hunters. Their idea
of genuine s])ort is, for half a dozen real friends to meet
quietly, and have th' chase to themselves. If, however, a
neighbor or two joins in uninvited, they are not unwelcome;
and if the chase goes through a farm, and all hands leave
work and run for a hill-top, mOunt the fence, get uji a tree,
or scramble to the top of the straw-rick, to see as much of
the chase as may be, the hunters take real pleasure in
adding a pleasant episode to the sameness of the simple
lives of country work-people. What is meant is, that the
bustle and display of an English meet is not in accordance
with the tastes of our country gentlemen; not that they are
at all selfish or exclusive in the enjoyment of their sport.
In the case of wealthy clubs of city people, a different feel-
ing prevails. Generally they are more after display than
sport. An anise-bag, or a dead Fox, or some otlier drag,
suits them equallj^ as well as, or even better than a genuine
hunt.

Enough has already been said of the hunting-horse; we
may, however, re-affirm that there neither is, nor can be,
any real sport in a Fox-liunt for any person poorly
mounted. A horse not sufficientl}' well-bred can not carry
a rider through a severe chase with either comfort or safety.
It is a genuine misery to ride a ja-led horse; and, moreover,
unless ridden with great caution, the rider's neck is not
safe; and consciousness of the unfit condition of the horse
is fatal to that enthusiasm and iluii which are the life and
soul of everything deserving the name of sport. Therefore,
the lirst thing essential tt) the enjoyment of Fox-hunting is
a well-bred, sound, safe horse. The best horses are about

FOX-l[l'.\TI\(i IX VIIKilXIA.

erienced,
x-liound.
le Collie,
1 work as
ompetent

'he crowd
;lisli liuut
riieii idea
s to meet
lowever, a
iiwelconie;
iinds leave
up a tree,
IS muck of
leasure in
the simple
is, that tke
accordance
lat tkey are
keir sport,
fferent feel-
isplay tkan
otker drag,
n u genuine

g-korse; we
nor can be,
•son poorly
an not carry
n't or safety,
d, moreover,
neck is not
of the korse
. tke life and
. Tkerefore,
)X-kunting is
les are about

fifteen and one-half hands high, and weiuk alxtut clcvtMi
hundred pounds. It is much more dilliculr lo lind a large
horse, sixteen hands or upward, of that high I'oi'ui which is
essential to carrying a rider, at speed, safely over dillicult
countrv.

A man who has sense enough to value his own in'ck,
must ignore the fashionable last*' in choosiim- a hoisc to
hunt on; and if not himself a skilled judge of tin* points of
a horse, he should take the advice of a man who is, and
upon whose impartial friendship he can rely. There are
ten good medium-sized horses to one good hirge horse;
hence it is far easier to mount a man of medium size than one
above medium height and weight. A small num isr,usuita
bly mounted on a large horse; a large man, more u'isuital)ly
mounted on a small horse.

Our best hunters do not jump their horses over every-
thing they can find to put them at; often they hunt a gr<'at
part of a season, or a whole season, without taking a single
considerable leap. It is not practicable to follow the hounds
as seems to be done in England; for, in the lirst place, our
Foxes, in almost every case, take such a course that no
horse can possibly go over it. They take to the blulT, along
water-courses, and through pine-thickets, that nt) man can
ride a horse over or through at speed. TIk^ hunter must,
in such a case, perforce make a detour and strike Utv the
open ground, where he may again join the chase.

No sensible man goes Fox-hunting for the mere .sake of
leaping his horse over fences and ravines; he goes over such
places when the exigencies of the chase render it necessary.
He does not leap his horse over a stone wall if there is an
open gate three rods out of his line, unless he is riding for
the brush, close to the hounds in the act of running into
the Fox. A good hunter rides fearlessly when he has a
rational object in view, and always judiciously, reseiving
his own powers and those of his horse to be put to the test
when necessary. He takes no stock in the absurd cavort-
ings of the viding academy. It is also true that our lied
Foxes run f irther and faster than any horse whatever can

■ II

584

HKi (JA.Mi; (»F NOKTII AMP:RI('A.

follow tlietn, over their own course. The best horses, in
the best coiidition, carrying liglit weight, over our finest
race-trjicli.s, can scarcely maintain their rate through four
miles. A Il»^(l Pox, in front of a dangerous pack, scarcely
gets down to business in less than three times that distance.
I have seen a ch:ise in which the Fox's course was twenty
miles, the running being desperate from start to finish.
I was never out of hearing, and much of the time in full
view of the chase; but I did not ride more than two-thirds
as far as the pack ran.

At this point, I can not forbear to turn aside to comment
briefly on the remarks upon the speed and endurance of
our Red Foxes, by a distinguished scholar. In a costly and
pretentious work on natural history, he says: "It runs with
gr(^i I swiftness for about a hundred yards, but is easily over
taken by a Wolf, or a mounted man." Even great authors
nuist slip sometimes, but probably a more complete display
of ignorance was never made by a comi)etent writer than in
the above brief sentence. I doubt if any creature lacking
wings is fully etpnil to the American Red Fox in speed
and endurance combined. I have seen him, when at his
best, outfoot and run away from -as fine a pack of hounds
as ever was s«'en, and also leave out of hearing a whole field
of sportsmen, not one of whom was meanly mounted. I
know but little, practically, of Wolves, but I do know some-
thing of mounted men, and I doubt whether the finest rider
in the world, mounted on the finest horse in the world, can
easily overtake an American Red Fox, or overtake him
ell, or in a iiice of twenty miles keep within four miles of
him. I have seen the thing tried many and many a time, by
many tlistinguished riders finely mounted; I have tried it
myself often— but ' '3ver yet saw a race between a mounted
man and a Red Fox in whicli the Fox was easily outrun.

The best season for hunting the Pox is, with us, in the
months of October, November, and December, or as hite in
winter as the weatliei- may be open and the ground not
frozen. Some ^lersons hunt in the spring months, until the
vegetation is too far advanced to permit either hearing,

F<».\-iii\iiN(. IN \||;(,1NI.\.

r^X)

)rses, m
ir tiuest
igl) four
scarcely
listance.
i twtMity

iinisli.
e in full
vo-tliirds

comment
irance of
lostly and
runs with
isily over
it aiitliors
te display
er than in
•e lacking
in speed
len at his
of hounds
whole field
junted. I
aiow sonie-
liiiest rider
world, can
ake him
ur miles of
r a time, by
ave tried it

1 a mounted
>' outrun.

h us, in the
n- as late in
ground not
hs, until the
iier hearing,

seeing, or riding well, and witli pleasure and safety. Some
have a run any day in the year tliey may liavc a niiiid to do
it. Fox-hunting is for jileasure, for licaltli, and for tlie
acquirement of skill (Hi horseback, and it onglit not to l»e
l)ursued under circuinsianct-s dangerous t() tiie liealth of
the hunter, nor cruel to his horse or iioiind; as when the
weather is severe andtlie grouinl icy. or soft and nnry. The
best weather is a teinperatiire of abont (*)()' Fahrenheit, and
a relative humidity oC about TA'. clear, and without wiiul
beyond a moderate breeze. This will be an armosiihere
sufficiently moist fi»r gdod scent and not loo cool for the
rapid movements of the chase, which greatly iticreases evap-
oration, both from the i)ulnionary and cnfaneoiis snrfaces,
which of course implies n\\nd htss of animal heat: and a,
great strain is thereby thrown upon both the great organs
of circulation and res[)iration, in man and beast.

Therefort^ it is tiiat dry, cool wind makes the very worst
hunting-weather, and therefoi'tMt is that horses have cdm-
monly made their greatest records on the tiiifon very hot
days. Observations made by tiie writer on lemiiei'alnrt*
and relative humidity, in coiuiection with the air sniijjly of
the Hall of J^^presentatives at Waslungtoii, led him to the
conclusion that a temperature of (io^' Fahrenlieit, and a
relative humidity of 7.V\ gives us our most delightful Nciiial
and autumnal weather, and those conditions are recoin
mended as constituting nearly the (ipfinnnit of hnnting
weather. In such weather, Foxes lie much in the open
fields, or on the border of some glade or open woodland.
Weoften ousted them from such spitts, i)el'or(^ Setters and
Pointers, when out shooting on such autumn days.

In describing the mod us (ipcrdiHll of the hunt, I will
detail our own usual practice; not that it is the best prac-
tice, but it is the result of long experience, and has been
found satisfactory in the region where we were accustomed
to hunt. It is by no means necessary to get up sliortly after
nudnight, and hastily swallow a enhl. uncomfortable break-
fast; to be in the saddle ami uidvfiinel the hounds while it is
yet dark. It is l)etter to eat a coud'ortable early bre;dvfast,

536

BIO oAMi: OF xoirrii amkuka.

have tlie lioiinds fed lightly on >itale l)i'ea(l. ami to l)e in the
saddle ji little befoi-e sunrise. The horses should have, the
night hefore, a good feed of oats and only a little hay, and
in the nK)rning. an hour before the start, a moderate feed of
oals. Wlien bi'ought out, they should have a dozen or so
swallows of watei'.

The hounds should be kept well in to heel until the
plare foi- making the cast off i« reached. They should be
handled, as far as jxjssible, l)y one person, and one i)erson
should have general direction of tlie hunt. When the
start is made, the Fox lays out the course, and. in racing
l)arlance, cuts out the running. The hunt will, in a good
degree, take shai)e at its own wild will. Oftt-n ;i crisis will
arrive when everything is at sea, every man is for himself,
and the crv is, "Devil take the hindmost."' whethei' that
hindmost be Fox, hound, horse, oi' huntsman. Neverthe-
less, an experienced Fox-hunter never quite loses his head,
and acts always with care and judgment.

I will now attempt a description of (me of the greatest
races in which I can remember to have been a paiticipant.
A few brief notes as to the scene of the hunt will facilitate
an understanding of the narrative. The residence of my
father, in the old commonwealth of A'irginia, was situated
centrally in the grand old county of Loudoun, about two
miles from (loose Ci'eek, the beautiful Indian name of
Avhich was To-hong-ga-roo-ta, and about the same distaiice
from Aldie Gap, in the Bull Run spur of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. It was about eight miles from our home east-
ward to the mouth of the creek, where its waters are emp-
tied into the Potomac, at the upper end of Selden's Island.
In this part of its course the creek is a bold and rapid
stream, from seventy-live to one hundred yai'ds wide. Its
banks in places are long, level bottoms; in other i)laces
rising into precipitous bluffs and rugged cliffs, covered
with hemlocks and dense ivy-thickets.

In the fields, thickets, .stiips of woodland, and glades
bordering this creek, it Avas alwajs an easy nuitter to start

e in the
:ive, the
lay, and
IVed f)f
en oi' so

mtil the
hoiild he
e ppi'son
S'hen the
ill racing
u a good
crisis will
• himself,
ther that
Neverthe-
( his head,

le greatest
iiirticipant.
11 facilitate
nee of my
as situated

ahout two
n name of
vie distaiice
Blue Ridge

home east-
'is are emp-
en" s Island,
d and rapid
s wide. Its
other places
iffs, covered

and glades
itter to start

Fox-irrxTiN<i IX vii:(ii.MA.

n:}/

a Red Fox. I have nev«M' heard of a (Jiay Fox being seen
there, although in llie King country, seven or eiiihr miles
to the southeast, (Irays are numerous.

In front of us, to the north, was the creek; west of us
three mih's. the mountains. Eastwai'd four or live miles,
running north and south, uas a low line of hills called the
Old Ridge, covered with black-jack and hroom-seilgt'; and
in nuiny parts lay huge boulders, and nioi'e or less extensive
tracts of loose magnesian shale, seamed ami scarred all over
■with 'galls, washes, and galleys. In places, these hills were
densely covered with sci'ub-pine and tangled masses of
green-brier, hawthorn, and gi-ape-vines. Behind us. to the
south, extended an open country, from the foot of Bull
Run Mountain eastward, .some ten miles, to Brc»ad Run, a
considerable tributary of the Potomac.

Our Foxes usually ran a (piadrilateral. going up the
creek west to Negro Mountain, a low, brushy rangv of hills
extending from Bidl Run Range; along Neyio Mountain
from two to five miles southward; thence eastward to Broad
Run, and thence northward along the Old Ridge to the
creek, and up the creek to Xegro Mountain. My fathei's
estate extended northward to the creek, and »Mstward
down the creek several miles, occupying a central position
in the quadrilateral described, the circuit of which was
about twenty miles as the Foxes ran it. Foxes st:irl<'(l in
front of us, almost invariably ran down the cieek to the
Old Ridge, southward along the Old Ridge to Bi'oad Run,
up that run and across the open country to Xegro Mount-
ain, northward along Negro ^lountain to the creek, and
again down the creek.

In what we called the ndll-dam field, a splendid old Red
dog-Fox had taken up his quarters, and my father, some-
times alone, sometimes in company with some friends, with
select hounds from their i)acks, had lun him around the
quadrilateral diver.s times withtnit being- able to do any-
thing with him other than to put him in ])erfect training;
and it began to be thought that no puck could either kill
him or run him to earth.

■ -:::

V,\i

ItKi (iAMK (»I' Noirill A.MKKKA.

! i: I

■1:!

■ My father liiinsflf doubted wlietlier tliis Fox wiis not
niil)erior to any ita<'k in the \v(»ild. II<»\vever, lie deter-
mined to trj- a linal conclusion with him, and. with this
end in view, took measures to get lune of his best hounds
in the highest attainai)le conditicju. lie had in his i)ack,
at tliat time, a sti-ain of black-and-tan hounds whicii he
had owned and I)red for thiitv years, and which his father
hail long owned l)efoie him. At this time, there were
in the pack, besides the brood bitch and four or live dogs
of that sti-ain, the tw(» spayed bitclies already mentioned,
named A'anity and Juno, which were undoubtedly the best
l)air of hounds which the strain, great as it was, ever pro-
duced. Of course, these great bitches were first choice for
this race. Tliey were backed by two cU^gs of the same
straiji, but not full brothers in l)l()od, called Leader and
llogue. The next selections were l)lue-inottled hounds
from the Crawford strain of Maryland; three dogs. Drum-
mer, Farmer, and Trump, and a spayed bitch, Countess. In
addition to these, a lemon-and-white hound of great excel-
lence, 'ailed Frowner, was put in. My father believed that
these were, in all points, as good Fox-hounds as were ever
seen, and he thought the great sisters, Juno and Vanity,
the very best he had ever seen run;

Our friends were notified that all was ready for the race
the next da v. and that the meet, for those Avho did not
breakfast with us, would be at the upper end of I'le mill-
dam field, within a few minutes after sunrise.

My fathei' and I saw personally to the feeding and bed-
ding of the hounds, and each of us to his own horse. We
rent early to bed, after a light supper, and so slei)t well
all night. At early dawn we were up, and quickly dressed
in hunting-clothes, and out to attend to nuitters at the ken-
nels and stables; for inir experience had taught us that such
details must have our personal attention.

By the time these matters were settled, some of our
neighl)ors arrived, and brought several additional couples
of hounds. Breakfast was a simple affair. As soon as
dispatched, we mounted and rode to the meeting-place,

I'l;

as not

del»'i-
th this
hoiiiuls
s pack,
lich lie

fivtlun-
•e were
ve (logs
itioiied,
the best
ver pro-
oice for
iH same
der and

hounds
i, Driim-
itess. In
at excel -
!ved that
vere ever
. Vanity,

' the race

did not

the mill-

und bed-
rse. We
dept well
y dressed
: the ken-
tliat such

le of our
d couples
i soon as
ing- place,

Fox-nr\TiNti i.v vii:(;iMA.

Mi)

arriving there thief or four minutes bduiv tlic sim ins.-.
AVe found most of those expfctrd already at the spot, ami
the others arrived almost simultaiieonslv with our pail\.

.^.fter brief and simple nioriiinu' saliitiititnis. and a <'ouple
of minutes' ciiat, my fallier .•mi onurcd nil leady, and tin'
lioiinds were cast off. In le-ss than three minutes. Drummer
challenged, and the whole pack Oift''''n in all) closed in and
took the trail. In al)out two minutes, and before we had
advanced three hundred yards into the held, the invincible
old Red rose over the rag-weed, and took a deliberate view
of the forces advancing against him. ••Tally ho!' rangoul
in chorus from the horsemen, jind the pack biii'st into fidl
cry, as the gallant (piariy l)iiunded away on the race for liis
life, with not more than one hundred yards start of the
hounds.

The Fox made direct for the niper einl of the clin's,
where a man and horse couM not jiass between the rocks
and the water, and where, for half a mile down stream, the
running wonid be over rocks and through dense timber.
As the course to reach this iioint was np-stream. whether
the Fox would make a short tuiii. and ado])t the tisnal la<'-
tics of breaking away down-stream, we conid not know.
If Ave rode to the edge of the clill's. and the chase tuine(l
down-stream, we should gain nothing; for half a mile
below, a I'ocky ravine, impassable hy horses, made np from
the creek, about tliiee hundred yards, to a spring in the
field. We therefore held our position for a, momeiil. lo
await developments. The wily Fox, fully realizing the
hnportance of increasing his lead by taking advantage of
the rough ground, turned short down-stream at the head of
the cliffs, as was instantly detected by the practiced ears of
my father and his friend, ^Ir. Edward Jenkins, who was as
great a man at all ixiints afield as ever bestrode a horse.
At this point, the echoing music of the pack was splendid
beyond description, and seemed equally inspiring to horse-
man and to horse. My father gave the word, and we
bounded away at speed for the spiing at the head of the
ravine, expecting the chase Xo continue its sweep around

' ■»

G-lo

UIO (i.VMK OF NOKTII AM KliK A.

tlie lior.st'sluie ctiivi' of the cict.'k. If so, po.sition at the
si»iiiig, being on tht* diord of tlie arc wlu-n we shoiihl
iinivt' iit that i>oint, woiilil give ms a view of the race i'or
about ii mile, when we (•(tiihl join in the ciiase as it tnrned
into tlie long strelch of bottoni-lanUs at the lower end of
the niil]-(hiin Held.

\Viien we reached a point within one hundied yards of
the spring, the roar oi the niill-dani, mingling with the
tlinnderons echoes of the pack behind the clilt's, was like
the peal of a great organ ah»ng the aisles of some vast
cathedral. The sph-ndor of the early moining scene may
be imagined, but it can not be adeqnatnly described. My
father reined in to ;i fnll stop, and called out :

"Gentlemen, they are conung up the ravine to tlie
spring. Hold in, or we shall lide over the hounds;" and
immediately shouted "Tally-ho!" jjointing to a spot near
the head (jf the ravine, where Reynard appeared for an
instant, and then disappeared in the bushes. It was obvi-
ous he had not increased his lead bj' many yaids, as the
tremendous cry <listinctly showed the hounds were already
conung well up the ravine; and my father's marvelous ear
must have detected the turn at the very instant it was
made. The Fox had now cleared the head of the ravine,
and broke away across the open Held towai'd the Broad
Rock, in a southeasterly course, toward the far side of the
quadrilateral, leaving the water-cours-i entirely.

"]^id you ever see so lujld a rascal i" said Mr. Jenkins.

"Aye," responded my father. "I do not understand
him, but that is a fatal nustake. Xothing can save his
brush to-day but a decree of fate."

The pack by this time had cleared the ravine; the Fox
had two hundred yards start, and a mile and a half across
the old field to reach cover. A'anity leading, .luno at her
flank, the rest closed up; the pace was so tremendous that
some of ns thought we should run into him before he struck
Broad R(X'k.

"Hark! away!" shouted my father, touching old Alice
gently with the spur; and away we went. The first fence

lit the
should
act' I'oi'
luiii<'<l
t'lid 1)1'

aids (A

illi the
vas like
iiit^ vast

iiti may
ed. My

) to tlie
Is;'" and
pot near
d for an
was obvi-
Is, as the
•e already
elouH ear
nt it was
lie ravine,
he Broad
ide of the

•. Jenkins,
mderstand
1 save his

K tlie Fox
iialf across
lino at her
ndous that
e he struck

y old Alice
I first fence

TALLY-HO .

W I

•■i I ■

KoX IIIN riNU IN \Ii:i.|\lA.

was thi«'»' ImiiiiIi'.mI yjirds iiwny. :i tiitliiii;- MlVnir, aiitl over it
R«'yiiai(l lf<llikt';i \)'m\ uii the uiim'. LiU*- scrt'aiiiin^j; rji^fU-K
swoopiiii; nil tlicir [ticy. rnllowfd iln- licrcfly claiiiniuiis
liiick. I'fll iiu'll ilif lioisc'iut'H iuvssfU uiKiii llicir liiu'ls;

lliul (»Vt'l' Wf Wt'Ilt.

Ilfif rullowfil a vnn \»n\\n\ts ncvfi- siir|)ass»'(l in the
huiitiii;;-tit'l(l. (tallaiitly did IJcyiiaril luaiiitaiii Ids lr:id;
gallantly f(»ll(»\vfd ilic llyiii;; pack, and <iallanily llif Iikis.-
ine'n i'()d«*. As tin- last (iiiari»'r of tin* stivtcli was ri'aclit'd.
A'anity showed tliife It-nutlis in front <if .Iniio, who jnsl
niaintaint'(l ht-r idacf at tln' head of tlif park, and. as it
wt'iv, by incln's sin- bi'nan to closf tin* ;<ap bflwcfii her
self and Kt'ynard's hnish. which was still llaiintiiii; deli
antly in thf hrcczc. She had crawled up to within loity
yards of him. with several hundred yet to run before the
Broad Rock was <;ained. She was now twenty yards alie;id
of the j)ack, .liino just clear of the bunch. The horsemen
were well closed n\> to within from lifty to one hiiiidied
yards of the pack. In nearly this position, this splendid
panorama closed by lleynard leaping- both fences of the

liighway and sweeping directly across the fa( f tin- Uroad

Rock, gaining cover at the head of a ba<l rocky ravine lead
ing to the banks of Beaver Dam Creek, about two miles
above its mouth, where it falls into (ioose Creek.

Going over the fence, the horsemen gathered in the road
at the Broad Rock, and there was a pause, while the chase
developed its future course. My father and his friend sat
side by si(h' on their horses, following the i)ack by the
sonorous music of their fuiious cry, and ga/ing intently
- into the woods toward the run.

" They are going u]) Beaver Dam," said Mr. Jenkins.

"Aye," said my father, turning old Alice's head down
the public road; and remarking, " \Ve can get in at .\rount
Hope,"' he jogged off, so as to keej) nearly abreast of the
cha.'='e as it rushed roaring along the meanderings of the
rock -onnd stream

T' i object of my horsemanship was to keep as near as I
could to my father's side, his I'riend, Mr. Jenkins, liiling

542

Hr(^ fiAMK OF NolMII AMKIIICA.

I ' )i

'Mi i(

'I !

always with hiiu, follownl by liis son William, nearly
my age; (so that this latter young gentleman and myself
fell into a natural ('(jmpanionship. The other gentlemen
rode to suit th<^mselves, but recognized my father's leader-
ship of the hunt, as a matter of course. My mount was
a beautiful, thorough i)red, bay iilly, coming live years
old, wl)i( It was mv saddle-mare for manv years. She was
a delightful goer and jumper, and safe even for a lady. Old
Alice was a nuire of extraordinary power and speed, seven-
eigliths In-ed; a daughter of Grigsby's Potomac, her dam a
daughter of that good liorse Ilyder Ali. I still own some
of the descendants of that great mare. Slie was killed
by lightning, with a. splendid foal at her side, when twenty
years old -long after this memorable chase. The.T(Mikinses
were well mounted on horses that had outlasted many and
many a hard (hiy's run. and the othei' gentlemen of the
hunt were all well mounted.

As the crv came abreast of us, some three hundred yards
to the left, we again gave our horses rein, and were going at
full speed along the road, having th(:; short lines on the
pack; but their ])ace was tremendous.

Coming up on the hill above the ford of Beaver Dam, we
paused again for the chase to develop; but only for a
moment, when Reynard l)ounded clear into the nnddle of
the road on the far side of the strean;, and broke away
down the road right through the village of Mount Hope,
and leading the pack three hundred yards. We held our
positions until the hounds had passed. They came with
incredible speed, considering the ground. Vanity leading
easily, and went down the road at a terrible pace.

As soon as the hounds had cleared the fence, my father
rode forward, followed by the hunters, all closed up, and
we were soon going again at speed. The race led along
the road about a mile, when Rej-nard took to some rocky
woodland on the right, and it seemed he might break away
for Negro Mountain. Hesitating a moment as to our
course, "Tally-hol" from the venerable huntsman, Mr.
John Macambliu, who had reinforced the i)ack with a

Ffix-mxTiNc; IV \ii;i,iNi.\.

:)4:?

I !

, nearly
I myself
ntleiuen
? leader -
Hint was
,e years
She was
.dy. Old
id, seven-
er dam a
)wn some
as killed
m twenty
TtMikinses
many and
len of the

Ired yards
■e going at
les on the

r Dam, we
)nly for a

middle of
roke away
luut Hope,
e held our

came with
ity leading

my father
sed up, and
e led along
some rocky
break away

us to our
itsman, Mr.
ack with a

couple of blup-mottled liounds (»!' the Crawfoid .sli'aiii, and
we knew that tlie Fox was coining l)ack to the road. II.'
would surely cross it near our position, and break away to
Broad Hun, over ground favorable to him. and rt'turuiug
by the Old Ridge route to (toosc Creek, would now give us
a tedious run of an hour oi' more, \,ith many lo>ses by the
hounds, and we should have to make the linish gt)ing uj)
the creek-bottom again.

Horsemen could not follow closely over this course.
Therefore, guided by my father, who knew every foot of
the ground, we kept as well in hearing as we nu,u,ht, and
saved our horses as we could, for the linal conclusion
going up the creek bottom. Over this part of ihecouise,
Ave however had full enjoyment (»f the bracing air of the
glorious autumn day and the snpeih melody of the honnds;
now near, now far. echoing and lei'-clioinn' among the I'ocky
glens, and through the dim aisle.s of the weird old forest,
for many a mile.

So at length we I'ode out into an open lield on the sum-
mit of the Old Ridge, ludf a mile fi'oni the creek, at a jilace
known as Powers' ilill. whence is a jirospect hardly sur-
passed by any inland scene within my knowledge, llei'e
we sat upon our horses, enjoying the magniticeiit prosi)ect,
listening to the distant pack, whose course my father knew
as well as if the running had lieeii in full view all the way.

""Where will we get in tlie race again, 'SipiireT' asked
Mr. Macamblin.

" Riglit hei'e, sir," said my fatln i'.

"Yes," said Mr. Jenkins; --aud we shall not be waiting
ten minutes."

" They ar,.> crossing Moran'.> Bottom now," saiil Mr.
Swartz, one of our party, distiuguishe(l as one of the finest
riders in the State.

"Yes," said my father: "and the cry is very keen. 1
know they are pressing him liartl: we wili see the positioi*
of things as they pass here. I thiid^ he will die near the
starting-point; he will never g(j to earth, and he can't live
it out before that pack to-day."

hUi (iAMK OF XOKTII AMEltlCA.

! I •

'! ■[! I

"Tallj'-liol" IVoni the kpen-eyed Jenkins, and Reynard
hove in A-ip\v, coming over tlie fence at tlie far side of the
field in wliich we were, and making almost direct for our
l»osition. Not a hundred yards behind came Vanity, fol-
lowed quickly by .luno and several Crawford hounds, with
Rogue and Frowner; the rest strung out a little, but com-
ing well iJong. It was obvious that the Fox knew that he
must do his best, or die; his manner and aspect showed as
much. He had now run, almost without a break or pause,
fully twenty miles, and theie were six miles before him
before lie could gain the friendly cover of Negro ^Mountain.
Once there, he Avould be safe; but could he get thei-e^ My
father said not, in his o[)inion. and so we all believed; for
the next six miles was whollv favorable to the dogs. Tt
liowever abounded with earths, and as 8wartz put it:

'Tm aliaid he'll den under some of those cliffs, and we
can't get him out."

"I think not," s.,i<l my father; "but he may."'

On we sped for awhile, beyond tlie mouth of Beaver Dam,
from whence Broad Rock was once more in view, half a
mile to the left; but the chase was now up the creek-bot-
toms, clinging to the meanderings of the stream. Passing
round in frf)nt of the pack, along the arc of the horseshoe
curve, we had a sti'aight mile stretch.

" I want to see them across this bottom," said my father,
"and then I think I can tell how it will be for a cer-
tainty."

'•Tally-ho-oool" from sevral horsemen, and Reynard
swung around the bend before us, a hundred yards olf, fol-
lowed now within sixty yards by the pack, well closed up;
and as they bioke from covei' and caught sight, a grand
chorus saluted our ears, which had in it the unniistalvable
do or die. There was now befoie us a view-chase of nearly
a mile, and we followed hard upon the hounds — the sight,
tlie fury of the cry, carrying us almost beyond ourselves
with an excitement which enthused, with one common im-
pulse, rider, horse, and hounds, and must have carried
terror to the heait of poor Reynard.

Reynard
de of the
t for our
nity, fol-
nds, with
but coni-

w that lie
liowed as
or pause,

efore him

^fountain.

\\e]vt My

lieved; for
[ogs. Tt

it it:

ffs, and we

eaver Dam,
iew, half a
i creek -bot-
11. Passing
e horseshoe

I my father,
3 for a cer-

iid Eeynard
ards oil", fol-
1 closed up;
;ht, a grand
nmistakable
ise of nearly
5— the sight,
nd ourselves
common im-
have carried

!"n.\-iFfNllN(; IV \ii;(;iNIA.

A-J.")

It was ;i trpiiiciidous burst, and luiclly (ivt-r. wIkmi \li\-
nai'd onct' iiioif liid his hnish in JVit'iidiy covci', ami sufpt
info an alcove behind a ciitr in the bend of the cicek.
Making a. (h'toiir to tlie left, we cMcoiintt'ivd a still" ri-ncc,
at the bor(hM' of tlif I'avine. loo (hniiiiTdUs to altciniit; so,
swinging some yai'ds farther to tiie left, we struck info a
fai'in-foad, and took tlie bars, tlie most considerable lea]i of
the hiinf.

Bounding fowaid the creek af once, we mer the chase at
tlie head of the clilV: but tliere was no time for exchunge of
words. Getting ovei- an easy fence, each horseman in his
own way, we reentered the mill-(hiin lield along tht^ uatei's
edge, ri<ling with the pack at tlie heels of the l-'ox— \'anily
nipping at his brush as he went over the fence, the others
strung out a little; .luno a few feet in his lear, and Drum-
mer I'uniung second. It was evident tiiat this was the linal
rush; and seeing my father settle himself in 'he saddle, and
turn the si)nr on Alice's tlank, I rode for all I was woith
for my place at his side, and in an instant I was at his
stirrup.

''Hark!" he cried, as Vanity seized Reynard fidl in the
buck, and giving him a snatch, -oiled over, and turne(l
him bat'kAvard. In an instant, poor Keynard was seized by
Drummei'. and in less than a twiidvling of an eye, Juno
had hold. My father. Mr. Jenkin--. William, and I were
in together at the death, and William, leaping from his
horse, seized the Fox. and cutting away the hounds with
his whip, held him up liy the nape to the view of the
admiring company the largest and finest sjiecimen of a
Ked Fox any of the party had ever seen.

^Nfy father awarded the brush to William Jenkins, and
the great race was finished; every horseman and <nery
hound being well closed up af the death. Mr. ^facand)lin
said:

"I am an old hunter. 1 have seen many hundreds of
runs, in Ireland, in England, and in America. I think we
have had to-day, in some respects, the grandest run I ever
saw. I shall never see such another, I am sure. I am a

'! ^1

■ i

«l -•••. ■«

540

n\(i (iAMK OF Xojri'H AMKKICA.

partisan (•!' tlie Ciawfoid stniiii; they an^ natives of my
native eouiitry; tliey are great Fox-lioiuids. ]m\ \'anity and
Juno are tlie gMeatest niiiple I ever saw run ""

"Yes," said Mr. .Icnkins; ''tlicie is not another sucli
couple living, in my opinion. Tliioiigli this great race ol"
twentv-live miles, \'aiutv was never once headed, and never
made a serious fault; and Juno was secimd until close to
the tinish, when hei' foot was badly cut.""

•'Well. Nt'd."" said my father, '"I agree with you gen-
tlemeit This black-and-tan strain is a great strain, and
these sisters are its greatest representatives; yet undovd)t-
edly the Ci'awford strain has also produced gi'eat hounds.
1 think Drummer, Tanner, and Countess nearly etpuil to
any three I ever had in my pack."

"Squire,"" said Mr. Macamblin, ■ we ai'e indebted to
you for a gieat day"s sport, and we are happy that not a
single circumstance has marred our pleasure in the smallest
degree. " '

"Well," said my fathei', "I hope we may all live for
manv another successful meet. And, gentlemen, mv house
is nearest; 1 insist that vou shall all dine with me. Come!""
And with a blast of his liorn, the well-trained padv came
to heel, and we Jogged home to dine, and discuss tlie events
of the day.

Yf.^irs have rolled away to join the past. Lately I had
occasion to revisit the place of my l)irtli, and riding alone,
my road led through the village of Mount Hope. Not
<.)ne of those who saw the great chase go through their
quiet handet is living there now. Of those who followed
the hounds that day, I only am left. Reaching the Broad
Kock, I reined up and paused a few moments, regarding the
spot. I love to recall my father as he sat old Alice at
that spot — a splendid type of physical manhood, six fet .
and an inch, broad-chested, square-shouldered, erect, weigh-
ing about one hundred and eighty pounds; in the splen-
did skiM of his horsemanship, the peer of Turner Ashby; in
the dignity of his l)earing, of the Old Virginia type, of

FOX-lllNlINti IN \II;(.1M.\.

es of my
iiuity unci

ither such

■at race of

and never

il close to

1 you gen-
4iain, and
't undoubt-
jat liounds.
iy equal to

iidebted to
r that not a
the smallest

all live for
sn, my house
[ue. Come!""
1 pack came
.ss the events

Lately I had
riding alone,
Hope. Not
dirough their
who followed
ing the Br(jad
regarding the
old Alice at
ihood, six fet .
h erect, weigh-
, in the splen-
rner AshViy; in
L'ginia type, of

which (tcii. Rohcrt Iv L^'<' was the inodtTH exeniplai'. My
eye followed my tlioiights to the ilislaiit hill, wlici'c. tow-
ering vast against the clear, blue sky, siirvivoi' of tni gen-
erations of my ancestoi's l)iiried at its fiM^, a gnarled and
mighty oak points IVoiu the ]>lace of my i'athe!'"s lumored
ashes to the rest of his noble soul. 1 rode slowly on.

" Tears, idk' Icais; I kiuiw not wli.il tlicy mean.
Tears from the (U'pllis of soniu (liviiic ilcsjiair.
Rose in llie licarl and Liallicrcd lo tlie eyes,
In lookini; on tlie happy auiiimii fields .

Aud lliinking of the days tlial are no more."

ALLIGATOR- SHOOTING IX FLORIDA.

By t'Yiiis \V. IUti.ku.

^lilWROM the (lay that Mutlier Eve was accused of the
WiM <inesti()lial)le taste ol' l)eiii<i; temiited by a serpeiit,
?li fe ^\'<" ^I'l^'^ liixl J'oi' y^'t order (tf U('/)//7ia so little
j^ interest, aside l"roiRf*'ar and aversion, tluit this
dislike has not stojtped witlBnakes. hut has fxteiuU'd, in a
motlilied de^iiee, to the entire reptilian class. It is hut
natural, therefore, that of all classes of animal life, that of
Jicjdilia should all'ord the least attraction to the sports-
man; for. in addition to this avei'sion. you can ucitliei' shoot
tliem on the wing nor angle for them with a split hauiixio;
and, as a rule, its si)ecies are small, tlieir capture void of
pleasure, and they are worthless when caught.

But, thaids.s to the molecule whose dill'ert'Utiaiion first
started in its development the order Cr(>ni<IHin. we have in
the United Sttites two species, the Crocodile and Alligator,
whose size and ferocity are sufficient to interest the sports-
man and furnish employment for his best rifle. The sight
of tlie huge, glittering hody, as it lies hashing in tin* sun-
shine, may well cause his heart to I)eat as hard and his
breath to come as heavy as thoiigii a more beautiful and
useful game aninud lay before him.

The American Crocodile occurs only in South Florida,
and has nevnr been taken in any great numbers. In the
winter of 1888 and 1889, Dr. J. W. Velie, of the Chicago
Academy of Sciences, secured twenty specimens on the
soutlnvest coast of the State, the largest of which was
fifteen feet and six inches in length.

The most disthiguishing characteristic of this Crocodile,
as compared with the Alligator, is that the end of thn jaws
are wider than they are farther back, so that a rope can be

(.541* J

550

HK; flAMK (•!•• NdKTII AMKIMCA.

tied iiroiind Tliein witlioiit slippint,' off. The upper jaw is
naiiowei' tliiiu tlie lower, iiiid the ciinines (»f the latter
extend throiiiih holes in the former, so that the ends of
those teeth {iiotriide al)ove the upper jaw. However, as I
know little of the Crocodile, 1 will say nothing more, but
proceed with an intimate ac(piaintan('e, AUujalor Mhs.s/ft-
.s/pj>/('/i.f/'.'i, moi'e commonly known as ■•'(tator."'

As with all animal life, he begins as an egg, and lilce most
reptiles, his external existence as siu-h is in the form of a
pretty, Avhite. and hard-shelled egg, much haider than that
of the domestic hen, about three inches in length, and one-
lialf as wide. The nest is composed of vegetation and
earth, ])iled a foot or two high and from four to five feet in
diameter, in the center of which are laid, sometimes, as
niiiny as seventy-tive eggs, which are covered with earth
and hatched by the heat of the sun; the mother meantime
carefully guards them fnmi depredatois.

When hatched, the young are six or seven inches in
length, and in spite of their reptiliati characteristics, have a
decidedly infantile appearance. In order to get a i)lentiful
supply of tadpoles and small fish, and to escajje their affec-
tionate papas, who, it is said, love them, alas! only too
wey, the mother then takes them to some secluded nursery,
perhaps a hole in a small creek, or a wet place in a swamp,
where, if the water be low, she digs a hole, beneath the
surface, into which she and her young may retire. What
their period of growth or attainable age is, I do not know,
but they sometimes reach a length of fifteen feet and a
probable weight of four hundred pounds.

With the appearance of the 'Gator, all are acquainted —
his immensely elongated jaA\s, armed with a hundred teeth;
long, dark, and knotty reptilian head; brown, cat-pupiled
eyes, that in the heat of anger burn with such dark ferocity,
and say, only too plainly, "No quarter here;" no external
ear, but an aperture covered with a valve-like flaji, to keep
the water out; round neck; rather small and short legs;
body swelling from just back of the fore legs to the center
and then decreasing to the hinder legs; a heavily muscled

M.I.I(; Alolt-siIOdTtNii I\ l-r.olMD \.

.V.I

jaw 1^
e latter
HUils of
^•.•r, as I
uiv, but

Missifi-

[ike most
ovm ol' a-
than that
and one-
ition and
ive feet in
'times, as
atlv eartU
meantime

inches in
ics, have a
a plentiful
tlieiv aft'ec-
i ! only too
ed nursery,
n a swamp,
beneath the
tire. What

not know,

1 feet and a

icquainted—
indred teeth;
I, cat-pupiled
lark ferocity,
' no external
flap, to keep
id short legs-,
I to the center
avily muscled

tail, as lout;' as litsid mid Ixxly (•(iiiii>iiif(|. Tin- wliolf Imtly is
covered with a touyli skin, hrowuisli-hlack abovr and whilr
beneath, all creased with square ((iriicit'd rliecUs lieiieniii
and on the tail and smaller irreuidar I'urnis on the sides
and legs. The entire upper surface is moi-e or less covei'ed
with round plates of )>()ne set on the ^kin. each plali' lia\ inu'
a uu'diau keel, that gives the animal's l);ick his Kingli
appearance. The keels on the outer row of tail-phites mv
much higher thau the rest, thus giving the outer sides
sharj). high edges, which couxerge until they meet, hjiek
of the center, to forui the sharp upper {'i\<x(' of the tail,
which is much flattened there.

The Alligator is touud as far north as Memphis. Tennes-
see; is conunon in the Gulf Stales, hut to-day is prol.ably
most abundant in Florida. Where it is cold enough lo
freeze, he hibernates during the cold spell; but in South
Florida he may be found wide-awake and enjoying life
throughout the year.

They feed on any animal life obtainal)le, from horseshoe
crabs to dogs ;nid pigs, and are commonly regarded as
being fond of negro bnbies; but their most common diet is
■fish. Of thirty-six specin^'us — fiom six to eleven feet in
length— whose stomachs [examined. twentyc(»ntain<'d noth-
ing but iisliy-smelliug water and oil, remnants of a few small
minnows, and, in almost every case, one oi' two small sorts
of an aquatic }»laut. Two had dined on a brace of wild
ducks each, while the remaining fourteen were all kille<l at
a time when the surface of the lake was strewn with dead
lish; and each "Gator had laid in a stock of provisions lim-
ited only by his storage caj.acity.

Prom the frequent occurrence of the acpuitic roots in their
stomachs, it ajipeai's that they ai'e not entirely carnivorous.
A "Cracker" informs me that he ])lanted a crop of cucum-
bers near a i)oud, and that when the "cukes were big enough
to pull, the Gators come up and cleaned out the hidl crop.''

It is evident that a scpiare meal is an unceiiain event,
and doubtless weeks often elapse during which the Alligator
has little or nothing to eat. In conlineiueut, they are said

|;!!r;ii

1 . '1

„,; ...Mi: ..»• NOUT.I AMlXirA.

• and twist..! on. ,,.,,,,,a suvi'-.uv .1';^^ r'^^,

^;i;;;-;!::;;r';;ir5i

?,<.moueb..ayof --""' '* * '^ ^ ^e basin, aiul di^s a lu.H

XmiHate ut i*'!^'^;'"'^^^- ^^.^j.^iv 1>V the tail the let^ ^-"JS
Tl.' swinnuing IS .lone eutu - . .,^ tia.-Hulea tail

Hid ba.-k against the ^-l^ uses its tail, excepting

t;:eepsn.n.siaet0.td.J^^^^

*!.,/., '(-'.itovs tall, nein,-, i""c ' +i,^ uDDef halt ol tne

"t. ,lVd 1>.>"1'- '■"'■ '"'""■'■ , , , MlV It '.l 1<'«^ *" '""^•''

.noniin^nt laws ot Ule H" lu . ,,,, s^euB to

™tr:;a .« i-i^ ;;- - ,i.''':i,ryou .u no* ueip

womlering what It ma>

VLI.I(i.\I'n|!--;i|it(ii|V(i TV riiMtrHA.

nr)!}

1 linn 1 or
lis tnil,

IdWlU'tl,

illil'ul in
is l.itlt'ii

st cll'iU'H

Iciivt' ;i
lit, whi'U
lit.'M liis
^•l•ttuntl,
i(. seldom
inivclini;
V dries up,
ips ii liole,
some IH'O-

I'nlliu--- in
•away, iu ii

e l,.us being
t-end<^d tail
,1, ..xcepting
J. serix'ntiuH
■lialf of the
l)utat timi^s,
(luicUly in,
art distance,

side from its
human mind
leistaud lum
loss to iinder-
e to the two
n of tlie indi-
-he seems to
can not help

Where file deal lidiMlini;' hand of iiiaii has iw.f set
the seal «»l' fear iipmi the '( Jatui', yoii can aiiinoaeli. e\en
in oi)eii water, to williin a few yards of him without attract
ing any more atteiitioii than a wide (ipeiied nioiitli and
Jin aspirated hiss; Iml al'ler a few days' sliootiii.u'. tla-ir
noses, ears, and eyes all detect y(Mir [iresence, and ilieir
fas|-(lisapi)earin,i!: forms snuuest an iinsiispecte<l ajitness in

receiving' olijecl lessons. On the wiiole. he is a slllLluisli,

very slimii'isli, aniiiial, not e\eii lieiim- an active liiniier: Imt
l(»ai's around in hope that souiethiiii; may turn up that
])rol)alily a lish may nnwittiiiuly swim near eiioiiuh to l)e
.-.napped up by a ((lUck niotinii of his Idiiy jaws. Ihit lazy
and slnu'uish as he is, and cold as is Ins l>lood, there are
times when it must course swiftly throu^di his veins; for on
a little island of muck, iu the center of a pond, a female is
liea[iing up a jdle of saw-grass and dirt for a nest, while
upon o[)p()site sifh's of th»! pond, and just upon the edge of
the saw-gras.s, eying lier with warm glances of admiration,
and each other with the sullen glare of hatred, lie two old
males, whose scarretl and bleeding bodies testify that even
a '(rator's cold blood is thicker than water. The smaller
one moves ])ainfu]ly, for his ri^lit J'ore foot is missing-
the larger one got his jaws upon it, a few rajiid turns, and
the fool was gone, probably soon buried in the stomach
of the victor, 'i'his loss of a foot iu lighting is <piite com-
mon, for r have taken three thus maimed and heard of
others. Again, they may light for no apjiarent I'eason, as
a I'eliable witness tells me of a severe and, on the part of
both, voluntary light between a large "(iator and a Shark
of equal len^gth, in which the former came olF victor.

AVhile the 'Gator has been known to make an unpro-
voked attack on a man, and while in isolated regions, when
not acquainted with tire-arms, it W(Mild n<it be wise to vent-
ure into water near large ones or the nests of females, still,
as a rule, they are only t(»o glad to make good their

e8cai)e.

To thos
tion naturally arises as to what is the best tire-arm for the

lose Avho anticipate si)ort with the 'Gator, the ques-

ma GAME (»F XOIITII AMEUICA.

piirpoise. The idea seems prevalent that it requires an
Ex2)ress charge to get a bullet into his head. It is a mis-
take. A thirty-two-caliber bullet, driven by a fair charge
of powder, would, if it hit squarely, enter any 'Gator's
head, and, properly placed, would be as effective as a can-
non-ball ; wliile a charge of Xo. G shot, at thirty yards, would
enter his side. Of course, I do not mean to say that a thirty-
two-caliber would be a desirable size, but only to make it
understood that a large, eight-bore Express charge is
wh*»lly unnecessary. For all-around 'Gator-hunting, I
would prefer a thirtj'-eight or forty caliber repeating-
ritie, giving the finttest possible trajectory consistent with
accuracy. These sizes are large enongh, and in many cases
a repeater will be found preferable to a single-shot; while
the tltit trajectory will be found especially desirable in
nudving long shots over water, where the distance is diffi-
cult to estimate with a sufficient degree of accuracy to put
tlie ball into the small portion of the "Gator's head that is
visible above the watei'-line.

As for myself, I used a thirty-eight-caliber Winchester,
model of '7;}, on which I replaced the front sight with one
made from a 'Gator's tooth, which reflected less light than
the original metallic one, and ii led the I'ear sight flat on
top; then with a rough-edged case-knife I cut a fine groove
in the center. Of all open sights, I like this best, as
at a quick glance it gives the clearest idea of just how
coarse or fine a sight yon are drawing, and is especially
adviintiigeous in shooting in twilight. With this rifle so
sighted, and reloa'ling my own shells. I have killed from
a niovinii' boat, at i'vom fortv to one hundred vards, eight
swinuuing "Gators ii; as many consecutive shots, hitting
them all in the ear; l>'it of course this was an exceptional
run of luck, that I could never hope to duplicMte. In shoot-
ing any game, it is usually now or never. If tlie distance
be great, it is necessiu-y to estimate the same as the gun
conies to the shoulder — and even with the most experi-
enced, these estimates are often far from correct; and espe-
cially over water is this the case.

ALLI(iAT(>i;--^II(t(»T!N(l TV I'l.i ilUDA.

555

lives an
a niis-
cluu-ge
Gators
us a cau-
s, would
a thirty-
make it
'liarge is
lilting, I
•epeating-
tent witli
lany cases
lot; wliile
sirable in
ce is diffi-
acy to put
inA tliatis

P'inchester,
t with one
i light than
ightfiat on

fine groove
lis best, as
)f just how
s especially
:his ritle so
. killed from

yards, eight
liots, hitting

exceptional
:e. In slioot-

tlie distance
B as the gun
most experi-
ct; and espe-

AVhen it came to shooting two hundred yards or over,
unless the '(iattu- would kindly wait for a second ( r third
shot, he usually escapml, and this escape was most always
due to under or overshooting; consecjucntly the dcsii'ahility
of a Hat trajectory. To be sure, thivt- -foMrths o[' the game,
at least, killed in Avooded countries is killed within one
hundred yards; but the ivinaining one lourth is of sullicient
importance to justify special ell'ort, first in securing the
proper rifle, and. second in diligent and careful 'ar^et
i^ractice, until you can tell just whcic ihe ball is going to
strike at a given distance. In wooded countries, you should
carry the rifle sighted at say one hundred yards; then at
fifty yards aim a couple of inches under where you
desire to hit; at two huiulied yards, six inches above, etc.
Tn a short tint < you will learn to estimate distances cor-
rectly, and to hold over or under just enough to l)ag the
game, in the majority of cases.

On the west coast of Florida, between Tampa Bay and
the Gulf of Mexico, lies the little sub-penijisuiu of Pinellas,
which runs out from the west coast nuich I lie same as the
State does fron> tl)e south coast of t'le Lnited States, thus
making a little sub-Florida, with all of iier climatic ]»eculiar-
ities in a slightly intensified degi'ee. Like its mother jienin-
sula from which it springs, Pinellas has its fair numlier of
ponds, some creeks and small lakes, all of which supijort
their share of animal life; but in thi.s respect Lago Magoire
outranks all the rest, for, from micro8co[iic crustaceans to
fish, its shallow waters are unu'jually fidl of life. So rich a,
part should have its guests, and so it has; for scattered over
the suface of its waters, and upon the banks of Lago
Magoire, lie many 'Gators.

So much for our game and the arms to take lilm with;
and now for a few hunts for him in Lago Magoire. It is
often as desirable to know what not to do as to know what
to do; so let us begin with my first "Gator.

Looking across the smooth waters of the lak(^ toward
its palmetto-lined shore, we saw its surface broken by many
a long, dark head and an occasional rough back, all lux-

-n

oBo , . ^, tht^m over

in . boat; but, „ne "J' ">'«;■':,;„,::' i«,v,nB Lnt tl,. vm, ^-
1. <l(.\vlv beueiuli the ^\tuel, ^^^ down.

,..,i,l,.,„e iKlll"f tl'.', "•"' <"»'«" J I ,.o(ild gut « ""^^

1 im ttos to«ua tlw Lo.nt '^^ .'J"^^,,;- ,„« heads o st^
S tiou»b- lo->W"«/'"-^:;;\ , n one buna..a yards o

1 ,„ai,iMg "»"^ f'"' ,f,I"d tUe «a.e.- witb Ws tad .v-ei

lu...s, "lieu "« to"'; ; 'm do. uay, and sn,*. , , ^ .

Ids bead, sliook It 111 a tl.i„it i ^^,.^^,,g_ ., , n

and waved it m a u ^^^ ^^^^^ ,,..,, dead.

f '^Sn' near, and fearing Uat . - ^1^ ^ . _^^ ^^^^^ ^^

l:i;;f ,.>und, ^f -^:^:!; •,r.:;^f neceiity, I -ded .-on-
Jliesiu diameter, T.va.em

Ai.i,i(iAT<>i:-siiooriN(, IN ri.(>i;ii)A.

.).)(

.'111 over
Conli-
or x\wni
uoiigUi
viinisli-
(lown.
,v tibsent-
lieboat,
;<•(■ oiik,
ire open
-t a view
w, just off
„• obierts.
j'ougli the
shore, and
eads of six
I yanls of
eye is the
;e(l out the
only to see
I kept on
fired ft'ven
.stall :^.;^!^i

levs, ■.'> ■ ''••

(/: two, ^ i<>

sucli haste to
Iter. At the
e second, the
)ve the water,
I "Good-bye,
us dead, ^"o
jv -ink, T eon-
\ 'uat iided to
ant '^ t amp
my nhe on the
ig, about three
° I Avaded con-

lidently toward lii ■ "(latorsliip. now lyin.ii- toes ui). When
within a lew yards of liiiii, lie suddenly be.i;an a scries of
revolutions that would have done eredit to an acrobat, and
as he turned the top of liis head, display.-d u hole as Jinp-
as an orange, wliere tlie bidl.-t h;id knocked out a boitr.

In his struggles, he cmiuc within reach of niy club, wjirn
I dealt him a blow that 1 expectt'(l would liiiish hira; i)ut
the green p!ne provc^il too springy to be elfective, as it (»nly
called his attention to my pivsence, iiiid, with a stroke (tf
his tail, he shot toward me. Not having time to retreat, or
even to raise my club, I (piickly stuck the end of it into the
hole in his skidl, and thus keeping him at a short distance,
began backing toward shore.

Time and again he freed himself from the end i>f my
club, and each time advanctnl to the attack, Imt only to
again realize the point of my urotf'st in the sharp end of
the sapling lirinly inserted in his Mire spot.

Thus remonstrating, 1 linally readied shore, wliere 1
exi)ected him to give up the attack; but no, his l)lood was
up, and in spite of the blows that 1 rained upon him with
the springy sapling, he followed me a couple of lods on
lard, when, by a (pack grasp, he got my pole in jiis mouthy
and by rolling rapidly over in the mud. twisted it fiom nie.
I soon regained it, however, and belabored him so seveiely
that he tui'ued and ran to the water. Ha\ ing begun to look
uixm his skin as belonging tome, 1 did not like die pros-
pect of losing it, and so grasping the end of his tail as lie
was entering the water, a struggle ensu "d that fanned me
around pi-.'tiy lively, ai.d fre.pieiitly landed me in the mud;
but he linally became exhausted, and taking advantage of
a pas.sive moment, I tlragged him back, and beat him until
he was stunned; then, turning him over, used a knife on
him in a way that I thought would l)e ellVctiial. After
regaining my breath, I nieasuied him, and found iiim to be
eight feet in length.

On returning to the boat, T saw W — fast asleep, with
tishingdine in hand. In response to my e.xcited calling, li.'
jumped up, grasped the oars, ami began making earnest

»l i.

«IC; (.AMK OF NOUTII AMERICA.

m-Ja in no movement
,„t ,nvUw,u.a em,.-.» -"■■''^''::;';r 1u« "lies. TUey

feet He ^"« again »"''J''°'™ '"-^ ,,i,„ the next day, not
; ted to the landing, wUere I t"™ /;^„„„„a this advent-
lad, ''"'»'-'^''':'?nw;: i>ow o w" - ^'^tT^:

s:;ut'\t:torieSvit.dityandids.^^^^^

On reaching tlie place ^^ ne ^^^^-^ ^^^^^^^^ that 1

ae.ld at the ^i-t shot - ^^^^^ J,, ,,, .ead, learned
had hit him in the eai, f ''; \„i,,,tov is no Uu-ger than a
that the brain of a ^-^'^''J^C^ .ize and k.cation, it
tn s tiuunh; that ^--^^^ unless the ball ran^s
is TYot to be reached Horn tie > ^^^^ ,ome of the

^wa^dand clo^r^-d aU.. ^^U . ^

topmost bones o the sKiu ^^^ i.oot a

exposing the bram and ^^'^^\y^\x,e ear, which, ma
'Gator, Nvhen broadside to ^ on ^^^^^ ^^

ten-foot animal is abo ^^^^,^^^ ,,aned In dissect-
Acting m accordance NMth *> « K^ ^f^y 'Gators, from six
^\i:;t head, 1 invve ^j^^^ ?^f ^m l^vlled to kill them
to eleven leet in length -^^^^^ ^, «uch an nncer-
at the hvst shot ^^Vtnn the small blade of a pocket-
tnln quantity, ^^^"^^'Z^t and the hrst cervica
knife down between ^li^ j^^^^^^^^^ cord, whkh is the most
,!ertcbra, thus severmg the spmal c ^^^^

Xtual way of ^^^^":|;;;'l,;r^;tors, weighing at least
in this way, 1 kave taken tiu^ ^^^^ ^.^^ .

two hundred pounds each, into s ^^ .^^^^^^ ,^y

* In regard to the d.ffere t metho ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^

e^.^^^^^^^^^'i^' ^.^, ivom the shore -

1 r

Al.l.i(;AT(ii:-sii(i(iriN(; in ri.ui;ii>A.

609

ovetnent
s. They
)vts gvew
liey were
ie up the

^in on liis
3cess, and.
[ day, not
As adv ent-
er, but to
ty of life;
) shun,
e Alligator
und tliat I
lid, learned
fo-er than a

Uication, it

ball ranges

some of the

f-ed without

, to shoot a

which, in a
of the eye.
ed in dissect-
ors, from six
to hill them
-h an uncer-
3 of a pocket-

tirst cervical
ch is the most
treating them
ghing at least

. tin—

approach, any
se the best on
u the shore is
be handy, for a

'Gator usually sinks as soon as killed, if his lungs ait- not
tilled Avith air, and in case tln-y arc so filled, it is likely
to escape as soon as the animal is dead.

When not too wild, tlit-y can he approaclied in a boat
even in plain siglit; but tins depends u[)on liow much they
have been shot at. Like all reptiles, they learn (piickly,
especially when taught in such iniprc^ssive ways.

On warm, sunshiny days, they aie especially i'ond <»f
basking on the bank; for even a 'Uator appreciates the
hygienic value of a sun-bath. Taking advantage of a cer-
tain morning when the wind was blowing parallel with the
shore, rigging a skitT with oardock in the stern, wrajt-
ping the oar with cloth so as to make it nois(dess, and
tying it to the boat so that it (>ould be dropped without
losing, I stood, ritie in my right Jiand and oai- in my left,
only steering when the wind was in my favor, but sculling
when necessary. Thus gliding noiselessly along the edge
of the saw-grass, which in idaces was trampled down by
Alligatoi's into beds that grew more and mor<* frecjnent as
I progressed, I "kep' an eye skun."' as the Cracker ex-
presses it, for the long game. As 1 rounded a small [)oinl,
I heard a splash, and caught sight of a huge serrated tail,
as the fast-traveling waves rennnded me that tlie eyes, eais,
and nose of even a'Clator are often too sensitive foi' us. and
that their sluggish muscle is capai)le of I'apid motion when
necessarj-.

Another and another plunge; l)ut it would iu)t pay to
wait for them to coni'^ up, for it nnght not l)e foi' half an
hour, and then they might be far out in tiie lake.

As I rounded another point, straining eveiy nerve of
sight and hearing, whack! came a mullet against the boat
with ^uch force as to give me a nervous start; l)ut the same
noise gave something else a start, for liist a rustling in the
grass, and then a long, dark head api^eared at the edge,
and, unfortunately for its owner, cast his first glance down
the lake, and before he could tuin liis liead. a ball had
crashed through it, and lodged under the tough skin on
the opposite side. The shot aroused tlnee more saurians,

060

BIG CiA.MK OF N(»ItTII AMKUICA.

the nearest of which fell an easy prey, and turned toes up,
one foot moving to and fro in a dreamy sort of way. I soon
sculled alongside of liini, threw a noose around his neck,
took a half-liitch around his jaws to keep them sliut, drew
his head (ner tlie stern of the boat, and with a small knife
severed his spinal cord. He was not over eight feet in
length, so I easily dragged him aboard.

Returning to the first 'Gator, I got the rope aronnd his
neck and began i))d]ing him Uj), when he began rolling, thus
Minding the rope around his body until niv iiands were
brought against his rough l)ack, when I had to let go, and
he went down, and, as the rising bubbles plainly told, was
crawling along the bottom. Picking up my striking-pole,
to which was attached a lily-iron and long line, I followed
the path of bubbles, and when over my game endeavored to
plunge it into him; but striking under such conditions is
nncf'rtain work, and it was a good half-hour l)efore I made
a fortunate throw that buried the iion in his back. Then
away we went. I rested from my exertions, while taking a
ride at his expense, until, tired out, he sulked at the bottom.

Being anxious to dispatch him, I punched him with the
oar until he, now in lighting humor, came up in good style,
with an ugly glr,''e in his eyes, and with open mouth made for
the boat. I thrust the pine oar into his mouth, and picked ui)
my rille. With a snap and a twist, the oar flew through the
air, the handle striking against the boat; the 'Gator having
broken off a mouthful. He again made fov the boat, when,
with the muzzle of the rifle witiiin two feet of his head,
another bullet met him. and caused his jaws to drop
together limp and lifeless. He was eleven feet long, and too
heavy to lift aboard; but tying a rope near each end of the
boat, and passing the loose ends under the 'Gator, then
taking an end in each hand, and standing on the gunwale so
as to sink it to the water's level, by heavy hauling on the
ropes I rolled him aboard, just as a log is rolled Tipon a

On the way to the landing T killed a third 'Gator, that,
from the way in \vhi<'h hn allowed me to approach him,

AI,I.I<;.\ rui;-sii(»(triX(, i\ FLOIUDA.

061

toes ui),

. 1 soon
lis neck.
lUt, drew
mil kuiie

; i'eet in

•ound liis

ling, tluis
mds were
et go, and
' told, was
iking-l»ole,
1 I'ol lowed

eiivored to
nditions is
)iv I made
ick. Then
le taking a
[the bottom,
im with the
. good style,
ith made (or
id piclved np
through tlie
lator having
' boat, when,
ot his head,
aws to drop
long, and too
•h end of the

'Gator, then
lie gunwale so
mling on the
rolled upon a

L 'Gator, that,
pya-oach him,

must iiave wantfd to comniit suieitle. The lioal was ik.w
heavily loaded, and sitting astride oi' the largest, with a
snialli-r one on either sitle, I moved slowly hoiiicward. I did
not notice the high piled whitcclouds that tippeil the dis-
tant [lines until tlu' tiireattMiiug thiuider shook the air, and
the s((l"test of Floritla zephyrs, that caress your dieek as
gently as the haiul of a babe, grew into a breeze, ruffled the
water, bent low the grass and rushes. Then it came stronger
and stronger, causing the great [lines and [lalniettos to sing
their solemn song of complaint, until the heait of Motlun*
Is'ature was fiUl, her passion had reached its height, and
tears followed. They fell until everything was drenched;
and then, as ([uickly as it had come, the storm passed auay,
across the low land beyond the lake, and disappeared over
the distant pines. The sun came out. and each glittering
drop did its best to ackimwledge ami rellect l)ack his smile.

The rain-drops luul beaten the waves down, so that in a.
few minutes the surface of the lake was as smooth as a mir-
ror. It was soon broken, however, behim I me, by a rising
head and an arched tail. Both raised well out of water, when
from his mouth camethe deep. se[)ulchral roarof an old Imll
'Gator. Scarcely had its last vibrations died away, when, as
far as eye could see them, the lake became dotted with high-
raised heads and arched tails; while fi'om every thi'oat came
the deep roar that, swelling into a weird chorus, rolled
across the lake, over the flat shore, and into the pines, as if
following the rain.

As to the cause of this "Gator concert, I leave others to
guess. I can not exjilain it. l)Ut would suggest that all being
subjected to the same conditions of weather likely to cause
them to roar, the governing impulse of example of the
leader was sufficient to start the others— just as a Hock of
chickens, standing idly l>y the barn, may all stretch out
their necks, spread their wings, and run in play, simply
because one of their number started them by his example.

Next, we concluded to try striking "Gators by firelight,
and rigging a jack in the bow of the boat. store<l away
a few arnd'uls of fat pine. As darkness closed around us, we

hrz^

151(1 (iAMl'. t'l

Ut th.. 1or<-U, and ^vUk < A ^^^^^^ ^^ .^^^ , ,,,

tlie bcttom. - „ia ved-iisU, witli a speed

To our rigW, darted a^^a> ;^;;,;,iedge that Ue was good
tuat seemed to be ^->"-^ . ^^'Cried eoufusion, a s.Uool
to eat- whiletothelett, lan, mi .,,,,,^y_

Scampered the ^^'^^^'f;;;^ ./^ rdefensive ehvws in a deh-
tofear, Y-t ever prese tmg U^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^.^unte.
nntway, as if to say, \onn.i shadows ot tlie

^'^Twe neared the <>in>o«^te s\o e t^^ ^ark water, and
talUvees added njei^j:^;;;^^--^^^^ ,,,e f ron. his bed,

the luvrsh cry o£ f ^ .^^^ /J. /',,ene ar<nind ns.

cave tiling voice to he weld .ct ^^,^^^^ gave ex-

'' - Ouch ! C>i'*?*^t ^'«"^'' • T ! ' nst of wind Inid swung
p.esS to the fact tiiat a ^dden g^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ,

the iacicof burning V"^%^« ''",,":,! singed hair and a
^^^^Silre was no !--;^n^Sdt be S^moved without
spattering of hot pi ch, ^ f ;«i";^^^^ ^Aiming my bade to
taking tlie epidermis wit \'''^''.^. of -Gator s eyes
th Ught, I saw, off to ^"^^^J^^, The Doctor now
Ighied up by ^^^^^Z^Zm owner of the eyes
mt the boat witlun U ent> leet o ,ition. 1 had

^t blinl-cl wondering y^^^^^^^^ ,,,n.e a bony

^ ^- f^'^Z^^^^' ^^'^^ reptUe disappeared
nlate, glanced ott, ana

ieneatk the dark w at ^^ . ,,ed within our

Soon the white chm ot an ^ ^^..^^^^.^^ ,i e

eivcle of light, and ^^"^^ , ^e-foot '^f- ^^^
line, now runmng out as las ^^^^^way, the Gatoi

irvvel. The boat was "^ J^f^^,-^ swimming head and
doi^g his level best to ge a v^, ^ ^^ .^^^^^-^ f, , and
Sders above water; oiu ^l^_^;^ Served to give us

t water si^-lunga^-^^^J^towdiorse soon became

a novel midnight iKie.

I myself
wo hun-
ided out
ii circle
it up to

1 a speed

was g(jod
a school

t away—

abeyance
t in a deti-
)ite."''

)\vs of the
water, and
)in his bed,

ns gave ex-
had swung
L shoulders;
hair and a
ived without
my back to
jrator" s eyes
Doctor now
of the eyes,
ition. T had
strike a bony
i disappeared

\ within our
[ grasped the
'Gator could
y, the "Gator
aing head and
and fro, and
ved to give us
) soon became

-D

z
>
o

z
o
m

s .-

. •'

1' '5

1 '!

1 ■
1

ftrf

AI.I.KiA |(iK-SII<)((riN(, IN II.olMDA.

M\^

balky, and a rcvolvfr-hullfi rolltd liini over; hut as wf
attempted to take lain in. he suddenly darted beueatli the
boat, and we could henrand ted hi^ ti'dh sjilinii'iinii' the
keel. This not l)einv; on our prumMiiinie, we hauled away
on the line until his head aii[)eai('(l at the surface, when
the Doctor dealt him a heavy blow witli an ax.

We then hauled him into the boat, supitosing him to be
dead, lie soon lecovered from the l)low, and seeiufd to
conclude that he would paddle the ciuioe hintself. At any
rate, he did i)atldle it with his hu;;-e tail in a manner that
threatened instant destruction to it and to us. We would
gladly have got out and walked, had the walking been
good, but it was not; and as for swimming, there weic so
many other "Gators in sight that we shrunk fidiu the
thought of escaping in that wa}-. The old saurian was
reaching for nie with his yawning jaws, and fanning the
Doctor and tlie boat with his tail in su* h a terrific fashion
that it became necessary for us to act promi)tly in self-
defense. I managed to get liokl of tlie jix again, and this
time split onr passenger's head wide oi)en.

Then we resumed our lisliing, and soon had another, a
small one, not over four feet long, which we took into the
boat alive, but again had to dosom- active h()pi)iiig to avoid
his snaps. After dispatching him with a piece of " light-
wood," his infantile appeai;'nce relieved us of the desire to
kill any nioie, and we turned homeward, fully persuaded
that, owing to its weiid sui'roundings. speaiing by firelight
is one of the most interesting methods of hunting the Alli-
gator.

Having now tried most of the common \>;.^s of approach-
ing the 'Gators, still another remained to ns, and that was
hunting them with a dog. This is not based npcm the
dog s love of ' Gator- hunting, but upon the 'Gat(n'"s love of

dog-hunting. Now, Doctor A had a. large, worthless

dog, for which I lacked that kind regard that I usually
feel for worthy members of his race; for did he not step
quietly up behind me, one dark night, and ])y his sud-
den "bow-wow-wow," spoken in close proximity to my

.,M,- OF SOUTH AMKUICA.

I ! 1!

"■ : - r : :S xs-*;: ■■9::; :=
r;-?r r::2.':S^» ^-b

^"'^^^" ^C<>'m o n..v. slowly tc.w.va u ^^=^ ^^^^^,,.^^y
tuvu.Hlaua|-^.' ,uul others so slow **^; '';' ^,v swtuu

ot tiie o-u„. linnr. 1-

"jrthe safety « « 'J,,; 'i^;,,,^.! to eso^pe- ^o«ua;l-
temfied>ells,a ,,., ,vUlun twenty ieet

to be under ''^^'l^^ ,,^,, disaypeunng, I P^^^
and iust^ as W^
tlirougU it.

in I'eel-

of N«'P
KoiiM not
liplimcnts,
11 C'llow,"
indly coii-
ri.Ml to tlu?
rdgc, iind
1,. I could

ii scries of
(>s, tluit f»»i'
l,y a prima
.e (listiuice,
ot;--. some ill
li,.y scarcely
, tlicyswaiii
rlit' direction
eutiire upon

for an hour, I
ater up to his
., but anxious
was consistent
he water sus-
Soon a dozen
ivard the poor
outracted, and
it growls ami
idy of enforced

liiu twenty feet
dv, preparatory
4 his attack was
:ed let him go;
I put a bullet

ALI.Iii A |(ii;tf||ii(

!<• IN' ll.ni:iI»A.

."•Cl."!

I was t.-nipted I., s.M. 111." attack tluMiin-l,. |,|,i tl„. piti;,!,]..
mes „f tl.H ,„M.r dog. worthless thouuh h- was. would
have haunted lue if 1 ha.l not ivlirvrd Iii„, iVn,,, th,. tcrrihlc
position in whirl, I lii.d i.Mrpos,.|y pliMvd Idni. Wli-n I
waded in and r.-lcas.-d lijni IV..ni his p.-rilons pli.d.i he
started for lionie, and only touched thegrouii.l u Icnv limes

CM ruute.

I ;; '

I :1

if!

, ■•'

~~ ^^

THE ETHICS OP FIELD SPORTS.

By John Dean Cato.v and \V. 15. Leffinowell.

HP LOVE to leave the noise and rush of rity life, where
mail is ever strivini;' with iiis fellow-man, and set my
face toward the green wildwuod, where Nature reigns
•^ supreme. Not alone I go, but with one whose tasifs
are congenial with my own. Aye, not with one only, but
with two or three, I lox-e to make a journey to some old.
familiar camp-ground, or to souie new and attractive our,
in the deepest forest we can tiud, there to pitch our trut
i)eside a- fountain gushing fioui the living ro<k as if souie
Moses in foi'mer tiuies had tou<'hed it witli his wand. The
music of its waters, as they leap from I'ock to rock on tiieir
way to the greater stream below, has often soothetl to sleei)
when a hard day's ciiase has necessitated repose.

In the morning, at tlie break of day, we have climl)ed
the blutf above to catch the music of tlie birds, wiiose mel-
ody tokl of hai)i)ine<s and love. Seated on an old moss-
clad log, I love to watch the nimble s(piirrels as they lea])
from bough to bough, or chase each other up and down the
old pijie-ti'ees, or gather acorns iVom the oaks hai'd i)y.
While thus al)sorbetl iii c ;;teniplatiou of these cheery little,
sti-anger.-', I have been startled by the great autleivd l)u<'k,
as, in bounding leaps, he rushed madly through the brakes,
startled J)y the report of my friend's rith', or in pursuit of
the timid doe. Oh, how delightful are such sceiiesl Their
verv remembrance is a jov renewed.

But it is not alone the chaiins of solitude that lure us
from the haunts of men to the wild life of flie woo<ls;'
such scenes are but episodes in the hiiuter s life. He si'^ks
the wilderness or the mountain in jiursuit of game. When

( r,i;; i

lU<i

(;.\M1'. "•■'

SnliTll AHl'""'-^-

«•■« " ,,,,,i,,ue. WitklalHv

,i ,us, vet e;,utiu.is s el», le^ ' ' ;„ ,,,,,„„.e to the

ecl„, ut his ritle he ^es '" ^ ■',„^,,u lu,u...lf tU"." t''"
toll .ip"U hi» k»e«, and tl'^ /^ J „^,iii fl;,sh..» thiougl
tvonud, the. it is that »";^ 'J; ';„,,,, ,u<, he eomira.ed

P .,.iv f ber »l his lvalue, *»"";; ,„. „„,,sn.es the pvo-
,'hanyot,>,,vioy '"'-«:,, ,'se.i.s I.,v sea. new

portions of his captn e, ■ n ' ; „„„,„ „f Uuo»le.ne^

lature ol tlie »'"" i'^ ' ,;;i'\,„> study tl« l';''"'^"\, :,'
■n,.. liuntev, above all "'"«;;,.,. ,„„l ,„, if lie «i\,, u uj
. , iutals he puvsnes and -•'l' » ■;• , ,„ „f „,«old va ue
puvi- a fund o( huowledgv hi ,,i^ i„b„n,.oiy, ns

t the srfeutist.who "'-'^ f , ^l , .ho seeks and taU.
rS^^i.;---— ' ..u,s..say,.veu,u

tl,. full eujoyu.eu. .;t a ";,,„, wllH, eouUMuplanilS
ever '-uade this the uist « :;^,.,„,„,,. ..onipamou^vi

a huntiu

•, ,,,e liist -onsideia.^-^^^^^^^
„ fiuntiu. ex.llisiou < >- .; '^^ „ „,„ is ev-v s.eiu,«
poison the pl«-"-e o 1 . .^^„^, ever hoas lus o

some advantage met his . ^,,„^t """" , X

l,is supevior skill and S ^''^^ ^,■^^^ ,ui.U some little

,vor ill the .-ami,. He t tj ' ni-.n "">• ,";"";"*';;',;

,l,„v which at tin.es l^ "■'»';'.,,„,« pool tot «"!'• "" "'"

-■:r:^,,;i;m^ir":->-'^
r;;:::e:;rr^.:--';;:r-ftni;::;x;::i

'not rein-ess. . , , ^^^ poinmeuds the success <>

" Tui true sportsman »)':> ^ ^J ,n„uievemen,s. Selhsh-
Ms companion., as mm-h as his

TIIK ETirrcs OF I-IKI.D ^I'nins.

odS)

1hlal)o-

(■11 Uiiu
se to the
I'orwiivd,
[\H>n the

through

(iiupared

the pro-
oil," new
io\vlev^<.:,e.
ts oL' tl e
will, m-AV
told value
latory, his
au.l takes
^•, give him

M'usal)le to
sell". I have

iteniplatiug
pauiou will
ner sefkiug
■ boasting ol!
it soon lose
. some little
y uiember of
• lish, he will

;i big string,
10 may have

good shot in
to cami) with

success, and
ei'ore, or ever
his life, with-
i auditors can

the success of
ents. Seltish-

ness is th.' bane of cami. lii'.'. The s.'llish inau is cVcr sack-
ing his own pleasure and gratiticiitiou regardless of oIIkts.
lie a[)pi'()i)riates without sliniiie the best of every! liiiig
witliin his reacli. lie shirks witlioiit scruple his slime of
the duties which devolve upon each, without appreciating
in what a contemptible light his coiidiici is vieWi-d by other
niembersoL" th<^ i)arty. lie I'orl'eits the respect of his iissoci-
ate.s, and soon couteiupt takes the ])lace of the mutual
re.spect so necessary to a pleasant outing.

Egotism is scarcely less to be regivtti'd than sellislmess;
indeed, it is closely allied to it. The enot ist is ever l)oast-
ing of his own achievenienrs an<l belittling those of others.
The success of aiu)ther alb)rils him no [ileasuiv, but rather
mortification. His ambition is to be considnvd sui)erior to
other.s. an<'. to secure this end. In- will not hi'sitaie to belit-
tle thv ir acts, if not by direct words, then l)y covert insin-
uations.

Geniality is indispensal)le • • :\ happy lil'e in camp, and
this is best promoted when e.n h one seeks tu gratilv t lie sen-
sibilities ol" the othei' .y conllnen(liIl^■ their a(diieveinenis
rather than hy boasting "i' his ..wu. S|iortsinenshonlil. abo\e
all others, cultivate ii cordial. fraternal ffding. in which the
highest honor, integrity, and lil- ity should piwail.

I was once at Cedar Key. Fhuida and l)orr< ving some
fishing-tackle, went down to an old, dilapidated wliaii' to
try my hand for .sea-trout, which I was told were tal 'n in
those waters. There I found an elderly mm tishinu-. to
whom I introduced myself. I told him 1 is I'oiid of lish-
ing. but was a strangtM' to those waters and to the .sea-trout,
which I understood prevailed there. That wa> iiii rodncliou
enough. He kindlj' oll'ercd to tell im^ what h^ I- \. w al»out
them; and, as he was short of bait, I gladly .pplied him
with some of mine. He ex]ilaiiied the mode of angling for
sea-trout, and then proposed that we go "cahoots,"" to
which, of course, I gladly assented. I imitated his casts as
closely as 1 could, but somehow the Msh knew the dilfer-
ence, for every few minutes he landed a line siieciinen. afdM'
a lively run; but verv few loiu'hed mv bait. When we

f «^h ns one could wish to
nnished, as beautiful a stnng o t^^ - ^^ ^^^.^^^ , ..^i^ed
look at lay upon the wlm f the ^ . ^^^^^^ .^on

„,u.e than I possibly could the ^_^^^^ ,« divide our
,,oUenbytheold<..r.l--n.e.,whoi ^^^^^^^^^ ,i,,,ia not

,poilB into two equal V^^ ^^ .^ l^^, j.^d favored him

be; but he said it ,v.s all ^^^^"^ ^,^,^^1, ..nd as we wei^
• thenu)st,the.limnvu<-evvasbutve > ^^^ ^^^^^^^^

^:;tuevs; I ^vas entitled to jny a ^ J^^ ^^^^^ ,,,tled the
iowevev, to thus '^-P^';-^^ ^ ^\ ,;, pile of perhaps fifteen

Ion.' time to rtig''"'l«- iu„,trote the fed^'^g ™*

j..,.„osMv «w-:'r^t ,; :. \ie -s . .„■..,. ,*«■ ™, o,

ivt, .nd I only -vgvet ^U^'^, ,U and betwee,.

„,o to n,eet lihn .ig«»>- "" J "' ! J, feeling; a oov.! of sym-

„, „.„. at on,. «.v« "';';;t, which maae n» brothers

uathv «as drawn out between ii^ sacnhees toi

-VT'r ;r::er.:rbee;r *wi that aU ^portsn,™

Smshness and •'^"'-"'"'St J^"' ^lich not unte<inently
dialitv; discord engenders disliUe,

aegenerates lo hatied. . enthusiasm of the neo-

'' ^Allowance ,nay xe «« • « " ^^^i^^ ^.„, eve', forget the
phyte, and even "M'';'"''" ,1'lt when he saw his first Deer
Lultatiou which he '''"-JfX exultant then, it would
toll to his ritle '. Had '« »y;^^j,.,, „„e needs to become
Uave besvoken a hwK ^^^^l^,^ to feel a high degree^ of
a s,,<'rtsiuan; nor will he e e, c , ture. But

,v],i,ica.i™ at .1.;;.--^ ^::,,e„t and discon.f.rt of

TIIK KTIIICS (»F I-'IKI.U SI'OKTS.

571

vish to

dniived

as soon

ide our

lid not

red liim
we were

onsent,

tied tlie

()s tif teen

ould use.

f feeling

; taiven a.

lii;g and .

portsnien,

-r my own

permitted

d between

rd of sym-

s brotliers,

icrilices for

si)ortsmen

nent of the

enjoyable.

■ begets cor-

nfrequently

of the neo-
-1 forget the
dstiist Beer
len, it would
Is to become
gh degree of
ipture. But
[iscomfort of

A mere love of slaughter does not bespeak a sportsman;
that feeling might l)e better gratified in the alxiKoir than in
the woods. No matter how abundant the game, none but a
brute would ever kill it for tiie mere pleasure of killing,
and leave it to rot on the gi'ound. The ft-eling of utility
must be associated with its capture. If it can not b»> util-
ized, a pang of regret must take the place of gratilication,
in the breast of a true sportsman, wiien he sees his game laid
prone before him; and how gfad would he be were it alive,
and bounding away through the woods or over the praiiie!

The true sportsman's cami) is a school for the ycuing
beginner, where he may learn many things besides th(' mode
of pursuing and capturing his game. If he l»e foi'tunale
in selecting his associates in his early outings, he will learn
many things, besides the mode of hunting, which will con-
tribute largely to the pleasure of his life in after years.
He will learn how largely acts of kindness and couitesy
toward his companions contribute toth ' itppiness of all;
to commend the skill of others rather than to boast of his
own; to strike or pitch a tent; how to dress his game; to
cook a meal, when occasion shall recpiire; and a thousand
other things which need not I)e mentioned here. He will
learn that a sportsman may' be a gentleman, and indeed
should be, if he wotdd make himself agreeable to his com-
panions, and contribute his share to the enjoyment of the
excursion.

The true sportsman does not hunt .solely for game, luit
for the pleasure it affords him, for health, and to I'est him-
self from the toil of business. Tn this he is rarely disap-
pointed. Look about you and see what a large proportion
of those who havt?, each year, torn themselves from busi-
ness, and spent a few weeks in the hiuiter's camp, or on tiie
banks of streams, enjoy robust health, even in advanced
au-e. Their systems, when voung. l)e'come well knit togetlier.
their constitutions greatly strengthened, and so they are
enabled to perform more labor, and with less fatiglu^ than
those who lack the energy or the inclination to leave theii
common avocations and seek much-needed ivst.

,, , -eneVHl vule, they luu« no .^^^,^^ ^^^^^.^s tc. be

{.,ti..up their mnid^, '^\ '^ ' , ^^,^ s-ame effort to ^owe
M^iu^a. H they wovaa .\e ^^^ ,,^, ^.^,,,^, .,e.Vel,

;; ;:' honest pursuit, their , ns . ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^.,. ^,j,,,y,
t king tiie season tlmmgh ^-^' ^,,,,,a tiu.t degree ot
• ;i , '^.alled «^^^^t^^?',^^"; u ; t men should strive,
re i.^''t'^^>i^i^y for which all h ms^ ^^^ ^^^^ „„^e of

'Tregret that th.re are son e n ^^^.^^^ ^..^^,^,,. i

mnn who, on occasion, ^f t^. shoot game

-^rZ:^^ those who d. iu> h^^^^^^ ,^^,„,,,u^
"nke tish out of seas(m. ; \^^,. ,t reams are swarm-
l tielV settled ->uutvy, ^^^- J^ ^^^^^^,, ,,,,,e is no
^;^ith hsh. which are ^--\^ta-distant wild^ wl--
Z tliei- to take them, or Hi tue . ^^^„,^ed,

T-d mdaiice of game is found ^^.^^..^a be quite
nvs would l)e out ol phice, ami ^^^^_^ ^^^, .^^

.,. .,t 111V time ot tne \t.ii vpnuire— but eAen

ethe nec«s«ytola- « f ^Wn.U«g a fo.-e upon

.-tiun; ™a «l'-«';'"7,'rwu.h »ay. -'Thou »haU n^

evevv dtten as Hint a« , „,,Usation, >l"i "O;

IJ" At least, sucli is H" '«"• j^ „,,„„ la%v ran

" Hefo-rts that conditAons '^l^^^^^^^M onr

• TIIK KI'llUS (»1' IIKI.H -I'lilMs.

y. for,

to bb

) some
iilways

I'll!
Ot

iinie oE

nk. I
unme
iihabited

swavin-
,>iv is no
Is, where

uintt^<l,
I 1).' tiuite
leat, or as
-but even
nil (I be to
1 conntries
)i¥ the wild
lUst appre-
u HXtermi-
foi'ce upon
shalt not
n, and so,
ine law can
' all; and if
reason com-
obst^rve it,
here shonld
)oting game
,rs ago, shot
. saniH right?
md he must
inate all our
and his like

are restrained, utter exteriiiinaiiou must soon follow in
those countries wlieiv name is heginning to grow scarce.
The wild animals in any country i)elong to the Stale, aiul it
is only l)y sull'eiance that tiie Siat.' allows anyone to kill
them; lience the rioht of the commonwealth to protect the
wild animals within its Lord. -is is as niupiestloiied as is
its light to protect its treasure in its vaults.

On this important subject. <'i\ ilizaiion may learn some-
thing valuable from savage life. When the great prairies
were Hrst visited l>y the white man, they fairly swanne.l
wit ii great herds of Bison, and s(» they c(,ntinne(l till ihey
were exterminated by the white man's ritle. As late as
184(». I saw large collections of their bones on the Illinois
jirairies, still in a good state of ineservation; and two miles
up the south branch of the Chicago KMver. at a [.lace now
within the heart of the ("ity of (,'iiicago. for more than half
a mile the whole surfaci^ of the ground was covered with
Bulfalo-wallows. so that if was dillicult to drive a wagon,
except at a very slow rate, over ilie surface. Oihei' large
game was ('(jnally abundant throughout this great valley at
an early day. and so it had undoui»tedly lieen for untold
ages. During all this time, large tribes of Indians inhal)
ited every {)art of it, wh<»se prim-ipal sulisisteiice was the
game they killed and the tish they caught; but they wasted
none, they only killed to supply their wants, and the
result was that the uanie w; nevei' depleted. Imt continued
as ai)undant year iifter year, and ceiivuix after century,
as it had ever been. While this could not continue
in a country densely settled l)y r-ivilized man. there
are large districts of country where the conditions are

such as to be well ad;i[ited to the Welbbeing of eveiy

species of wild animal known to the country, if the
white man. who seeks them, would oidy kill eiiouuh to
supply his wants. The smaller g;.nie, such as grcMise and
water-lowl, are still with us, and would be in great !il)Uii-
dance forever, were they but reasonably protected, iiiid no
more killed flinn enough t(t snpjily the legitimate needs of
those who hunt them, auil at the [iidjier seasons. Let us.

'11

I I

III' I

574

„,MK ... NOlVni AMKKirA.

■^rntot. .par;. .u<- «-;« :;:,;;» s...."i.> ao vo ;,.;

; Is Nvh-veTill tUe native f'^^^' • ^^'^^. ^^^,,,t, nmuy ot its

,t:rmt;r^Lae^vtUeiu.e..U^

iu counting Ills gold. ^^-^^^ beyond the Mis-

WUen the wUit^ man ^^]'J^^^^^^ i^.^ds on the gve ;

..\ iriver it gathered m <ouii i^Hpd tlie countiN

1 ' ■IVxus to .he S"*^'"'''"Y'":„, u^ Bison, iu uun.bevs

■,lni<«t lieyoiia ,-onil.ut.ition, J j|j^ „,„,ia. bo

ng-SV"'"-' eve. lutoxvn u ■ ' «„^„„^,ut tl>ey never
""tvvere ti.eir ""'»>""»,"''''", sin"le «-ore ..( years has
C a he exterminated- and et a ml ^^^^^^^ ^^.„, „„

^^^ . y,e preserved n the .^ ^^^^ ^.^^^.^^^^ f , „ oxe^

en. ugli for specimens, the a^^ ,eserved. hut onlj; to the
Z^ large game -^^^^ J^ ^nt acted upon General
same extent. Had ^^^^;.^^;^„,,ae some years ago, to gie.db

^^^- {S^o^r ^;s^^=^

rJS trloSL; in a wild state^ ^,,„^^„

'""hI each white n'^V Tsflt i -no -' ml tnan; had he

riiK iniiKs i,i- i'ii:i.i> -^I'di;!:

.X.)

us, iind
II" we
V must
volnn
iUl iini-
nct, and
of its
;ome tlu*
consists

the Mis-
he gieiit
e conntry
years ago
uninbers
o-randest
voiUl. So
they never
years lias
. with but
duty, and
udest game
serve which
l)ut it is too
)ne. A few
., bnt only
\ for more,
t only to the
pon General
^ro, to greatly
itain district
ay other pur-
i collection of
jximating, at

Buffalo been
man; had he
more-huv or

no law — wi' sliould yet liavrhad llic uivjii lit-ids u|' |?i,son.
Would all nifii do so I'lom tins liiin' on. \\i- .slioiild always
liavt! Elk, Dt'.'i', Moose, and Caiiltoii. \]\\\ if mrii contiiiut'
lo kill everything llicy can i-each with tlieir I. mi!, whetlier
they need it or not; iC men are allowt-d to jiunt for the
market and for simply tlir skins of these noble animals,
then all of lliem will soon be extinct.

In conclusion, let me beseech all sportsmen to maintain
the dignity of tie* cral't to which tln-y Ix-long. and to exi-rl
all their intiueiice to elevate the standing of that craft and
to preserve our game and lishes. , , . , ,

Let any man wander through the forests, and It-t there
come wafted to his ears, ou the wings of the wind, swct-t
melody froni the throat of some feathered songsiei'; Id
him trace, through tht^ and)rosial leaves, the secreted
place of his serenader; yet, when he sees the bird, he may
not behold one I'espleiiderit in brilliant colors. clothe(l in
gaudy raiment, cloaked with feaiheis dazzling in their
sweeping or trailing beauty, but rather one modest in
appearaiu'e, subdued in colorings, l)ut whose lack of Inster
is more than balaiu'ed by the heavenly music that warl)les
and tremors, that pijjes and is lost in nu>urnful cadeiu-e as
its Hute-like tones vibrate and thrill delicionsly through the
woods. 80 it is with man. (Jlothing does not make a gentle-
man; gentility, if he possess it, is born and bied in him. and
asserts itself unsolicited; is ever on the surface, and, like
the gurgling spring, bubbles forth and is never-ending.

We are neai'ly all more or less barl)aiians. not in the
sense 01 lacking enlighteiuuent and iejoicing in the fruits
of civilization, but in <uir love for out-of-door lite and the
sports of the field; and when I lind a man who is not easily
drawn toward the pleasnres of the iield: who does not
rejoice in the opportunity to walk foi'th and conuiume with
Nature; who does not love to follow the I)anks of some
winding stream, and tempt tlie trout or the gamy bass with
his alluring bait; or to follow the baying hounds as they

U,UUAMK... N.-UTHAMKUirA.

' III '1 >

loct.'a to rngnilt into

N„t love Nature ?-tU. 1 "^ '- ^j^, .,and, lowennj;-

Bav, truly, tlu.t tlu« -;''"->^^ ,; \,. ,.,„,lu^;- for wealth itn
U; love <.f these things. u ^^^^_ ,,,i.,yn.ent <>

, mver and iuthieuce, has tcun l.o ^^^.^^.^^ ^,,,,u

S:\;; the greatest ^^^--S^^: l'!; e!^ as he hids t;s good-
Lnie.lear rn<-u<l ••y--;;;;'^;': .l.s eon.panionshiv lor a
Iwe-il'ter having lavoie.l ''^ '' '\.^^.. ,„it the greatest bless-
^e lalth, wealth, '-^lur I 1 '- the p.^-r. -ntld be
^ we eouUl bestow on ^ ;i^^,\,.ovhice oniearlv every
P;.fe.-t health. Y^'M -J ^^^' \' ,, ^u be found m the
nan to possess it U lu- ^^ ^^^^ ,,, ,oof of Imildings
^lu)l> the ofli<'e. the stou . oi entirety only m the

X bv man; it can be n'al>^-^^ ^ J ,,^, •, the earth is
:^; lipids, in the fovest^ ;.n t > - nt^,^^ ^.^^^^
Whedinsuiishine.(>rNvheuthei, ^^^^ aeparted

^ntle over tired" Nj^tu.; - J-^^ ^,^ ,,,,„ ..eense o^
^^'^^•^^'••"^^^^"^'"u^l^ah- 'I- verdure with her tears of

ai;;: wMej! gla^^- •''^^t^'but he ^vho loves the fresh-
A sellish inu.on -'^^;;d -; j-^.^, ,^.^ ,,iHsh. There is
nessof the tields IS no , n^j ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^,, i,, , „

a eharm wdiieh seems to «1;^' ^ ^,£ ^i,, tlowers, which

?1 e puritv of the liekls. m h. odo -^ ^^^,^^^ i^,,.,,^

d^^d^rom the ^>^- ;.ui ^ Ue..en ^^.. ^ ^^^^ ,

througii the -tarry night Joun e^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^,,„, ^,e
tiie heart of him who ^-^^'l^^, ,,,n who does, and 1
loves dogs or horses, ^how

^tm'

THE KTIII<>< OF FIKLD SI'oltTS.

577

rr hill

or in

hi imd

nhlt'is

l)l)lf—

lut's. it

i:is nt'K-

tlllfS of

I hike,
owt'viiig
niaii «'!ii\
liiii I'roiu
I'lillli, it^

ynit'lll of

'tell wish
us good-
lip for a
lest bh'ss-
would be
iuly every
md in the
[■ buildings
)uly in the
he earth is
it casts her
e ile\)iirted
: incense of
ler tears of

s the fresh-
li. There is
• the lii's, in
)\vers, which
r and lingers
id enriching
y of him, he
► does, and 1

will wfc in my prescnci^ oun who is kiu<l, grneroiis. and
bravt'; for one can not love animals and delight in (hrir
com[)anionsliip williout learning from llicm lessons of
nnseliisliness, and without, becoming himself the soul of
generosity. Still, we must admit, reluctantly, that there
are exceptions to this as well as to all other rules, and we
would not conceal the facli (hat there are so-called s[torts-
nieii who are sellish. These exceptions simitly provo the
rule we have stated.

Asat times that which seems most perfect in appearance
issiillie<l with hidden defects, so it is with siniie sportsmen,
it often takes years, in (he ordinary course of business or
social life, to liiid out a man's (laie nadire; but if you will
but cami) with him, hunt, with him, or (ramp wi(h him, on
sonitf noma<lic excursion for a few weeks, his real charac(er
will become as open and plain (o read and (o unders(and
as an open book when (he (hiy is a(< i(s brightest.

\Vere I to invite you (o my lioii.se, you would be an hon-
ored guest. All the sources within my power, s(j far as my
means ndght permit, would be brought I'oi'ward in order to
make yon I'eel that you were welcome, and that my aim
and desire wert» merely the gratilication of your pleasures.
The hospitality which one friend so gladly extends to
another, you would expect, niul I would accord you. Sup-
pose, however, 1 broaden the invitation, and, instead of
inviting you to my house, solicit you to enjoy, as my guest,
the pleasures yf my lields. Should there Im^ a distinction
in jny manner of tivatment of you, us between my house
and my lields^ Most assuredly not. Yet 1 have been
received with (he grea(est cordiality at a man's house, who
left nm under many obligations to him as I bade him good-
night, but who has chilled me, and canceled all the kindly
feeling I had for him, by Ids seltishne.ss on the following
day. Taking me to lields whei-e ganu! was [ileiitifnl, he has
shot throughout the day, taking lirst choic<i of ground and
of shots on all occasions, apitareiitly without the least com-
imnction of conscience, regardless of all etiquette or <'oin-
moii dHceiK^y.

H y„u were my ^-s,, '7/^ ..^ \uiV..n.n.-e whether

IthonleovMieia. ^;; J :Jhoh-e.thero,eUS,yoU

' ouUl lightly -usuh.' me a -^^^

tesH to In. siK.rlsmeu ""<l ^ " j^,,,,, ,ho..ting, n.l> then

;;.amg at then '''^>^'\;:^;, ';i e\,uds' tli,l>t. The., a

;;,,..st .,r his .but« ^-^'^'•^^* f ^,; l„vi..g aete.l the part ol
TueeU.sec.nl.eday^^Hlu.t at; ^^^^^^^^,,,^^

^ a :huoa..i ;>iv.is that a.a ..>^J-^^ ^,,,,, ,,,, ...n

nae. ot the luvl, -':^ ^'^j ;^:^i l,,.Ht to -...e eo....^
bagged by ilu'U' ^f ^f ' X7.twiee.l as ...a..y as the othei
lHi...l>KiH ot how they 1^1 '. a shot."
feller, who is ecmsiclered a "^^^^^^^^^^ ,^,,,,t with as su- h a
1 know ot no .>a- «- *^^^^^'* ^V, Ue closest allia.vce is tho
J.^..d yet,liaKe'^ Vi rem ' t;ntiyelai...s that^ be
one ;vbo lives at evf y^'"^,;^ .i, .othb.g mo.e <li.gasnng
Kills each .>ue tluit ialls. uuwitti..g»y lound ...

H .1 this-, a..d whi>.i a gei.tbi. uv ^.^^^^ ^. „ i,„„.

!!:rr::t:b;f^-t^--

'he lields may be b.'oad a - ^^^^^. ^^^.^^^j^ ,. ,,,,.u

■ tx:^^^^^^^^-'" '""' t;

i » Uta laok «f «'">''.'-'"''«" ,1 ^ur when «« tvigge.- IS
ir ao«n- 1 need ,o '•l'"'" ^'^ " u.uively ».es the .havse
t uUea it seems to hun th.it h ^^^^ ,,„,^ ^uows

f;:^'t .each its i"tf;f ;: - 'r MM; the.elo.e, the t,™

'rilK K'llllcs nl- IIKI.It >rnUlS.

' your

ifllit-r

, tlit'ii

IS yii

1(1 pro
.h ill-

'llfU, ill

liinl (tl'

iid.'f tlic

ivi! Itft'ii

count ly

\\U' olluT

IS »u« h a
ice is tiio
s that Ue
lis-iustiuj--
r iouiiil in
I for him.
HO liard to

hI wherein
pth enough
Hho(»tinfJ? in

which iiolli
It not only
ualities, but
The crack-
he trigger is
■s tlie cliarge
, and l<n()W8
ore, the true
i-cumstances,
I more inex-
^de made the

Huccessfiil slioi, iuiil tl, il liis own iiJMi \V!is niilriif. It is
such triviiil aels of sclfdcninl nnd generosity tli:it finlcurs
to the hearts of inexperieiici-d sliots ilicU' more .sUillful iind
expi-rienced hrotlieis.

Wlii'U ;i spnrtsMiiiii slions lli(> conrtesies in tlie fii>ld,
wiiicli lie siiould do inisolicitfd, :ind willi pridr mid |i|i-:is
ure, he is enlitled to uo rewiird foi merit, hut siiMidy cii'
ries out, tile lessons of unscilisliness which his ii.ssoci.iiioii
with Niilnre Miid witli gviillfinen h;is t:iiight him.

Wlieii you invite ;i friend to i)c your guest on ;i hunting
or lisliiiig trip, you iionor yourself with his prt'scncr. ^ Our
patii is i)l;iiidy l)efoi'e you, iiiid leads in only one diieciioii.
It is plainly yoiii- duly to make the (hiy on(M)f the lia[ipieHl
])ossil)|(' for liim. How best to do this, the circmnstanct's
of the case and your own geiiilcinaiily insliiicts should
teacli you. You should insist on his accepting (lir Hist
shot; and if he should l>e so iinfortunale as to miss, don't
add t(» his chagiin hy nying to hag the l)ird hcfore he has
fired his second barrel, but let him sho(tt again. I'ctter let
the bird go fret^ tlian violate th(^ (V)urtesit's of the craft.

As you enter th<Hield with him, tell hiin he is to shoot
first; then, placing him at your left - because most men can
shoot better at leftijiiartering birds tell him you will take
turns with him on straighl-auay birds, but he is to lire at
thost! going to the left, while you will take thosi; going to
the right. Should it haiipen that most of the bii'ds lly to
the I'ight, exchange i)Iaces, or insist that he take every allei-
nate shot going to the right. Human life is like a piece of
machinery— they both need the best of oil to make tliem
work snu)othly and successfidly; and there is nolliing
which attains its end with a man so e|fe(!tually as uciille,
unobtrusive, thoughtful i)references which ai'e delicately
tlirust upon liim. They may Ix^ small, but they show that
a man's lieart is right; and by showing youi' guest such
attentions and courtesies, (fveu for a day. y(ai make him
your friend for life.

The old saying, that "Two is company, and three is a
crowd," is true liere; for, in upland shooting, but two

m ^

lUU OAMK OF NOUTII AM

RUTCA.

^''' "" ,, wUev. tl.m. ure move tlum two

should hunt io^^.^tliev. ^^;^^^y ^,^. ,i,,.s, it cMUSos <-ou-

f>;ri:;ir!;;nS:ts::Cao.,una.^^^^^^^^

It woul.l b.' imrossibl ' V ;^ ^^,.Hunls. They ou.t^ht
Ptimiette vver.^ we to ludul^v in cluh v ^ ^^^i„,tu.n

■t^t 1 culled elub 1-^t., ;^ - ■-; ,,i,„nly th.
Um.tH; ior this i. the ^<^*'^;{^^'^^,,„,n gating of Ind,^
,,,,.t of then. 1 n.n ''IV ^ ^ ^^ huntingnnd

viduals lor the P'^'l^^'^^^^'^l^oF points, on g>une ol auN
deelaring the winners on . s u- ^ \ ^^^^.^ ,y. d l-^

hind. ^<>--!^-^!t r.e^" -<*-^' fovceOie lowe^
allows himseK o ^^^ J^^ ^^ .^xiety that his sule sh 1
,,-„„,,K to tluMr level, '^^ J „ unsportsmanlike nu-tUods.
.hM->y«tc>opt<,Heen e^m. >^'^ \^^,, ^,,..,,,1, .nd he -
Let him see a eoyj o ;" ^^^^^^ ^^.^ ,,,,., , i^gt i-

extremely l^nlde to forg i > th .^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^^.^^ ^, , ,,,
niate sport, his desire to gn ea ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^(. ^^, ,.

,,nd to iire at the eovey. l.r; - 1 .^.^^^ ,ongratulates

lot, looh« ^Hdttly ="- !^ l^X^ .ainea. Whenannvn
himself onthennmhern 1-^^ ".^^^^, ^^^^ ^ -, „nn.
..Hows the element ol pioht to ei ^^^ ^^^^^^ the nund,

v^^:; .veed, ana the des.re o ^^ ^u^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^,
null the eonscience and the »m a j-^n^otten the

"^^l: h>ve f.r Held sports ^^^^^^J^^J^^, .vho deserves

or the taking of ti^h ^ j^ |;.ist disnppearu^g,

()u. game, both large f ], ^"^^..'i,. directed to its pres-

— ^ Jtg, .Uet^- !- X; 1 e h.ri:ni::i^snhieient
shoots requires tlus<nMn.t,.d^^U ^^^^^^ ,,,, though

Peer, still in sig^^t-

TIIF. F.T.I res OF FIKLl) SI'OHTS.

Ill two

'S COVl-

■ks too

oiiulit
linalion
ily th.'
of iiidi
tiniriind
\ of iuiy
iiv, if Ih>

|(>, loWfVS

<i(l(' Hhall
iiu'tliods.

111(1 li'^ ^■•*
' of l<',L!;ili-
i>r its lilV,
)!' his pot
gvjitulntes
lien ii man
ny's hiiiii,
the luiii'l,
(., and the
vottiMV the
1\() <U'S(M'ves
\(> precepts
if IVatheved
[ Bi<r (lame

r.si

I have neither lii«' s\):\('i' nor ih-siiv to iMitcr into an chil)
ora'^ (iiscoiii'sc, y-ivin^' advicr to yoiiiiLi' inrii ;is to tlirir
duties atit'ld; but a <.i,'(Mitl('Uiaii is the same in (he licld as in
tlie drawinu'-rooin. and wlicn a man is found wlio is scltish
in tlie Held. (hMiciid upon it lie is so elsewhere, and in i)usi
nessdife will provi^ de('i(h>dly unpleasant to deal with

Many «••!' our greatest minds hav(^ foiiiul steadfnsi niid
undyini;: frieiidshi|) amonu" children of the forest; imtau^lit
they w(M'e, ami deprived of ordinary educational ad\ aniaues
— but the solitude of the wikh^'uess, and the purity of (lie
untainted and unpolluted lields and streams, imbued ilieiii
with honesty, u'enerositv. and freedoni from deceit. The
sportsman, then, will lind his ,n-re:ilest, happiness in the
open air, and his life wilUie prolon^fd and betliTed for ii;
aii<l as he waiKh'i's throuuh some shadx' dell, and feels and
knows he is alone, he notes tlie ,;()lden bars of sunlight
streamin,!!; through the clustering leaves, seals liims<'|f
beside some i;'ur,iiliii;j,' brook, and as the birds sin,n' sweelly
to him, solihxpuzes : "Naturt' never did beli;iy the lir;iit
that loved her. "Pis her privilege throiigli nil the years of
this, our life, to lead from joy to joy; for she can so inform
the mind that is within us, so imi»resswitli (pnetness and
beauty, and so feed with lofty thoughts, that neither <'\ il
tongues, rash judgments, nor the sneers of sellisli men. nor
greetings where no kindness is, nor all the dreary inter
cour.se of daily life, shall e'er prevail against ns. or disturb
our ciieerful I'aith that all which we behold is full of

blessings.'"

W. J 5. L.

sappearing,
I to its pres-
iinse.ir to a
. wherein he
led siihicient
M-en though
,1s of Elk or

^5|

III >>

:|| !

lit i

I t

'II

n ;

f 1

! f

1 I

I I

^^^^^

Repeating Rifles

Single Shot^fles

Repeating Shot Guns

A jw jvuijaiii^

OF EVER^

DESCRIPTION.

SALE EVERYWHERE.

For Eigfty-I""** • Pn

Winchester Repeating Arms U.

NEW HAVEN, CONN.

FOR

For eig»H»-P»»=

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Ot5

IRE.

send to

(^rms Co.