Jfi

\»s

xk

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

\

SPORTTO ADVENTURES IN THE
FAR WEST.

JOHN MORTIMER MURPHY,

AUTHOR OF " GAMBLES IN NORTH-WESTEHN AMERICA.

SAMPSON LOW, MAKSTON, SEA11LE, & KIVINGTON.

CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.

1879.
[All rights reserved J]

LONDON :

GILBERT AND RIYINGTON, PRINTERS,
ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.

PREFACE.

HAVING been a wanderer for nearly seven years in the Far
West, a part of the time being ere railways were known
there, and when very few whites, except the troops, were
found in regions which now boast of thousands, I devoted
particular attention to studying the fauna of the country,
especially the game, whether it was fur, fin, or feather.

My object in preparing this work has been to give the
general characteristics, the haunts, habits, and the best method
of hunting the largest class of game; and as my facts are
derived from personal experience, and from that of some of
the most famous scouts and hunters I met in the West, I hope
they may be found generally accurate.

The contests between men and the fiercer creatures which
are related were, when I do not speak personally, heard
around the camp fire or in the Indian's wigwam, and one or
two were culled from Western newspapers.

Having no desire to pose as a Nimrod, I may say that
some of my hunting was as much for the purpose of studying
ihejferfe nature, as for killing them, and that their lite was
frequently more pleasing to me than their death.

I have combined incidents in some chapters, notably, the
buffalo and the prairie wolf, my aim being to give some-
what similar experiences which might, perhaps, be interesting
when united, but tedious and unimportant if related separately.

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Hints to Sportsmen — Best game regions of the United States — Pro-
fusion of animal life — Advantages of the Far West as a hunting
ground — Best quarters — Inconveniences of farm-houses for largo
parties — Character of guides — Resent all assumption of superiority
on account of title or wealth — Anecdote of their independence of
character — Action and reaction — How to select guides — The hest
animals for hunting expeditions — Tents to he used — How and when
to pitch them — General instructions about camp life — What foods
and medicines to use — Bedding and clothing — Stoves — Fires and
how to build them — How to make a fire without matches — Lamps —
Best clothing for hunting — Treatment of boots — How to prevent
the feet from blistering — Moccasins and slippers — Rubber goods —
Underclothing — An antidote for fever and ague — How to prevent
the insect plague — Picketing horses — Necessity of vigilance — How
sentinels should be posted — How to detect the approach of objects
— Weapons should be convenient — Thieves — Best fire-arms —
Bullets — Breech-loading shot-guns for forest shooting — Woodcraft
— Lost in the forest — Necessity of observation — Value of a compass
— How to track or trail animals in tlight — How to procure water
— Telling the weight, si/,e, and movements of animals by their
tracks — Use of a field-glass — Qualities of a successful hunter —
Characteristics of best Nimrods — Difference between field and
target shooting. ..........

CHAPTER II.

The Grizzly Bear — Its haunts, habits, size, and general characteristics
— Fear of the human voice — Its great strength and courage —
Fight between a bear and buffaloes — The most effective means of
killing it — Anecdotes of men killed and wounded by it — Best
weapons for stalking it — Is said not to touch a man if he pretends
to be dead — Examples — How three Indians captured one — Great
warriors and grizzlies — Value of claws — Judge Blank brings a
live grizzly into camp in a new way — Grizzly Bill — Two Indians
treed — Subsequent death of one — A new mode of killing a grizzly
in the West — Its tractability and selfish nature — How Mexicans
capture it — Is frequently killed by hunters and sportsmen single-
handed — My first grizzly — A hunt after a grizzly with Indians —
I am treed — Death of a warrior — The funeral ceremonv — Tlu' bodv

1 CONTEXTS.

PAGE

subsequently devoured by wolves — A comrade ;tnd myself kill one
in Wyoming — A grizzly invades the camp — The midnight alarm
and hunt — I wound a cub and am chased by the dam — The retreat
— Indian anecdote of the affection of a grizzly for her young —
Horseback hunt with (Jreasers in California — Our trophies — Death
of a horse, and wounding of its rider — We lasso two cubs — Which
is the king of beasts, the lion or the grizzly ? . . . .2*2

CHAPTER III.

The Black Bear — Different varieties — Their haunts, habits, and general
characteristics — Affection of mothers for their cubs — Gravid females
never seen — Migrations of the bear — Character of its flesh — Its
game qualities — Abundance of the animal in the West — The best
dogs for chasing it — How to hunt it — Its acuteness of nose and
expertness in swimming — Captured by steamers frequently in
1'uget Sound — Why it is not hunted much — A hunt with Indians
— The scenes and incidents of a potlatch — Capture of several
bears — Tripped up while stalking a male — Explosion of gun — A
rude raft, a wild ride, and a collision with a barricade — A bad
ducking — I kill a bear and receive a bad wound in the arm — A
canoe trip and a hard bump — Reach camp and have my wound
dressed — Return of the hunters — An Indian festival — How Indians
cook young bears — I am mistaken for a bear by hunters, and shot
at — Anecdotes of men attacked by bears — A bear hunt which
results in being treed — The release, and death of the besieger —
How a doctor captured a bear — "Water versus courage — A public
singer and an imaginary bear — The remuneration given for keeping
his adventure silent. 51

CHAPTER IV.

The Cougar — Variety of its names — Size, weight, strength, colour,
and general characteristics — Its peculiarities when treed — How
farmers kill it — Anecdotes of its courage — A light with a wolf and
a bear- — Desperate struggle between a cougar and an unarmed man
in Oregon- — Two kittens captured — Death of the dam — A wild
cougar plays with a man in Washington Territory — His fright and
escaj i — An episode in Minnesota — My first cougar — A weird
funeral ceremony among the Digger Indians — Why the Calil'ornians
are called Tar Heads— My next capture, and another form of an
Indian funeral — A hunt in the Cascade Range — Death of a cougar
— My companion wounded — Legend of an enchanted lake — A
cougar cripples nn Indian — Dangerous character of the animal —
The best time for hunting it — A night hunt and its serious result
• — Death of two cougars — Other members of the cat family- -
Difference between lynxes and true cats — How to distinguish them
— Lynx hunts — 1 kill four in one month — Characteristics of the
genus — Lynx-hunting as a sport. ......

CONTENTS. Vll

CHAPTER V.

The Gray Wolf — Number of species — Difference in colours — The
size of the largest variety — Its courage — A pack kills two of our
dogs — Retaliation — Indians eat the wolf — Sagacity of the animal
in hunting — How a pack drives deer — Stratagems resorted to—-
Satellites of herds of buffaloes and antelopes — What wolves live
on — Useful scavengers — Their harmless character to man —
Famishing wolves attack an Indian — Result — Afraid of a child —
Yelps when wounded — Their size and character when food is
plentiful — How they are killed — " Wolfers," and their mode of
work — Their general character — Sudden wealth and poverty — A
lucky " wolfer " — A luint with a " wolfer " — His peculiar breed
of dogs — Their speed and stubbornness — Six cubs captured, and
two wolves killed — Pursuit of a coyote — Affection of a mother for
her young — How wolves run when pursued — Different breeds of
dogs tit for wolf-hunting — How it is bunted in portions of the
West — A spirited wolf-chase — How wolves act when trapped —
The future of wolf-hunting in the West. ..... ll:j

CHAFIER VI.

The Prairie AVolf — Origin of its name — Its position among the
Canidce — The connecting link between the large wolf and the fox
— Its burrows — Peculiarity of its barking — Its form and colour —
How it is looked upon by plainsmen — Where it is very abundant
— Hunting it on horseback — Its speed — Best dogs for hunting it
— Its numbers make it difficult to be hunted by one pack of hounds
— The heaviness of its brush — When it runs best — Best horses for
the chase — Leaves a screaming scent — Dashes after it with hounds
and horses — Kill six in one day — Run into encampments of war
parties of Indians — Rapid retreat — A severe fight with the red
men — A chase on the plains of the Columbia— The meet — Mongrel
dogs and their love of fighting — At cover — Start two coyotes —
The pursuit — Killed by Indian dogs — A mongrel greyhound brings
one to bay, and it is shot — I shoot one — Looking for my party —
A meet and a run — Surprised by Indians — Whites versus Indians
in the chase — Seven coyotes killed — Fun and confusion — Falls and
laughter — The relation of Indian dogs to coyotes — Their character
for hunting — Future of coyote hunting. .... 131

CHAPTER VII.

The Buffalo — Number of species — Difference between them — Its size,
weight, and measurements — The gigantic buffalo of prehistoric
times — Fierce aspect of the modern bison — When it is dangerous
— Courage of the male- — Social character of the species — Mothers
have little affection for the calves — Where the females produce
their young — An abatis of horns — Fight between a grizzly bear
and a small herd of bulls — Defeat of the former — A bull rescues
a calf from a pack of wolves — Another tries to protect a cow from
a hunter — Cows courageous sometimes — A mother charges a hunter

Vlll CONTENTS.

P.VOK

— Her late — A new mode of capturing calves — Lassoing calves —
Few live — Buffaloes in a state of domestication — Their stubborn
character — Favourite habitat of the buiFalo — Character of the
builalo grass — -Sufferings of the animals in winter from hunger —
How to tell a builalo ground —Wallows, and how they are made —
Whv old bulls leave the herds — Use of the buffalo to tbe Indians
— Future of both — The flesh of the buffalo — How it is dried — A
custom of the West — Eat all you want, but pocket none — How
the wolverine feasts on dried buffalo meat — Cunning and courage
— IVmmican — What it is, and what it tastes like — The most
delicate parts of the buffalo — Cows better than bulls — Vitality of
the animals — Worst place to shoot at — Best weapons for hunting
them — How old hunters kill them — Suggestions to novices —
American horses versus mustangs — Running fifty miles a day for
ten days — Opinion of old hunters — Faults of mustangs in running
buffaloes — How experienced hunters attack a herd — The various
systems employed for killing the buffalo — Great annual slaughter
of the animal — Hide-hunters — Indians dressed in wolf-skins attack
the buffalo — Why the}7 use arrows instead of fire-arms — Hunts of
the half-breeds of British America — The result — Indian hunts —
Driving the animals over a precipice — Mean devices of the whites
— How thousands are destroyed annually — Stalking — My first
hunt — The camp and the night alarm — A solitary cow killed for
luck — Chase after a calf — Lasso one and get knocked down — My
horse recaptured — Bucking — Shooting at antelopes — Stalking
buffalo skulls — Gambols of herds — Queer sportsmen — A dash after
a herd and what came of it — My first brush, and how I won it —
An alarm of Indians — The retreat — Suspicious horsemen — A blood-
less but blanching charge — Opinions of a party of Teutons about
jokes — The result to me of my day's hunting — A spirited chase in
the Republican Valley — Falls, and accidents- — Wolves and number
of quarries killed — A magnificent spectacle — A thousand hunters
and thousands of buffaloes in motion at the same time — A night
scene — Howling wolves and bellowing bisons — An alarm of Sioux
• — The retreat — Panic-stricken Pawnees. . 100

CHAPTER VITI.

The Moose — Its range in the West — Its form, haunts, and habits —
The rutting season — Cries of the animal — How males are lured
within rille range — "Calling" as an art — How to make a call — The
best callers — Young bulls easily inveigled — The best time for
calling — The moose as a browser — Difficulties in stalking it —
Acuteness of its nose and ears — How experienced hunters quarter
the ground — Its haunts in summer — Hunting it in winter — Dogs
and snow-shoes — The European and American species — How the
latter can be domesticated — Hide-hunters — A moose-hunt and its
result — A charge — Lost in the forest — Trying to find camp — A
welcome moose call — Rescued — A hunt on snow-shoes — Episodes
— Number of moose killed — Diilerence in si/,e and habits between
the eastern and western species — Large antlers — Moose-hunting
as an art. ...

CONTENTS. IX

CHAPTER IX.

PAGB

The Wapiti — Its range, haunts, habits, and gait — Fierce contests
between the males — How they may be detected by the " shaking "
—Courage of the elk — Two men charged by a couple in Oregon—
The escape — Novel mode of killing it in the North-west — Thousands
never saw man — When started said not to stop until it crosses
water — How herds run when in flight — Their speed and endurance
• — The elk as a roadster and saddle animal — Hide-hunters —
Great slaughter of the animal — Why hinds lead the columns — How
to hunt it successfully in the forest and on the plains — Dr. Carver's
great feat — The best weapons — How to shoot on horseback — The
most exciting run I ever had after it — Bagging a stag — Pursuit of
a hind, and why she was captured — Escape of a fawn — Surprised
by Indians — The assembly — Our plans and stratagem — A running
fight — Loss of the Indians — Find refuge in a chasm — Death of
one of our men — He is mutilated and burned to death — Our retreat
— Suffer from hunger — Loss of our camp and escape of the camp
guard — Where we found safety — A scalp dance — Unusual abundance
of large game — We kill sixty elks in Colorado— Lassoing fawns —
Visions of the sport 224

CHAPTER X.

The Mule Deer — Its haunts and habits — General characteristics —
Origin of name — Weight, size, and appearance — Why it is called
the jumping deer — Fire hunting — Herding of bucks — Hunting
with hounds — Stalking — Migrations of the animal — Large num-
bers killed by hunters — A hunt on the Bitter Root Mountains —
Wailing of squaws — A visit to an Indian cemetery — Disappearance
of the mourners — A retreat — Wolves — Sit up all night — Fear of
Indians — A visit from them in the morning — Our preparations for
their reception — Mutual recognition — The trapper's story — Visit
the Indian camp — The pipe of peace — Speeches — A buffalo dance
— Revisit the burial-ground — Mode of burying the dead — Mourn-
ing songs of wailing squaws — Change camp — Number of deer
captured, and how we bagged them — AVolves attacking a stag —
Kill five of them — Change quarters — Hunting does and fawns-
Why these keep to the foot-hills — Our success with them — Result
of five days' hunting — Another visit to the Indian camp — An aged
couple deserted — How Indians treat old people — Their i'ate . . 247

CHAPTER XI.

Thfi Black-tailed and Virginia Deer and their varieties — Range of the
black-tail — Misapplication of names — Size, speed, and jumping
power — Character of its flesh — Its abundance — Great numbers
slaughtered annually — Objection of pot-hunters to hounds — Best
kind of dogs for hunting it in the forests — Packs in the North-
west— Use of deerhounds — Where to find the black-tail — The white-
tailed deer — Its haunts and habits — Difference between it and the
black-tail when running before hounds — Its instrusive character
and abundance — How farmers keep it away from their crops —
Antipathy between sheep and deer — Fondness for salt and sulphur

CONTEXTS.

springs — Best weapon for hunting it — The spotted and white deer
— The former a great pet — The latter supposed to he a wandering
spirit by the Indians — Where found — The Virginia deer — Its feed-
ing grounds — Best time for stalking it — How to stalk it — The
dwarf deer — Its haunts, habits, and numbers — Different methods of
hunting deer — A day's hunting in the woods with hounds — Number
captured — A fortnight in the forest of Washington Territory —
Our camp and hunting experience — Extraordinary abundance of
fur, fin, and feather — Incidents of sport and camp life — Merry
times — Attacked by a buck — Lost in the forest — Actions of a man
when lost — How I reached camp — Excursions after fin and feather
— Homeward bound — A grand hunt ball — The ball-room and the
people — An original band — TheTerpsichoreans, and how they were
put through their figures — Ball-room scenes and repasts — A hunt
dinner — .Rambling ouce more — A pleasant reminiscence. . . 275

CHAPTER XII.

The Pronghorn — Its haunts, range, and abundance — Character of its
food — Its fear of woods — Its position in Natural History — General
characteristics — Strange growth of its horns — Its glandular system
— Is easily tamed — Sterility when domesticated — Its speed —
Coursing it with greyhounds — Vigilance of the animal — A herd on
guard — Best means of stalking it — Great curiosity of males —
Weeps when wounded — Twenty-four killed by one dog — A day's
coursing on the Laramie Plains — Lassoing fawns — The best dogs
for the chase — How experienced hounds hunt the antelope —
Stalking and its results — Playful fawns — Stags and wolves — Fate
of the antelope .......... 310

CHAPTER XIII.

The Rocky Mountain Goat — Position in Natural History — Its
classification — Supposed to be a goat-antelope — Its appearance,
haunts and habits — Character of its hair — Vigilance of sen-
tinels— Its nimbleness — Fear of the lowlands — Getting scarce —
Flocks in flight — First introduction to the goat — A march with
Indians — A stalk in the Cascade Range — Its result — Disappoint-
ment— A ram killed — Skin spoiled by a fall — A hunt in Montana
— Sharp terriers — Their use in stalking — Trophies and tramping —
Opinions of an old hunter on goat-shooting — A successful stalker's
faculties — Churinn<* soats — The use of doirs in hunting them . 3'J(!

CHAPTER XIV.

The Bighorn or Mountain Sheep — Its haunts and habits — Charac-
teristics required to hunt it successfully — Its caution and vigilance
— Order of a Hock in flight — Hunters' tales of its nimbleness — Pug-
nacity of the males — Contest between a wolf and a bighorn — Size of
rams — Measurement of horns — The rutting season — Flocks of old
rams — 15i^(. time for hunting them — Stalking exercise — A good
riih — Usefulness of a field-glass — Indian "Sheep-eaters" — IV m-
inican — .My first hunt— A' kill— Stalk a flock— Detected— The
assemblv — Result of a fusillade — Tedious chase after an old ram — I

CONTEXTS. XI

Ptf.l:

get butted over — A tardy capture — Flavour of wild mutton-cutlets
— Dogs for sheep-hunting — A hunt in the War Eagle Mountains
— Our success — A cougar scared — "Dancing" sheep — Bighorns
waiting for their leader — Adventure of the guide with a war-party
of Indians — Defeat of the latter . &V.J

CHAPTER XV.

Foxes very numerous in the West — Hunting clubs — Various species
and varieties of foxes — Difference between the American and the
European red fox — Size, colour, characteristics, and value of fur of
the prairie, cross, black, silver, swift, and arctic foxes — Difference
between the red and the gray fox — The latter trees, but rarely runs
to earth — A true woodland animal — Its food — Is being superseded
by the red species — The dwarf or island fox — Lives on insects —
F'earlessness and numbers — Cause of its diminutive size — Value of
fox-skins in commerce.

CHAPTER XVI.

Hares — Their abundance — The "jack rabbit"— Mark Twain's opinion
of its speed — Marvellous tales of pioneers — What constitutes an
Oregon mule — Coursing clubs — California greyhounds — Charac-
teristics of the water-hare — Swims like a retriever — How it escapes
its pursuers — -The swamp-hare — Its peculiar appearance — Measure-
ments— The Washington, prairie, California, wood, and sage hares,
and the smaller varieties — Peculiar character of Baird's rabbit —
The males suckle the young — Dissection by a surgeon — How
Indians and whites capture hares ......

CHAPTER XVII.

The Raccoon, Opossum and Squirrel families — Number of species —
How hunted — Two negroes and a coon-stew — Best way of shoot-
ing squirrels. . . . . . . . . . .

CHAPTER XVIII.

Haunts, habits, and mode of capturing the Wolverine, Mink, Fisher,
Marten, Ermine, Musk-rat, Skunk, Badger, Land and Sea Otter,
Fur-seal, Beaver, and Showtl — An unpleasant adventure while
after fur-seals — Enormous destruction of fur animals — Latest
statistics .

SPOUTING ADVENTURES IN THE
FAR WEST.

CHAPTER I.
HINTS TO SPORTSMEN.

Hints to Sportsmen — Best game regions of the United States — Pro-
fusion of animal life — Advantages of the Far West as a hunting
ground — Best quarters- — Inconveniences of farm-houses for large parties
— Character of guides — Resent all assumption of superiority on account
of title or wealth — Anecdote of their independence of character —
Action and reaction — How to select guides — The best animals for
hunting expeditions — Tents to be used — How and when to pitch them
— General instructions about camp life — What foods and medicines to
use — Bedding and clothing — Stoves — Fires and how to build them —
How to make a fire without matches — Lamps — Best clothing for hunt-
ing— Treatment of boots — How to prevent the feet from blistering —
Moccasins and slippers — Rubber goods — Underclothing— An antidote
for fever and ague — How to prevent the insect plague — Picketing
horses — Necessity of vigilance — How sentinels should be posted — How
to detect the approach of objects — Weapons should be convenient —
Thieves — Best fire-arms — Bullets — Breech-loading shot-guns for forest
shooting — Woodcraft — Lost in the forest — Necessity of observation —
Value of a compass — How to track or trail, animals in flight — How to
procure water — Telling the weight, size, and movements of animals by
their tracks — Use of a field-glass — Qualities of a successful hunter —
Characteristics of best Nimrods — Difference between field and target
shooting.

THE higher order of game animals are now so scarce in t he-
United States east of the Missouri River that sportsmen can
have little real hunting until they go far to the west of that
noble stream ; but if they would enjoy it to an unusual
extent they must cross the Rocky Mountains, for in the vast
area lying between that chain and the Pacific Ocean may be
found nearly every species of game indigenous to the North
American Continent, and several whose habitat is confined to

2 SPORTIXG ADVENTURES

that region alone. Among- the latter may be mentioned the
grizzly and black bears, the mountain sheep and goat, several
species of deer, besides cougars, wolves, foxes, and many smaller
quadrupeds. Of the entire area, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho,
Oregon and "Washington Territory, with their towering
mountains and extensive plains, dense forests and treeless
plateaus, are by far the best hunting-grounds, as they possess
all the elements of soil and climate necessary for the sustenance
of a large and varied faunal life, and their population is yet so
limited that it has little effect on the increase of thot/l'/w nature.
These countries can be approached in variety and abundance
of game only by the tangled jungles of India, or the impene-
trable woods of Africa; and as they, including Utah, embrace
an area of nearly six hundred thousand square rniles, or about
five times that of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, it is evident that they will afford a splendid field to
true sportsmen for many years to come. In their profusion
and variety of game birds and fishes they have no rivals in any
quarter of the globe; hence, it may be safely stated that the
entire region extending from California on the south and west,
to British America on the north and east, is without a. peer as
a recreation-ground for those who love the ecstatic excitement
of the chase, or the quiet, meditative pleasure of angling. The
advantages which the Far \Vest possesses over all other places to
the lovers of the rod and gun are, that the expense of reaching it
is comparatively small; that game is unusually abundant ; that
life is generally safe there now from the attacks of savages, fierce
animals, irritating insects, poisonous serpents or deadly diseases
by taking ordinary precaution ; that trusty and experienced
guides are easily procured, and at a nominal sum ; that an outfit
complete in every detail may be obtained in a town of any im-
portance ; that a rapid means of travel are always at command ;
and, finally, that no matter how irregularly persons may roam in
pursuit of game they are within a few days' march of civiliza-
tion, and the high ways of communication with the outer world.
Those who visit the country in search of the denizens of the
forest and the stream, the mountain and the plain, should, if
they wish to be unusually successful, or desire to satiate them-

AV THE FAR WEST. 3

selves with the delights of hunting and fishing, be prepared
to camp out, or take up their quarters in farmhouses some
distance away from large settlements. The latter is much
the cheaper plan, and may do well enough for single indi-
viduals or very small parties; but it has its disadvantages in
the fact that the surrounding country is hunted in a short
time, that the accommodations are often of a poor character,
and are sometimes difficult to find, for the owners of cabins
frequently object to receiving strangers, and especially those
from the city, who are supposed to be exceedingly fastidious
in their tastes, and, finally, the Nimrods are hampered in the
freedom of their movements and actions, and are never so
much at their ease as they would be if they were snugly
quartered in their own tents or waggons, or even extended under
the umbrageous shelter of a spreading tree. The inconvenience
is all the greater if persons are accompanied by dogs, horses,
and a large hunting paraphernalia; but if not, and they only
desire a few days' hunting or fishing in a place, and they do
not care about making very large bags, a farmhouse may afford
them all the comforts they want, and will at least save them
no small sum for camping outfit and the means of travelling.
Some of the guides in the country are prepared to accom-
modate a few followers of the chase; but it is often the
case with them that familiarity breeds contempt ; hence
they do not work so well, in many instances, as they
would if their proteges were less familiar with them. One
word may be said here of these Western guides, and that is,
that they will bear no high-handed dictation or any assumption
of superiority over them by those under their guidance, and
though they may not resent it personally, they will in many
other ways, by causing a person's hunting exploits to be few
and far between, and to make him tramp many weary miles
over rugged mountains, through precipitous canyons, and
over tiresome plains, for no other purpose than to thoroughly
fatigue him, so that he may be glad to take a rest the next
day. If he is kind, genial, and open -hearted, however, they
will do almost anything for him, and will leave no effort
untried to make his experience of the chase as pleasant as

n 2

4 SJ'OKTLYG ADVENTURES

possible. I remember meeting- a party of English tourists
once in Nebraska who were out on a buffalo hunt, and although
they were travelling1 three clays and had met herds of buffaloes
every day, they were not able to get a shot at one; but, with
characteristic pluck, they were still following the moving1
throngs, hoping to be able at some time to have a dash on
horseback after them. As they had two good scouts and
some experienced waggon-drivers with them, I was rather
surprised at their ill-luck, but my surprise ceased when I spoke
of the matter to the leader of the expedition. His explanation,
which was made with many expletives, and in exceedingly
vigorous lang-uage, was, that the tourists, who knew nothing
about the business on which they were engaged, were constantly
dictating to himself and his companions what they should and
should not do in the most frigid and supercilious manner;
that they never spoke to them except to give some command
or make an impatient inquiry ; that they kept entirely to
themselves both in camp and on the march, and never once
offered to share the contents of their flask with them ; that
their English servants were even as consequential as their
masters, and evidently looked upon them (the guides) as
barbarians and mudsills, and would obey no order unless it
came from "mawster;" and, that all, when by themselves,
were overheard running down the country in every way.
"T'aint likely/' was the scout's comment, "that we're going

to trouble ourselves much about of that sort, so we drive

the buffaloes away before they get up to Bill and myself; and if
they keep up their foreign style as they have done, they won't
get any nearer to a buffalo than the}' have so far for the
fortnight for which they engaged us." As two friends and
myself were in the region on a buffalo hunt, we asked the
gentlemen to join us for a day or two if they wished, and to
leave their teams and guides in camp, and we hinted that
they could kill all the animals they would care to; but they,
in a fro/.enly polite manner, refused our invitation on the
ground that they had their own tents and guides, and could
not accept favours from unknown strangers. AVe became
frozen ourselves after that assertion, inasmuch as we thought

IN THE FAR ICE ST. 5

it to be too egotistical in manner, so we left them at onee,
and on returning1 to town a week afterwards heard that
they had come back without killing- a buffalo, although they
had seen them in immense numbers.

I met the same party subsequently in Wyoming, and all
expressed themselves delighted with their luck in that region,
and some became as enthusiastic as their temperament would
permit them in describing the quantity of game they had
killed, and the wonderful scenery of the country. Their good
fortune was due, however, to their former experience, for they
soon learned that Western men cared very little for mere titles
or wealth, and paid no more personal respect to their owner?,
when they were arrogant, than they would to the simplest citi-
zen. They were, in fact, sometimes spoken of in the most dis-
respectful manner in their own hearing ; and this taught them
that they were not of as much consequence as they deemed
themselves to be, so accepting the facts, they made themselves
as agreeable to those who accompanied them as cultured gen-
tlemen could, and the result was such an amount of pleasure
and successful hunting as they had never anticipated. I men-
tion this incident for the purpose of showing how differently
foreign tourists are treated by those very independent guides
when they, in the language of the latter, "put on lugs," and
when they are genial and act the part of " hail fellows well met."
In selecting guides for a protracted hunt, a good plan
would be to make no contracts with them, except for their
personal services, and to obtain waggons, horses, and mules
from other parties, as the former often charge unusually heavy
prices for their teams, and furnish the poorest animals in
their herds in the bargain. The majority, however, are
honest, and will do all in their power for their patrons,
but these are generally off the highways of travel, and
are themselves ardent followers of the chase. The services of
a good guide ought to be obtained for two or three dollars per
day, and if an Indian, for one dollar; and a team and driver
ought not to cost more than thirty dollars per week, or five
dollars per day. If it is intended to continue the hunt for any
lengthened period of time, the best method would be to pur-

6 SrOKTIXG ADVENTURES

chase whatever waggons and animals may be needed, as they
can be sold again when the season is over for nearly as much
as they cost in the first instance. Good mustangs can be
obtained at from fifteen to sixty dollars each ; but mules are
dear, they being rather scarce beyond the Rocky Mountains.
In the majority of cases it would be better to use pack animals
for transporting the baggage, as this gives greater mobility,
and they can traverse mountainous regions which waggons
cannot even enter. For travelling over hills or any rugged
country mules make the best riding animals, as they are hardy,
patient, and sure-footed ; but a mustang or an American horse
is better for the plains, its gait being much more easy and
regular than that of the long-eared quadruped.

The best tent for camping purposes, during the summer at
least, is the wall tent with ily attached, as that is convenient
to pitch, easily folded, can be readily ventilated during sultry
weather-, and is of a shape that enables beds to be put up with
little trouble. It should be made of duck heavy enough to
keep out rain and the fierce rays of a noon-day sun; and poles
for it should always be carried along, as their weight is
nothing in comparison to the delay and annoyance of cutting
new ones at every encampment, even where wood is plentiful ;
whereas in many places it is so scarce that not a vestige of it
is visible for miles. In selecting a camp the first requisites
are that wood, water, and grass should be convenient, if it is
intended to remain there any length of time; if not, the
second element is the first matter that should receive attention,
and all others, except personal safety, should be sacrificed to
it. It is, fortunately, plentiful enough in the hunting regions
west of the Koeky Mountains, and if it takes its rise in a
granite formation it never runs dry. When a tent is pitched
its back should always be towards the wind, if there is no
shelter convenient ; but if there is, advantage should be taken
of it. It should occupy, if possible, a knoll or the crest of sloping
ground, and if a storm is threatened a trench a few inches
dcej) should be dug all round it to drain awav the rain ; and
the earth ought to be placed against the lower part of the
sides to prevent their bein^ lifted up by the wind or saturated

IN THE FAR WEST. 7

with water. On a mountain it ought to occupy the lee of a
rock or a bluff, and in a forest should be placed amidst the
shrubbery, for if pitched under a tree the latter is liable to be
hurled down by a fierce gust of wind and to do the occupants
some injury. This rule does not apply, however, to the dense
woods of Oregon and Washington Territory, as wind storms
are rare in that region, and the most violent that ever
blew seem incapable of tearing up the arboreal giants that
cover the ground there for an area of many thousands of
square miles.

If the camp is located near a river, care should be taken that
it is not inundated during the freshets which occur in all of
them in May or June, and in many of them after a heavy
rainfall. To provide against such an accident it should be
established some distance away from the banks, and, if possible,
on sloping ground or a crest. No hard and fast rules can be
followed in all cases ; hence, persons must depend on their own
judgment as to where it would be best to pitch a camp; so
the precautions given are only to suggest that where it is
convenient they might be followed to advantage.

It is necessary that persons should make themselves as
comfortable as they can in camp, if hunting would not become
a toilsome labour instead of a buoyant, virile pleasure. I
would therefore intimate to sportsmen to take as much variety
of condensed food with them as they think necessary for the
trip, for it is not only palatable but it is almost necessary to
health, and is, besides, exceedingly portable. Condensed milk
and coffee, pressed tea, sugar, self-leavening flour, dessi-
cated eggs, some canned fruits, crackers, pepper, salt, and
onions, pickles, ham, pork, beans, and potatoes, should form the
larger portion of commissariat of all expeditions, and when to
these are added edible wild roots and herbs, and succulent
fresh meat and delicious trout, a party may live as happily in
the wilderness, and thrive better than if they were quartered
in the best hostelry in the world.

The cooking utensils should include a kettle, a frying-pan, a
pot, a broiler, and a tea-pot, and the table appendages should
embrace tin plates, tin or plated cups, knives and forks, spoons,
a pepper and salt box and a syrup caddy ; and the whole,

8 SPORTING ADVENTURES

when not in use, should fit into a compact kit made of tin
or wood.

If an open fire is used for cooking-, it should always be built to
the leeward of the tent, to avoid accidents; and if the wind is
ba filing and blows the smoke and sparks in every direction, it
ought to be made in a hole dug in the ground. Two pieces of
wood having a crotch at one end, and placed at opposite ends of
the fire, with a cross stick connecting them, make an excellent
crane on which to suspend a pot for boiling; and if one is
hungry and wishes to satisfy the craving of the appetite at
once, he may do it by thrusting a sharp-pointed bit of wood
through a piece of meat and holding it in the blaze for a few
moments. A slice of venison cooked in this manner, and
sprinkled over with pepper and salt, makes a delicious tid-
bit, as the juices are retained in it.

In camping out one should carry four heavy blankets for bed-
ding, as the nights in the region adjoining the Pacific Ocean are
always cool, owing to the rapid radiation of heat after sunset,
the result of the absence of clouds. Some people prefer to sleep
on the ground rolled up in their blankets, and with their feet
towards the five, to the softest couch ; but I have found that a
bed or a hammock is the most comfortable, and the safest also,
as its height prevents snakes and other crawling things
from becoming1 unwelcome bedfellows. An excellent, con-
venient, and exceedingly portable bed, which can be rolled up
into a very small compass, is now made in New York specially
for cam]) purposes, and this I found to fully supply all the
requirements of such an article, as it has a gentle slope from
head to foot, so that one does not need a pillow, and it may
be set up in less than a minute.

I have also found an air-bed made of rubber verv convenient
when 1 coulo" not pitch a tent and was compelled to sleep on
wet ground, but 1 thought it too heavy for transportation,
unless I was travelling by canoe, and my cheeks often ached
in trying to fill it. It has its advantages, however, and if a
person had the means at command for carrying it, he would
find it a matter of difficulty to get any bed to equal it in com-
fort, it being both M>ft and waterproof. If one must sleep on
the ground, a rubber blanket should be placed upon it to keep

IN THE FAR WEST, 9

out the dampness, and with another over the woollen blankets he
may repose soundly even while the rain pours down upon him.

The most comfortable means of keeping warm in a tent
either night or day, and also the readiest for cooking food, is
to use a neat camp stove made of sheet iron, which has a
length of about two feet, a breadth of thirteen or fourteen
inches, a height of, say, fifteen inches, and contains an oven
nine or ten inches in length, and occupying the whole width
of the apparatus. There should be two holes in the top for
kettles, and their covers ought to be saucer-shaped to prevent
them from being warped by the heat. The pipe should be
made in small sections, for the sake of portability, and where
it passes through the tent the hole should be protected by a
plate of sheet iron or tin, to prevent the camp from being set
on fire. This will not only keep the tent heated in the
coldest weather, but will minimise the danger of a conflagra-
tion from vagrant sparks, and will enuble a person to cook
several dishes at the same time. Those who have used it
would scarcely do without it, as it makes camp pleasant on
the rawest and dreariest days and nights, and it is almost a
necessity to the culinary department. All hunting parties
should carry one at least, and they would soon learn to prize
it at its full value. It need not necessarily do away with the
open-air fires, as the latter are often useful in keeping skunks,
wolves, bears, flies, snakes and other prowling creatures away
from the camp, and persons may, as of yore, seat or stretch
themselves on the ground beside it, and relate tales of dangers
passed and adventures by Hood and field.

To make a good fire of this character, a back log, or perhaps
three or four of them piled one on the other, and retained in
their position by stakes driven into the ground, is needed ; and
two or three large stones should be placed under the fuel in
front, in order to give it the draft necessary to cause it to burn
freely. The Flat-head Indians make one by placing the butts
of the logs in the centre and resting them on one another, thus
giving them a pyramidal form; and under these they place moss,
bark, and twigs, which burn rapidly as soon as they are set on
fire, and as they communicate their heat at once to all the wood

10 SPORTING ADVENTURES

above them, the result is a splendid fire in a very short time.
Not having any matches with which to ignite the fuel, the
red men frequently do it by firing- powder into dry moss, punk, or
grass, and waving1 it back and forth in the wind until it burns
freely, or by revolving- rapidly between their hands a piece of hard
wood inserted in a small aperture cut in dry, soft wood. They
can obtain a fire by the latter means in less than a minute
sometimes, but in many cases it takes much longer, especially
if the material is damp. As wood is always wanted, every
camp should have an axe; and a hammer, saw, anger, nails,
rope, twine, and needles will be found useful. A lantern is
also a necessity; and a mechanical lamp which burns any
kind of oil, and does not require a glass chimney, will be
found exceedingly convenient on some occasions, especially if
reading- at night is any pleasure, and it is, for one frequently
gets weary of the same class of tales when repeated too
often. This lamp can also be used for cooking a steak, or
boiling a tea or a coffee pot, which it dues in a few minutes ;
and as it cannot be blown out by any ordinary breeze, and the

011 cannot be spilt, it is well adapted to tent life.

Persons should always carry a generous supply of matches,,
and to preserve them from dampness they ought to be packed in
a bottle or a rubber bag, for they are very precious things when
the place where they may be purchased is many miles distant.
Soap and towels should also be abundant, especially the
former, for a bath in the limpid stream after a hard day's
toil is a luxury indeed, and if taken in the morning it acts
both as a mental and physical invigorator.

The clothing of a hunter who would be successful ought to
be of a dull, neutral, or pepper-and-salt tint, so that animals
may not be startled by the presence of any unusual hue, and
that he may the more readily conceal himself in timber, on
the prairie, or amid mountain crags. Light colours are better
than very dark ones, as the latter contrast strongly with the
ground or foliage, and are therefore more readilv seen ; whereas
a drab, a butternut, or a light brown can scarcely be distin-
guished at any distance from many natural objects in the
surrounding landscape. l\»r working in the woods in spring

IN THE FAR WEST. u

or summer, the former tints are preferable to all others, but
ibr the autumn, or even for mountain shooting1, the " pepper-
and-salt " cloth, or some kindred material, is by many persons
deemed the best. The clothing worn should be made loose, so
as to give ample freedom of movement, and the older it is,
consistent with comfort and appearance, the better it is, for one
does not care for it then so much, and he " roughs " it without
any compunctions of conscience about a tailor's bill; and if it
should get torn into shreds he feels that he has not lost much.
Good heavy boots or shoes are indispensable for long-
walking or heavy climbing, and they, also, should be free
to the feet, so that they may not blister them, or produce
heart-aching corns, which always pinch most when most
inconvenient. Should the shoes get wet, the soles and uppers
ought to be oiled well with castor-oil before being dried ; and
should they blister the feet, the inside of the stockings should
be coated with common yellow soap, and this, when repeated
a few times, will both harden the pedal extremities and
prevent them from blistering for many weeks at least. An
extra pair of boots or shoes should always be carried, also
slippers or moccasins. The latter, if smoke tanned, are, in
my estimation, the best, as they are easy and pliable to the
feet, do not harden and shrink after a wetting, and may be
used even for travelling over a country where rocks and briers
are not common. An overcoat, a rubber cape and leggings, and
a rubber blanket or two should form a portion of every Nimrod's
wardrobe when out in the wilds, for the former is often useful
even on summer nights, and the latter are necessities during
the prevalence of a rain storm, or to act as preventives
against the dampness of the ground or the atmosphere, if
one is compelled to sleep in the open air — and he often is, or
he sometimes wishes to do it. AYarm underclothing is a
necessity, even if the outer is light, and should be made of
flannel, to prevent the too rapid cooling of the body after
great or severe exertion; and in order that it might be always
lit to wear, that, and all other materials of the wardrobe,
should be carried in a waterproof bag.

As the majority of people, no matter how robust they may be,

12 SPORTING ADTENTCRLS

arc sometimes liable to light attacks of illness, it is fair to infer
that those who cross the Rocky Mountains in search of fur, fin,
or feather, may, at one time or other, become indisposed, owing1
to a change of climate, water, or some other cause; it might,
therefore, be well to suggest to them to take some simple
medicines with them, so that they might be used promptly
in case of need. These may be confined to a few cathartic
pills, a diarrhoea mixture, a diuretic, sal volatile, salve, court
plaster, sweet oil, a bottle of ginger, and the fluid extract of
hamamelis to allay the irritation of fly bites, and to bathe
contusions or slight wounds with. Should such a calamity
occur to a person as to be bitten by a rattlesnake, a generous
dosing of whiskey until he is drunk is the only effective
remedy against the poison, and that is thoroughly effective;
hence the extract of rye, wheat, or corn is no unimportant
part of a campaigner's pharmacopoeia. Hot lemonade is an
excellent preventive of fever and ague, a fact which I have
thoroughly proved in several cases ; and if it is mixed with a
strong dose of good Holland gin it may banish the disease
within a few hours. A wine-glass of this mixture taken
twice a day acts both as a tonic and as an opponent of that
most disagreeable malady ; and I am free to say that few
persons who try it will find it ineffective.

Fly bites may be prevented by applying a light coating of
tar and sweet oil to the face and hands; and if disturbed by
flies around the camp fire, one should move to the smoky
side, but if he uses tobacco he might light his pipe on any side
and enjoy the pleasure of hearing their song while he knows
the}' dare not come near him.

To avoid fleas, boughs of trees should be used for a bed on
the ground instead of hay or straw, and all dogs should be
banished the tent and forced to keep in their own domiciles,
if they have one, if not, to lie around the fire or in some
extemporized shelter.

In taking care of horses it is necessary that they should be
hobbled with side lines, or picketed, while grazing, to prevent
them from straying away or being stampeded by any cause.
The picket ropes lor each animal should be thirty or forty feet

IN THE FAR WEST. 13

long1, and be attached to an iron ring in a stout leathern head-
stall, and to a swivel ring- in an iron pin which is driven almost
to the head in the ground, and so firmly planted that a horse
in its wildest terror could not withdraw it.

A strict watch should always be kept over the animals, for
there are thieves, both white and red, in some portions of the
region, who would not hesitate a moment to steal them if it
could be done without actually risking their lives. This state-
ment is true to only a limited extent, for there are other parts
of the country where they might be left for years and no person
would probably molest them. Vigilance is, however, a virtue
which will be well repaid there, and it should be exercised to
the fullest extent. If encamped anywhere in the vicinity of
an Indian settlement, a guard should be mounted at night and
kept up until daylight. The reliefs might be changed every
two hours, and this short time, even if there is no danger, could
be employed to good advantage in keeping the fire burning
brightly, or in preventing the intrusion of thieving quadrupeds.
Sentinels wishing to note the approach of objects can do it best
by lying on the ground, face downward, and looking towards
the horizon ; and by applying the ear to the ground the
advance of bodies can be heard when some distance away, and
after a little experience their character and route may be
pretty accurately surmised.

A guard should never stand up in sight of the camp when
on duty at night, as he is more likely to be seen by foes than
he is to see them ; and he ought, if possible, to be placed on
some crest overlooking as large a tract of country as it is con-
venient to survey, or take up his position in a tree. lie should
be under shelter where it is available, and he ought never
expose his full outline in any case. In a region where Indians
are very active or threatening, the guards should be increased,
the animals picketed in camp or tied up every night, the wag-
gons placed in such a manner that they could be used for cover
in case of attack, and the camp so situated that it could be
assaulted only at a serious disadvantage to the assailants. It
should be protected as much as possible by crags, bluffs or
woods, for though it may be safe from the red men, it is often

1 4 S/JOR TING A D J 'EXTUR ES

endangered by the causeless stampede of terror-stricken steeds,
which gallop madly over everything-, from tent to man.

Weapons should always he kept ready for prompt use in
case they might be needed ; and every man ought to know at
once where to place his hand on his own, even in the darkness.

All these precautions may be unnecessary, yet it would be
well to pay some attention to them when parties are camping
out, and are traversing new or dangerous ground, as a detach-
ment of white or red thieves might consider a raid upon a
camp a profitable enterprise, and nothing proves so efficacious
an antidote to their avariciousness as a few prompt and well-
delivered bullets. In ordinary hunting expeditious there is
very little danger of being attacked by anything fiercer than
a wounded animal, and that in very rare instances, so that,
except under very unusual circumstances, life is as safe there
as it would be in the heart of a great city — if not safer.

Sporting dogs of all kinds can be utilized in every quarter
of the country ; but the most valuable are pointers, setters,
and hounds. The greyhound can be employed in coursing
hares and antelopes, the deerhound for following on open
ground the lordly elk, burly moose, or swift and cunning
white-tailed deer, the terrier for routing foxes and badgers
from their burrows, or measuring its strength against them in
deadly combat, while the beagle, harrier, fox and otter hound
will find all the work they wish to do, and more than they
may care for, almost every day in the year.

The weapons required for the chase in the region are a rifle,
a breech-loading shot-gun, a heavy revolver, and a good hunt-
ing knife. The rifle should be of large calibre, not less than
forty-five at least, and its trajectory should be as flat as pos-
sible, for in shooting at rapidly moving game one cannot stop
to elevate the rear sights, and even if he did, he might raise
the wrong one in his hurry and excitement and shoot either
over or under the quarry. It is, besides, a difficult matter to
estimate distances in that country, even with an extensive
experience, owing to the clearness of the atmosphere, which
causes all objects to seem nearer than they actually are. For
shooting on treeless plateaus at a distance of -300 yards and

IN THE FAR IVEST. 15

under, I have found the Express rifle to be the best of arms, as
I used the same sight, with the exception of its being a little
coarser, at objects 150 yards away that I did at those only 50,
and I found very little difference between my accuracy at both
ranges. The double Express has one fault, however, and that
is that both barrels do not shoot with equal precision, and, in
hunting, a person sometimes forgets which barrel he is shoot-
ing, so fails to allow for its peculiarities, and the result is often
a serious miss. A single-barrelled weapon is devoid of this
fault, but then it is not so convenient as the preceding,
especially where one desires to plant his bullets rapidly in the
body of a running animal that may get out of range before a
second ball can be inserted and aim taken. The former, even
with its failing, may therefore be said to be the better of the
two. I have found the Winchester magazine or repeating
rifle very convenient for general shooting, but that also had
its faults, not the least of which was that the bullet would
sometimes "tilt as soon as it reached the breech from the
magazine, at seemingly the most critical moment, and ere it
could be extricated and placed in its proper position the game
would probably be out of sight. I was compelled to leave a
buffalo hunt on two occasions on account of this serious defect
in its working, and I have several times lost a deer through
the same cause. Another fault that it possessed for shooting
heavy game was that the charge of powder it carried was too
small, and, as a matter of course, its driving power was not
great enough to give hard-killing animals a fatal wound ; but
it atoned in some respect for this by the rapidity with which
it could be fired when the magazine was full. I understand
that it has been improved very much recently, so the failings
I mention may exist no longer.

Some excellent single-barrel sporting rifles are now made
both in Europe and the United States which are quite accurate
up to four or five hundred yards, and carry powder and ball
enough to kill a large animal within that distance. These
are very useful weapons for hunting the grizzly bear, moun-
tain-sheep, wild goats and buffalo, which are sometimes
rather difficult of near approach, and such denizens of the

1 6 SPOR TING A D ] 7:,V TURKS

woods and coppices as the moose, elk, deer, black bear, and
cougar.

The most effective weapon that I ever used was a fifty-
calibre Springfield rifle which was resighted so that its point
blank range was one hundred and fifty yards. This was
almost as accurate at three hundred yards as it was at half
the distance, and I have killed a wolf with it nearly four
hundred yards away. As the greater number of animals are
killed within three hundred yards, a rifle that can be depended
upon up to that distance is good enough for all practical
purposes; but it should have no rear sights. Some hunters
west of the Rocky Mountains use a "buck-horn" or an ivory
sight ; but I have found that an ordinary sight, nickel-plated
at the inner tip, was equally as good, and was less liable to
injury if made rather long, and fastened well.

Explosive bullets are now used by some sportsmen in their
encounters with bears, cougars, buffaloes, and the larger species
of deer ; but, as at present made, they cannot always be relied
upon to explode when wanted, and they are sometimes rather
dangerous to the carrier. AVhen well made, however, and not
so sensitive as to explode on merely touching the animal, they
are not only comparatively safe but the most merciful and
effective missiles known for killing heavy game, as they
destroy them at once — yet I would not recommend them.

A very good word may be said in favour of the hollow
bullets, as they are certainly superior to the solid in making a
large wound and in paralyzing the game ; but they have the
fault of want of very deep penetration unless they are fired at
short range and with high charges of powder, one hundred and
twenty grains at least being required to give them force
enough to kill large animals at a distance of one hundred and
fifty or two hundred yards. Like the explosive shells, they
are also difficult to procure in the Far West, and this forces
one to cast them himself. That they possess decided advantages
over the conical ball at short ranges is undoubted; hence those
who do not care to try long shots would find them very effec-
tive, and would lose less game with them than they would with
the conical bullet fired with ninety-five grains of powder.

IN THE FAR WEST. 17

For forest shooting1 a rifle cannot be compared to a good
breech-loading gun charged with buckshot, as a single ball is
liable to be swerved from its course by trees and matted
shrubbery. One may fire at a deer with a rifle several times in
the dense woods and miss it, whereas he may tumble it over
at once with a dose of buckshot, as some of the charge is likely
to hit it in a vital part. The best gun that I know of is a
ten-bore, weighing from nine and a quarter to ten pounds,
and having a length of barrel of thirty-two inches, for that
can stop anything that runs in the forests less tenacious of
life than a grizzly bear, and it is equally useful for shooting
fur or feather.

I prefer good wood-powder to any other, as I have found it
to make a good pattern, to have excellent penetration, to be
cleaner than the ordinary powder, and to make less of a report,
and little smoke. The latter two characteristics are most
desirable, as the detonations do not startle game, and a person's
aim with the second barrel is not obscured by smoke.

Every sportsman ought to have some knowledge of wood-
craft and the characteristics of the animals he wishes to hunt.
The latter is necessary to success, and the former to enable
him to make his way through regions unknown to him; for
it is as disagreeable as it is a serious matter to get lost in a
dense forest or on a trackless prairie. In North-western
America, where settlements are often few and far between,
and there are no roads to indicate a person's course, it is almost
maddening to find yourself wandering stupidly about in an
aimless manner, and not knowing which way to turn to reach
camp or a cabin. I was lost twice in the forest and once on
the prairie, and I remember vividly how I wandered about,
now wading deep and rapid streams, plunging headlong
through marshes that threatened to engulf me at every stop,
clambering like a squirrel over felled and slippery trees and
up steep binds, dashing down precipices with the celerity
of a mountain goat, or rushing through heavy shrubbery that
lashed my face incisively with almost the ease of a startled
fawn. I was only a short distance from camp on these occa-
sions, yet I could not find it, although I moved around it in

1 8 SrOR TIXG A D I 'JLXTl 7vV:\V

a circle. One cause of this was that it was night, and that I
could not tell by leaves, trees, or footsteps where I was going;
I was therefore compelled to sleep alone in the lonely forest
and amid wild animals more than once — incidents by no means
pleasant. Had not my companions been better backwoodsmen
than I was, I would, in all probability, have been lost, for I
was in a portion of the forest where it would have been almost
impossible to track me, and where I must have died of hunger.
I learned from these incidents not to travel in unknown forests
without a compass; to take bearings of all the prominent
landmarks, and the peculiarities of the trees on my route ; and
not to depend on the sound of a horn to lead me to camp in a
region covered with woods and seamed by canyons, as the
latter cause an echo to sound in every direction, and to repeat
it from so many quarters at the same time that one gets
bewildered. I have been much in the forest since then, and
though I have sometimes had to grope my way through it in
doubting fear, yet, by carrying a compass, I was always enabled
to reach my destination in time enough to prevent any
apprehensions about my safety. It may be all well enough
for persons who know a piece of woods as well as they do their
own kitchen to smile at the caxition of those who carry a
compass to guide them back to camp ; yet I, for one, would
advise the sporting novice to pay no heed to their criticisms, and
to consider life, or even the danger of getting lost, of much more
importance than any idle ridicule; I would therefore never
move out without one, even if it were only for a distance of a
few miles, unless I was familiar with the country.

After some experience in woodcraft, and learning to be a care-
ful observer, one may find camp in the densest forest almost as
easily as he would in a glade. The first thing in starting out
in the morning is to note the position of the encampment and
its immediate surroundings, paying particular attention to any
peculiar or prominent landmarks, streams, tarns or rocks, and
the direction in which they lie from it. The region traversed
during the day, if one is alone, should also be impressed on
the memory ; or it might be " blazed " at intervals by scoring
trees with a knife, breaking the boughs of some of the shrub-

IN Till': FAR WEST. 19

bery, or dropping1 a stone here and there, so that they might
l>e readily seen in case the return was made by the same route.
A person ought also to carefully scan the principal trees and
remember any individuality they might possess, as, for instance,
on which side the moss grew thickest — generally the north,
and on which side the boughs were longest and most abun-
dant— always the south. If one thinks he is lost he should
retrace his steps as carefully as possible, and that he can
readily do in the woods; and if night overtakes him ere
he can reach camp, he should not get alarmed, but make
himself as comfortable as he can under the circumstances, and
wait for daylight to continue his work.

As the most cautious and careful of persons may sometimes
be compelled to make a temporary shelter for themselves away
from their companions, it would be well to always carry a supply
of matches in a pocket for the purpose of building a fire, as
that is useful in many ways, besides its heat and cheerfulness.

If the trail becomes indistinct it may be followed by raiding
the eyes and allowing them to glance a little way ahead, then
any impressions on the ground or leaves, or any disarrangement
of the grass and shrubbery is readily seen. The scanning glance
should be rapid, as the line is likely to become blank to the
gazer if it is looked at steadily for any length of time. Another
faqt that may be noted is, that wild animals — and as for that
the domestic also — run against the wind when startled ; and
if one knows from what direction that blows he mav be able
to extricate himself from his dilemma in a short time.

In the woods bordering the Pacific Ocean water is generally
abundant, so that a person need not sutler from thirst ; yet if
he should by accident be in a section where it is scarce, he may
obtain enough to allay his craving by digging a small hole in
a marshy spot, filling it with grass, then applying1 to it any
hollow tube and using the mouth for a suction. A refreshing
drink may also be obtained from maple or birch, if one has
only a knife with which to scar them. If one cannot find
water or camp by searching on the ground, he might be
successful by climbing a tall tree and surveying the landscape
before him. If he seeks the former, he may discover it by

e 2

20 SPORTING ADVENTURES

noting1 a break in the forest ; if the hitter, by the smoke of the
lire, whieh is nearly always kept burning. I have found a
good long lariat useful for climbing the gigantic- trees of the
Pacific, as the boughs are so high up and the trunks so thick
that no ordinary person can reach their summit without some
such assistance as the lariat gives; and it is exceedingly
useful for swinging at once out of the reach of an angry bear.

In trailing animals one may, after a little experience, tell
their size by the spread of the feet on the ground ; their
weight, by the depth of the impression made; the speed at
which they moved, by the intervals between the paces ; the
length of time since they passed over a spot, by the freshness
of the tracks; and whether they were startled or not, by the
condition of the grass, leaves, or soft ground.

If they have been wounded seriously, it may be detected by
drops of blood, or by the irregular and straddling character of
the gait ; hence it may be said that a habit of close observation
of the imprints on the earth will reveal to one the names of
animals that visit a region, their motives in travelling, and
their condition and numbers, almost as readily as if he saw
them before him.

All game quadrupeds should be hunted up wind, seldom across
it, and never down, as scent is to them what sight is to birds
and feeling to mankind. The best time for pursuing them is
the early morning or late evening, as they rest during the day.

A good idea would be to carry a field-glass. I have found
it of great use in many cases, and have seen game with it that
otherwise wonld be lost to us. This is especially true in hunt-
ing on the mountains and prairies, as many animals look so
much like their surroundings that, even when in motion,, they
cannot be seen at any great distance.

No persons should start out in the morning without partaking
of something to eat, even if it were only a biscuit or a cup of tea
or coffee, as any of these fortifies the stomach against the chills
of the morning, and prevents the nausea of hunger. 1 have
known several sturdy and enthusiastic sportsmen to be injured
by their habit of starting out at daybreak to kill something
before breakfast, not that it was wanted, but that they wished

IN THE FAR WEST. 21

to make their list large during- the trip or the season. Tlicv
may be able to defy the laws of nature for a while, but I have
found they were the first to succumb in the long-run.

To be a successful Nimrod one must be patient, cautious,
and persevering ; mere dash is of little avail except under
favourable circumstances, and they are not common in hunting
large wild animals. The best hunters that I have known
were exceedingly keen in sight and hearing, and were close
observers of the ground and the haunts and habits of animals ;
not that they possessed these qualities in any extraordinary
degree naturally, but that their constant exercise developed
them to the fullest extent. These men were not by any
means the ideals of the novelist — tall and thin, of an iron
frame and with muscles like steel springs ; nor were they so
taciturn that one could not get a sentence out of them except
by a great deal of persuasion. Neither were they always
indulging in hyperbole when they did speak, or execrating the
whole red race; many of them were, on the contrary, simple,
and unpretentious men, who were as sociable as men could be,
and who bore no sort of resemblance either in form, manner,
language, or expression, to Leatherstockings or any of his ilk.
They could not hit an acorn many miles away, nor did they
perform heroic feats in hugging a grizzly bear to death or
killing every animal they fired at, yet they could give an
excellent account of themselves in a hunt lasting a week or
two, or even a whole season.

Another thing may be asserted, namely, that the best shots
at game may be of no account in firing at a target. Both
systems are entirely different, for he who may be an excellent
long-range rifleman may be of no use in the field, and is
liable to be beaten by a man who does not know the first prin-
ciples, in theory, of rifle-shooting, and cannot tell a Vernier
sight from a sardine box. To be a successful hunter requires
practice more than anything else, but, of course, a naturally
good eye and the bump of calculation are valuable adjuncts to
practice; yet I am free to say that any ordinary person can
become a successful hunter in time, provided he has the
ordinary five senses and sound limbs, if he has practice.

SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER II.

THE GRIZZLY BEAK.

The grizzly bear- — Its haunts, habits, size, and general characteristics —
Fear of the human voice—Its gieat strength and courage — Fight
between a hear and buffaloes- — The most effective means of killing it —
Anecdotes of men killed and wounded by it — Best weapons for stalking
it — Is said not to touch a man if he pretends to be dead — Examples —
How three Indians captured one — Great warriors and grizzlies — Value
of claws — Judge Blank brings a live grizzly into camp in a new way —
Grizzly Bill — Two Indians treed — Subsequent death of one — A new
mode of killing a grizzly in the West — Its tractability and selfish
nature — How Mexicans capture it — Is frequently killed by hunters and
sportsmen single-handed — My first grizzly — A hunt alter a grizzly
with Indians — I am treed — Death of a warrior — The funeral ceremony
— The body subsequently devoured by wolves — A comrade and myself
kill one in Wyoming — A grizzly invades the camp — The midnight
alarm and hunt — I wound a cub and am chased by the dam — The
retreat — Indian anecdote of the affection of a grizzly for her young —
Horseback hunt with Greasers in California — Our trophies — Death of
a horse, and wounding of its rider — We la«so two cubs — Which is the
king of beasts, the lion or the grizzly ?

TJIE grizzly bear (Ursus IiorrilHis or fei'o.r} ranges from
Mexico in the south to British America in the north, and
from the llocky Mountains in the east to the hills adjoining
the Pacific Ocean south of the 42nd parallel of north latitude
in the west. In size, strength, and ferocity it is the monarch
of the American animal world, and even man himself has to
yield it undisputed sway in many cases. It differs from all its
family not only in ponderosity of proportions, but in courage,
fierceness, and intractability, and in being more strongly car-
nivorous, with the exception, perhaps, of the Polar bear. It
also ranks far above them in the enormous size of its soles,
the length of its claws, and the breadth and depth of its head ;
but it is inferior to them in length of tail and in the quality
of its fur and flesh. I have heard of some that attained a
length of nearly nine feet and a weight of thirteen hundred
pounds, but these were far above the average in size. I have

AV THE FAR WEST. 23

seen some that measured seven feet in length, and weighed
over nine hundred pounds when in good condition, and these
were thought to be rather large in the llocky Mountain region ;
but I should judge that those found in warmer climates, such as
Southern California, Arizona, and other places, were not only
larger but also fiercer than their northern kindred.

The forehead of the grizzly is broad, flattish, and nearly on
a line with the nose ; the ears are longer than the tail, and
are more arched and conical than those of the black bear ; the
legs are thick and very powerful ; the claws are exceedingly
long, ranging from two and a half to six inches, and project
some distance beyond the hair of the foot ; r.ud the foot has a
length of about eighteen inches. The claws are very sharp,
and so dense that they cut like a keen sabre when the animal
uses them ; and, to make them as effective as possible, nature
has made the fore claws double the length of the hinder.

The grizzly has an erect mane between the shoulders ; a dark
dorsal stripe from the occiput to the tail ; a lateral one on each
side along the flanks, but nearly concealed by the light tips ;
and the intervals between the stripes are lightest in hue. The
hairs on the body are a brownish-yellow, with hoary tips
occasionally ; the muzzle is pale ; the parts around the ears
are dusky; the legs are inclined to be darkish in hue; and the
tail is so short as to be hidden by hair. The presence of this
giant may be known long before it is seen, by the size of its
footsteps, and especially by their great width.

This is the bear of the mountains, as its congener is of the
forests and lowlands; yet it is not confined in its habitat to
rugged regions, but goes wherever food is to be found. It
is a denizen of nearly all the States and Territories west of
the Rocky Mountains, but it is not met further north than
the 42nd parallel on the Cascade Range, or about the junc-
tion of Oregon and California. It roams to British America
however in another direction, by following the lower chains
that trend northward from the llocky Mountains, and is as
abundant in some portions of that country as it is further
south.

It hibernates durin<r the winter in the northern regions :

24 SPOR TIXG A D I 'JI

yet it is not unusual to see an old male out in search of
food during1 the eoldest weather, but I doubt it' one ever saw
cnbs or gravid females. To encounter the animal during these
expeditions in search of pabulum is a dangerous matter, as it
will not hesitate a moment to attack anything living, from a man
to a mouse, and the one is of about as much consequence to it as
the other, for it can crush the former at once with a blow from
its powerful paw or the pressure of its massive jaws. It will,
in ordinary cases, avoid an encounter with man, unless startled
suddenly or cornered; but when it is hungry, angry, or suffer-
ing from petulance during the rutting season, it seems to lose
its fear of everything, and to be ready to fight without the
least provocation. When surprised, it rises with a deep, gruff,
bass-dmm-like "huf, huf," that recalls the giants of the fairy
tales; and when it commences an attack it charges vigorously.
Notwithstanding its clumsy form it can run rapidly, owing to
its enormous strength, and woe betide the man who cannot
then find a tree convenient, for that is his only refuge, if he is
alone, as the grizzly cannot climb, owing, according to the
assertions of the Indians, to the form of its claws. It can
climb trees when young, however, so its great weight may
have something to do with its inability to accomplish such a
feat at adult age. Should a man seek safety even in a tree he

O */

is liable to be made a prisoner for several hours, for the bear
will not, it is said by hunters, leave until night sets in or it
becomes hungry.

Should a person meet it suddenly when he is alone, he should
not run unless he could do so with some assurance of success,
for it is almost sure to pursue if it is at all within convenient
distance. The best thing in that case would be to try the
effect of a few screams, for, great and powerful as the grizzly
is, it is very much afraid of the human voice, and often flees
from it. It has been known to turn tail and run, even when
preparing to attack, on hearing the terrified screams of a man;
and I heard of a woman in Siskiyou County, California, who
caused a female grizzly and her two cubs to beat a rapid
retreat by shouting lustily at them when the former began to
show signs of being dangerous. An unusual noise of anv

IN THE FAR WEST. 25

kind is liable to alarm it, if it is not hungry; but such means
of driving it away cannot be relied upon, and the only efli-
cacious mode of circumventing it is to avoid an encounter or
to give it the contents of a heavy rifle. Even with the
latter, one is not always sure of victory, for it is probably one
of the hardest animals in the world to kill. I have known
it to carry away several ounces of lead and then outrun its
pursuers; and I knew one to be hit with ten heavy bullets
before relinquishing its spirit. This tenacity of life is accounted
for by its great strength, thickness of hide, powerful and
strongly resistant muscles, and the form of the skull, which
affords good protection to the brain.

Its strength may be inferred from the fact that it has been
known to kill two combative buffaloes in Montana, in about
as many minutes, by strokes of its huge forepaws, and subse-
quently to drag a heavy bull, which must have weighed at
least 1,200 pounds, a distance of several hundred yards, and
bury it in a hole which it excavated with its claws. It can
kill a man with one fair blow, and can crush him as it would
an egg-shell should he ever get locked in its embrace ; while
it can tear the hide off the thick-skinned buffalo with a sweep
of its scimitar-like claws.

I have heard old hunters say that the most effective way
of killing this western monarch is to shoot it in the chest
when it rises on its hind legs to survey an adversary previous
to advancing to the assault, as one is then almost sure of
reaching a vital part, or at least of crippling it so much as
to prevent it from running rapidly. A shot in the lungs is
certainly sickening, if not paralyzing, and is liable to produce
internal hemorrhage. A person should not attack the animal
with impunity, however, unless he is in company with others,
and is well armed, for it is as fierce as the lion when aroused,
and is far more dangerous, as it will pursue a hunter
vigorously, if it can run, should he wound it, whereas the
other is content with a bound, and, if it misses its object, to
wait and crouch for another.

The number of persons who have lost their lives through
their i'oolhardiness in attacking the grizzly at a disadvantage.

26 SPORTING ADVENTURES

or with poor weapons, id by no means small ; and were it not
for the faet that others sought safety in convenient trees when
pursued it would be much greater. A man in Northern
California who attacked the animal single-handed, and at
close quarters, was supposed to have been killed by it with a
single blow of its paw, for when found by his friends a few
days after, he was scarcely recognizable, as the flesh was torn
off the scalp, face, and chest; the ribs were crushed in, and
the arms and thighs were broken. Another man, who formed
one of a party of hunters who were out in search of deer
in California, encountered a grizzly suddenly while passing
through a coppice in which manzanita formed the under-
growth. The bear was eating the berries of this shrub, of
which it is very fond, and will travel far to procure, — and
strongly protested with muffled, thundering huffs, at being
disturbed during its meal. The hunter being dazed by the
suddenness of the meeting, and terrified by the growls, knew
not what to do at first ; but after a short hesitation he con-
cluded to face about and hasten out of the shrubbery, and
acting on this impulse he tore through it at his highest speed.
The bear, which had made no threatening demonstration
before that time, seemed to have been aroused into fury by the
noise and action of the fugitive, so after him it ran. The race
was a short one, for the enormous weight of the grizzly carried
all obstacles before it, and the man was overtaken inside a
distance of one hundred yards, and hurled to the earth with
one blow. The fall stunned him for a few moments, and
when he recovered his senses he found that he was being
dragged away by the arm, the bear evidently having decided
to bury him for future use. Though sick at heart from
the pain of his arm and his forcible passage through the
bushes, he concluded to keep quiet, hoping that something
would turn up to give him an opportunity of escaping, or, if
the worst came to the worst, to enable him to extricate himself
from a living grave, lie had been dragged along onlv a
very short distance when the bear came to a deep canyon, and
as it could not carry him conveniently down this steep without
changing its hold, it let go the arm and seized him by the

IN THE FAR WEST. 27

neck. This was too much for the equanimity of the stoic, so
he gave a loud and piercing- yell of terror, that rang all over
the coppice and was echoed and re-echoed in thundering tones
by the rock-bound precipice and the adjacent woods. This
unexpected alarm caused the bear to drop its prey suddenly
and to scamper away panic-stricken ; and to be sure that it
did not return, the hunter gave another unearthly yell, which
was thundered in every direction by the trees, shrubs, and
rocks. Wild with joy at his miraculous escape, he jumped to
his feet, but on arising he found himself so stiff and sore that
he could scarcely move, while his left arm hung limp and
useless at his side. Making the best of his way out of the
woods, he reached camp, and there fell in a swoon, which must
have lasted some time, as he could not remember anything
until he found one of his comrades bathing his face and
trying to arouse him. An examination of his body proved
that the bones of the forearm were broken, but that there
were no injuries on the back beside some deep flesh wounds
which bled freely, and the temporary paralysis of a few
muscles.

Using their rude surgery, the hunters stopped the bleeding,
and leaving him in camp, they started out the next day in
search of the assailant, and returned in the evening with a
four-year-old female dragging at the end of their lariats. As
she was supposed to have done all the harm, her head was cut
off and given as a trophy to the victim of her anger, and if he
is not now dead it adorns his cabin in Humboldt County.

A man whom I knew well was killed by a grizzly in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tie also was out in search of deer
in Butte County, and, meeting a bear, attacked and wounded it ;
then followed it into the dense shrubbery, where he must
have been killed at once by a sudden blow, for when found
he displayed no injuries except that the head was crushed, and
the scalp torn off by the Mamaluke cut of the claws.

I knew another who was so severely injured in a contest
with one that he is to-day a cripple, and can scarcely lift a
hand or a foot, while one eye is completely gone, lie also
wounded the animal, but was not able to escape from it; and

28 srOK TING A D VENTURES

were it not for the timely arrival of two companions he would
have been killed.

I heard of t\vo Piute Indians who were surprised by a
grizzly while out picking blueberries, and were killed so sud-
denly that they hardly knew what hurt them; and of a Black -
foot, in Montana, who was attacked on horseback by one, but
he, fortunately, escaped with only a serious wound, by desert-
ing his steed. The numbers of casualties resulting from
encounters with grizzly bears might be extended to a volume,
for many of the early pioneers of the Pacific Coast, who lived
by hunting or trapping, had an experience of them, and not a
few gave their life as a forfeit for it.

The incidents given will, however, show that it is no animal to
play with, and that unless one is prepared for a contest of life
and death he ought to give it a, wide berth, should he not
have a decided advantage in every way. To encounter it then
with any degree of success one needs the most approved
weapons, and they should be heavy enough to kill it at once,
or to give its nervous system such a shock as would deprive it
of all power to do harm. A hollow bullet fired from an express
rifle will often kill it immediately, if planted in a vital part,
but it is more likely to merely sicken it, or to incite it to mad
deeds of violence. A good bone-smasher is a heavy, solid, and
spherical bullet fired from an express ride. Shells are also
good ; but they are dangerous to handle, and are, in too many
cases, ineffective, as they explode as soon as they touch the
body; and even if they enter, one cannot be sure of their
bursting. They arc, besides, difficult to procure ; and are, in my
estimation, almost as dangerous to the hunter as to the hunted.
A capital rifle for stalking the grizzly would be an eight-bore,
carrying twelve drachms of powder; or a No. 12, carrying six
drachms, might be found convenient. The objections to these
are, that they are too cumbersome for general shooting, and
too heavy to be carried about except on particular occasions.
A good 50 calibre express rifle may, therefore, be said to be the
best for general purposes, and if one can use that to good
advantage he need have little fear of grizzlies, if he will only
manage to keep them at a safe distance for a run before com-

FAR WEST. 29

mencing the attack. For my own part, I should not care to
get nearer than one hundred yards at least, and a few feet
more might not be disagreeable, if there were to be a fight for
supremacy, and trees were scarce.

The grizzly will not, it is said, touch a man if he remains
motionless on the ground, and does not breathe loudly; and so
generally is this believed that the Indians have a saying that
a man lying down is medicine to a bear, but the trappers say
that "Ephraim" is good medicine only when you let him
severely alone ; and their general instruction to novices is not
to fight him except in self-defence.

As a proof that the grizzly will not injure a man who pre-
tends to be dead, a tale is told of Tarpello, a Snake Indian,
who was knocked down and wounded in the back by one of
these giants ; but on falling he look excellent care to lie per-
fectly still, and to bury his mouth, nostrils, and eyelids in the
deep alkali dust, so that his breathing could not be perceived.
The grizzly, after sniffing at him and rudely pawing him about
for a while, must have concluded he was dead, for it retreated
without doing him any further injury.

When it entered the shrubbery the wily red man arose, and
started for home as fast as his legs would carry him, and told
his wondering spouses, children, and kindred of his miraculous
escape. The tale spread all over the village in a short time,
and when the medicine man heard it he predicted that the
lucky man had such strong medicine that he would yet capture
his assailant, and, to strengthen his power, the whole tribe was
ordered to commence the bear dance immediately and to keep it
up until the next morning. The mandate was promptly com-
plied with, and each brave donning his bear-mask or skin,
danced as he had never done before, while the vocal appeal of
all to the great bear spirit to bo kind to them was sung with
the greatest esprit. As soon as they had imitated all the
attitudes and cries of the boar with mouth, hands, and feel,
Tarpello jumped into the bounding circle and roared and
danced like a mad man, or bear, but every time he attempted
to escape he was driven back, no matter how sudden his
onslaughts were, nor how varied his stratagem-;. AYhen the

3o SPOR TIXG AD 1 'JLVTURKS

dance was over the doctor told him his medicine power and
heart were so great that he would kill his foe and bring- joy to
the whole tribe through his prowess, if he would only follow
his advice, and this he promised to do. Having received his
instructions, he and two of his kindred started after their
burly foe, and having found its lair they laid a line of powder
towards it from three directions, and perching themselves on
trees to the leeward, awaited the arrival of the dreaded brute.
Towards nightfall it was heard approaching, and having
allowed it to get comfortably settled in bed, they fired the
powder trails, then ran for shelter to a large crag that lay
on the route in which the villainous saltpetre was not placed.
The powder, when ignited, spluttered along rapidly and set
the grass and dry twigs on fire, and it was not long before the
blaze reached the lair and sent "Ephraim" out in a tremendous
hurry, and thoroughly frightened. Making for the only path-
way free from fire, it ambled rapidly onward, but on reaching
the rock on which its enemies were concealed it was cheeked
suddenly in its course by having blazing pine knots thrown
before it. Before it could decide what the new danger was, it
received volley after volley from the repeating rifles of the
Indians, who were guided in their aim by the lighted torches,
and it soon laid a corpse at their feet. Highly elated with
their success, they dragged the carcass to camp on an impro-
vised sledge made of boughs, and held a carnival over it for
two or three days. All the members of the tribe celebrated
the victory by a feast on the body, and by indulging in
dances; while the slayers related their deeds with all the
extravagant language of their race. This daring act made
them famous at once, and they were conceded to be the highest
type of warriors. From that day forth they always wore a
necklace made of the claws of the bear as a proof of their
bravery and importance.

An Indian who can wear such ornaments is considered
to be an invincible warrior ; hence one of his highest am-
bitions is to slay the monarch of the mountains and to
decorate his inodorous neck with its weapons of warfare.
I remember distinctly with what, to me, seemed ludicrous

7.Y THE PAR U'EST. 31

dignity or gravity, a Sioux chief once pointed out a string of
ugly-looking grizzly claws that hung around his dirty neck,
and then to the anklets of the same material that encircled
his blanket-clad legs, and in what a heroic tone he assured
me that he had killed their former owner himself, and was
now considered to be unrivalled as a brave. He thought that
if the Great Father in Washington knew he was so great he
would send him plenty of meat, flour, tea, coffee, and sugar, and
keep him from the necessity of going out buffalo-hunting to
keep his family from starvation. He wished me to tell the
Great Father who lie really was, and what were his wants ;
and when I, to test the generous phase of an Indian's nature,
volunteered to do so on condition that he gave me the prized
trophies, he rejected my offer at once, and said he would not
part with them on any account; he would rather lose his
favourite wife first. "\Vhen he saw that I seemed indifferent
to the matter, he said that if I could procure him permission
to hunt in the Republican Valley he would give me one claw ;
and when I told him I would not have such articles, as I could
get them, if I wished, by simply going- on a hunt myself,
he looked rather astonished, if an Indian can express that feel-
ing, and grunted out an "uch'" of disapprobation, as if he
thought I was lessening his importance.

A Nez Perce sub-chief whom I met in Idaho was also
exceedingly proud of a necklace of the same material which
he wore, and strutted around among his compeers as if he felt
that none could approach him in dignity and courage.

Hunting the grizzly has its comic side sometimes as well as
its tragic, though the former is too often the result or sequence
of the latter. I knew a man in Wyoming named Grizzly
Bill, an individual who was equally fond of a joke and a hunt,
but who had a thorough contempt for cold water. All the
temperance lecturers in the world could not induce him to
look with favour on "Adam's ale/' and he had a standing joke
which was uttered many times a dav when he was in a certain
humour. This was, " Look here, boys; don't drink water;
you oughtn't to. You know that it rots boots; and if it rots
boots, what will it do to a man's stomach. Let's have a drink,

32 SPORTING ADVENTURES

boys." When lie luul become well acquainted with John
Barleycorn, he was always willing- to tell how he received his
soubriquet, and lie told his tale with such inimitable and
unctuous humour that an anchorite would laugh at it. Detailed
in a few words, it was, that while out " prospecting- " for gold
one day in the AVind River Mountains, he was suddenly
startled out of his wits by the muffled roar and the charge of
a grizzly bear. Not knowing what to do under the circum-
stances, he did what most men would do — he fired at the
animal, then ran for it. As the bear was closing on him he
sought safety in the first tree he met, and that was a young
iir. Climbing up this with all the speed of terror, he was
comfortably seated on the strongest branch before his pursuer
reached the foot. The latter then commenced a regular siege
by placing its paws against the tree, looking savagely upward,
and growling spitefully at intervals. Bill, feeling safe, took
matters philosophically until he began to get hungry towards
evening, when he commenced hurling epithets at the besieger,
and told it in vigorous language that it was of mean descent,
and was anything but a " gentleman " of a bear. This having
no effect, he tried to hit it in the eye with cones; but this act
only increased its anger, and caused it to shake the tree
violently, as if it would like to shake him down.

Having used up all the cones within his immediate reach,
Bill tried to get at some others, and this produced a catastrophe
he had not expected, for the bcugh on which he had been
sitting had been steadily giving way under his weight, and
when the pressure was removed from the strongest to one of
its weakest points by his movements, it gave way at once and
he went downwards with lightning speed. lie thought, of
course that it was all up with him, but when he reached the
base of the perch, instead of falling into the jaws of the grizzly
he came plump on its head. The sudden onslaught and shock
terrified the bear so much that it fled with the utmost preci-
pitancy, nor did it halt until it reached a place of safety.
Bill felt so joyous at this unexpected piece of good fortune
that he commenced dancing vigorously, and after doing several
double shuilles and a breakdown, he picked up his rifle and

7.V THE FAR WEST. 33

returned to camp, highly elated with his adventure. He told
his comrades the story, but they would not believe it until they
saw the broken tree and the bear tracks. They, of course,
told it to others, and Bill received his name. When a little
merry he would boast good-humouredly that he was the only
man in the Territory that had defeated a grizzly with his feet
alone, and would defy anybody else to accomplish the same feat.
The Earl of Southesk relates a somewhat similar incident of
two Indians who were treed by a grizzly in British America.
The tree in which they took refuge was a mere pole, having
only one lateral branch, and on this the first one up seated
himself, while his companion had to try and hold on around
the trunk with his arms and legs. Such a state of things
could not, as a matter of course, last long, and the wretched
man below, as his strength was giving way, felt that there
were only a few minutes between himself and eternity. AY hen,
he thought of his wife and young family he burst into tears and
lamentations, and was looked upon with contempt for doing so
by the individual safe above. The i'atal moment came at
length, when his strength was exhausted, and abandoning
himself to what he could not prevent, he closed his eyes and
slipped helplessly down the tree ; but, fortunately for him, the
bear was on a line beneath him, and he fell on its back. This
was a most unexpected meeting to the grizzly, and the result
was that it fled in the wildest panic. Seeing the coast clear,
the "percher" came down, and accompanied the grizzly-
driver to the encampment; but the latter, fearing that his
actions had been anything but heroic, and that he would be
an object of ridicule among his people if they were described,
offered his companion several presents if he would preserve
secrecy about the matter, and this he promised, but not until
after he had stripped the poor fellow of everything he possessed.
A few months later, the pereher got drunk, and went all over
the camp proclaiming his companion's disgrace, and ridiculing
him. The latter was so incensed at this outrage that he
procured a rifle, and going to where the scandal-monger was
uttering his sentiments, shot him dead before all his auditors.
These two incidents might prove that the most effective

u

34 SrORTIXG

means of routing a grizzly is to go up a tree and tumble down
on it suddenly; yet I would not advise any person to try it.

Judge — we may say Blank — of San Francisco, a famous
Nimrod and lover of good wine, had an adventure once with
a grizzly that displayed both humour and courage. Having
been elected one of a select few that were going out for a
week's shooting among the grouse and quail, he was asked to
be ready to join the party at a very early hour in the morning,
so that a camping-place could be reached in the afternoon. lie
agreed on condition that a generous supply of a certain fluid
was taken along, and his proposition being accepted, everything
was made ready for a prompt start. The night before starting
he attended a ball, and before morning was so much under the
influence of his favourite beverage that he tumbled in the mire
several times on his way home, much to the detriment of his
evening dress and opera hat. He had scarcely entered his
room before a carriage called to take him to the rendezvous,
and despite the earnest protestation of his friends he insisted
upon going in the costume he wore, or not at all. As his wit
and humour were much needed to enliven cam]) in the evening,
he was taken as he stood, and the party having united, they
started for the mountains about forty miles distant, and there
pitched the camp, and lighted a fire at once to prepare supper.
"While that was being cooked, a Spaniard approached the
group and stated that there was a grizzly a few rods off in the
bushes. He was asked why he did not kill it, and he non-
chalantly replied that he had lost no bears. The Judge, who
was dozing near the ashes, jumped up when he heard grizzly
mentioned, and said that he would bring it into camp.

His seedy appearance and the quaintness of his hunting
costume caused his companions to greet his heroic boast with
roars of laughter, and to chaff him unmercifully; but his
mettle was up, and with a half-drunken leer he said he would
prove it; and seizing an empty shot-gun he strode into the
shrubbery. He was not gone more than twenty minutes
before a tremendous commotion was heard in the bushes, and
they were seen to sway in every direction. The party were
alarmed at once, and all seized their weapons and prepared for

LV THE FAR \\'I-ST. 35

some unknown danger. They had hardly taken their positions
before the bushes parted, and out came the Judge minus a hat
and running with such speed as to cause his hair and coat-tails
to flow backward in rigid lines. As he approached his bewil-
dered companions he shouted at the top of his voice, " Clear
the track; here we come; the hear and me; d — n our souls!"
They did clear the track, and the limb of the law rushed
through the fire, nor did he stop until he had run a good half-
mile to the rear. A few yells and shots checked the pursuing
bruin and caused it to retreat ; so the foolhardy Blackstone
escaped without suffering1 any greater injury than a good scare
and being made the butt of many a joke. When the party
returned to town the escapade of the Judge was told to all his
friends, and they decided at once that the bear pursued him to
get some of the wine out of him, as it knew that lie generally
carried enough for himself and the four largest grizzlies in the
country, and it was resolved to have a share of it if possible.

They tell some humorous tales in the West of how men
have killed grizzlies. One man on being attacked took out his
whiskey bottle and gave the bear a smell of its contents, and
it fell dead at once, after giving a long howl of agony. This
story is intended to show the vileness of the stuff' sold in
certain sections of the country ; and a vendor of strong fluids,
if not liked, is sometimes called a grizzly-killer. Another
man was said to be so ugly that a bear on seeing him com-
mitted suicide by hurling itself into a precipice ; and a ranting,
long-winded, dreary preacher was said to be so strong in
lungs and larynx as to be able to blow a grizzly into eternity
in three howls.

Notwithstanding the dangerous character of the animal in
its wild state, it is capable of being tamed, if taken young,
and if treated kindly will follow one about like a dog, until
it learns to know its strength, and then it is apt to assert its
will and power at inconvenient times. I have seen several of
them in a state of semi-domestication in some places on the
Pacific Coast, but in no instance would they bear too much
familiarity when they reached adult age ; while they were the
deadly enemies of anything in the form of flesh, from a dog,

D -I

36 SrOK TIXC, A D 1 7LY 77 7vV:\V

pig, or chicken to a nit. When the male and female arc
caged toy-ether they indulge in the most unseemly family
quarrels, and fight viciously for the least morsel of food. The
former is a most ung-allant brute, and the embodiment of
selfishness. From what 1 have seen of its character I should
say that "bearishness" was a much more appropriate word for
expressing the lowest type of self-interest than that homely old
word " hoggish ness," for the su'ulw are exceedingly generous
compared to the grizzly. Its mode of living when wild is not
such as to arouse our sympathy either, as it preys on the most
wretched little creatures, such as ants, mice, rats, and squirrels,
and not content with destroying them, it devours their small
stores of nuts and roots. Like its black congener, it is also
fond of berries, honey, and the pomona, and will risk its lii'eto
obtain either. As few persons — perhaps no one — make a
business of hunting this animal, it is not often shot, as it is
only occasionally met with, and, in most cases, accidentally.
It is not, fortunately, very common, and as it avoids the haunts
of man it does not do much harm to the farmyard.

Those who go out for a grizzly hunt make it a matter of
sport, if I except the Indians, and if they seek its abode it is
for the purpose of adorning themselves with its claws, and
boasting of their prowess. They catch it sometimes in pitfalls;
and the Sioux formerly chased it on horseback, when they found
it on open ground, and filled it with arrows or pierced it with
rude lances. The Mexicans of California formerly captured
it most deftly with lariats ; but to do this several were
required. Their first movement was to charge past it, if it
stood erect, and lasso its paws, and if successful in this, they
entangled it in their lariats, and used their active mustangs to
drag it to a convenient spot, where it was either killed or
safely penned up until it was wanted for a contest with a
fierce bull. These contests were once popular, and were the
great feature of holidays, but they are now becoming rarer,
owing to the advance of civilization and the interposition of
the law.

For one man to kill a grizzly single-handed is no ordinary
event, owing to the quantity of lead it can carry, the prompti-

IN THE FAR WEST. 3/

tude with which it can generally retreat to cover or charge
its foe, and to the often inaccessible haunts which it frequents ;
yet it is done occasionally by experienced hunters. A small
part}- of English gentlemen killed seven last year in Colorado,
two sportsmen killed six in Dakota in a month, and I knew
a hunter in Montana to kill one with an army revolver by
firing at it from a tree. Numbers are poisoned annually in
several parts of the West, especially in Colorado, Montana,
California, and British America ; hence they are getting- scarce
in the more frequented sections of the country, and the sur-
vivors keep to regions remote from settlements, except during
unusually severe weather, when they make raids on farmyards.
They are almost as abundant as ever though in Dakota, Mon-
tana, Wyoming, and Idaho ; but the sooner they begin to
decrease in these Territories the better will farmers and stock-
raisers like it, as they are considered anything but pleasant
acquaintances.

I have hunted the grizzly occasionally, but generally in
company with others, and while we killed one now and then,
yet no person could tell which had given the death-shot, so that
none could claim the honour. I bagged a large male myself
one time, but it was done in such a prosaic manner that the
only interesting thing about it was the death. 1 was passing
through a rugged precipice, trying to stalk a band of moun-
tain sheep, and on reaching a small abutment of loose rocks
I saw grizzly lapping up some water beneath me. Taking
deliberate aim at his head, near the ear, I fired, and a feu-
moments later he fell over as stiff as a stone. On examining
him I found that the bullet had entered the brain through
the ear, and produced death almost immediately. The whole
thing was so simple that I scarcely felt a thrill of pleasure on
gazing at my trophy, and I left it where it fell in the most
unconcerned manner until my hunt after the sheep was over,
and then I had it sent for by the pioneer at whose house I was
stopping.

Grizzlies are most destructive visitors to a camp, a fact
which I learned on more than one occasion. The most dis-
agreeable visit that I ever received from one, however, wn<

38 _S7Wv' TIXC; A D VEX 77 'RJ-S

during- a trip I was making1 with a party of Indians who
were on their way to a pow vow of their tribe, which was
called to meet a newly-appointed agent and hear his state-
ments. The band which I accompanied consisted of twenty
men, with their squaws and children, and many horses, and
that was commanded by a now famous sub-chief, who was
said to be equally great in the hunting-field and on the war-
path. Our route led over vast treeless prairies and densely
wooded hills, until the evening1 of the second day, when we
reached a mountain four or five thousand feet high. Selecting1
a beautiful glade for a camp site, the tepees were soon erected
bv the squaws, mine being1 pitched a short distance to the
rig-lit of the front line. In this I placed little delicacies not
used by the red men, namely, biscuits, condensed milk, tea,
coffee and sugar, and some biscuits, and left them there con-
fidently, while I accompanied the braves on a hunt after deer,
as we had no fresh meat for dinner. When we returned late
in the evening we found the squaws and children in a state of
commotion, and on inquiring the meaning of it learned that a
male grizzly had visited the camp during their absence in
search of wild roots and fruits, and had destroyed several
parcels of dried beef, torn some of the tents, and killed two
combative curs.

On hearing this I rushed to my icpcc to see if my little stores
were injured, but on reaching it I was disgusted and enraged
to find all my delicacies either eaten up or trampled into an
indiscriminate mess on the ground. The cans of condensed
milk, a bag of biscuits, and all the sugar had been devoured,
and the other articles were strewn about in the mud, so that
they were of no use to me. On seeing this condition of affairs
1 called on the chief, and learned from him that several of his
tribe had lost all their pemmican, and were actually without
any food, except the few roots and berries gathered by the
squaws, and their share of the venison just brought in. All
were so angry at the action of the burly prowler that they
decided to have his head if possible; but For fear he would visit
the camp during the night and inflict any more damage on
the remaining food, or on man and beast, tliev concluded to

LV THE FAR WEST. 39

pitch the camp in a deep chasm a short distance away. Into
this we marched accordingly after dinner, but we experienced
much difficulty in getting- the horses to the bottom, owing- to
the steepness of the walls and the difficulty of getting- a foot-
hold. On reaching the base, the tepees were soon erected, and
when this was done the horses were let loose to pick up such
herbage as they could find during the night.

The inmates of the encampment then retired to rest, and I
should judge that they were soon asleep, as I saw no one stir-
ring about ; but I found it impossible to woo gentle slumber,
owing to the strangeness of my surroundings. The chasm
was, in the first place, so deep and gloomy that the darkness
was fairly inky in hue, and so dense that all that could be seen
were the shadowy walls and the twinkling stars, which seemed
to be unusually far away. A turbulent river roared past the
camp with such power and velocity that the air appeared to
vibrate ; and, to increase the din, several ospreys, which
occupied islets in the stream, screamed in the loudest manner
at intervals, as if they objected to the intrusion on their
domain. The whole scene, which was weird in the extreme,
and seemed to belong to another planet, or to the land of the
ogres rather than to this earth, impressed me so much that I
could not sleep, so I laid and tossed on my hard couch on the
ground all night. I often sighed for the morning, and was
delighted on seeing the first grey glimmering of the dawn in
the sky above. On noticing this, I seized my rifle, and started
out to find my mustang, for I was rather afraid that he might
have tumbled into the river during the night, as it hugged the
banks so closely in some places that there was no shore-line,
and not even a talus, owing to the strength of the current.
Groping my way to the right of the camp, I followed the
courses of crags or the few open spots where a long, dank grass
grew in profusion, and in half-an-hour reached a rock which
gave me a good view some distance up the river. I waited
there until the light was strong enough to enable one to note
objects distinctly, and when that time came I saw the horses
huddled together on a sort of cape that jutted a consider-
able way out into the stream. On approaching them I saw

40 .SV'CVv' TING A D I TRNTL *R1LS

that they were trembling with fright, and on looking for the
cause of it I beheld a large object crouching on the ground
about sixty yards away, and on gazing at it intently for a
short time I concluded that it was either a bear or a cougar,
and that it was feasting on something. Taking deliberate aim
at it I fired, and when the report died away I could hear the gruff
" huf, huf " of a grizzly, but ere I could load the second time it
had disappeared behind a mass of crags.

The shot had alarmed the camp and brought the armed war-
riors rushing towards me, and in response to their inquiries I
told them in one word what was up. Calling the dogs, we
followed the bear, and were soon on its tracks, passing on our
way a partially eaten mustang. The route led us up the preci-
pice and into a piece of woods, and there the trail was lost by
both dogs and men. Being resolved to have the animal if
possible, the men deployed, and were soon carefully examining
every fallen leaf and blade of grass in search of bruin's footsteps.
"While engaged in this business, I was startled suddenly by
the abrupt yelling of a pack of curs directly behind me, and
on bounding round to see what it meant was thunder-struck to
sec a huge male grizzly bearing down on me, while the dogs
yelped and barked around him, yet took excellent care not to
go too near him. I had just time enough to jump behind a
young fir when he went tearing past me through the under-
growth, but before he had proceeded ten paces I gave him the
contents of my breech-loader, a large army rifle. I must have
struck him badly, for he turned round and charged me viciously,
and as no other means of escape then presented itself to my
mind I scrambled up the tree near which I stood with all the
speed that the fear of a horrible death could impart to limbs
that were neither old nor weak.

1 had not reached a perch before my foe was at the base of
the tree, but 1 was beyond the reach of his jaws, and this gave
me such a feeling of safety that I turned my head round to
gaze at his position. 1 could see his huge jaws agape, and
hear his hot breath come out in gasps, as if he were severely
wounded, and on noticing these incidents ] scrambled on a
strong bough, and seated myself on it with a feeling of pleasure

IN THE FAR WEST. 41

one can only know who has been in the same position. On
looking down once more I saw the dogs worrying my besieger,

but he seemed to take little notice of them, and to devote all
his attention to my situation. In a few moments more he was
in full retreat, however, for on every side of him were howling
Indians who were plying bow or rifle as rapidly as possible.
The raising of the siege induced me to descend at once, and
picking up my rifle, which was uninjured, I loaded it and
joined in the chase with five others. Not finding any oppor-
tunity to fire to good advantage, I reserved my h're, and for-
tunate did this prove for a heedless brave in a short time, for
while the grizzly was rushing through a dense piece of shrub-
bery this young warrior placed himself directly in front of
him at less than thirty paces, and fired straight into his face;
but he must have missed his aim, for the bear charged him
with open mouth, and, before he could escape by running,
overtook him, knocked the rifle out of his hand, and seizing
him by the shoulder bore him to the ground face downward.
The brave drew his knife promptly, and turning partially
round, began to use it on the neck and chest of his huge
captor; but he was evidently getting the worst of it, for the
bear was using teeth and claws with a vigour that must soon
have finished him had not aid arrived.

While both were struggling fiercely in this contest of life and
death, the chief and myself appeared on the scene from
opposite quarters, and rushing towards the foe I delivered inv
fire at his heart at a distance of a few paces; and before he
could relinquish his hold to face us, the chief gave him the con-
tents of a revolver in rapid succession in the head, and he fell
over dead, after giving one or two violent gasps. The fallen
man was picked up more dead than alive, as his arm and chest
were fearfully lacerated, his face was one mass of blood, and
his side had the flesh torn off from the arm to the abdomen,
lie was a most ghastly object to g.ize at. and as his limp form
was borne away I did not expect to see him reach camp alive.
When reinforcements arrived, several lariats were sent for,
and with these the fallen monarch was dragged near the
canyon, and left there while we went to get some breakfast.

4^ SPORTING ADVENTURES

When that was finished, the bear was skinned and the flesh
distributed equally among1 all the hunters ; but it became a
delicate question as to who should receive the claws. I relin-
quished all pretensions to them however in the promptest
manner, and this was reciprocated by the chief giving me the
hide. The claws were then divided between the chief and the
wounded warrior, and the latter I know felt as delighted with
them as if he had captured the scalps of several of his foes.

As the injured man could not be moved, it was decided to
rest one day to see if he would improve, and if not, to leave
him behind and push ahead as rapidly as possible to make up
for lost time. A second reason for remaining a day longer in
camj), though it was only mentioned incidentally, was to pro-
cure meat, for the destruction committed by the grizzly had
placed several on very short, rations, and his flesh could not
supply the loss. The women were commanded to secure wood
for the fires, and while they were engaged in that work the
braves went on a deer hunt. Their success was greater than
could be expected, owing to the abundance of the animals and
their unsuspicious character, as most of them had probably
never seen man; so twelve mule deer were brought into camp
in the evening. A\ hen we began to draw near the wigwams we
heard the wailing of women, and this announced to us at once
the fact that the young brave was dead. On entering the
canyon I noticed that all the female friends of the deceased
were grouped around his tent and howling fearfully, while
his aged lather and his brothers sat apart in gloomy
silence.

Every person in camp visited the iepee of the young man
and took a last glance at his features, but they were so ghastly
that I was glad to hasten away and forget their expression.
iSo person indulged in a word of condolence to his parents, and
the only comments T heard made by the men was a simple
tf too bad." As the chief would not wait another day in camp,
the friends of the deceased dug a rude giave and placed him and
all his paraphernalia in it without any other covering than his
clothes. AVhen this simple and hurried ceremony was over,
two of his niustanii's and three do^'s were killed and their skins

AV 77/7: FAR 111- ST. 43

placed on a pole above the grave, in order that he might have
some useful animals in the happy hunting-grounds. To
spend another night in this wild chasm was anything but a
pleasant anticipation to me, yet there was no avoiding it, so I
made up my mind to bear it as philosophically as possible.
Disagreeable as the previous night had been, I found the second
much worse, for not only were the same noises in operation,
but they were increased by the moaning of weeping women,
the guttural gabble of men grouped around the camp fires,
and occasionally by the melancholy howling of packs of gaunt
wolves that prowled over the ground above in search of food.
I did manage to get a little sleep, however, late in the night,
but when roused in the morning I felt as weary as if I had
not closed my eyes.

After a hasty breakfast the camp was struck and the march
resumed, but not a word was uttered by anybody about the
name or fate of the deceased ; but what struck me as most
curious was the apparent absence of all signs of grief on the
features of his kindred, for they laughed and chatted as gaily
as if the) had never known a sorrow, and certainly not one so
recent. AVe reached the f/ow wow two days after, and re-
mained in attendance for three days, and after a lot of useless
talk and idle ceremony had been indulged in between the
Indians belonging to the reservation, the agent, and a
superintendent of Indian a Hairs, we turned backward on our
route, and reached once more the old camp near the chasm ;
but the band would not pitch their wigwams there, owing to
their belief that it \v;;s a fatal spot, and was haunted by the
spirit of the brave. Being anxious to see again the place
that had so deeply impressed itself on my memory, I descended
the chasm and visited the grave; but on reaching it 1 was
horror-stricken to find that the wolves had scraped up the
body and eaten it. I saw that the remains of the mustang
killed by the grizzly had also been devoured by the same
hungry creatures, and could then readily understand why some
of them are one mass of sores in some portions of the West.
The sightless, fleshless skull of the brave, with its long, lank
hair, was so displeasing a sight to me that I was ^lud to beat

44 SPORTING ADVENTURES

a retreat, and get out of the savage chasm to the gentle glade
and generous forest above. When I reached camp I did not
mention a word of what I had seen to anybody, but on
arriving at our destination I told it to the chief, but he
manifested no feeling whatsoever in the matter, and did not
even make a comment, although I was very careful not to use
the name of the brave, knowing how scrupulous they are
about referring to the dead.

A comrade and myself killed a grizzly one day in AWoming
by running it down on horseback, but not until after we had
planted its body with bullets. "While riding towards a frontier
post we espied the bear pottering about a few cottomvoods that
<rrew on the bank of a small stream. On seeing it we dashed

O O

forward, firing, and both found, when we got to within seventy
or eighty yards of it, that our bullets evidently went wide of
the mark, for instead of attempting to run away it raised
itself on its hind legs, as if it were willing to face all foes in
a sparring or wrestling match. The attitude was so gravely
ludicrous that I was forced to laugh at. it, but my companion,
who could sec nothing funny in it, thought he could sec a
good chance for a shot, and he availed himself of it by sending
a bullet somewhere into its body. This seemed to impress
upon it the idea that mere attitude was nothing, and that its
visitors were not pleasant creatures to know, so it concluded
that discretion was the better part of valour, and acting on this
idea it moved towards the open ground at a rate of speed that
surprised me. AVe started in pursuit, and kept delivering our
fire at its back and head, being afraid to range ourselves on
its sides for fear we might shoot each other. Finding this
mode ineffective, we concluded to rush past it, one at a time,
and shoot at it with our heavy revolvers, then wheel back
and give a return tire. I moved first, through the courtesy
of my companion, and delivered two shots in rapid succession
at its sides, hoping to cripple it, and wheeling back on the
opposite side, after running about a hundred yards ahead of it,
got in two more. These forced it to halt and growl terribly,
as if in pain. My companion did exactly as I had done, and
we repealed the movement until we had emptied our revolvers.

IN THE FAR WEST. 45

The animal had staggered three or lour times, charged twice,
and fallen once, while this fusillade was taking place, and
finally halted, one of its shoulders having been broken. This
was the opportunity we wanted, so taking deliberate aim at
its head with our rifles we fired, and it fell dead in its tracks.
An examination proved that it had eight bullets in it, one of
which was in the heart, one in the fore-shoulder, two in the
skull, and the remainder scattered over the body. Those in
the brain were what had slain it, for one of them entered the
occiputal region and broke the bone. We found it to be a
full-grown male, but it was very thin. My companion
skinned it rapidly, and kindly gave me the hide ; but notwith-
standing all my pains with it, some red man i.s now probably
using it, as it was captured with other cherished articles by
the Indians during one of their raids on a waggon train.

While accompanying a party of Indian scouts in the Govern-
ment service, on another occasion. 1 had a most unheroic
contest with a grizzly, and one which might be left untold
but for the fact that it proves the affection of the female for
her cubs. After a hard day's march the camp was pitched in
a pine forest on a high hill, and when supper was over and
the horses were picketed, all retired to rest except one vedette
and a horse guard of two men. As we were thoroughly tired,
we slept so soundly that no noise could be heard, for even the
drowsy sentinels who relieved each other were too fatigued to
indulge in talk. Suddenly, about midnight, several rifle
reports were heard in rapid succession, and thinking this an
attack by the red foes of whom the expedition was in search
we rolled out of our blankets, seized our arms, and prepared
for a contest of life and death, for we did not care to lose our
scalps without making the enemy pay dearly for them. After
the first alarm was over, inquiries were made as to the cause
of the firing, and we learned from the guard over the horses
that a grizzly had been prowling about the camp, and they
were afraid that it would attack themselves or the animals
under their charge unless they shot at it and drove it away.
After receiving a severe reprimand for raising a needless
alarm, and firing without consulting their superior officer, the

46 .S7 Wv TIXG ADI 'EN T[ 7vV:\V

encampment was once more in sound repose. On awaking the
next morning we concluded to go in search of the disturber of
our sleep, and to secure its hide as a forfeit for its daring.
An examination of the ground was first made, and that
revealed the tracks of a female and her two cults, and this
caused us to feel somewhat elated, as we hoped to have some
stirring amusement. Selecting eight men for the hunt, and
leaving the remainder in camp, much to their disgust, we
followed the trail until it was lost in the dense shrubbery.
This forced us to spread out, and each commenced a search for
himself. I was on the extreme left of the party, and my course
led me along the banks of a deep canyon and through heavy
timber. While standing listlessly near a large crag, and
almost despairing of meeting any bears, I saw a cub about
six months old groping about on the outer margin of some
undergrowth. Thinking that it was alone, I fired at it and
hit it, I fancy, in the abdomen, from the jump it gave; and
before it could move off I delivered a second shot as it wheeled
around, and tumbled it over. Presuming that I had mortally
wounded it, although it was growling and groaning fearfully ?
I advanced at a run to finish it, but I had not gone twenty
yards before I saw the dam sniffing around it and caressing it.
She evidently thought something had injured it, for on lifting
her head she gazed about, as if in search of a foe. Seeing
me standing in plain sight — for 1 halted on seeing her — she
charged me promptly and fiercely. 1 fired at her once, but I
suppose I missed her; and not having time to reload, I broke
for the shelter of the chasm. Dashing, or rather tumbling
down its side at a headlong pace, I was soon at the bottom
and clambering np the opposite side ; and on reaching the
crest I looked around for my pursuer, but she was not visible.
The firing brought some of the party to my aid in a few
minutes, and thus reinforced, I went in search of the cub ; but
on reaching the place where it lay we found only a large pool
of blood, and a zigzag trail of the same material which led
into the heaviest part of the undergrowth.

Knowing1 that the dam was exceedingly fierce at the treat-

~ o i,

ment of her offspring, and not caring to meet her in the dense

IN THE FAR WEST. 47

shrubbery, it was deemed the wisest plan not to pursue her, for
we did not want to have any dead or wounded men to dispose
of, and we were anxious to resume the march in order to get
some tidings of the red foe who was then on the war-path, and
whose movements we were employed to watch. I learned on
that occasion from an Indian hunter that the female, when she
is accompanied by her cubs, is much more dangerous than the
male, even in the rutting season, and that she will boldly face
anything living that may approach or threaten her darlings.
As an instance of this, he related the case of a friend of his who
captured a cub about two months old, and was hastening
homeward with it when he was suddenly arrested by hearing
some animal tearing through the bushes behind him. Looking
around, he saw a female grizzly bounding towards him at her
best pace, her eyes all aflame with rage, and her mouth
frothing. Knowing that he could not escape her if he stuck
to his prize, he threw it on the ground and fled, but the mother
did not stop in her course on account of meeting her cub, and
pursued him until he disappeared from her sight in a precipice.
Feeling safe there, the red man halted to ease his breathing,
and he could then hear the loud yet gruff calls of the mother
to her cub. lie felt so thankful for his hair-breadth escape
then that he never tried cub-stealing again, for in his opinion
an enraged grizzly mother is as bad and fierce as the spirits
of evil.

One of the pleasantest chases after grizzlies that I ever enjoyed
came ofTin Southern California. The party, myself exeepted,
was composed of Greasers, or native Californians, and two
Mexican Spaniards. As the hunt was organized for the special
purpose of driving the bears out of a section of country where
they were committing sad havoc among sheep, we selected
the best and most experienced mustangs to be found in a large
area, and arming ourselves with rifles and revolvers we started
for the foot-hills from our rendezvous at five p.m., and encamped
that night under the shade of some oak-trees, having built a
rousing fire to keep away all quadrupedal intruders. After
supper we devoted ourselves assiduously up to midnight to
puffing cigarettes, singing songs, and relating hunting ex-

48 SPORTING ADVENTURES

pericnces. The last "story" was told by a swarthy old veteran,
and according- to that he had killed a bear single-handed with
only a hunting-knife, by simply evading a blow of its paw,
and then cutting its jugular vein before it could meet his
attack. Having slept soundly, we were awake promptly at
four a.m., and after partaking of a light breakfast, we loaded our
rifles and revolvers, and saddled our steeds and were in motion
in less than an hour.

Deploying in skirmishing order, and in the form of a
crescent, we advanced towards a coppice of oaks half a mile
in front, which grizzlies were known to frequent. We were
accompanied by a dozen mongrel dogs of many breeds, and
they were taken by one of the party to the top of a hill, so
that they might drive the quarry towards us. He took the
precaution to keep to the leeward of the copse, for if even the
daring grizzly caught the odour of humanity it would some-
times think it the better part of valour to beat a rapid retreat.
The captain of the skirmish line gave us orders how to move
by the wave of his hand, and all obeyed most promptly. On
reaching the wood we held the reins tighter, grasped the
saddle closer with our legs, and placed the barrel of the rifle in
the crook of the left arm. This was no sooner done than the
dogs gave tongue; the chorus became loud, then broken and
general, and in a few minutes after a splendid male grizzly
emerged from the bushes, about one hundred yards distant.
When he saw the circle around him he hesitated a moment,
but the noise of the dogs soon decided his movements, and he
made for the opening in front. Bang went a rifle, followed
in a second by another. My horse, which had been
restless, now showed undoubted terror; he wheeled and was
making for the rear at his best pace, but when 1 got the reins
out of my mouth and into my hands I gave the Spanish bit
a touch that nearly threw him on his haunches, and wheeling
him I made for my place in the crescent. I found my mustang-
was not alone in his fright, for I saw two more making their
best strides for home. When I reached my position bruin was
making for that direction, as it was the only opening left. I
fired at him twice in rapid succession, but at this moment my

AV THE FAR ll'EST. 49

mustang became alarmed again at the object approaching, and
wheeled to the rear. He had not gone far ere I checked him ;
caused him to make a demi-volt, and got another shot. Bullets
were whizzing thickly around his bearship at this time, and
he did not go five yards further ere he fell, groaning, to the
ground, and bleeding profusely. Two revolver shots in the
head finished him, and our prize lay outstretched before us in
all his inanimate majesty. Who killed him ? Every one was
willing to bet or swear that he had hit him, yet on examining
the body only three bullets were found, though fifty must have
been fired. The whole time occupied by this contest did not
exceed ten minute?, yet it would seem as though a small army
was firing, so- rapidly were the leaden missiles poured forth.

After the death the assembly was sounded by a loud halloo,
and the runaways returned, swearing as only Spaniards can,
at their ill-luck and their cowardly steeds. Having dragged
the bear into some bushes, we reformed our line and moved in
an oblicpue direction to the right, where the manzanita grew
thickly. The dogs had scarcely entered the shrubbery ere ;i
simultaneous yelp made us all halt, and in a few moments a
female broke cover, but seeing the number of enemies sur-
rounding her she re-entered the bushes and made for a ravine
on the right. Her course was marked by the swaying of the
shrubbery, so to the right we all started at the best speed of
our horses, intending to head her off. "We had scarcely pro-
ceeded half a mile ere we struck a canyon, and into this we had
the chagrin of seeing our game hurl herself, for she apparently
went to the bottom at one stride. That she was not injured,
however, was proved by the yelping of the dogs, which pursued
her for over a mile ; but I may add that they took very good
care not to go too near her.

As we could not do much in the heat of the day, we con-
cluded to return to camp and await the morrow for the
resumption of our sport. During the evening, while lying
around the fire, everybody was telling just how he missed or
hit the bear ; but who hit him is to this day a mystery, for the
greater number insisted that their bullets struck just where
the holes were found. Whoever reached the vicinity of the

5 o .S7 W TING A D I 'ENTUR KS

heart, however, was the champion. The action of our veteran
mustang's was accounted for on the ground that bruin emerged
too suddenly, so did not give them time to think. This may
have been the cause, but to me it looked like want of courage
and experience. Our camp was the scene of hilarity that
evening, and the song, " IFennom esla la noetic" was sung
many times over, and with immense gusto, as all were pleased
with the success achieved.

We started out the next morning at six o'clock, and worked
up a piece of woods half a mile from the coppice of the previous
day, but it proved a blank draw. "While we were passing
from this to another promising country, we espied a grizzly
and her two cubs playing together in a dell in the most
affectionate manner, and as we felt sure that they could not
escape, we watched their ludicrous and clumsy antics for some
moments with keen interest. When weary of that, the dogs
and a huntsman were sent to the windward in order to drive
the animals to the leeward, where we posted ourselves. As
soon as the hounds came in sight of the bears they set up a
tremendous yelping, and charged them boldly, but they
reckoned without their host, for the entire party stood boldly
at bay, and did not make even an effort to avoid their canine
foes; and when the dogs came to close quarters the cubs drew
near their dam, and all raised themselves on their hind legs
as if they were willing and ready for the contest.

The dogs tried to get a nip at them, but their effort was in
vain, for their ungainly opponents met them in every direction,
and frequently charged them in return, but their canine caution
and nimbleness enabled them to escape all blows and attempts
at a hug. The old grizzly finally became so angry at their
pertinacious annoyance that she rushed suddenly at one that
approached very close, and giving him a sweeping blow with
her paw killed him as easily as she would a mouse by crushing
his skull. While she was engaged in this affair half a dozen
of the dogs surrounded the cubs and gave them several severe
nips, which caused them to howl fearfully, and their cries
brought the dam back in a hurry to aid them, but before she
could come up one of the youngsters had killed another of its

IN THE FAR WEST. 51

opponents by breaking his spinal column with a blow, and
then biting it through and through. As the entire pack was
threatened with destruction if the contest continued, we
advanced at a gallop to the scene, and calling the dogs away,
though not without much trouble, we opened fire on the old
one only, as we wished to lasso the youngsters. When the
latter saw the numerous enemies surrounding them they tried
to escape into a copse close by, and the mother attempted to
follow them, but two or three bullets in her body caused her
to stop and face about to deliver battle to her foes. Her eyes
fairly gleamed with fury on seeing the men and horses gallop-
ing1 about her, and whenever a cavalier came any way near her
she charged him boldly, but only to receive a shot from him
or some other person near by. Bullets rained around her
from rifle and revolver, but they seemed to have no other effect
on her than to rouse her into fury and cause her to charge
whenever she had the chance.

A man named Diego Gonzales becoming incensed at the
inefficacy of the fire, or her magical vitality, rode close up to
her, as his mustang was well trained, and delivered his fire
within ten yards of her face ; but he had scarcely discharged
his rifle before she bounded towards him, and before he could
wheel and get away she had thrown horse and rider to the
ground by one desperate blow. The fallen man drew his
revolver so as to sell his life as dearly as possible, but before
he could use it half a dozen men jumped off their terrified
mustangs and ran towards her, and opening fire on the huge
beast they killed her ere she could transfer her attentions
from the steed to the rider. When these were examined, we
found that the horse was so severely injured that he could not
live, while the rider escaped with only a severe contusion
of the under side and leg, and the crushing of the ankle bone.
To rid the poor horse of his misery, as his neck and face were
horribly cut, he was shot, and Gonzales was taken on a rude
litter to camp by four men. The remainder of the party
started out after the cubs, and with the aid of the dogs we
soon found them concealed in a dense growth of manzanita.
The party separated on rinding them, in order that each might

E 2

5 2 SPOR TING A D VENTURES

capture one, but, at my request, it was decided not to shoot
them there, but to drive them out and capture them alive if
possible. When the proposition was agreed to, four of us
went after one, and the rest after the other. Driving1 our cub
into open ground, the lariats were soon whirling1 about its
head, and in less than five minutes we had it bound legs and
head, so that it could not move either. The other party being
equally successful, we placed all our trophies in three waggons
and returned to our rendezvous, at the house of Gonzales, as
he was too much injured to be able to indulge in any hunts
just then, and all wished to show him how much he was
respected. I left the neighbourhood a few days afterwards,
but I learned from a correspondent that over twenty grizzlies
were killed in that section during the season, though the
greater number were poisoned.

A final word might be said about the position of the grizzly
in the animal world. Naturalists have culled the lion the
" king of beasts," but they evidently knew little of the
grizzly at the time they made this decision. If strength and
courage are considered as recommendations to royalty in the
quadrupedal world, then I think the grizzly ranks above the
lion. I have not seen the former perform the feats said to be
accomplished by the latter, of trotting away with a heifer in
its mouth, as it does not generally carry its prey in that
manner, as the felidce. do, but I have known it to kill an elk
weighing five or six hundred pounds, and in devouring it to
turn it over with the greatest ease. It, so far as my experience
and information goes, drags its prey along the ground if
heavy, but if light it has been known to carry it between its
forelegs. In magnanimity of character, if carnivorous animals
can possess such a trait, it is equal to the so-called " king of
beasts/' for it has been known to wound a buffalo severely,
then let the poor creature escape. That it has killed t\vo and
three buffaloes at a time with strokes of its huge paws is a
well authenticated fact; and it has been, to reiterate, kno\vn
to drag a heavy bull, that must have weighed from twelve to
eighteen hundred pounds, a long distance. 1 doubt if a lion
can do this, and I am rather inclined to think that in a

IN THE FAR WEST. 53

contest between both animals the grizzly would prove the
victor. Sportsmen, unless provided with heavy rifles, would
therefore do well to beware of it, for there is not a year I
suppose that some men are not killed by it, owing, principally,
to their own fool hardiness in attacking it with light weapons,
or without the aid of companions.

54 SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER 111.
THE BLACK BEAK.

The black bear — Different varieties — Their haunts, habits, and general
characteristics — Affection of mothers tor their cubs — Gravid females
never seen — Migrations of the bear — Character of its flesh — Its game
qualities — Abundance of the animal in the West — The best dogs for
chasing it — How to hunt it — Its acutem-ss of nose and expertness in
swimming — Captured by steamers frequently in L'uget Sound — Why
it is not hunted much— A hunt with Indians — The scenes and inci-
dents of a potlatch — Capture of several bears — Tripped up while
stalking a male — Explosion of gun — A rude raft, a wild ride, and a
collision with a barricade — A bad ducking — I kill a bear and receive
a bad wound in the arm — A canoe trip and a hard bump — Reach cam])
and have my wound dressed — Return of the hunters — An Indian
festival — How Indians cook young bears — I am mistaken for a bear
by hunters, and shot at — Anecdotes of men attacked by bears — A bear
hunt which results in being treed — The release, and death of the
besieger — How a doctor captured a bear — Water rcr/siiti courage — A
public singer and an imaginary bear — The remuneration given lot-
keeping his adventure silent.

THE black bear (Ursus Arnencanus] is found all over the
United States, but it is more abundant in the wooded regions
beyond the Rocky Mountains than in any other part of the
world; so he who would revel in bear hunts to his heart's
content should seek that country, and spend a season amid
its extensive forests and towering1 mountain ranges. There are
supposed to be two or three speeies of this animal in the AVest,
but so far as 1 could learn they are all one, the only difference
between them being confined to variety of hue, and this is
undoubtedly the result of climate and Jtabitxl.

I have seen on more than one occasion dams accompanied by
cubs which displayed distinct colours, some being black, others
brown, or a dark cinnamon, and even a piebald colour is not
uncommon in some sections of the countrv.

The cinnamon bear is thought b\- manv persons to be

IN THE FAR WKST. 55

larger and fiercer than the black, but such is not my expe-
rience, for the largest one of the former that I saw killed
did not exceed five hundred pounds in weight, and I knew
several of the black variety found in Alaska to turn the
scales at six hundred pounds. Some hunters in the
Rocky Mountain region call the grizzly the cinnamon bear,
when its pelage becomes somewhat light in hue at certain
seasons, but it is not generally called so, as it is an
easy matter to distinguish between both species. The
common cinnamon variety is not, in my opinion, any more
inclined to be fierce than the black, and I have yet to see
the first man who has been attacked by it without provo-
cation. A further proof of the three varieties being one
species may be deduced from the fact that their claws are of
the same form and length, that their fur is of the same texture
and length under the same circumstances, and that the flesh
of one tastes exactly like that of the other, all things being
equal. I have been explicit in making these statements be-
cause some writers, and even some experienced hunters, havn
assumed that the cinnamon is a modified grizzly, and is equally
as dangerous and as ready to fight without cause. My expe-
rience of it is, however, that it has the same habits as its
black congener ; that it is no more dangerous ; and that it
will flee from the presence of man unless it is wounded, very
hungry, or labouring under the excitement of the rutting
season ; and even then a lusty shout is liable to scatter a
regiment of its tribe.

The American bear has forty-two teeth, and I have heard
or read that it has one tooth more than the European species.
It is naturally sluggish in character, and keeps to the densest
parts of the woods, where the shrubbery is most profuse. Its
usual haunts are caverns or hollow trees, and in these retreats
it passes away a large portion of its time in dozing and sleep-
ing. It is ever on the alert for foes, however, and unless the
hunter approaches its lair from the leeward, he is liable to be
detected by the apparent sluggard. It is omnivorous in taste,
and it seems to matter little to it whether it eats ants, grubs,
eggs, berries, roots, grapes and fruit generally,, or mice, moles,

56 .SV'OK TING A D VENTURES

squirrels, and oilier small animals. Its presence may be
readily detected in the woods during1 the summer by the large
number of berries stripped ofT the bushes, and the torn condi-
tion of the soil where it has been digging for roots. In the
far north-west it frequents thickets where a species of buck-
thorn (Frangula pnrshlana} grows, find devours its fruit with
great gusto, though to man it proves a violent cathartic. I
have seldom known a bear to attack other animals of large
size unless provoked to do so by hunger, and when that was
appeased it relapsed into its usual harmless condition. This
quiet disposition is readily accounted for by its dental forma-
tion, for that proves at once that nature intended it to live
principally on fruits, vegetables, and roots. Its greatest
weakness of appetite seems to be a fondness for honey, and
to obtain that it will face the attacks of all the bees on
caith, even if they should cause its muzzle to swell to the
size of a small balloon. Having a very sweet tooth, it is
also attached to sugar, and I have seen two of them tight
in the most vicious manner for a lump so small that an
ant would almost scorn to notice it. I used, at one time,
to enjoy keenly sending a brace of cubs racing up a tree for
a piece of sugar or honey, and when they reached the spot in
which it was concealed, they would commence growling,
moaning, and quarreling if they did not secure it at once.
Whichever got it first ran away with it, but the other resented
such selfishness, and attacked its companion energeticallv for
displaying such a low trait. If they were not fighting about
sugar they were sure to be about something else, especially if
it was anything edible. To give one food and overlook the
other would cause the neglected one to indulge in moaning
growls of rage and envy. The opposite sexes quarrel as
readily as the males during feeding time, for gallantry seems
to be an attribute foreign to a bear's nature. "Whatever
affection the animal may possess belongs entirely to the
female, for she is kind to her young, and will sometimes fight
bravely in then1 defence,, or sincerely mourn their loss should
the hunter kill them. The only time when she is really
dangerous i.- when she is accompanied by her cubs, for she

IN THE FAR WEST. 57

will then fight if surprised suddenly, cornered, or wounded, or
if she thinks any harm is intended towards them.

The female brings forth her young late in December or early
in January, the period of gestation commencing in October
and lasting, generally, about 112 days. When in this con-
dition she retires to a tree., top or a cavern, and there remains
until the cubs are able to move about briskly enough to flee
to her if attacked by wolves or other foes. So carefully do
the mothers secrete themselves at a certain season that I never
heard of a pregnant one being killed, nor did I ever see one,
to the best of my knowledge. During unusually cold seasons
in the north the bears migrate to the south, where food and
warmth may be procured ; but in these migrations even,
when many are shot, no person could say that a gravid animal
was seen, though females were frequently found among the
throngs.

The animal cannot be attacked at close range with impunity
during these excursions, for hunger and cold make it rather
desperate. As its fur is valuable, however, professional
hunters slay it at every opportunity, and sometimes follow
groups for two or three days together. Its flesh, which is
succulent and fat from June to the period of hibernation,
becomes lean and dry during the migration, so that it is not
much sought for as an accessory to the larder. Should its
winter rest even be undisturbed, the flesh is leathery and
disagreeable when it reappears in the spring, and continues in
that condition until the wild roots and fruits are ripe, when it
fattens up in a short time.

During its hibernation the bear is said to suck its forepaws
so much that they are very tender when it arouses itself from
its torpor ; and it is even said by some telescope-sighted
hunters to close the anus with clay, to prevent the passage
of any element of nutrition that could support existence
while in its dormant state.

As a game animal, when in good condition, the bear may
be classed with the fox or badger, for while it is harder to
kill, and more difficult to find, it is equally as harmless to
man if he will nut throw himself into its embraces, and

58 SPORTING ADVENTURES

assume that he can whip his weight in wild cats. While it is
a dangerous opponent at close quarters, owing to its weight,
size, and strength, the sharpness of its teeth and claws, and
its hugging propensity, yet its power may be overcome by
seizing it by the throat, near the root of the tongue, and
pressing the fingers heavily on it, and this soon produces
spasms of the glottis, which suffocate it in a short time.

Bears are interesting and playful creatures about a house
until they are a year old, but after that time they are trouble-
some, and liable to get into mischief on every occasion. They
are so numerous in certain sections beyond the Rocky Moun-
tains that several of them form accessories of towns and cities,
and even of farmhouses, and in all cases they seem to be pam-
pered pets. I have seen as many as eight tied around a house
in Oregon, and five near another house in Washington Terri-
tory; and I knew a half-hunter and half-stockraiser in
Wyoming to have seventeen cubs in his stable at a time. He
kept them for sale, however, and those that he did not dispose
of were killed for their hides and flesh. He informed me that
he could catch as many cubs as he wanted in February and
March, by killing the dam, but that they were not worth the
time and trouble devoted to their capture.

To kill a bear in the Atlantic States is considered quite a
feat; to kill twenty of them is not considered much by any
experienced Nimrod west of the Rocky Mountains. The reason
for this discrepancy in the feelings of the chase is, that while
the animal is very scarce in one division of the country, it is
very abundant in the other. Even in portions of the Southern
Stales, where it is still common, a bear hunt is a gala event,
and armed and mounted men and numerous dogs take part in
it, much the same as they would in a wolf drive in Russia or a
boar hunt in the Ardennes. I have hunted it in the Far West,
not because I wished to do so specially, but because it came in
my way when in search of other game, and 1 thought it better
than nothing. I have, on a few occasions, formed one of a
party organized specially for a chase after it; but I soon learned
that we could not find it sometimes when we most wanted it,
and that when found, it oll'ered little or no sport unless it was

IN THE FAR WEST. 59

shot when running or while trying to fight its way through a
pack of dogs.

To hunt it successfully, a person should be accompanied by
dogs trained specially to pursue it. These ought not to be
large, fierce creatures, that would attack it boldly and fight
until it resulted in the death of either; they should, on the
contrary, be lithe, active and high-tempered, and pugnacious
enough to nip at it whenever they get the opportunity, and
discreet enough to avoid a blow or a hug. Large rough-coated
terriers make capital bear-dogs, as they have endurance, mettle,
a keen nose, and sufficient combativeness to assail any animal
that runs on four legs ; and of these I do not know any better
breed than that peculiar to Ireland. Any dogs having a good
nose, speed, and activity, would do, however, if trained to the
business, as they can detect bruin's strong odour from amid
that of any of the fcrcc naturcc, and follow it with little trouble,
and often with the keenest interest.

The bear, when cornered by dogs, generally seeks safety in a
tree, if it is any way near; and there it remains in false security
until the hunter arrives on the scene and brings it down with
a bullet planted in its heart or brain.

Experienced dogs keep away from the foot of the tree when
their master opens fire on "Cuffey," and when that individual
tumbles to the ground they take excellent care not to go too
close, for fear of receiving a blow that would soon end their
earthly career. They should, however, be prepared to attack it
in the legs and flanks whenever it attempts to escape, else it
may prove indifferent to their barking, and attack the hunter
with a fierceness by no means agreeable.

The Indian dogs make good lymers, and few bears escape
them before being treed, so that a person is almost confident of
bagging one, at least, while in their company, if any are
aroused. A fifty-calibre express rifle is a capital weapon for
hunting this animal ; but in the woods I prefer a breech-loader
carrying a heavy charge of buckshot, as some of that is almost
sure of reaching its destination, whereas the bullet is liable to
be swerved from its course by the undergrowth.

Bears, when they are special objects of the chase, should be

TIXG ADVENTURES

stalked or hunted up wind, for " Cuffey," — the familiar name
for the black bear, as " Old Ephraim " is for the grizzly — is
keen of nose and ear, and will be out of the reach of its human
enemy long- before the latter knows that it is about. To show
how sensitive it is in the nose, I may mention an incident
that occurred to me in Washington Territory. Coming into
Seattle one day from Washington Lake, I rested for a short
time in the woods, using a fallen tree for a seat. While deeply
engaged in a brown study something startled me, and on look-
ing up I saw a bear and two cubs a short distance away, pick-
ing berries and searching old logs for grubs and the nests of
ants. As I wished to study them, I moved quietly to one
side, and secured a perch to the leeward, in a vine-maple tree.
While seated there I had a good opportunity of watching them,
and so amused was I with their affectionate demeanour and
joyous gambols that I took no notice of the direction in which
they were moving. In the course of perhaps half an hour they
jumped on the log on which I had been lounging, but they had
scarcely done so before they were off again and hastening into
the forest at their best pace, as if they were thoroughly
frightened. They must have got the odour left by my hand
on the wood, or they would not have left such a good grub and
ant ground as the log without searching it well, and feasting
on its dainties. I have found that farmers, when setting traps
for bears, could not get one to approach them until after the
wind and sun, or dew and rain, had taken away the smell
which the hands had left upon them.

Ik'ing cautious and vigilant, and "knowing/' in the sense
of cunning, the bear is no stupid, to be slain without some
exercise of the perceptive qualities, unless it is taken at a great
disadvantage. I have known it to be captured in Western
rivers by steamboats and canoes, and one of the pleasantest
runs that I ever had after it was in a canoe, on the Chehalis
River, in Washington Territory. It is even found swimming
Puget Sound, which is an inland sea; and it is no uncommon
occurrence to see it using the currents of streams in its autumn
migrations from the high, cold mountains to the sheltered
Invests and warm climate of the coast. It takes boldly to the

IN THE FAR WEST. Ci

water when necessary, and seems to think little of swimming'
several miles, and at a good pace too. It is no rare occurrence
for a steamboat to capture one while it is swimming Puget
Sound, and I heard of a boat that ran down two in one day
in the Snohomish lliver, a stream emptying into Possession
Sound. The animal is so common everywhere in the dense
iorests of the North-west that it seems somewhat odd that
large numbers are not killed annually for their flesh alone, for a
bear steak, though by no means the tenderest of meat, is still
palatable to the most dainty of appetites. One reason for their
immunity from attack is due to the fact that they do not
trouble the farmyard much, and that their hide does not bring
much of a price in the West, though it is costly enough in the
retail market. They commit a raid occasionally, however, on
the farmyard, but it consists principally in stealing a young
pig or a lamb, or upsetting an apiary; but in the majority of
cases they pay dearly for such temerity, for no effort, from
poison to rifle, is spared to get rid of them.

The Indians formerly hunted them for their skins, which
were sold to the fur companies ; but since the great companies
have left the country little attention has been paid to this
business south of British America. The red men kill them
occasionally now for their flesh and hide, and for their claws,
which are highly prized for necklaces.

A friend and myself, while wandering through Washington
Territory, found ourselves one day among a tribe of Indians on
the Skagit lliver, and as they were preparing for a grand ]><>(-
latch, or distribution of gifts to their friends in other tribes, we
concluded to wait and see the ceremony. Not earing to share
the cabin or wigwam of any of the sons of the forest, through
fear of making the acquaintance of the numerous crawling
creatures that live in them with the owners, we pitched our
camp under the shelter of a spreading spruce, near the middle
of the encampment, and made ourselves as comfortable as cir-
cumstances would permit. Being guests, in an informal wav,
of the chief, we left all our ic/as in camp, except our rifles,
revolvers, and knives, and roamed around among the different
huts or mat wigwams, paying visits of curiosity and ceremony,
as we wished to ingratiate ourselves with the people.

62 S/Wv' TING A D 1 7;.Y 77 7vV: .V

We wore received with the usual stoicism of the Indian
nature, and were it not for our efforts to pronounce their
terribly guttural dialect, which caused them to laugh heartily,
it is doubtful if we could have induced them to look kindly
upon us under the circumstances, as they do not care to have
white men see their meetings or j)otlatchcs} for fear they might
ridicule them. We managed, however, to make ourselves at
home with them ; and our intrusion was not, after awhile,
considered to be very disagreeable. The day after our arrival
the neighbouring tribes began to pour in, men, women, and
children, some coming on horseback, some afoot, but the
greater number arrived in canoes, which held from four to a
dozen persons. When all were assembled they were welcomed
by the chief, and the ceremony of distribution commenced late
in the afternoon. The highest dignitaries among the visitors
received presents in accordance with their dignity, some
receiving a pair of blankets, and others old muskets, revolvers,
cheap knives, pieces of cloth, deer skins, bear skins, strings of
coloured glass beads, copper bracelets, and ear-rings, and so on
until all the presents were exhausted.

No person was forgotten, from the highest to the lowest,
and the result was that all were as happy as children. Not a
little merriment and good-natured rivalry was manifested
when a miscellaneous collection of articles was thrown among
a throng of men, women, and children, for they commenced
struggling for them as ravenously as a body of boys for
pennies. This ceremony lasted for four days, and to make it
as interesting as possible, the evenings, up to midnight, were
devoted to speech-making, gossiping, and feasting and dancing,
in which all, except the very aged, joined with an alacrity and
light-heartedness one would not expect from a people so
taciturn and unimpressible.

The camp presented a very picturesque appearance during
the night, for the fires which blazed in every direction, were
surrounded by shadowy human groups who were enjoying
themselves with song and story or the gross feast, while
numbers of men could be seen in various directions jumping
around in a circle and grunting like pigs. This they called
dancing, and they apparently enjoyed it. The last dance on

IN THE FAR WEST. 63

the programme for the night was iu honour of the animal
kingdom, and this my friend concluded to join, as lie thought
the previous terpsichorean evolutions rather ridiculous, and
therefore funny, and he could not see any fun going on without
wishing to take a part in it. When the circle was formed he
took his place in it, thoroughly resolved to grunt and jump as
well as any of his red companions. While waiting for the
signal to start, two men wrapped up in bear-skins rushed into
the middle of the circle from a tepee close by, and giving an
unearthly yell, commenced jumping, first to the right, then
to the left, keeping time to their heavy stamping by deep
abdominal grunts. Those around them went through the
same movements, and I noticed that my friend acted his part
as well as if he had been to the manner born. The two inside
imitated the actions of the animal they were supposed to
represent very well, in some cases, and whenever they pretended
to break through the circle those forming it played the part
of dogs and hunters and beat them back. After indulging in
this hard work for half an hour, all the terpsichoreans bounded
into the air suddenly, and gave a long, loud, and prolonged
yell that was so blood-curdling and terrifying that my friend
broke away at once, being actually startled out of his wits by
its intensity and fierceness. The suddenness of his retreat,
and his blanched countenance, caused me to laugh heartily ;
but when I learned that he knew too well what an Indian
war-whoop was in reality, and had cause to remember it, my
sense of ridicule was turned into sympathy, and 1 stopped
teasing him.

This dance was followed by others in honour of the wolf,
deer, elk, and other quadrupeds, but all were alike in character,
except that the terpsichoreans inside the circle wore the skin
of the animal they represented, and sometimes imitated its
voice and action. The pale-faced dancer could not be induced
to take any further part in the ceremony, however, and the
fun which he saw in it at first had all vanished.

We were awake the next morning at an early hour, and
seeing an unusual commotion in the encampment asked what
was going on, and were told that \\\Q potlatch would close with

64 SJ Wv' TIXG A D I 'ENTURES

a grand feast, and that sonic of the braves were going1 out
hunting1, while others were bound on a fishing expedition.
We asked permission to join the Nimrods, and it was readily
granted by the simple word Nn-u'itka — yes — for the red men
are sparing of words, except when they are extolling their
own deeds.

The hunting party, attired in all sorts of garments, from
blankets and buckskins to the tattered remnants of a white
man's clothes, or a simple shirt and a piece of cloth tied round
the legs, looked more like scarecrows than anything else at a
distance. Their head covering aided this appearance, for
while some were bareheaded, others wore old felt hats, skin
caps, or the small painted baskets made of cedar roots or
coarse grass, and three or four were decorated with " plug "
hats that were shattered so much as to scarcely resemble the
originals in texture or shape. They were accompanied by as
motley a throng of dogs as ever was seen, even in an Indian
village, some being large, powerful brutes, which showed in-
dications of being descended from a more civilized stock
than their kindred, while others were small, fox-like curs that
looked as if they were degenerate coyotes. "When everything
was ready, we marched about seven or eight miles from camp
in a body, and then separated, each man taking his own course.
My companion and myself kept together, and took a position
in the centre of the line, in hopes that we should have a
chance shot at anything that fled from the flanks. The dogs
were set to work the moment we parted, but we listened in
vain for their opening chorus, and this induced us to try still
hunting, and to use our eyes instead of our ears. Moving
onward cautiously through the dense and towering forest of
firs, we often found it hard work to force our way through
the matted undergrowth that grew in tropical luxuriance, or
the masses of tall ferns, that towered above our heads in
many places, and were so thick that we could not sec five feet
ahead of us. While groping through one of these forests of
fern a fine doe started up so close to us that I could almost
have touched her with my gun, and before she could get away
I planted a load of lead in her head. That was the first

IN THE FAR WEST. 65

report heard during the morning; and it had scarcely died
away before two Indians were beside me, as if they had risen
out of the bushes, and making inquiries about what had been
killed. On seeing it they seemed to be satisfied; and taking
out a knife, one of them cut it open, drew the viscera, and
hung the carcase on a tree, which was " blazed/' so that it
could be readily identified. We then resumed our march, and
in the course of twenty minutes heard the yelping and howling
of the dogs.

" Itsoot " — bear — said one of the Indians who remained with
us, and rushing through the shrubbery at a pace we could not
show, he soon disappeared from our sight. We tried to follow,
but gave up the attempt in a short time, and walked on
leisurely, excusing ourselves for our apparent laziness by
saying that we would not kill ourselves running after a bear
which we might not even see. \Ve could hear the dogs
yelping at intervals, first in one direction, then in another,
and some distance away ; but they suddenly began to approach
us. This put us on our mettle, so we hastened forward and
reached an open piece of woods in a few minutes. As soon as
we entered this we, saw the dogs nipping at, and yelping
around, a large dark object that was alternately charging and
wheeling and attempting to retreat. Making a strong spurt,
we were soon near the pack, just as four or five Indians
appeared from opposite directions. The bear seeing new foes
broke away, despite the efforts of the noisy curs, and sought
refuge high up among the branches of a fir that must have
had an altitude of two hundred feet.

A shot or two caused it to lose its hold of the bough on
which it was resting and to come tumbling to the ground,
amid a shower of branches, with a shock that killed it in a
moment. The dogs became hilarious on seeing the death of
the fugitive, and barked and jumped about in a most
enthusiastic manner; but even in death they feared it, for
alter nipping at it they would jump away growling and
grinning, as if they were being pursued. The quarrv proved
to be a female nearly full grown, and by making a rough

F

66 SPOR TIXC AD / 'EN Tl 'AY: .S

guess we j lulled her to weigh over three hundred pounds.
AVe subsequently learned that she was accompanied by two
cubs, but that the dogs had treed them and they had been
killed before the mother was. Resuming1 the maich, we wen;
kept busily at work nearly all day, now shooting at a deer,
next at a squirrel, a hare, a wild eat, a wolf, a grouse, or what-
ever else came in our way, for the forest was well stocked with
game. During the course of the afternoon I saw a bear and two
cubs, and fired at one of the latter and hit it in the shoulder ;
but the mother, instead of showing light, scampered away at
her best pace, and left her youngster to the tender mercies of
my friend, who finished it with a shot in the heart.

Our guns were kept busy at intervals for several hours on both
fur and feather, but no plantigrade presented itself to receive
our compliments until near four o'clock, when we came in sight
of a burly male which was munching berries in a patch of buck-
thorn. We commenced stalking him by retreating as rapidly
as possible for three or four hundred yards, then crawling
carefully up from the leeward, so as not to give him our wind.
Alter groping about among wet shrubbery and dodging
behind trees for half an hour, we came to* within fifty yards of
our intended victim, and were getting ready to open lire on
him when a vine tripped me up, as I was trying to get
a little nearer, and sent me sprawling headlong into a mass of
apparently unfathomable briars that tore small lanes of blood
through my face. When T fell, the bushes caught my gun so
strongly that it was discharged within an inch of my nose, but I,
fortunately, escaped any greater injury than having my mouth
and eyes partially filled with fine grass, leaves, and particles
of clay that were scattered about by the shot. By the time I
had extricated myself from my thorny couch and picked out
enough of the stuff in my eyes to enable me to gaze around,
the bear and my companion had disappeared, and I was left to
my own emphatic thoughts and exasperated feelings. Not
knowing which way to move to find either quary or friend, I
started straight ahead, where I heard the dogs giving tongue,
and in the course of twenty minutes reached the bank of a stream

AV THE 1-AR \VEST. r,;

that was botli deep and rapid. I tried to cross this in several
places, as the dogs were yelping in the loudest manner on the
opposite side, but I found the water too deep to wade and too
turbulent to swim, so I was compelled to make a raft of two
small trees which extended far out into the river, and whose
branches were so closely entwined that they could not be easily
separated. By forcing off the heavy ends with a lever made
of a large bough, I got my rude bark afloat, and tried to push
it across the stream, but the whirlpools were too numerous
and the current too strong to enable me to do this, and it went
rushing down the river at a pace almost sufficient to take my
breath away. I found it extremely difficult to keep my
position, as the eddies whirled the raft around so abruptly at
intervals that the base, side, or top was alternately in front,
but neither very long. I had ridden floating logs before in
the pine forests of Maine, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and
thought I was rather dexterous in the exercise, but on no
former occasion did I experience such a wild ride.

Finding I could do nothing with my pole, it being perfectly
useless in that mad current, I let the bark go wheresoever the
water carried it, and devoted all my attention to retaining my
seat. In the course of perhaps a quarter of an hour I reached
a straight stretch of the river, and floated steadily down this
at a rapid rate, but on rounding a bend I was startled to see
before me an immense mass of fallen trees extending across
the whole width of the stream. Fearing a collision, I tried
to push my unmanageable raft ashore, but my efforts were in
vain, and before I could realize my situation the rude craft
went crashing into the obstruction with such force that I was
hurled into the water with a velocity that sent me almost clean
to the bottom atone bound. I came to the surface again in a
hurry, however, but only to be caught in a whirlpool that
dashed me against a tree with such power as to partially stun
me, and cause me to feel as if my head and ribs were broken.
In my wild anxiety to keep myself from the collision I threw
out my left hand, and, fortunately, caught a strong branch ;
and when I recovered from the confusion of the blow I

68 SPORTING

seized this with both bands and clambered on a tree, but not
without difficulty, as the current was so fierce near the logs
that it threatened to sweep me under them, especially when my
body was partially out of the water, as it then exercised its full
strength on my legs. I reached the barricade, however, in a
short time, and on looking- about for my gun saw it safely
lodged among the branches. This was a most pleasing sur-
prise, as I expected that it was lost in the river, and I hastened
to secure it with the utmost celerity. I next essayed to reach
the shore, but the branches were so closely entwined that a
passage was rendered almost impossible, and I had to take to
the water to pass them, holding myself against the current by
clinging to the trunks and boughs, and pushing myself
forward with one hand at a time, as I was desirous of keeping
my gun from getting wet.

After a toilsome and tedious effort I secured a foothold on
the bottom, and crawled out on the bank, shivering, and as
exhausted as a half-drowned rat. Undressing promptly, I
wrung my clothes as dry as I could, and after taking several
good runs in the forest to dispel the chill from which I was
suffering, I rehabilitated myself and started towards camp, as
1 did not know where to seek for other members of the party,
not hearing sounds in any direction ; and, to be candid, my
dripping garments took away all the ardour of the chase.
Scurrying along as fast as the matted shrubbery would permit
me, I was lost to everything but seeking my quarters, when a
sudden series of yelps a little to my right startled me into the
liveliest state of activity, and into the most intense desire to kill
something, if it were only a hare, to appease my disgust at the
coiiire-iemps that had befallen me. The canine cries began to
approach me gradually, and knowing by their tones that some
large game was afoot, I dodged behind a tree and put myself
in readiness to give it an unhealthy reception. I was in posi-
tion'only a short time before a large black bear, with mouth
open, as if it were suffering from a wound, came tearing through
the bushes to leeward ; but, catching my wind, it halted
abruptly, sniffed the air for a moment or two, then turned to

IN THE FAR ll'EST. 69

flee, but before it cuuld disappear I put a bullet into its thigh,
and it fell cm the ground in a heap, and growling- terribly.
Before I could fire a second time a small army of Indian curs
were waltzing-, grinning, growling, and barking about it, and
nipping it on the flanks; but after every successful bite they
retreated backwards rapidly, or turned tail and bounded away
for a short distance.

The wounded animal tried to rise, but it could only succeed
in dragging itself forward a few feet with its forelegs. I knew
then that both hind legs were broken, and this induced me to
approach to close quarters to finish it, but I found this a matter
of difficulty, as the dogs were grouped about it so densely that
to shoot at it would endanger the life of some of them. I tried
to kick them away, but when driven from one position they
ran to another and remained there despite all my yelling. One
of them, finally, was bold enough to make a dash for the throat
of the bear, but that wily animal being too prompt for it,
caught it in its jaws, and crushed it to death in five seconds,
by breaking its spinal column. I rushed in to save the poor
brute, and gave the bear a cut over the head with a keen-
edged scimitar which I carried, but my blow was too late
to preserve its life, and when it dropped to the ground its
spirit had flown to the unknown canine world. 1 thought the
blow was sufficient to cut the bear's head open, but 1 had not
calculated on the thickness of the skull, and the result was
that I only inflicted a severe wound, which made the animal so
furious that it turned on me in the twinkling of an eye and
before I knew what it was about struck me so severely on the
arm with one of its paws that the clothing was torn away from
shoulder to wrist, and I received a wound which, though not
deep, was long and very painful. When I saw the blood
streaming out I became fairly incensed, and drawing my
revolver, a short forty-one calibre, carrying a large charge of
powder and a long bullet, I fired at its head in rapid succession
imtil I emptied every chamber, and when all were discharged
the animal was lying dead. Some of the bullets went clean
through the skull and came out on the opposite ^ulc ; and one

/o .S7 W 7 'AVY; A 1) I 'XX TURES

of them wounded a cur, that would insist on keeping in the
way, in the shoulder.

\Vhen the conflict was over the ground was freely sprinkled
with blood, and the bear's face was fairly covered with it, from
the wound inflicted by the scimitar. I then turned my atten-
tion to my arm, and soon had that bound up, using- my linen
for a bandage; and when that was done 1 felt rather pleased
with myself, as it was my first actual contest with the planti-
grade, and I had come off better than I could expect. True, I
had every advantage over the slain, but one forgets that in his
pleasure at having killed a dangerous \\ild animal that has
caused him any injury.

Before leaving the spot I commenced shouting for help, and
in about fifteen minutes a young brave came up. I explained
to him what had occurred, but he was content with saying
" masatchee itsoot," which might be translated that it was
either a bad or a dangerous bear.

As I wished to return to camp at once I told him to have
the animal brought in when his party returned home, but he
objected to my walking to the village, and said he would take
me down in a canoe which was concealed in the bushes below
the jam of logs in the river. I accepted his proposal gladly,
and was soon dashing down the stream at a headlong pace, but
my misfortunes for the day were not over, for in passing1 under
a huge fir which stretched across the river I did not stoop
low enough, and received, as a consequence, a fearful bump in
the forehead which almost threw me backward and made me
see a greater variety of vari-coloured stars than arc to be found
in the firmament.

What with my arm and splitting headache, I was in
anything but a pleasant mood ; hence the wild and luxuriant
forest scenery which was everywhere visible was lost to
me. 1 was glad indeed when I reached the village and had
an opportunity of changing my garments and taking a stretch
on the humble pallet of si raw in my small tent. The young
fellow who was so kind to me, returned to his companions when
I stepped ashore, but before going lie told one of the women

AV THE FAR WEST. 71

that I was wounded, and she gave me u glance in which there
was more of curiosity than sympathy.

After resting for an hour or more I went out to get some
water with which to bathe my arm, as it was painful and
very stiff; and while on my way to the river 1 met an old
chief, and in response to his queries as to what ailed me, I
told him, in a few words, in Chinook. He asked me to
accompany him to his cabin and he would attend to the arm
at once, so that it should not become inflamed. I accepted his
invitation, and on reaching his place found that one of his three
wives had been making a decoction of some herbs, she having
heard of my accident from the woman to whom it was first told.
When I entered the women did not speak a word, and only lifted
their heads once, and from this I deduced that curiosity was not
a trait in Indian feminine nature. Their lord and master told
them what to do, and when I had taken a seat near the smoky
fireplace, the youngest unbound my arm and washed it co-
piously for ten or fifteen minutes with the prepared decoction.
No one made any comments on the wounds, and when the bath-
ingwas over the arm was bound up again, after having the leaves
of some plant, not unlike dog-leaves, placed over the wound.

I waited in the chief's wigwam, or rather cabin, until
evening, smoking and chatting, but when 1 heard that the
hunters were coming in I went out to see them. The sight
they presented was striking, and certainly worth beholding, for
they were loaded with nearly all species of game found in the
forest, from a bear to a squirrel, and from a giouse to a robin.
They trooped in without any noise, or even the smallest
demonstration of pleasure, and each party as it arrived placed
its spoils in a common pile — though fur and feather were kept
separate. The amount of game brought in was almost
incredible for one day's work, but when I considered that the
forests were fairly alive with animals, and that no foes
threatened them except an occasional red man, I could readily
understand the success of the party. The fishermen were also
fortunate, and came in laden with the spoils of the river. My
companion was among the last to arrive, and from him I

72 .SV'OA' 77 AY/ ,-//>> / 7LY 77 "A/- .V

learned tliat lie had fired at and wounded the bear whose pre-
sence caused me to he tripped up, and had followed it to the
river, where he lost it. Presuming that it had crossed over, he
made a rai't of a tree which extended partially across the river,
by pushing1 the top oil' the bank ; and seating- himself on it, near
the middle, the current swung1 the lighter portion around suffi-
ciently to enable him to get to wading ground, and then to the
shore. On reaching the opposite side he heard the dogs giving
tongue some distance below him, and hurried in their direction,
but before he could overtake them they had driven their quarry
across the stream, and followed it over. Not being able to re-
cross, owing1 to the want of facility and the depth and strength
of the current, he went hunting on his own responsibility, and
managed to secure a deer before he joined a party of Indians.
lie excused himself for leaving me on the ground that he did not
see me fall, and mistook the report of my gun for an effort of
mine to bag bruin, and seeing him, a splendid male, bounding
away, he forgot everything1 in the desire to tumble him over.
The explanation seemed plausible enough, and nothing further
was said about his deserting a friend in distress.

The young brave, known as Mo witch, or the Deer, who had
proved a benefactor to me, saw that the animal which g-ave
me the wound was brought in, and when the preparations for
the feast were made, he skinned it and gave me the hide and
head, supposing that I would be glad to keep them as
mementoes of the occasion. I wondered at this considerateness
on the part of an untutored Indian, as 1 had never before seen
one of the race manifest it, but I learned subsequently that he
was well educated, having- been brought up in a Mission
School, and that his teacher had taught him the lessons of
kindness which had made him even then famous in his own
tribe for goodness. He could speak English well when he
chose to do so; but it seems that he would not utter a
syllable of it if the pale-faces with whom he came in contact
spoke Chinook or his own dialect. The cause for this ] did
not learn, but my own experience among the red races living
between the Missouri Kiver and the Pacific Ocean, and

IN THE FAR WEST. 73

between Southern Mexico and British America, has taught
me to infer that Indians do not care to speak the language of
the whites, except when compelled to do so from necessity.

This brave was even kind enough to give my companion
the heads and hides of the animals slain by us during the day,
and to suggest that we could have all the antlers we wished if
they were of any use to us. His offer was accepted with
thanks, and by nightfall the door of our tent was surrounded
by piles of skins and the heads of bears and antlers of deer.

The animals, bereft of their outer covering, were put into
pots and boiled, but some, and especially the young bears,
were placed in pits in which fires had been burning all
day, and were covered with red-hot stones and earth and
grass, so that none of the heat should escape. While the
large game was being prepared for the feast in pits and pots,
the feathered game was being cooked before the blazing wood
fires by the pquaws, and the fish fizzled and steamed amid
heaps of hot ashes. Every feminine member of the encamp-
ment seemed to be busy in cooking for the great occasion,
and while some baked unleavened cakes of flour or camas
before the fire, others attended to the cooking of the
wapato or wild potato, and the boiling of certain herbs, which
might be called greens in the general sense of the term, though
to be literal they ought to be called thin grasses. When the
grand dinner was ready, all hands "set to," as they say in
Scotland, and were soon devouring the dainties with all the
vigour that a keen appetite and a capacious maw could impart.
Scarcely a word was spoken by old or young during the meal,
they being too busily engaged in filling the stomach to devote
any time to the pleasures of conversation. No person used a,
knife or fork, and plates were exceedingly scarce, for I only
saw two among the entire lot, and these were used by the chiefs.

We roamed about among the various clusters, yet no
person asked us to join in the festival, and we received no
more attention than wandering spectres. We did not care for
this, however, as we did not wish to accept their hospitality,
our taste being too dainty to enjoy the gross food which they

74 S/'OK TING A 1) I '

gulped down like so many wild animals. The novelty of the
affair was highly appreciated, however, as the scene was
exceedingly interesting, and would have delighted the soul of
an artist ; for, in the same groups, could be seen old men
and women whose skins were like rumpled parchment, and
whose hones were apparently so brittle, that any attempt to use
them in walking or other exercise would result in an instanta-
neous breaking, and young bucks and squaws who were ideal
representatives of savage strength and ugliness. The lurid glare
of the fires on their faces ; the darkness that reigned about
them; the scantiness and tawdriness of their costumes ; the
mingling of all ages and sexes; and the crunching of bones or
tearing of meat between the fingers, made such a scene as
could not be witnessed outside the United States in all proba-
bility, and one which even there would be worth travelling far
to behold. Although my arm ached badly I went about among
the groups and enjoyed the romantic strangeness of the picture
they presented so much that it was long past midnight ere I
retired to rest.

When the feasting was over the young braves indulged in
rude songs and dances, but the latter were all alike, consisting
simply in jumping around in a circle and grunting as if they
had a bad stomach-ache. Every dance wound up with a
tremendous scream or wanvhoop in which all used the
utmost power of their lungs to the best advantage. The
squaws and old men looked on with approval at the terpsi-
chorcan evolutions of the warriors, and the latter sometimes
gave them a word of encouragement or rated them for not
performing a certain dance in a proper manner. Some of the
braves related their own great deeds in the hunting-field, or
those of their ancestors on the war-path, during the intervals
between the dances, and these were frequently interrupted
with the approbative intonations o£cenaw"\>y the auditors.
"When my comrade and myself left the encampment the
orators and terpsichoreans were under full headwav, and, I
doubt not, kept up their frolic; until morning, as they seemed
bent on seeing it out. Their wild cries reached our tent

IN THE FAR WEST. 75

occasionally during the night, and it was not until daylight
appeared that they ceased ; but even then we could hear the
guttural tones of the gamesters as they droned out their
"1m ha" in the game of " Guess which hand holds the pebble."
This childish game is played by opposite sides, there being
from five to twenty on each side, and they continue it until
they become weary or some of the members lose everything,
even to the honour of their family. After these gambling
contests some of the men are homeless and perhaps wifeless,
and cannot even claim their life if their opponents wish to take
it from them.

When I arose the next day many of the visitors to the
potlatch were leaving for home, but they departed without
even saying good-bye to their hosts, so far as I could see. I
do not know that they have even a word to express this
sentiment, but they evidently, whether they have or not, care
little for mere phrases, and depart without considering that
a word or two would mar or make their welcome, as it does
in civilized communities. When the majority of the guests
had left we struck our tent, and bidding the chief good-bye,
secured a canoe to take us to salt water in Pug-et Sound,
whence we could find a sailing-vessel or a steamer to take us
to our destination in Washington Territory. The run down
the river was made in a short time, as the current bowled us
along at the rate of eight or nine knots an hour, and our three
paddles increased this speed considerably. On reaching Puget
Sound my companion wended his way northward to British
Columbia, while I proceeded to Muckilteo, a fishing hamlet on
the Sound, thence moved into the country, where I remained
until my arm was in us good condition as ever. While stop-
ping there I had an adventure with a bear that promised to
be more dangerous than my last encounter. While trout
fishing one day a bear, which was pursued by dogs, swam the
river a short distance below me, and thinking I could get a shot
at it with my revolver, I concealed myself in some tall bushes
in order to be ready to pounce upon it the moment it struck
land. Not hearing any noise, I began to poke my head above

76 S PORTING ADVJZXTl'RKS

the bushes? gradually, to take a glance about me, but the
moment my hat appeared above the shrubbery two bullets
went whizzing past me so close that I fancied I could feel
their wind on my face. I dodged back in a second, and yelled
out in stentorian tones what in the name of goodness such wise
men were firing at. A shout across the stream informed me
that I was mistaken for a bear, and on emerging from my
leafy covert, I asked if I looked like a bear. Two hunters
laughingly informed me that I did not when they saw the
whole of my body, but that my hat looked suspiciously like
the head of the animal in the distance. The mistake was a
natural one under the circumstances, but it came too near
being a fatal one to me to make its repetition pleasant.

The hunt with the Indians may lead persons to think that
an angry bear even at its worst is no great foe after all,
and this would prove true were one well armed and ready to
meet it, but such is not always the case ; hence I would
suggest to those in pursuit of the animal to be cautious
at least, or disaster may follosv. It may not be able to do
a great deal of harm to a sturdy man, yet I have heard
so many well authenticated accounts of the injury it has
inflicted on them sometimes, that 1 believe them entitled
to the fullest credence. As examples, I may quote the follow-
ing incidents : — A miner, who worked on the Lumni River,
had his cabin invaded one evening by a bear, which was
evidently attracted there by a deer that hung just inside
the door. The man on seeing the animal walk in so uncon-
cernedly yelled at it ; but before leaving, it seized a quarter of
the deer, and was moving away with it in the most uncere-
monious manner when the miner attacked it with an axe.
The bear turned at once and made a desperate light for life,
using its powerful claws and teeth whenever it could close
with the foe. The miner, after being severely bitten two or
three times, and having his clothes and flesh torn, got a fail-
blow with the sharp edge of the axe at its head, and this
stunned it. Following up his advantage, he got in three or four
more in a lew seconds, and boon had the satisfaction of seeing

IN TIIR FAR U'EST. 77

it drop dead at his feet. On examining- his own wounds he
found that the left arm was severely injured, and that the
flesh was torn rather severely on parts of the arms and thighs.
As they were all flesh wounds, howerer, he congratulated him-
self on his escape; yet they were severe enough to lay him
up for two months, and to make him go to the settlements for
surgical aid and attendance.

A man whom I met in Montana was made a cripple for life
by a bear because he shot one of her cubs. lie was taking
the young one away, when the mother overtook him and
attacked him without a moment's hesitation. The struggle
was a severe one, but the hunter finally caught her by the
throat, and pressing on that part with all his might soon
reduced her to such a condition of weakness that he was
enabled to take out a large pocket-knife which he carried,
and to cut her jugular vein. When the contest was over
he was so exhausted from his wounds and the loss of blood
that he fainted, and it was only by making the most
strenuous efforts that he was able to get home. An exami-
nation proved that the animal had cut some of the tendons of
the right foot, and broken some of the ankle-bones, besides
lacerating the arms and chest.

Another individual of whom I heard in Colorado followed
a wounded bear into the undergrowth, and was attacked by it.
His rifle being unloaded, he was unable to use any other
means of defence than a knife, but before he could inflict any
damage with that he was overpowered and injured so severely
that he died in two days after being brought home. When
found by one of his neighbours he was apparently dead, nor
did he ever recover consciousness, for the skull was injured in
two places, as if it had been struck with a hammer.

Accidents less serious than these frequently occur, but thev
are too often due to want of caution, and to supposing an
animal killed when it is only wounded seriously enough to
make it desperate.

The only instance in which I was chased by a black bear
occurred in Washington Territory, and that taught me a
lesson I have not forgotten. Having expressed a desire to an

78 SPOX TIXG A 1) I 7:\V TURKS

acquaintance, who fanned in summer and hunted in winter,
to go on a "bearing1" expedition, he kindly assented to my
proposal, and made preparations lor it by cooking plenty of
food, and securing two mustangs, or cat/uses as they are called
in the North-west, to transport our blankets and provisions
out and our game back, as we intended to be absent two or
three days. Our armament consisted of a muzzle-loading rifle
which I carried, and a shot-gun borne by my comrade; our
food was confined to boiled mutton and home-made bread ;
and our companions to two small, active, and noisy curs,
which thought it necessary to bark at every bird and animal
they saw. Having started at six a.m., we found ourselves
about twelve miles from home by mid-day, and deeply im-
merged in a dense forest of those gigantic firs and spruces
indigenous to the North-west. After resting for a few minutes
to load our guns, and to eat a simple repast, which was washed
down with water, we went searching for bear "signs," and soon
found them plentiful enough, for the berries were cleaned off
quite a large patch of bushes, old logs had been stripped of
their bark where they concealed grubs and ants, and some of the
young trees contained marks of a large male's teeth, which
was advertising his presence and portliness by placing his
sign manual as high upon them as he could reach. It is a
peculiarity of the male that he will sometimes leave the impres-
sions of his teeth as high up on some of the undergrowth as he
can reach, as if he were desirous of making his dimensions
known to other members of his family. AVhat this signifies no
one seems to know, though the surmises are many. Having
noted these, the dogs, which had been previously kept at heel,
were set to work to arouse the advertiser, and in less than ten
minutes they were yelping in their loudest tone. I ran in
one direction on hearing this notification, and my companion
in the opposite, so that we might head off the game should
it break from a straight course. After running for a few
minutes I saw a dark object dodging through the thick
shrubbery, and judging from its size that it was the animal
whose lii'e I sought, I raised my rifle, pointed it as steadily
as my palpitation would permit, and banged away. When

IN Till': I'AR WEST. 79

the echo of the report ceased I heard a crashing1 of the
bushes, and this was followed by a painful, vicious growl.
Moving forward cautiously, and peering- closely into the
shrubbery, I saw the lover of berries stretched on its side
and gasping1 violently, as if in the throes of mortal dis-
solution. This induced me to lay down my rifle, and seizing
the fallen limb of a tree, which was large, crooked, and
unwieldy, I gave bruin a tremendous whack with it on the
occiputal region; but no sooner was the blow given than
the animal sprang up and charged me. I raised the club
to give it a second blow on the head, but the brute not only
parried it with its paw, but broke it short in my hand.
Being unarmed, I concluded to retreat, and I Hatter myself
that I did it in admirable style, for I clambered rapidly
over felled trees of large dimensions, leaped the smaller
ones, and tore through the thick undergrowth, which lashed
my face with incisive sharpness, until, in a short time, I reached
a clump of the many-trunked vine-maple, and up one of these
I clambered with a speed of which I afterwards felt proud.

The bear followed close on my track, and from its growls I
expected to be in its embraces every moment ; but the wound
affected its coursing powers, and I was safe in my perch before
it reached the foot. I felt perfectly sate where I was, as the
trunk was too small for a bear to climb; and the protruding
tongue and deep gasps of my pursuer proved that my leaden
pill had sapped the vigour of its frame. Had I been a hero of
the chivalric school I might have descended and ended the eon-
test by a hand-to-hand encounter, but having scruples about
risking my person or my clothes I was content to remain
where I was and to shout for aid by yelling " hoo-oo-peo-ee/'
which the woods re-echoed many times. In a few minutes —
though it seemed a long while to me — I heard an answeriii"-

<J <~J O

call, and, in a short time after, the yelping of the curs. Bruin,
on hearing the latter, concluded that the wisest course
would be to retreat, and this it did, though slowly and verv
laboriously.

When the dogs passed my prison I descended, and when niv
companion arrived I secured his shot-gun and started in pursuit

80 SPOX TING A D I 'ENTURES

of tlic gaoler. I overtook it in a feu- minutes, the dogs having
brought it to bay by nipping at it whenever it attempted to
escape, and on a good opportunity being presented I let it have
both barrels at short range in rapid succession, and it fell dead
in its track. On looking for where I hit it the first time, I
found that the bullet had passed through the anterior portion
of the windpipe from side to side. This was what had saved
me. as its breathing was too difficult to enable it to run rapidly,
or even to climb well.

While out on that hunt we killed three adults and two cubs,
but I took excellent care to avoid getting to close quarters
with them, and to feel assured that they were dead before 1
tried any familiarity.

I have had some hunts after this animal which had their
ludicrous side also. I was, on one occasion, running down the
Chehalis River in a canoe, my companions being an Indian
gondolier and a sporting Esculapius who was the surgeon on
an Indian reservation. While rushing down in a swift current
that bowled us along at the rate of five miles an hour, we came
suddenly upon a young bear swimming across the stream.
The doctor became excited at once on seeing it, and ordered
the red man to ply the paddle vigorously and get alongside
before it could reach the shore. lie complied, and we were
soon ranged beside it, but as we had no weapons except pocket
revolvers, and the animal was young, the doctor insisted that
it ought not to be shot, but be captured alive. All parties
being willing, the doctor, who was in the bow of the canoe,
attempted to throw a rope around its head, and in his efforts to
do so tilted the boat somewhat, lost his balance, and \vent head-
long into the water on top of the bear. The latter gave a growl
of terror and attempted to break away, but it somehow got
entangled in the rope, so that when the disciple of Esculapius
rose to the surface he found himself clinging to one end of the
cord and the bear to the other, and both pulling in opposite
directions. The scene was so ludicrous that even the stoical
gondolier laughed heartily and shouted, " Closk doctol ; hyaa
clos/i" — well done, doctor; very well done. As the current was
carrying them down the stream, and the doctor was puffing

AV THE FAR U'EST, Si

loudly, and the bear hoarsely screaming, we took the former
aboard for fear of any accident — though not without some
danger of getting a spill ourselves, owing to the lightness of
the canoe — and paddling towards the shore, we dragged the
captive after us. IJefore landing, we found that it was too
large to be made a pet of, so we killed it by shooting it through
the head with our pocket revolvers, and gave the carcass to
the Indian, who was delighted to have it. The doctor dried
his clothes at an Indian hut before going to the reservation on
which he was stationed ; and on reaching there he took very
good care not to mention a word about his accident, for fear of
being made a target for ridicule.

I was out on another occasion after grouse with a public
singer, and he, being unused to walking, stopped to rest in
the woods while I trudged on in search of game. I had not
been two minutes away before I saw him running towards
me at his best pace, and shouting my name. Thinking
he was being pursued by some drunken Indians, I cocked
my gun and awaited developments. On reaching me he said
that a bear had jumped out of a burnt tree-stump close by him,
and had frightened him badly. I went back to the stump,
but although it was hollow I could see no indications that a,
bear had inhabited it at anytime, and I told him so. Assum-
ing that he had been somewhat rash in his fright, and fear-
ing the result if the tale were told to his acquaintances, he
promised to sing all the way into town if I would not
" peach" on him. I promised to comply on this condition, and
the result was that he sung all the popular songs he knew, the
entire distance. When we reached the outskirts of the town
he wished to cease, but I insisted on his singing as far as
the hotel, or relating the story when we reached there, and he
reluctantly consented. While passing down the main street
his dulcet tones attracted the attention of several persons, and
some who knew him must have presume'] that he was labour-
ing under some unusual mental excitement. A few called at
the hotel to learn what ailed him, and these he told that he
had shot a bear and was so overjoyed at the matter that he had
to indulge in singing to soothe his ecstatic feelings. The story

G

82 S/'OR TL\G A D I 'EN TUK f:-S

passed current for awhile, but, unfortunately, the leading-
paper of the town heard the true story, and the exploit of the
bear-hunting1 hero was announced in a column of double-leaded
matter. He fell at once from his hig-h estate as a Nimrod, and
it took many an " ] know you're thirsty, boys," to prevent the
"boys" from inquiring about how it was exactly that he shot
that bear, and how far the terrified animal ran before dying1 of
fri>rht at seeinir him.

IN THE FAR WEST. 83

CHAPTER IV.

THE COUGAR AND LYNXES.

The cougar — Variety of its nninos — Size, weight, strength, colour, and
general characteristics — Its peculiarities when treed — How i urine rs kill
it — Anecdotes of its courage — A light with a wolf and a bear — •
Desperate struggle between a cougar and an unarmed man in Oregon —
Two kittens captured — Death of the dam — A wild cougar plays with
a man in Washington Teiritory — His fright and escape — An episode
in Minnesota — My first cougar — A weird funeral ceremony among the
Digger Indians — Why the Californians are called Tar Heads — My
next capture, and another form of an Indian funeral — A hunt in the
Cascade Range — Death of a cougar — My companion wounded — Legend
of an enchanted lake — A cougar cripples an Indian — Daiigerous cha-
racter of the animal — The best time for hunting it — A night hunt and
its serious result — Death of two cougars — Other members of the eat
family — Difference between lynxes and true cats — How to distinguish
them — Lynx hunts — I kill lour in one mouth — Characteristics of the
genus — Lynx-hunting as a sport.

THE cougar (Fells concolor] boasts a larger variety of names
than any animal on the Continent, being known as the puma,
mountain lion, California lion, painter, and panther, besides
the first mentioned ; and some persons, in writing of sport
in America, have made all these cognomens into distinct
animals, and have gone so far as to give them different
characteristics and varied degrees of ferocitv.

O »/

The cougar is the largest of the Felidw found in the United
States, except the jaguar, or Mexican tiger (/''. oncu], but that
is confined in its northern range to portions of Texas, and is
nowhere abundant, not even along the Brazos River. The
former is quite common in the wooded regions beyond the Rocky
Mountains, and its sharp, high screams in early morning
frequently send the blood bounding through the veins of the
wanderer amid forest depths. Though not often a dangerous
foe, until brought to bay or roused by hunger, owing to its
natural cautiousness and timidity of character, yet its shrieks

G 2

84 SPORTING ADVENTURES

are so loud and penetrating1 that no person can hear them
without feeling a thrill run through his body, and, if unarmed*
without taking excellent care to avoid an encounter with it if
possible.

An adult male weighs, on an average, from eighty to one
hundred and lifty pounds, but in portions of the south, where
the climate is favourable and food abundant, it attains greater
weight than this. One shot near Elbow Creek, in Southern
Florida, in December, 1873, measured nine feet four inches in
length, and weighed two hundred and forty pounds. The skin
of this monster is now, I believe, to be seen in the parlour of
the Argonauta Rowing Club, at Bergen Point, New Jersey.
The usual length of the cougar varies from four and a half to
Jive feet, from nose to tail, bat I have heard persons say that
it sometimes attains a length of body of seven or more feet
in portions of Florida and Texas. I have hunted in some of
the best game regions of these States and bagged a cougar
occasionally, but I never saw one possessing such proportions,
nnd I am rather doubtful if it exists, as that measurement
would bring it up to the standard of the lion or grix/.ly bear.
The two largest that I killed in the West measured respectively
fifty-four and fifty-six inches, exclusive of the tail, and they
were considered to be good-sized animals. The longest cauda
measured was thirty-three inches, so that the animal had a
total length of seven feet Jive inches. The height of the
tallest one I ever killed was a fraction over thirty-one inches;
the body was thirty inches round ; and the head was a little
more than twenty inches long.

Twenty-four hours after the death of the largest, I had an
opportunity of weighing ii, and it turned the scales at one
hundred and thirty-seven and a half pounds. This weight, when
propelled by strong muscles, and placed in intense activity by
rage, is no mean force for an unarmed man to encounter and
vanquish; hence, one cannot well blame the Indians for the
fear of the animal they display, or their pride in killing one.

The colour of the cougar is a brownish-yellow above, and a
pale red or dusky-white beneath; the lower jaw and throat
are white ; and the whiskers, which are rather long, are white

IN THE FAR WEST. 85

and rise in a blackish base. It has no mane, nor any tuft
on the extremity of the tail; its hair is soft and dense
over the limbs and body; and the colour is so much alike in
both sexes that they cannot be distinguished by the looks of
the pelage.

The female brings forth her young1 in the spring1, the number
at a birth varying- from two to four, and the period of gesta-
tion being- about ninety-seven days.

The character of the cougar is like that of the cat family in
general, whether wild or domesticated; and this may be
summed up by saying that it is naturally timid and will flee
before man, but is exceedingly fierce and daring when pressed
by hunger, when wounded, or when defending its young.
Affection for the hitter is manifested only by the mother how-
ever, for the male would destroy and eat them did he have
the opportunity ; and even the female is not always safe from
his sudden and ungallant temper.

The favourite haunts of the cougar are amid the deepest
recesses of the forest, where it can obtain food and the close
concealment so natural to its habits; and being nocturnal in
character, it seeks its prey principally at night, or early in the
morning. It is seldom seen abroad during the day, unless
severely pressed by hunger, and then it will go boldly any-
where and face man without a moment's hesitation, or make
a raid on a farmyard, despite the protests of furious dogs. In
the forests of the Northwest, however, it is seldom compelled
to risk its life to procure food, as it can obtain a plentiful
supply without much trouble, owing to the abundance of deer,
hares, squirrels, and other small animals, which it captures
readily by bounding upon them suddenly from a tree or the
thick undergrowth of the forests, where it always lies in
concealment. "Whatever it catches, let it be small or large, it
first cuts open the throat and drinks the blood, and if its
appetite is not then satisfied it devours the flesh ; and should
any remain over, it is carefully covered with leaves, to be kept
for the next meal or a "rainy day/' AMien lying in wait for
its prey, it seeks the shelter of a thicket or crouches on the
lower branches of a tree, and the moment a hare, a deer, or

86 SrOKTIXG ADVENTURES

even a wolf passes by, it jumps on its back, and fastening1 its
claws in the sides of the poor captive, cuts open the neck or
throat in a few seconds. Its strength mny be inferred from
the fact that it can drag- a deer, weighing perhaps one hundred
and fifty pounds, a long- distance, and can run imite rapidly
with a large dog in its mouth. It has been known to kill a
sheep, and without doing anything more to it than to drink
its blood, bound away with the carcass at such a rate of speed
that a man on foot found a difficulty in overtaking it.
Should it commit depredations on a farmyard, the farmer
generally starts in its pursuit with dogs and guns, or spreads
strychnine over a piece of meat and places it in a spot where
it will prove most effective. Numbers are destroyed annually
by this means in the AVest, and, as a resiilt, they are becoming
scarcer in certain sections. When pursued, or startled on the
ground, the cougar bounds for the densest thicket, or scrambles
np the first convenient tree and conceals itself amid the
branches. Extending itself on a bough, it is sometimes diffi-
cult to find, if it remains quiet, but it has a habit of swinging
its tail from side to side, and of purring loudly, if enemies
approach its retreat, and these cause it to be detected when it
otherwise would not.

Its courage is sufficiently great to induce it to face any foe,
from bear to man, in a case of emergency. I heard an old
hunter say that he once saw a fight between a black bear and
a cougar, and that the latter killed its adversary in less than
twenty minutes, by leaping- on its neck and cutting the spinal
cord with its lance-like teeth. Bruin did not die, however,
without a severe struggle, and inflicting such injuries on the
other that it would undoubtedly have died of its wounds had
the hunter not shot it as it was crawling into the shrubbery.
On examining- it he found that one of its hind legs was broken,
and the flesh torn off by a sweeping blow of the bear's paw,
and that it also had a severe wound in the neck. The cougar
was evidently the aggressor in this case, and was incited to
the combat either by hunger or a desire to defend its voiing,
as he found that it was a large female, whose teats were full uf
milk.

IN THE FAR WEST. 87

lie saw, on another occasion, a fight between a cougar and
a wolf, and, according to his statement, it was one worth behold-
ing, as they tumbled over and over each other, and caused the
leaves to fly about as wildly as if two moose were engaged in a
deadly contest. Knowing which one would win, he loaded
his gun with buckshot, and approaching them to within a
distance of thirty yards, he fired both barrels at their heads in
rapid succession, and killed them in their tracks. Both were
full-grown, heavy animals, and that they were possessed of
strength was proved by the number of wounds on their bodies,
and the manner in which the ground was torn up.

A proof that the cougar is no mean foe to encounter may be
illustrated by the following anecdote : —

A farmer in Oregon was returning home one day from
market at a rather late hour, but he had not proceeded half a
mile from town before he met a large cougar on the road.
Being unarmed, he did not care to assail it, and as he did not
want to retreat or take the trouble of Hanking it by cutting
across fields, he picked up a stone and fired at it, to drive it
away; but, instead of complying with his desires, it crouched
on the ground, as if preparing for a spring. Not liking its ac-
tions by any means, he gave a fierce shout, but instead of fleeing,
as it generally does, from the human voice, it bounded at him,
and striking him full on the breast, knocked him down. Then
commenced a fierce struggle between man and beast. The latter
caught the former by the upper part of the arm, and fastened
its claws in his breast ; but he being of a powerful frame, seized
his foe by the throat and held it in a vice-like grip until it let go
its hold. lie held it in that position until he got on his feet,
when he flung it away from him, and attempted to escape ; but
the brute was not to be baulked, and before he ran three paces
it sprang upon him once more, and again a desperate struggle
commenced, in which the man was getting the worst of it, as
he was severely bitten in the arms., and his sides and chest
were torn by its long, hooked, and iron-like claws. Seeing that
his strength would soon be exhausted unless he could kill the
animal, the man made a desperate effort to choke it, but he was
so weak from the contest and the loss of blood that his eH'orh-

88 SPORTING ADVENTURES

were futile. He had about given up all hope of his life
when he saw a large stone on the road, and seizing that
eagerly, and despite the assaults of his fierce foe, he
began to rain blows on the head of the latter with all his
strength for several seconds. These caused it to loosen its
hold on his arm and to drop to the ground ; and when the
farmer saw that, he hurled the stone with all his might at its
skull, and sent it crashing into the brain, killing it almost
instantaneously. "When the victory was won he fell in a swoon
from exhaustion and the loss of blood, and was in that condition
when he was found by a neighbour of his, who was going home
in a waggon. Both the combatants were placed in the vehicle
and taken back to town, for the man was so severely wounded
that surgical aid was promptly required, and there he remained
for two months before he was deemed sufficiently recovered to
go home.

An acquaintance of mine while out grouse shooting one day
met two cougar kittens, apparently about three months old,
and chased them at once. Finding they would be overtaken,
they clambered up a young fir, and he followed in hot pursuit,
and soon had them by the nape of the neck. lie held them
in that position while he searched in his pocket for a piece of
twine with which to tic them, and during that time they were
" youling " loudly and trying to break away. Having secured
them, he was preparing to descend when a new foe, in the form
of their mother, appeared on the scene. She had evidently
deserted them for a few minutes to provide thorn with provender,
as she carried a large hare in her mouth. When she heard
their cries, and saw them in the arms of a Philistine, she
dropped the hare and bounded on to the lower limb of the tree,
which must have been at least fifteen or twenty feet high.
The hunter having left his gun on the ground, to enable him to
climb with greater facility, was in a quandary, as he had nothing
better than a pocket-knife with which to defend himself. He
was a man of readv resources however, and not caring to risk

*• * <">

his life or lose the youngsters, he concluded to await the
onslaught of their protector. When she clambered, or rather
sprung to the next limb, he was enabled to reach her with his

IN THE FAR IVEST. 89

foot by clinging around the trunk of the tree ; and dropping
the captives, he made a tremendous downward kick at her
head. She rose on her hind legs to parry the blow, so
he missed her, but he struck the light branch on which she
was sitting with such force that he almost severed it from the
trunk, and caused the outer part to point directly downward.
The result was much better than he anticipated, for the cougar
lost her balance, and went crashing through the branches to
the ground, a distance of perhaps thirty or more feet, and
struck it with such vehemence that she was stunned. As soon
as he saw her shooting downward, he scrambled to the broken
branch, and seizing it with both hands, threw his full weight
on it, and swinging himself sideways, tore it from its fastenings,
and was soon on the grass, armed with an unwieldy but most
effective battering-ram. Before the cougar could get ready
for another spring at him, for the shock had evidently knocked
much of the courage out of her, if it had not seriously injured
her, he gave her two or three swinging blows on the head, to
expel any remaining pluck, then ran for his shot-gun, a few
feet away. Seizing that hurriedly, he took aim at her eyes,
which glowed so much with rage and hate that they were
of a reddish-emerald hue, and planted two loads of No.
6 shot in them. The closeness of the range sent the pellets
into the brain, and she fell dead where she crouched.
Feeling assured of her fate, he went up after the kittens,
which were mewing terribly, and brought them safely down,
notwithstanding their many protests with tooth and nail. As
he could not carry both the kittens and their dam at the same
time, he was compelled to leave the latter and go to an Indian
encampment close by, and get a couple of siwankes to bring her
in. While awaiting the return of the messengers, he felt the
stocking of one foot getting wet, and on looking to see what
was the matter, found that his leg was bleeding profusely from
a wound which the slain animal had inflicted on him with lici-
t-laws when lie kicked at her. Binding that up, lie engaged
a canoe to take him home, and as soon as he received his
trophy, he started oil' amid the highest expressions of admira-
tion that the Indians could give, as they looked upon his feat as a

90 SPORTING ADVENTURES

most remarkable one, and himself as a hero of no small magni-
tude.

The kittens were carefully housed and petted in every
possible manner, but, though playful when young, as soon as
they became old enough to display their natural temper
they were anything but pleasant companions. They would
bear no familiarity, and whenever they escaped, as they
sometimes did, they would destroy fo\vls in the most indiscri-
minate manner, and, apparently, without any other purpose
than to satisfy their bump of dcstructiveness, for they did not
attempt to eat them. They were attached to no person, not
even to him who fed them habitually, and as all the feeding
and kindness in the world could not arouse a spark of affection
in them, or overcome their propensity to destroy everything
they could seize, even to the house cat, they were shot before
they were eighteen months old.

One of them escaped on a certain occasion, but its absence being
detected in a few moments after, the dogs were sent in pursuit.
They espied it heading for a copse some few hundred yards
away, and announced the matter by a vigorous yelping. When
it reached a deep but narrow stream that separated the woods
from the house, it plunged in boldly, clambered up the other
side, and sought refuge in a tree. It was soon caught however,
and dragged back to the kennel, a degraded, " voiding " captive.
This incident would prove that the animal will voluntarily take
to water, and it is, I believe, one of the few species of the
Fclida that will do it ; but my experience is that it will avoid
it as carefully as any member of its family, unless driven to it
by stern necessity.

A proof that the animal, in its wild state, can sometimes be
playful with man, maybe deduced from an incident that occurred
in Washington Territory. A farmer on his way to Olympia, the
capital of the Territory, was passing one evening over the
road that leads through the dense forests which stretch
southward for miles from the town. These are almost of
plutonian darkness after the sun sets, owing to their density
and towering altitude., so that one cannot see ten paces ahead.
AVhile walking leisurely along, he was surprised to fed

IN THE FAR WEST. 91

something touch his leg, and on looking down was almost
dazed to see a huge cougar rubbing its head against him,
and purring pleasantly. Seeing that it was in evident good
humour, whilst he was defenceless in case of an attack, he
moved onward in a sort of half-stupified condition, for his
heart was beating violently, and he dared not utter a sound
through fear of arousing its anger. The animal accompanied
him for a mile or more and gamboled around him in the most
playful manner, now running ahead for several yards, then
bounding back and rubbing its head and side against him
strongly, as a pet house-cat would. Knowing the treacherous
nature of the brute, he expected every moment to be assailed,
and the blood was often sent coursing violently and spas-
modically through his body, and cold chills crept over him
whenever he saw it plunging into the woods, then come leaping
towards him at its best pace, and colliding with his legs so
vigorously that he feared sometimes that he would be knocked
down ; and if such an accident occurred, he was afraid that its
natural instinct would prevail, and that he would be pounced
upon. It began to get wearied after awhile of the gamboling,
and kept closer to him ; its tail also began to swing suspiciously
from side to side, and its loud purring was occasionally
transformed into a blood-curdling scream. Just as he was
about giving up all hopes of getting rid of it quietly, he heard
the rumble of approaching wheels, and taking courage from
this indication of help, he gave a loud and prolonged yell, in
which there was more of fear than defiance. The cougar was
startled so much by this fierce and unexpected cry that it fled
into the woods terror-stricken, and disappeared like magic in
the shrubbery. AVhen the driver of the waggon approached
the terrified man, he found him so weak from excitement that
he could hardly speak, but he recovered himself after a little
while and told his tale. He was driven to town, and, after
taking a long pull at something stronger than tea, was himself
again, but he will not probably to his dying day forget his
agonizing halt-hour with a cougar.

1 heard of another instance in Minnesota, in whieh a cougar
leaped from a tree upon the driver of a waggon who wa^ earn •-

92 STORTING ADVENTURES

ing home some fresh meat from town. "When the animal made
the leap it knocked the man back in the cart, but before
it could do any more harm than to claw him severely, he
tumbled out on the road at the tail-board, while his horses
bounded away at full speed, carrying1 the assailant with them.
They say the man was so frightened that he stayed in the road
all night, with his nose stuck in the dust ; and on being
rallied about his courage the next day, he nonchalantly replied
that he was not going- to take any chances, and he would
rather lie in the dust than in the stomach of a cougar.

The first time I had the pleasure of killing- one of these fierce
cats was when I was stopping at a rancher's cabin near the foot
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a few days. While sleeping
soundly one night, after a hard day's hunting, I was startled
suddenly by the barking- of dogs, the cackling of fowls, and
the squealing of pigs. Supposing that some Indians or horse
thieves were making a raid on the house, I jumped out of bed
and dressed as rapidly as possible, but before that simple opera-
tion was finished, the clamour outside had ceased, except an
occasional cackle.

The host next appeared on the scene armed with a rifle, and
giving me a loaded shot-gun, we went into the yard to see
what the matter was. A momentary investigation revealed
the condition of affairs, for near the corner of the yard we
found the dead body of a magnificent dog, of which the owner
was very proud, on account of his peculiar intelligence and
affectionate disposition. He was a cross between a Newfound-
land and a mastiff, and inherited the good qualities of both
parents, being brave, kind, and faithful. His ribs were broken,
and the abdomen was so much torn away, that the viscera pro-
truded. "A painter did that," was the host's laconic expression ;
and after a long pause, as if trying to overcome his feelings,
he vehemently asserted that he would have the cougar's hide
before he was twenty-four hours older, or know why. A
further examination proved that the brute had carried away a
young pig about four months old, and had escaped by leaping
a two-rail fence with it. There were several other dogs in the
yard besides the one slain, but none had the courage, apparently,

IN THE FAR WEST. 93

to attack the prowler, and the result was that the dead animal
paid the usual forfeit of heedless bravery. We were aroused at
daylight the next morning by the yelping of the dogs again,
and on rushing out found that they were barking at a number
of Digger Indians, who were moving past the house towards
a large piece of woods half a mile away. When we appeared
on the scene one of the men approached the fence, and taking
off his nether garment, the only one which he wore, except a
battered, crownless, tall hat, or " chimney-pot/' as it is known
in portions of the West, he handed it over to Mr. V — , and
with the simple word " keep/' and some pantomimic gestures,
he gave him to understand that he wished it kept until it was
called for. Mr. V — took it grudgingly, and holding it as far
away from his person as possible, told the owner that his wishes
should be complied with, and the Digger started away in lighter
costume than that worn by the famous Georgia Colonel, and
that consisted of only a spur and a paper collar. After break-
fast, my host and myself armed ourselves, and calling the dogs
together, we started on the trail of the cougar. The morning
being fine, and the dew still on the ground, the two harriers
that formed a portion of the small pack had little difficulty in
following up the trail as far as a glade in the copse, but they
lost it there. When we emerged on this, we saw fifty or sixty
Indians engaged in collecting brushwood and decaying felled
trees, and making a large pile of them. On approaching the red
men V — asked them what they were about, but no one answered.
Thinking that they were preparing for a grand feast, and that
they had, perhaps, called on his farmyard for some tender
chickens or turkeys, he moved towards the spot where their
provisions were placed, and, after scanning them closely, saw
a portion of the shoat he had lost the night before.

Forgetting, for the moment, all idea of what he had been
hunting during the morning, he began to rail at the Indians
as thieves, and to assert that it was they who had stolen the
pigs and sheep he had lately lost, while he was blaming it all
on cougars. The man who had given him the trowsers for
safe keeping, on seeing him pull out the remnants of the pig
whose body was drained of every drop of blood, approached

94 SPORTING ADVENTURES

him and said, " Mehali urn find, "and pointing in the direction
in which the squaw had found it, he led us to the edge of the
copse, to prove that he was right. "\Vhen we reached the
spot in the woods where the dogs had lost the trail, he pointed
to a small pile of leaves and boughs, and, on scattering them,
V — found by the blood on the ground that the cougar had
feasted there on the pig, and covered the remainder, so as to keep
it for another occasion. " If I had any strychnine in the house,"
said he, " I'd poison some fresh meat and put it in that place
for the thieving brute, but as I have not, there is nothing left
to be done except to come here to-night with the dogs, and try
and tree the old thief when he comes after his spare grub/''

Our work being over for the time being, so far as the cougar
was concerned, we devoted the day to deer-hunting, and returned
in the evening with a splendid stag, which we killed while he
was vaulting over a jam of fallen trees and branches seven or
eight feet high. After a hearty dinner of venison, washed
down with native wine, and a quiet smoke, we again started
to hunt up the disturber of the previous night's repose. T\re
marched direct to where it had secreted the remnants of the
pig, and taking a position to the leeward in a dense thicket,
we awaited its approach with intense anxiety, as V — was
most eager to avenge the loss of his faithful dog. AVe were
concealed in shrubbery which grew with sucli luxuriance that
the sky was scarcely visible, but we were well supplied with
pine torches and matches, so that, should we find the object of
our search, we could illumine its physiognomy long enough
to enable one of us to shoot it. AYhile discussing, in a hushed
tone, how we should act under certain circumstances, our
position was made distinct by a bright light that seemed to
spread over a large tract of country. My companion thought
the woods were on fire, and expressed his fear that it might
extend towards his cabin, but when I reminded him that it
came from the glade, his apprehensions were calmed, if not
dispelled. "NVe waited half an hour after that for some signal
of the approach of the quarry, but neither hearing nor seeing1
anything' of it, we were becoming restless, when a fiery terrier
started suddenly from covert and ran yelping to the wind-

IN THE PAR WEST. 95

ward. Its companions followed, and \vc followed all, and went
scurrying and tumbling through the underbrush in our efforts
to keep up with them. They suddenly halted, and when we
approached they commenced barking- up a tree. We lighted
our torches, and swinging them in the wind, to fan the flame,
we espied amid the foliage of a sturdy oak the gleaming green
eyes of the cougar, and a tail that swung ominously to and fro
in measured movement. As my companion, who was armed
with a muzzle-loading rifle, desired to kill the animal himself,
lie fired first, but missed his aim, owing to the smoky glare of
the light, and his too great anxiety. While he was re-loading,
I fired at it with the shot-gun, which contained twelve buck-
shots in each barrel, and hitting it in the head, I brought
it to the ground. The fall alone from that height would
have killed it, but, to be quite sure, I let it have the
second barrel right in the eyes as soon as it reached the earth,
and that extracted whatever life remained in the body. My
companion was highly delighted at our success, as he
calculated that the death of the cougar would be worth at
least a hundred dollars a year to him, that being the value
of the animals which he supposed he lost annually by its
depredations.

Slinging the prize across his neck, after tying its legs,
he led the march for home, but as the fire was still burning
fiercely on our left he began to get nervous about it, and
concluded to see what the Indians were doing, as they have
a habit of setting the woods on fire and destroying not only
valuable timber, but also endangering farm-houses. Retracing
our steps, we marched towards the glade, and on emerging
upon it were so thunderstruck at the scene before us that we
halted as promptly as if we had been shot, and gazed for
several seconds in blank amazement, first at the bonfire, and
then at each other. The scene was certainly enough to make
any pale-face halt, for directly in the middle of the glade was
a huge pile of blazing wood, and around this some fifty
or more Indians of both sexes circled and danced and
yelled and moaned. The shouts and bounds of the naked,
dark-hued men and women, the crackling of the flames,

96 SPORTING ADVENTURES

the showers of sparks, the brightly-lighted foreground,
and the lurid glare that encompassed the shadowy woods
in the background, produced a sight that seemed most
strange, and recalled visions of the uncanny creatures that
are supposed to dwell in deep and unearthly places. Loading
our guns, we marched towards the fire, and, on approaching
it, saw on the top the dead body of an Indian undergoing
a process of cremation. We knew then that we were
spectators of a Digger funeral ceremony and a literal
dance of death, and I certainly was glad to have had an
opportunity of seeing both. While looking on, he of the
trowsers asked for the cougar, that he might burn it
on the funeral pyre with the body, as he would then be
sure that his kinsman had entered the Spirit Land as a
recognized true brave. He was told that if he would skin
it he could have the carcass, and without another word he
undertook the business. While he was engaged in this
operation we were closely watching the strange spectacle
before us. The young men and women were wailing fearfully,
and jumping around the pyre with all their might, but
the aged and infirm were content with walking and moan-
ing. When the cougar was skinned, the carcass was thrown
into the flames, near the corpse, amid indescribable yelling,
the butcher being the most vehement shouter, or wailer.
We spent half an hour gazing on this weird, wild scene,
then returned home, I, for one, feeling as if I had been a
spectator of some orgie among the fabulous creatures that
inhabit subterranean abodes. Two days after this strange
ceremony, the dancers passed the house, and their heads and
features were so bedaubed with tar that they bore a strong
resemblance to veritable imps of darkness. I learned, sub-
sequently, that it is a custom among the Diggers to mix
the ashes left by the funeral pyre with tar, and to bedaub
themselves with it, as a sign of mourning, and as they do not
remove it until it falls off through age, they sometimes look like
ogres and ogresses for six months. This is the reason, I believe.

o o * *

that the Californians are locally called " Tar Heads," in con-
tradistinction to the natives of North Carolina, who are known

IN THE FAR WEST. 97

as " Tar Heels," on account of the large quantity of tar
manufactured in the State.

The Indian who had left his trovvsers for safe-keeping,
quietly walked into the house and asked Mrs. V. for them,
but she, good woman, was so horrified at his appearance
and costume that she ran out at the back door, screaming. The
sad-eyed mourner, thinking he had done something wrong,
retreated rapidly, and, before I knew what he wanted, was out
on the road, and staring at the house in a surprised manner.
When I learned what he desired, I seized the prolongations
with the tongs, and handed them to him, and he received
them with evident feelings of pleasure. He then asked for
something to eat, and was furnished with a very large
piece of fresh beef. Running a string through this, lie
slung it on his back, and marched proudly away, though,
to me, he presented a most ludicrous aspect, for his nether
dirty-white garments were much too short for him, and were
entirely devoid of the portion on which a person usually sits ;
his body was perfectly naked, but his head was covered with
a battered and crowuless " stove-pipe " hat, so that he
looked like a " harmony " in black, dusky, and dirty-white.

As a curious coincidence, the next time that I was suc-
cessful in bagging a cougar, I was also a spectator of an
Indian funeral service, but it was the opposite of the pre-
vious one in character. During a visit that I made to the
Snoqualmie Falls, in Washington Territory, I called at an
Indian reservation which was under the charge of a self-deny-
ing missionary, who had devoted his life to the physical and
spiritual welfare of the red man. While I was there a child be-
longing to one of the best young men in the tribe died, and the
priest was sent for to bury her. I accompanied him to the little
hamlet where a portion of the tribe dwelt, and as soon as we
landed from the canoe, all its members marched to the shore, and
each in turn touched the priest's hand, as a sign of welcome,
but no one spoke. When the greeting was over, the men and
women assembled in a log-cabin, and squatted themselves on
their heels around the coffin, or rather box, which was covered
with white cloth. After prayers, and the sprinkling of the

H

98 SPOK TING A D VENTURES

bier, all formed in procession, the head men being in advance,
and they were followed by the young braves and squaws.
The pall-bearers consisted of two relatives of the deceased, and
they were preceded by a lad who rung- a weird-sounding bell,
in measured time, every few moments. When the procession
advanced towards the grave, which was dug amid the matted
undergrowth of the forest, all commenced intoning a hymn in
their native tongue, and that, to me, was the most pleasing, or
rather the most picturesque, I had ever heard, as the weak and
senile voice of the aged was contrasted with the deep bass of
the young men and the clear tones of the squaws. When the
grave was reached, another prayer was uttered, another sad
hymn for the repose of the soul of the deceased was sung, and
the rude casket was placed in the earth amid the dripping
shrubbery. When the last sod was thrown on, the procession re-
formed and marched back to the hamlet, wailing the tribal song
of death in prayerful words. The contrast between the solemn
funeral ceremony of this Christian tribe and the barbarous
Diggers, made a marked impression on my mind, and caused
me to remember the cougar-hunt of the two occasions in the
most vivid manner.

After leaving the reservation, I engaged a canoe and two
Indians to take me to the Falls, and, as the trip was to
occupy several days, I placed a store of provisions and arms
aboard, in order to be prepared for all emergencies. We
had to work hard during the day to pass over brawling
cascades, and to stem strong currents ; hence, when night
came, we were glad to go ashore and camp under the shelter
of a gigantic spruce or fir. While I was soundly sleeping one
night, an Indian jumped up suddenly, awoke me, and called
my attention to an animal that was stealthily advancing'
towards us. Its movements were light and eat-like, and
recognizing1 at once what it was, I seized the loaded rifle
which lay beside me, and fired when 1 caught it in a position
where the glare of the camp fire fell full upon it. Not being
more than thirty or forty feet away, I hit it in tin; shoulder,
and the ball went crashing through it from side to side. One of
the Indians then fired at it with a revolver, and he also succeeded

IN THE FAR WEST. 99

in hitting1 it, the ball entering the skull. When we approached
it, the last gasp of life was leaving the body, a fact of which
we were very glad, as I did not care to have any more shots
in its coating than was necessary, for fear of spoiling it. We
found it to be a two-year-old in splendid condition, and
unusually fat for its family in the wild state. It had, no doubt,
been attracted to our camp by the savoury smell of bacon,
which the Indian cook had left uncovered in a pan near the
fire; and though this was contrary to rule, yet I did not
blame him when I saw what it had brought me.

During one of my short trips in the Cascade Range, I was
accompanied by a stock-raiser, his two sturdy sons, and two
Indians who were civilized in the sense that they lived in
cabins, cultivated a few acres of land, had some cows and
horses, and professed to be Christians.

We were out in search of big-horns, and took the red men with
us because they knew the mountains well, and had killed several
sheep in their time. We encamped the first night near a lovely
tarn that was buried in a small, deep valley which was gay
with wild flowers and green with generous grasses. Towering
basaltic crags arose on one side, like huge sentinels intended
to guard the vale, and on the other a coppice, composed of
several varieties of trees, from pine to mountain maple, grew
in wild luxuriance. The Indians objected strongly to selecting
this beautiful spot for a camp, and on asking them their reason
for this, they refused to tell, but they would not remain there
they said for any consideration ; and as we would not leave,
they picked up their traps and departed for some other
quarters. They rejoined us the next day, however, and hunted
as assiduously as any of ourselves. On starting out we went
in pairs, and moved in opposite directions, so as to be able to
head off any animals fleeing from one side of the valley or
mountain to another, and, if necessary, to make a surround.
My companion, who was the senior pale-face of the party,
was accompanied by three large dogs used for hunting cattle
and wild game, and they seemed to be equally expert in all.
Moving towards the coppice, in order to work up the valley
in the direction of the bluffs, we were soon beating the under-

H 2

ioo SPORTING AD VENTURES

growth to sec if we could find game of any kind there. After
quartering it for half an hour, the dogs, which were running'
wildly about in every direction, gave a loud yelp some distance
ahead of us, and kept up the canine music for ten minutes,
when it suddenly ceased. We hastened onward, and in about
twenty minutes reached a narrow stream, and there found the
dogs beating up and down in search of the quarry, but they
made no effort to enter the water. Presuming from ^en-
actions that the game, whatever it was, had crossed the river,
we waded through it to the opposite side, and the dogs after
a little work there found the trail again, and declared it in
the most vehement manner with their voices. We followed
them up promptly for a quarter of a mile and overtook them
as they were grouped around a tree and barking violently.
Peering through the foliage of the fir, we saw a large cougar
perched on a low branch, its green eyes, like an emerald furnace,
glowing with rage, and its tail swinging like a pendulum
from side to side. We could hear its deep purring audibly,
and inferred from this that it had little fear of its canine foes.
It seemed to pay little heed to us, but concentrated all its
attention and rage on the boisterous dogs, which disturbed its
repose by their cries. As my companion feared that some of
the latter might be injured if the animal was not shot dead,
he asked me to fire at the same time that he did, so we both
blazed away together, and the cougar came tumbling down
amid a shower of leaves and branchlets. When it reached
the ground the dogs attacked it vigorously, but as its hip was
only broken it made a fierce fight, and placed one of its
assailants on the peace list by tearing a large slice of flesh
from the neck and shoulders with one sweep of its lance-like
claws. This catastrophe caused the others to fight shy, and
to jump at it only when it attempted to rise; and these tactics
kept its attention so constantly engaged that it seemed to
forget our presence completely. This proved anything but
fortunate, for my companion, thinking he could finish it without
any trouble, rushed in to place his revolver near its head, but,
before he could pull the trigger, the animal turned on him
suddenly, and raked his leg from hip to knee so severelv with

AV THE FAR WEST. 101

its paw that the flesh seemed to have been cut with a
knife.

The man was so amazed at the suddenness of the onslaught
that he did not move for a few moments, and were it not that the
dogs attacked the brute boldly, and thus diverted its attention,
lie would have received a second wound, in all probability, before
getting1 out of its reach. When he did move away, it was iu
a hurry, and seizing his rifle, he rushed in among the dogs,
and placing its muzzle within two feet of the cougar's head,
fired, and fairly blew the top of the skull olf. When the
animal was dead he began kicking it, and having satisfied his
vengeance, he turned to his wound, and, with my aid, bound
it up. The injury, though painful, was not very serious, as no
vein or artery had been severed, so he was able to walk back
to camp, and even to help me in carrying the trophy at
intervals. This accident caused a suspension of our hunting
operations, and for fear it might prove to be more serious than
it looked, we left the valley that afternoon and marched
towards home. We reached a splendid camping-ground early
in the evening and there pitched our tent, as water, and grass
for our horses, were to be found in abundance. While discuss-
ing the incidents of our trip over the post-prandial pipe, we
asked the Indians, who were encamped close by us, why they
would not remain near the lake the first night, and one of
them, after much pressing, said it was because the valley was
haunted. When asked to tell how, he said that a squaw who
had been badly treated by her husband resolved on suicide,
and, one evening, when her tribe reached this valley and pitched
their wigwams near the lake, she suddenly rushed forth from
her tepee, and plunging into the crystalline water, sunk to the
bottom before any person could make an effort to save her.
Her spirit was supposed to haunt the vale ever since, for, accord-
ing to tradition, several warriors had seen her frequently bound
into the lake at sunset and disappear in a pyramid of foam. She
had also, it is said, been heard chanting a mournful song, whose
theme was the cruelty of her husband and her own sad fate. This
tale had made the tarn famous among several tribes, to whom it
was known asthe Lake of the Squaw's Leap, and so implicitly did

102 SPORTING ADVENTURES

they believe in its truth that they could not be induced to
camp in the valley on any account, or even to speak of the
incident except with bated breath, for it is an article of faith
among the red men that every time a dead person's name is
mentioned, he or she turns over in the grave, and punishes
severely those who are guilty of such a sacrilegious act as to
disturb the repose of the departed.

I asked the Indians if they ever had any personal encounters
with a cougar, and they replied they had not, but that an
acquaintance of theirs was attacked by one without any cause
while he was searching in the woods for some strayed horses.
The animal jumped at his throat and knocked him down, but
as he was armed with a loaded single-barrelled shot-gun, he
sent its contents into the brute's stomach, and this caused it
to loosen its hold. Struggling to his feet, he attempted to
run away, but, wounded severely as the cougar was, it leaped
upon him once more, and another fierce struggle ensued, the
Indian using his gun against the claws and fangs of his foe.
After a desperate battle, in which the gun was destroyed, the
red man came off victorious, but he was so badly wounded
that his life was despaired of for several weeks. His strong
constitution prevailed at length, however, and he recovered,
but he was a mere wreck of what he had formerly been. In
answer to another query, the most experienced replied that the
cougar never chased its prey but jumped on it from the con-
cealment of a thicket or the bough of a tree, and he doubted
if it could follow any animal by scent, a statement which I
am rather inclined to believe, notwithstanding the assertions
of some writers who say that it has trailed them as a hound
would a hare or a fox. I heard of other incidents in the West
which prove that the animal is very dangerous when hungry or
wounded; but if it will attack man without any seemingly
direct provocation, it is an easy matter to understand the
motive therefor.

It is naturally so timid and cautious, and so far from large
settlements, that it, is only met by accident, unless a person
enters the deep recesses of the f'orot ; but, in severe winters it
leaves its concealment and makes bold raids on the sheep, pigs,

IN THE FAR WEST. 103

calves, foals, and even the dogs of the farm. It is very destruc-
tive on such occasions, as it kills a great many more animals
than it can eat, and frequently leaves the carcasses on the ground
after it has extracted all the blood through the orifice which
it cuts in the neck. It kills in fact for the sake of killing,
even when gorged with food, and this propensity causes it to
be thoroughly hated and feared by the settlers. Sheep-raisers
who take their flocks to the mountains during the summer,
wage war to the knife upon it with rifle and strychnine, and
the result is that it is disappearing as fast as the grizzly bear
in some sections of the country.

During one of my rambles along the coast region in Wash-
ington Territory, I had an excellent opportunity of seeing how
destructive it was to the farm, what great strength it possessed,
and I also had the pleasure of killing one which had proved a
perfect Thug to the denizens of the farm. \\ hile stopping at
a lonely cabin that was buried in the forest, some seven or
eight miles from any other dwelling, a cougar was so frequent
a visitor to the sheep-pen that it killed eight lambs and seven
ewes in less than a fortnight. Their owner becoming enraged
at length, concluded to start out in quest of it, intending, if he
could not kill it, to drive it some distance away at least by
chasing it with dogs, or send it to visit some other neighbour
whose hospitality it had not experienced. With these purposes
in view we armed ourselves one day, and taking four dogs with
us, which were taught to run mute when held in leash, we com-
menced scouring the woods, taking our course direct from
the enclosure in which the pigs and sheep were usually kept at
night during the winter. The dogs had scarcely entered the
forest before they got on the trail of a thief that had been
dining oft' young mutton the previous night, and following
this up as rapidly as we could, we were soon forcing our way
through dense shrubbery or scurrying over open ground. The
dogs worked the trail admirably, and without giving a single
whimper, for a mile or more, but they lost it at the base of a
rocky chasm ; nor could they carry it any further, although
they were harked back two or three times, and several casts
were made in various directions. This induced me to look

104 SPORTLVG ADVENTURES

around me, and at the first glance I noticed that a huge, flat
boulder, some ten or fifteen feet in height, rose abruptly
upward from the ground where the scent had vanished, and I
deduced from this that the cougar had travelled as far as
Ihis point and closed its trail by bounding on the crag and
seeking safety in the woods above. Presuming that it would
be impossible for it to leap up there with a lamb in its mouth,
we commenced searching around to see if we could find the
remains buried anywhere, but after half an hour's diligent
work we relinquished our effort, and decided that it must have
performed that feat, else the lamb would have been carefully
stowed away under leaves, branches, or dirt, somewhere in the
vicinity of the rock.

We next commenced a search for footsteps among the terraces
formingthe upper portion of the chasm, and there found the slots
of a cougar, but as they differed in size within a short distance
of each other, we concluded that there were two of the same
family in the neighbourhood, probably two males, or they would
have kept together, and that one of them used the canyon for its
favourite line of retreat, while the other preferred the forest.
We therefore decided to lie in wait for the former near its
vaulting-place, and to attract it there by placing some fresh
meat on the route it usually took on its foraging expeditions.
Having formed our plans, we returned to the house and
prepared two large pieces of venison for a bait, taking good
care to wash them thoroughly, so as to take away the smell of
the hands. We carried them to the trysting-place after
supper, by running a piece of twine through them, and placed
one several feet away from the top of the precipice, and the
other near the base of the boulder. We then sat down for a
quiet and hushed chat, and kept it up until eig'ht o'clock, when
we separated, my companion going towards the summit of
the chasm, while I kept at the base and to the leeward of the
assumed leaping-place.

We waited there patiently until after ten o'clock, but no
cougar appeared, and the only noises that disturbed the brood-
ing1 stillness of the night were the occasional hoot of the

O <^>

ghostly owl, the plaintive call of the whip-poor-will, the

IN THE FAR WEST. 105

croaking of frogs, and the whirring of the tree-locust. Fire-Hies
were very numerous, and their transitory gleaming proved a
welcome sight, as it somewhat illumined the inky darkness
that reigned in the chasm. The lonely hours flowed on with
slow paces to me, until the vigil began to grow from being
monotonous to being exceedingly tedious. I was about
despairing of meeting any cougar that night, when a sharp,
fierce scream rung out in the precipice, a short distance below
me, and the rocks and trees took this up and caused it to
reverberate in stentorian tones for several seconds. It was so
sudden and unexpected that it startled me violently, but
when my first surprise was over I prepared for emergencies by
noiselessly cocking my repeating rifle, and placing my knife
more in front, so as to have it ready, should it be necessary to
use it. I then peered intently into the Cimmerian darkness in
quest of the animal, but I could see nothing. I next extended
myself flat on the ground and looked skyward at an oblique
angle, but nothing met the vision except precipitous walls and
masses of black clouds that were scurrying to the leeward
before a stiff breeze, though in my cavernous retreat I could
not feel a breath of it. After gazing for a few moments with
such intensity as to strain my eyes, and to make the eyelids
somewhat sore, I noticed an animal emerge suddenly from
some low shrubbery and come towards me with long,
noiseless bounds. Thinking I was the object of an assault,
I jumped to my feet promptly, and when the cougar, for
such it was, passed by me within a distance of three or four
yards, I fired at it almost without taking aim, and mingled
vith. the report was the sharp yell of an angry, wounded cat.
This was a pleasant but a dangerous predicament for me, and
not caring for an encounter, I leaped back to the shelter of a
rock and fired once more at the limping animal. There was
no feline response to this detonation, so I moved forward to
see what was the result of my fire. Before I had advanced a
few feet I saw the cougar making vain efforts to leap up on the
boulder, and the moment I perceived that I concluded it was my
prisoner. Taking aim as carefully as I could in the darkness, I
fired four shots in rapid succession, and when the smoke cleaicd

106 SPORTING ADVENTURES

away no cougar was visible. Not knowing whether it was dead
or had escaped,! moved forward cautiously, with rifle cocked and
ready for instant use, and when I reached the base of the crag
I saw it extended at full length on its side. Lighting a
match, I examined it cursorily, and found it was dead.
Leaving it where it was, I clambered up the chasm to meet
my companion and announce to him my good fortune, but he
was nowhere visible. I began to call his name, but no response
came. Wondering what could have become of him, ! com-
menced groping about, thinking that he might have met with
an accident, but after trudging up and down the terraces for
half an hour, I could find no trace of him. I then became
really alarmed, and advanced to where the bait was placed,
but that was gone. I divined from this that some animal had
stolen it, and that he had started in pursuit of the thief, and
this reassured me, as he was too good a backwoods-man to get
lost, and too experienced a hunter to risk his life unnecessarily.
After waiting half an hour, and shouting at intervals, I con-
cluded that he was watching the object of his pursuit, and did
not wish to answer my call for fear of spoiling his chances at
bagging it. Another half-hour, and still no tidings of him,
induced me to make an effort to find him, and as the moon
then appeared from beneath a mass of clouds, I decided to
track him, if possible. When Luna's face was thoroughly
clear I bent low to the ground, and readily detected his foot-
steps on the grass and leaves, and by their length apart I
knew he was running. As cats in flight generally keep a
direct course, I concluded to follow a straight line, so 1 tore
through the forest at a headlong pace and called every now
and then. When I had proceeded a mile or more I heard a
weak cry, and, advancing towards it, found my friend lying in
some briar bushes, face upward, and a dead cougar not ten
i'eet from him. Lifting him up, I asked what ailed him, and,
in feeble tones, he told me that the animal had attacked ami
wounded him severely, if not fatally.

When placed on his feet, he found he could walk, so with my
aid he tottered slowly home, but he was so weak that he could
not carry his gun. After walking a seemingly interminable

LV THE FAR WEST. 107

distance, we reached his house, and on looking at him by the
light of the lamp he presented so ghastly an appearance that
his wife screamed with fright. One side of his face was cut
as cleanly and deeply as if it were done with a knife ; his chest
and left arm were torn sadly, and he had a heavy scar on the
right thigh. After dressing his wounds he was put to bed,
and the next morning he was strong enough to be able to tell
how he met with his accident. According to his statement it
was, that when he heard the scream of the cougar in the chasm
he directed all his attention that way, thinking, that if the
animal passed me he could get a shot at it, or if I needed
assistance that he would come to my aid.

When I ceased firing he was about to descend to see what
luck I had, but before doing so he took a glance in the
direction of his bait, and saw an animal running away with
it. He followed in hot pursuit, and on seeing it enter a clump
of hazel bushes, fired, without considering for a moment his
chances of being successful in hitting it. He aimed better
than could be expected under the circumstances, and struck it
in the ribs, but the wound was only severe enough to make it
angry, so it turned upon him at once. He delivered his
second barrel hurriedly as it approached him, but he supposed
he missed, as it leaped upon him with as much vigour as if
it had never been touched. He attempted to flee, but the
briar bushes tripped him up and he fell flat on his face. He
turned over promptly, however, and drew his knife, but the
cougar was then upon him and the struggle commenced. He
used his knife blindly, striking wherever he could, but his aim
was uncertain, owing to the hot breath of his foe, and its
biting and clawing. He kept at the throat whenever he could
get the opportunity, and was finally successful in causing the
fierce brute to leave, in order to get breath, but it had gone
only a few paces before it fell dead from loss of blood. He
was so weak from the contest when it was over that he did
not even have strength enough to crawl out of the briars, and he
would probably have died there had he not received assistanee.
The strength of the animal was so great, according to his ;i<-
siTlion, that it used to turn him over on his side when it seized

1 08 SPOX TING A D VENTURES

him by the arm, and attempt to drag- him away, but, owing to
the matted mass of briars, it could not move him sideways, and
it made no effort at any time to lift him up bodily and bear him
away, as cats generally do. Were it not for the briars, he thought
he would have been killed under any circumstances, for when the
animal pounced on his throat at one time, and its fierce breath
almost suffocated him, it was compelled to let go its hold
immediately, as one of the thorny stalks, which extended
across his face, got .into its mouth and pricked it so severely
that it had to lift its head several times to get it out, for it
stretched across the lower jaws, and was held there by having
one of the cougar's own legs resting on one of the ground
ends. While the animal was trying to relieve itself of this
disagreeable bit, the hunter used his knife on its throat to such
good advantage that he forced it to retreat a few seconds later;
and it was this fortunate accident that, undoubtedly, enabled
him to kill his assailant and save his own life. It was a
narrow scratch, however, which would have to yield first; and
were it not for the briar bush the hunter would, in all proba-
bility, have had to succumb, and be made into cat's meat
inside of twenty-four hours.

I went after the slain animals the next day and brought them
to the house, with the aid of a boy, by tying them on a drag
made of the bough of a tree. On looking at them I found
that the one I had killed was a four-year-old male, but the
assailant which had done so much damage to the person of the
pioneer was a full-grown female that boasted exceedingly large
and dense claws, and long, sharp fangs. Her face, throat,
and abdomen were freely sprinkled with knife thrusts, and
her handsome hide was covered with blood from nose to flank.
After being skinned, the remains were thrown to the pigs, and
they went to feasting on the carcasses of animals which had
often made a feast oil' one of their company. When I left the
cabin, its owner was on the high road to recovery; but when
I saw him a year later he presented a disagreeable sight, his
face being as scarred as that of a Border ruffian.

The cougar is, as must be apparent, no mean foe in a close
struggle, so persons who do not care to spoil their handsome

IN THE FAR WEST. 109

features would do well not to go too near it before its spirit has
been expelled by the power of a heavy bullet. It may, for all
that, be hunted for years before a man is attacked by it ; but
such good fortune is due more to aceident than any amiability
on the part of the quarry.

There are several other members of the feline race to be
found in the West and South-west, but they are not so large,
the jaguar excepted, as the celebrated " painter " of the
pioneers. Those indigenous to the south-west, such as Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, and adjacent regions, are the jaguar,
or Mexican tiger, the ocelot or tiger cat (F. puradalis), the
eyra and yaguarundi, and a variety of the bay lynx known
scientifically as the F. maci/lottis. The Canadian and the
Bay Lynx are denizens of the more northern regions, yet
they are found far to the south on the Paeilic Coast, much
farther than on the Atlantic.

The lynxes, which are quite common in the region beyond
the Rocky Mountains, may be readily known from the true
cats by their physiognomy and anatomical construction. They
have, in the first place, only twenty-eight teeth, while the
others have thirty ; their skull is broader in proportion to
size ; the forehead is higher and more arched ; the skull is
more capacious ; the muzzle is broader ; and the lower jaw is
thicker and more massive. They also have short, thick and
stubby tails; their feet are heavily furred; and they move
along with short, straight bounds. The three recognized
species in the Far West are the Canada Lynx (L. canadensis),t]\Q
Bay Lynx or red cat (L. rufus), and the L. fasciatus, which
closely resembles the latter in everything except the colour of
the pelage. The former, which is the largest and heaviest of its
genus, is a timid animal, and readily flees from the presence of
man. It has large paws, slender loins, long, thick hind legs,
and a short, thick tail, which gives it an awkward, if not
clumsy appearance. The head and face are not unlike that of
the domestic cat ; the ears are erect, and tipped by an upright,
slender tuft of black hairs; the legs are thick; and the toes
are thick and furry, and armed with very sharp, curved, and
awl-shaped claws, which are shorter than the fur. Ou the

1 1 o SPOR TING A D VENTURES

body and extremities the fur is hoary, most of the hairs being
tipped with white, but on the middle of the buck, on the
crown of the head, and on the sides and legs, it is a pale wood
brown ; and the tail is of the same colour, except that it is
tipped with black. The fur is close and fine on the back, but
it is longer and paler beneath than above. The ordinary
length of an adult is about thirty-eight inches, the height
about seventeen inches, the tuft on the ears one and a half
inches, and the tail, inclusive, about four and a half inches.
Its colour changes according to the seasons, so that one may
be deceived in its appearance if he goes by hue alone.

If aroused by anger, it spits like a domestic cat, and sets its
hair up like a hyena. Its gait is by bounds, and with its
back somewhat arched ; and when it alights it comes down on
all fours at once. It is not swift, and any ordinary dog can
overtake it in a short time. It swims well when forced to
take to the water, but it avoids that element if possible, as it
has all the objections of its race to a wetting. Its flesh,
although white and tender, is flavourless, yet it is highly prized
by some of the Northwestern tribes, and not a few pretend to
think it superior to hare. Some of the French voyageum
and half-breeds call it the loup ccri'lcr, but why they do so I
could never surmise, as it does not resemble the wolf either in
looks, habits, or tones of voice. Neither is it dangerous to
anything larger than a bird or a small quadruped, so all the
tales told about its attacking men and killing them must be
considered as approaching the fabulous. In the first place,
one good blow on its back with a walking stick would kill
it immediately, and a rifle-ball or a dose of buck- shot is
sufficient to send the spirit of the strongest to the feline
world beyond this at once. Large numbers are shot or
trapped annually for the sake of their skins, which command
a fair price in the fur market; but they are not utili/ed as
objects of the chase to any extent, as their first move is to seek
safety in a tree, whence they are easily dislodged with a rifle
or a bow and arrow.

A wounded catamount may sometimes turn on a man, but
it cannot inflict much greater injury than giving him a severe

IN THE FAR WEST. in

scratching, and few experienced hunters care for such trifles.
1 have shot it occasionally, after treeing1 it with dogs, but I
never knew it to assault me, nor to make even a fierce fight
against its canine foes, hence it offers but little sport ; yet
a person who bags his twenty-pound cat after a scramble
through brake and briar, feels pleased with himself. Its
congeners, the L. rnfas and L. fasciatus, which resemble
it in habit and character, are very common in the forests of
the Northwest, and commit sad havoc among the grouse,
hares, squirrels and other small animals on which they prey.

The latter is readily distinguished from the former by its
rich chestnut colour and soft, full fur, the other having a
reddish hue and a shorter and coarser fur. With this exception,
both look remarkably alike, so much so in fact that an amateur
naturalist would consider them to be the same species, and
would attribute their different hue of coating to age, habitat,
or the season of the year. An adult frequently attains a
length of thirty-four inches, exclusive of the tail, which is
about seven inches, and a height at the fore-shoulder, of sixteen
inches. Both varieties or species inhabit the same character
of country, being generally found in the wooded borders of
plains or valleys. If captured young, they soon learn to know
the person who feeds them, and become somewhat attached to
him; but they are such inveterate thieves, and so destructive
to poultry, that they can only be kept in strong cages from
which there is no possibility of escape, else they would soon
prove most costly pets.

Theyresent the friendly advances of all strangers by humping
up the back, depressing the cars, showing the teeth, and
spitting fiercely, and should he approach too closely they
would even fly at him. As they make raids on the farmyard
occasionally, the farmers resort to poison to get rid of them,
and not a few fall victims to the rifle or shot-guu. I killed
four in one mouth in Washington Territory with the aid of
dogs, and I never experienced any trouble from them, probablv
for the very excellent reason that I did not place mvself in
their way until they were rendered harmless. (\it hunts are
very popular with some persons,, and especially those win.) have

1 1 2 .SY Wv' TING AD I Y;.V TURES

good dogs, as there is generally a fight and its accompanying1
wounds, but the result is, in nearly all cases, detrimental to the
physical welfare of the bob-tailed feline. I can enjoy one on
a moonlight night when I am with a jolly party and accom-
panied by a good pack, as it is full of quiet excitement, and
frequently of ludicrous incidents ; but it cannot, in my estima-
tion, equal a bear or cougar hunt, and it cannot approach the
'bounding sensations produced by a dash after the fleet-footed
stag when he is going at a view halloo pace.

IN THE FAR WEST. 113

CHAPTER V.

THE GRAY WOLF.

The gray wolf — Number of species of wolves — Difference in colours — The
size of the largest variety — Its courage — A pack kills two of our dogs
— Retaliation — Indians eat the wolf — Sagacity of the animal in hunt-
ing— How a pack drives deer — Stratagems resorted to — Satellites of
herds of buffaloes and antelopes — What wolves live on — Useful sca-
vengers— Their harmless character to man — Famishing wolves attack
an Indian— Result — Afraid of a child — Yelps when wounded — Their
si/e and character when food is plentiful — How they are killed —
"Wolfers," and their mode of work — Their general character — Sudden
wealth and poverty — A lucky " wolfer " — A hunt with a "wolfer" —
His peculiar breed of dogs — Their speed and stubbornness — Six cubs
captured, and two wolves killed — Pursuit of a coyote — Affection of a
mother for her young — How wolves run when pursued — Different
breeds of dogs fit for wolf-hunting — How it is hunted in portions
of the West — A spirited wolf-chase — How wolves act when trapped —
The future of wolf-hunting in the West.

WOLVES are unusually numerous throughout the whole of
North-Western America, and they seem to be equally at home
on the prairie or in the forest, on the mountains or on the
treeless plateaus, where shelter is often so scarce that they are
compelled to form burrows for themselves under banks, or
content themselves with a lair amidst crags.

There are in reality only two species in the country, the
gray, timber, or prairie wolf (Can is lupus rar Occident alls] ^ and
the coyote or prairie wolf (Canis latrans], but there are others
which are classified as varieties, on account of their distinctions
in colour. The difference in hue seems to be the result of
climate and habitat, yet I have seen cubs of various hues in one
litter. This might be the result of the association of differently
marked animals; but, in some instances, this could not be the
case, as only one variety frequented the country in which they
were found.

There are five marked colours among them in the North-

1 14 SPOK TIXG A I) } 'ENTl 'RK±

west, and they arc called from these the gray, white, pied,
dusky, and black wolves; and to these may be added the red
variety, which is indigenous to some southern regions. The
white is the most northern in its habitat; south of this comes
the gray and pied ; while the dusky and sooty black are found
largely in Southern Oregon, Northern California, portions of
Washington Territory, and scattered throughout the whole
area west of the Rocky Mountains. 1 have seen the latter
principally in trappcan countries, as if nature intended their
colour to harmonize with their surroundings, the better to
enable them to secure food and escape enemies.

The American wrolf differs in several points from its Euro-
pean congener ; indeed, it resembles an Esquimaux dog more
than it does the latter. The main differences arc that it has
shorter ears, a broader forehead, a thicker muzzle, shorter legs,
broader feet, and a finer fur, and denser and bushier hair
behind the cheeks. The largest of the family is from thirty-
four to thirty-six inches in height; is about four feet long;
and weighs from ninety to one hundred and twenty pounds,
and even more where food is abundant. The tail is cai'ried
straight, except when the animal is frightened, and then it
crams it between the legs, like a terror-stricken cur, and keeps
it in that position for some distance if hotly pursued.

Large, gaunt, and fierce as it looks, it is one of the greatest
cowards known, even when assembled in numbers, and seldom
has the courage to face even a boy. "When assailed by dogs it
manifests a stronger desire to flee than to fight gallantly for
life, and to show its teeth rather than use them. A couple of
staunch hounds will cause one to scamper off in a tremendous
hurry, and should they overtake and assail it, the probability
would be that it would only snarl at them and try to escape,
instead of closing and killing them at once, as it could readily
do, owing to its weight, great strength, and long fangs.
"When it does bite, however, it inflicts a very severe wound, as its
lancet-like teeth can cut clean through the leg of a dog; hence,
hounds devoid of courage do not care to attack it after they
have once felt its power, unless they are in sufficient numbers
to make an assault successful. It does not show anv fear of

7.V THE FAR WEST. 115

a single dog, unless it be a very large one, and does not
hesitate a moment to gobble up an Indian cur and devour it
in sight of its yelping, impotent kindred. I have known
tribes to lose several dogs by these lupine prowlers, and they
sometimes had the audacity to make a raid on the encampment
for them, and boldly bear them away to safe quarters, where
they could eat them at their leisure.

While out on a hunting expedition along the Loup River,
the wolves pounced on a valuable pointer and terrier belonging
to our party, as they were on their way to visit some of their
kindred in an Indian village, and actually devoured them in
sight of our camp. We had so little fear of the scavengers
assailing our dogs, that when they crowded around the camp at
night, to the number of two or three hundred apparently, and
their glittering eyes peered at us out of the darkness, that we did
not molest them unless they threatened our edibles, but after
that incident we kept them at a safe distance, and showed
them no quarter wherever we met them. Though willing
enough to scamper away before a small pack of hounds-, a
party of them treat a single dog, even of large size, with
contemptuous indifference. I remember hearing a hunter
telling me that he owned an immense dog whose greatest
pleasure was to fight with every one of his own species lie
met, and this propensity of his got him into many scrapes
with their owners, for he was always the conqueror in a few
moments. As he had never been defeated he had such an
overweening confidence in himself that he was ready to meet
all foes, but the wolves taught him that he could not triumph
over them as he had done over his civilized congeners. Felix,
the canine hero, saw three wolves one day on a hillock, and
thinking they afforded him an excellent opportunity for in-
dulging in a victorious contest, he advanced towards them with
hairs bristled up like the quills of a porcupine ; and they, on
seeing his combative attitude, trotted away. This retrograde
movement so encouraged him that he dashed after them at
full speed, and whining with excitement ; but when he was next
seen he was retreating as rapidly as his legs could carry him, his
tail was tucked between his legs, and he was ki-yi-ing fearfully,

i 2

1 1 6 srOX TING AD] 7f AT Tl rR RS

while the three wolves were ranged behind him, and giving
him a good solid nip in the flanks every few moments, just
to hear how nicely he could sing and see how fast he could
run. His owner seeing his plight, ran out to meet him, and
drove his pursuers awav, and this kindness Felix appreciated
very highly, for he extended his tail and wagged it in the
liveliest manner. That whipping made him a member of the
canine peace society for the remainder of his life, for he was
never afterwards known to fight or threaten to fight any of his
own species, and this saved his owner much unnecessary trouble.

The Indians who have lost their curs secure revenge by
killing their destroyers, for they consider that one wolf is as
good as four or five dogs, for not only is its skin valuable in
trade, but its flesh is deemed to be palatable, and to be equal
to that of the dog at least in gastronomic qualities.

When wolves hunt a large animal in packs they do not run
together, in many cases, but secure positions on the routes
which the quarry is supposed to take, and bound on it from
cover. Their first movement is to hamstring it, and when that
is done they have little difficulty iu finishing it. It is no
uncommon thing to meet old buffalo bulls in the spring, when
they arc weak and shedding their coat, with pieces of flesh
actually torn out of their hams, the work of wolves; but in the
autumn and winter these wounds are not so readily apparent,
owing to the length of the hair. I have heard persons say
that wolves give tongue when on the trail of a deer, or other
animal, but I cannot verify this from actual observation, for
though I have seen them pursue several large quadrupeds, from
the antelope to the elk, I do not remember hearing a whimper
out of them while running, although they were noisy enough
while waiting for something in the form of food to turn up.

When a strong pack chases an animal, it generally
results in the death of the quarry, for wolves have speed,
nose, strength, patience, and perseverance, and when a cap-
ture is made it is very often the cause of a nice quarrel
about a division of the spoils, and one in which ten or
fifteen are frequently engaged at the same time. Their
love of fighting is not very great, however, and they are

IN THE FAR I I7i ST. 117

glad to quit it for a mouthful of meat at the earliest oppor-
tunity.

It is amusing to see them try to capture an antelope or a
buffalo, and the wiles to which they resort to obtain every
advantage. One group may stand in front of the creature to
attract its attention, while another steals round to the rear,
and attempts to cut the tendon by a sudden bound. If foiled
in this they break away promptly to avoid a thrust of the
horns, while the others rush in, and by these cunning assaults
they frequently obtain a feast in a short time.

When the quarry is disabled they tear it to death as it were.
I have known them to eat a good-sized buck inside of ten
minutes after its capture. They are constant attendants upon
the herds of antelopes and buffaloes that exist on the plains of
the West, and follow the latter in their migrations as far as
the wintry regions of British America. When large game
becomes scarce they manage to eke out an existence by preying
on prairie dogs, hares, ground squirrels, badgers, foxes, and
other animals, and such refuse as they may find in deserted
camps and Indian villages. If farm-houses are convenient
they display their affection for the inmates of the farm-yard on
every possible occasion, but they are mostly attached to sheep,
pigs, and calves.

Although they are the pirates of the plains, and the deadly
foes of all animals they think they can destroy, yet they are
very useful in that region, for they act as scavengers, and
clear away the putrifying carcasses of hundreds of animals that
die from various causes, and which but for them would make
the plains a bed of pestilence at certain seasons.

Little can be said against them on account of their danger
to man, fur they seldom attack him even when they are in
overpowering numbers and starving; and in this characteristic
they present a strong and favourable contrast to their Euro-
pean congeners. I have heard of only one corroborated case
in which they attacked a human being, and that was under
exceptional circumstances. During a severe winter, when the
fall of snow was very great, an Indian hunter in Northern
Idaho killed a deer one day, and while taking it home the

n8 SPORTING AD]rl'NTLrKJ'S

smell of the blood attracted a pack of famishing wolves that
were hunting in the woods. As soon as they overtook the
man they jumped for the meat at once, and he, in trying to
defend it, as he wanted it sadly for his own family, was
attacked with the greatest fierceness ; but before they could
kill him he broke away and sought safety in a huge fir, and
there he remained until the next morning, when he was
rescued by some of his tribe. The wolves remained under
his perch all night and howled dismally, as if bemoaning
their loss ; but as he had nothing except his bow and arrows
with which to assail them, he did not have even the satis-
faction of killing one. As their victory on that occasion was
supposed to have emboldened them, the whole tribe turned
out with their dogs and weapons, and destroyed several of
them, and caused the remainder to flee to less dangerous
quarters. I have only heard one hunter say that he was
pursued by wolves, and that also seemed to be under unusual
circumstances. According to his tale, an immense pack,
which he estimated to number some hundreds, chased him
for several miles over deep snow, and were it not for the
speed and endurance of his horse, and the proximity of his
house, he said he was almost sure they would have torn him
to atoms, as they seemed to be in a famishing condition. The
statement seems probable enough, but, so far as I could learn.,
such an occurrence was exceedingly rare.

T have actually kicked them and pelted them with stones
and dried buffalo chips, but 1 never knew them to display
any more dangerous characteristics than to howl fearfully, or
grin with pain as they trotted away. I did not even hear
that they ever attacked horses or domestic horned cattle,
probably for the reason that these animals will not bear any
familiarity on their part, and charge them boldly whenever t.hev
come too close, or manifest any desire to least on a colt or a calf.

In certain wooded portions of the 'West where food is
abundant at all seasons, the wolf attains such a large size
that some naturalists have denominated it the Cmii* yiyiift, as
it frequently attains ;i weight of one hundred and fifty «r
more pounds; but when it reaches such dimensions it is

IN TII1L 1' A R U'KST. 119

generally timid, and keeps away from the abode of man,
except on convenient occasions, when it takes a fancy to a
lamb or a young porker. It often pays dearly for this
thieving propensity, for the rifle and strychnine are sure to be
ready for it the next time it visits the farm-yard, and if the
farmer does not open on it, a bait sprinkled with the poison
is almost sure to make it turn up its toes inside of three or
four hours. This is the most effective means of destruction
sheep -raisers can employ against it, and so effective has it
been found that the animal has been decimated in large tracts
of country where it was very numerous a few years ago.

A certain class of persons known as " wolfers " earn their
livelihood by destroying it with poison. These men are a set
of reckless nomads who live on the borders of civilization, and
whose whole life seems to consist in braving cold, hunger, and
sometimes death, for several months in the year, and spending
the remainder in riotous debauchery. Those who make a
business of "wolfing" do nothing else; and it is doubtful
if the majority are useful for anything else. They commence
operations as soon as the winter sets in and continue it until
late in the spring. Their equipment consists of strychnine,
Hour, bacon, tea, cofTee, and sugar, and a few primitive
cooking utensils; the edibles being intended for themselves,
and the poison for the wolves. Travelling far away from the
settlements, they pitch their camp in a region where the
animals are numerous, and wood and water are convenient.
Having established themselves, their first duty is to procure a
bait, and whether it be a buffalo or a deer, they cut it up into
large pieces, sprinkle it freely with strychnine, and scatter it
about some distance from camp. The result is that from ten
to eighty wolves may be found dead the next morning within
an area of five hundred yards, and sometimes the number
exceeds even this.

The carcasses are taken to camp, where they are skinned, and
being sprinkled with some more poison are placed as lures where
they will do most good ; and so the slaughter is continued fin-
several months, until scarcely one is left in a large tract of
oountrv. A\ hen the wolves eat the bait thev become sk-k, and

120 SPORTING ADVENTURES

mad sometimes, especially if water is not near, and break
away for the hills, there to die and be lost to the "wolfeiv"
Some persons who follow " wolfing" as an addendum to their
regular trapping or hunting, sprinkle aniseed or assafoetida
over the poison and drag the bait over an area of several
square miles, dropping pieces here and there until camp is
reached, when they scatter several about in various directions,
or tie them to trees and rocks, at a snatching height, with
strings, so that they cannot be pulled away. This is a very
effective system, as the trail of the meat is easily followed by
its pungent odour, and when once the wolves get on its line
they seldom give up until they reach the end. As the poison
produces a burning thirst it would be well to have some water
convenient to the bait at intervals ; for when once they have
drunk this, they collapse immediately. If water is not near,
they often run for miles to obtain it, and this necessitates a
long walk in the deep snow and freezing atmosphere to get
their remains.

Another means of poisoning them that is frequently em-
ployed, is to bore or cut a hole in a deep block of wood and
fill it with melted fat sprinkled with strychnine, and place
these blocks on the "•round at irregular intervals. When the

o o

wolves iind them they must lap up the fat slowly, and before
they have cleaned out one cavity tliev are, in the majority <>!'
cases, turned into corpses. A little aniseed or assaftetida
scattered over the fat will help to attract the animals from
afar, and lead them to blocks which tliev might otherwise
miss. I have known forty coyotes to be collected in a space
of three hundred yards by both these means, but I should
consider the former the more preferable of the two.

Trapping is of comparatively little avail, owing to the
cautiousness, sagacity, and timidity of all the wolf familv,
whether small or large; but if a trap is used it should be the
double-springed American make, as that will cling to anything.

Some men earn from live hundred to fifteen hundred dollars
each in poisoning wolves during the winter and spring, and it
is no unusual thing for a parly of half a do/en to return \<>
the settlements alter one eampaign with from .-ix to twelve

IN THE FAR WEST. 121

thousand cured skins, and as they realize from one and a
half to two dollars each, it is evident that the business is
profitable if the season is even indifferently good.

When the majority of these men receive their money, they
spend it in the most reckless manner, and when it is exhausted
they disappear from the settlements and are not seen again
until the following spring-, when they return to renew their
debauch. Where they go to after their spree no person seems
to know; but, from their character, one might infer that they
wandered about like the animal with which they are so closely
identified. A few of them, however, are wise enough to keep
their money, and they soon retire for good from the business,
or seek a more congenial occupation. I knew one "wolfer"
to save up eight thousand dollars in five years, and when I last
saw him he was a prosperous merchant in a western city.
Another whom I met in Montana was a man of intelligence, a
keen sportsman, a good amateur naturalist, and a successful
stock-raiser. He cultivated a farm in spring and summer, and
hunted in winter; but his greatest wealth, in his own estima-
tion, consisted in an interesting family, and after them in his
herds of mustangs and horned cattle. He had a thorough
knowledge of the character of the wolf, and so much contempt
did he have for it that he could only compare it to an Indian.
Although he destroyed many with strychnine, yet his greatest
amusement was to hunt them with a pack of half a do/en
huge, fierce hounds, which seemed to be a cross between the deer-
hound and the blood-hound. These were bred by a Scotch
halt-breed in British America, their parents having been ob-
tained from an officer in the British army. They were power-
ful animals which would run either by sight or scent, and any
one of which was almost a match for a wolf either in strength or
stride; but they were difficult to manage, being so intractable
and bad tempered that he could not strike them without
arousing their anger to such an extent that they were liable to
attack him. This forced him to always go armed when hunt-
ing them, and to wear a sabre bayonet, so keenly sharpened,
that he could cleave the head of one open with a blow i!'
neeessarv. I'sol'ul as he found them, lie thought them too

122 SrOR TL\G AD I 7: A'7Y 7vV:\V

stubborn to bo pleasant companions, and lie \vas trying to super-
sede them by a cross between the mastiff and deer-hound, or the
foxhound and greyhound, as he thought these would be less
irritable, more easily handled, and do their work equally as
well as the fierce brutes which were then in his kennel, and
whose sole reliable obedience consisted in not touching1 a dead
wolf. I went on a hunt with him one day with this pack,
and the moment they were let out of the rude stable they com-
menced baying and dashing- about, as if they were overjoyed
at the thought of a run. Both of us being1 well mounted,
and armed with breech-loading' guns, charged with buckshot,
we directed our course towards some rocky, wooded hills which
loomed against the horizon about four miles to the north.
Moving- at a rapid gait, we were soon at their base, and the
hounds, which seemed fresh and anxious, were set to work in
a piece of shrubbery where a few wolves were generally found,
especially during the cubbing season, as hares, antelopes, and
other food were always to be procured in its vicinity. The
hounds rushed through this as if it were a plain, and com-
menced quartering in every direction. Beating back towards
us, one gave tongue within five yards of our position, and a
moment later we saw7 a large grayish object darting through
the bushes and the hound in full cry after it. The others soon
joined in the chorus, and away all dashed for the hills. " That
must have been a she-wolf," said my friend, "or the critter
would not have stayed there so long when we were so near ; it is,
therefore, very likely that we may find the cubs where she
started from." "We accordingly commenced a search for them,
and in a few moments found six little creatures, evidently about
a month old, in a grassy cleft between two rocks. Tying them
in couples by the legs, they were placed on the top of a huge
boulder to prevent them from falling into the jaws of the
hounds, and, to keep them from tumbling down, a barricade
was laid around them. Feeling assured of their safety,
we prepared to follow the pack, but we had advanced
scarcely one hundred yards before the canine chorus was heard
approaching us a little to the right. "That wolf has plaved
them a nice game/' was the comment of my companion on

IN THE FAR WEST. 123

hearing the baying. "How is that?" said I. " Why, she
ran for the top along a dry ravine," said he, " where the scent
is hard to follow, and as soon as she got there she forded a
small stream and doubled back to her young ones, and the
hounds have been puzzling over the trail until a few minutes
ago when they probably struck it by accident ; but now they
are going to push her hard, for she must either break from cover
or double on her tracks, and in either case she will be over-
taken in less than an hour." " What do you suppose she will
do ? " said I. " Why, she'll visit her nest," was the response,
" and finding the youngsters gone, will head for the plains, for
a mother wolf will not stop in a section where she has lost her
cubs. If she leaves the forest we may have a gallop after her
over the plains, and you will then see what beautiful coursing
a wolf can show, and what tact it will display in using cover
and in selecting the worst possible place for the scent to lie."
During this conversation the canine music was drawing rapidly
near, so we prepared for a run by hurrying to the outer edge
of the woods, and occupying such a position that we could see
any object leaving it within a convenient distance. We had
not taken our stand fifteen minutes before the wolf broke cover
so near us that we could have shot her if we wished ; but as
we desired to see a run, we allowed her to escape. Heading
down wind, the terrified creature sped onwards with immense
strides, and we followed in hot pursuit. The dogs soon
joined us, and with foam-flecked mouths and lolling tongues
streamed past us at a pace 1 had never seen hounds equal.
The fugitive kept her lead for two or three miles, although
our mustangs were fresh and fleet, but the hounds finally
began to gain upon her, the ground being open ; she soon
struck into a rough country, however, which was seamed by
two or three small rivulets, and portions of which were dry
masses of indurated clay that could scarcely produce a spear
of grass, and over this she regained her lead by resorting to
stratagems. She ran along the banks of a ravine, then into
the water, moving down with the slow current, and, escaping
some distance below, made for the hillocks of bare earth, <>r
where the prickly pear grew thickest; and this trick she

I24 SPORTING ADVENTURES

repeated until she passed all the streams. The result was that
the hounds frequently lost sight of her, or were puzzled on the
trail ; and were we not mounted, so that we could see her
movements, she would, in all probability, have escaped them,
owing- to the lead she obtained by these delays. We, however,
were able to make a straight cast as soon as we overtook the
pack ; but they were so stubborn that their huntsman had
some difficulty in getting them to obey him and leave their
puzzling for the direct trail, they seeming to consider that
they knew their own business better than he did. When one
responded, however, the others followed its lead, and they were
streaming away again in a short time with renewed energy.
The chase continued over a rough piece of country for four or
five miles, then into a beautiful stretch of gently undulating
grass-clad prairie, and over this we had a splendid view of it,
until it finally disappeared in a coppice of poplars. Our steeds
were too much pumped to do more than keep in sight of the
dogs after the first few miles; still they had endurance, and
we were able to follow at a hand gallop during the entire run.

When we reached the coppice we found the wolf dead and
her throat torn open, while the hounds were licking her
wounds. The swift creature had evidently sought rest and
refuge there ; and having become stiffened by the halt, was
unable to escape her merciless pursuers when they reached
it. On examining her we found that she was a splendid
animal, evidently about four years old, and that she was
in excellent condition for running, the suckling of the young-
sters having relieved her of all unnecessary flesh, without
having weakened her too much.

My companion having taken her skin and tied it on his
saddle behind him, we called at a rancher's cabin to get two

' ~

sacks in which to bring home the cubs, and having procured
these, we returned to the hill where the youngsters were con-
cealed. On the way back he told me that wolves cubbed in
May, and had from four to nine in a litter. The whole care of
rearing them depended on the mother, and she was a good
type of a faithful guardian and provider, and had string
maternal affection, as much, if not more, than the dog.

LV THE FAR WEST. 125

When hunted or startled by foes she does not desert her
young1 until the last moment, and she leaves them then
apparently more for the purpose of protecting them than of
saving- her own life. She has the greatest fear of man ; and
he is probably the only enemy she will not face in defence of
her young; yet, if they are able to run at all, she depends
more on flight than fight for saving them. She will not, in
fact, engage in combat if she can avoid it, unless it is with
some animal she thinks she can overpower. She hunts much
during the maternal period, and while her cubs are in the
nest keeps them well supplied with edibles. The young join
the pack as soon as they are able to run about well, and at
the end of six months take part in the hunts and forays
organized by their elders, and often acquit themselves credit-
ably, especially in stealing from camps and in coursing hares
and ground-squirrels. At the end of twelve months they are
trained hunters, and able to hold their own in cunning with
any fox that ever lived. He also said that wolves were
attacked by hydrophobia sometimes, and on such occasions
they rushed madly about, biting and snapping at everything.
They lose all fear of man then, and boldly enter an Indian
encampment aud fly at any person they meet. Any one bitten
by them is said to be almost sure to die of hydrophobia, so his
friends make preparations for his death at once, and see that he
is tied in such a manner that he cannot injure others. An
Indian has been known to escape the effects of a bite, however,
by merely drinking a decoction of some herbs known to his
tribe and bathing the wound in warm water. AVhat this
most potential herb was I could not learn, nor did my mentor
ever hear its name even in the Indian vernacular.

Having returned to the cubs and tied them up in the bags, we
started for home ; but before we got out of the woods a young
dog-wolf broke cover almost under our nose. How on earth he
remained there undisturbed after the previous scouring of the
region we could not understand ; nor could we determine how
his presence escaped the keen nose of the hounds. A look
into his lair revealed the latter reason very promptly, for
that contained some dead hares, one of which was scarce! v

1 26 SPOK TfXG ADI 'EN TURKS

touched. Having had plenty provision in the house, he had
not stirred out during1 the night or the day, and his footsteps
could not therefore be dogged. When he went away, however,
he went in a hurry, for we both gave a tremendous shout
that caused him to clap his tail almost up to the root between
his legs, and to round himself into a hump, as if he had an
elastic spinal column ; but when he heard the baying of the
hounds behind him he straightened out the hum)), put his
nose close to the ground, and scudded away with all the speed
that deadly terror could impart. Out of the woods he broke,
and over the plains, with the pack in full cry behind him.
Being hampered by the cubs, we did not attempt to follow,
but on mounting a knoll we had a fine view of the run until
it vanished from our sight behind one of the long hillocks near
which a rivulet ran. " Something is the matter with the
wolves here just now/' said my companion, " else they would
not break for the open so soon ; for they generally keep in the
woods and rough places as long as they possibly can, and get
away from shelter only when close pressed, and they sec no
other means of escape.

" But what about the first ?" said I. " Oh ! she was trying
to lead the dogs away from her young/' was the response.
After thinking for a few moments over their haste to escape
from the woods, lie said he thought he could attribute it
to the presence of Indians, and surmised that they were
encamped higher up on the hill. This guess proved to be
correct, for on reaching an elevated piece of ground a li4
later we saw a large party of the sons of the forest drivii
their mustangs out on the plains to graze. While jogging
home, the mellow cow's horn, which the host used as a hunting
horn, was sounded at intervals to recall the hounds if the run
was over, but not one answered the summons. When we
were within three miles of the house, we came upon them
suddenly as they were grouped around the dead wolf; but
they displayed no signs of welcome on our approach, and sat
sullenly in their position until their owner threw the slain
animal on his horse. On resuming our march we came upon a
herd of antelopes, but the dogs paid no attention to it, a

IN THE EAR WEST. 127

they were not, as a rule, allowed to chase antelopes, not being1
fleet enough to overtake them in a fair run. They were used
on deer, however, but they went at such a pace in the woods that
they frequently overran the scent, and their owner found it such
a difficult matter to induce them to hark back that he was often
annoyed by them. For open, general running he considered
they had few superiors, as their nose and pace were fairly good.
As they trotted home with us they looked gaunt, bony, and
listless, but when they espied a coyote some distance away,
they were all animation at once, and despite their hard day's
work, and the peremptory recall of the horn, they dashed after
the creature in vigorous style, and with a wild burst of yelps
that must have nearly startled the life out of it. The pro-
menader on discovering the canine group, closed to its work
with a will, and was soon showing a clean pair of heels ; but
as both vanished rapidly in the twilight we were unable to see
much of the chase. The dogs returned about ten o'clock,
having been evidently successful in the run, and after a dinner
of wolf-meat were glad to retire to their couch of straw in the
stable. Their owner told me that they remained out all night
sometimes in pursuit of wolves, and if they traced a bear or a
panther, they would not leave it until he arrived on the scene,
or hunger drove them away. They made their position known
by loud barking, and this they would keep up for twenty-
four hours if necessary. They got into trouble frequently
through their ardour in the chase, and seme of them carried
> wounds inflicted by the teeth or claws of an angry bear
^uma ; but they were so active, cautious, and supported each
other so well in an attack that, as a rule, the advantage rested
with them. While they were not close quarter dogs, yet
they were excellent "snippers/' and good "fencers," and could
escape the leap of a panther or the hug of a bear as well as
any animals in the country; but their greatest delight was to
collar a wolf and tear it to death. They did not always escape
scatheless from these contests, however, for in a life and death
struggle their lupine foe was capable of doing a fair share of
work with its long fangs. The fault he found with them
was their temper and stubbornness, and the difficulty he had

1 2 8 SPOK TLVG A D VEX T 17 RES

in managing them when once they got on the trail of a
quarry; otherwise he liked them very much for their work.
They were good all-round dogs, that would do well at any
game, and it seemed to me that they were well suited for
general hunting in a country where there is so much variety
and abundance of large animals.

The true wolf dog, one that has the size, weight, strength,
speed, courage, and endurance to cope alone with the large gray
species is not yet known in the West, and, until it is, persons
must be content to hunt it witli any dogs that will chase it
and bring it to bay, till the sportman can finish it with his
knife, rifle, or revolver. If the Irish wolf-hound is ever to be
revived, that seems to be the country in which it will be brought
to perfection, as everything there is favourable to its full
development. If that animal is nothing more than a large
deer-hound, however, as some writers assert, it cannot cope
singly with a wolf weighing from one hundred to one hundred
and fifty pounds, as it would lack weight and strength,
though it might possess nose and speed. Boar-hounds would
make better wolf dogs than the famous Irish breed which are
sometimes exhibited pictorially in sporting newspapers, and
would be far more serviceable for general purposes.

Two of the best wolf dogs I saw in the West were a cross
respectively between a deer-hound and a mastiff, and a grey-
hound and a bulldog, with a dash of bull terrier blood. When
these two hunted together and managed to come in contact
with a wolf, one seized it by the throat while the other
seized one of its hind legs, and between them both it was
killed within the space of half an hour, or so seriously
crippled that it fell an easy victim to the hunter's revolver.
Though very brave and skilful fighters, they lacked speed
to bring the animal to bay in a long run, and if they did
not overtake it inside a distance of two or three miles, they
generally gave up the chase, as they could not keep in sight,
and they did not have sufficient nose to follow it readily by its
scent. Their retirement from the chase is not to be wondered
at, for I have known wolves to run twenty or thirty miles
before a fast pack of fox-hounds, and escape after all ; but I

IN THE FAR WEST. 12-;

have seen others run down in a sharp spin of five or six miles,
although they had a good start. On a fine day, and with hard
ground under foot, a wolf will lead the fastest pack in the
world a merry gallop ; but during wet weather it shows to bad
advantage, as its brush is so heavy that it is a regular mud-
carrier, and this drags it down so much that it may be over-
taken with a fast pack of fox-hounds in a run of a few miles
over soft ground.

If the bar see or Siberian wolf-hound is all it is said to be, it
would prove a capital dog for the West, as the climate ought
to be well suited to it, and wolves are abundant enough to
furnish it with all the exercise it wants, and to bring out its
highest qualities.

One of the most intelligent dogs for still-hunting the wolf
I saw anywhere, was a combination of the wire-haired fox-
terrier and the rough-coated colley, with, perhaps, a dash of the
fox-hound or harrier. This creature would run mute and very
slowly, and was as much under control as a well-broken sheep
dog. When a wolf was found in the woods, and its quarters
were known, the hunter placed a piece of poisoned meat there,
and the next morning, as a rule, he had another robe to add
to his collection of peltries. This dog was owned by a stock-
raiser and hunter, and nothing could induce him to part with it.

Several keen sportsmen keep a few hounds for the special
purpose of wolf-hunting ; but as they are, generally speaking,
no match in speed for their long-legged cousin, one or two grey-
hounds have to be used as auxiliaries, and when the quarry
is getting too far ahead these are slipped, and they soon over-
take it and keep it at bay, despite all its rushing and snarling,
until the hounds and mounted huntsmen arrive.

If the wolf is young the hounds are allowed to kill it them-
selves in order to encourage them, but should it be an old one it
can inflict too much injury on light, weak dogs in adeath struggle
to make the contest anything but interesting to their owner.

One of the most stirring hunting scenes imaginable is to
follow a large pack of hounds in pursuit of a wolf over the
level prairie on a fine morning in spring or autumn, and then
to be in at the death. It has all the elements of the liia-hesl

130 SPORTING ADVENTURES

class of sport in it, and hounds and horses seem to enjoy it as
well as the men. I recall distinctly such a hunt on the plains
of Kansas. The pack consisted of fifteen couples of fairly fast
fox-hounds trained to wolf-hunting1, and two large Scotch
deer-hounds, and they were followed by twenty men, who
were well mounted, and armed with revolvers. "When the
quarry was driven out of a small coppice of poplars it broke
away over the prairie, with the hounds in full cry behind it,
the deer-hounds being1 led by a leash beside one of the horses.
Over the magnificent prairie, which extended in an unbroken
line to the horizon like a vast flower-clad meadow, we dashed
at the best pace of our fresh and spirited steeds, nor did we
pull rein until we had covered at least ten miles, the pack
being1 all that time going at their highest speed ; but seeing
that the quarry was still keeping its lead, and that there was
a probability of losing it in a coppice a mile or two ahead, the
deer-hounds were unleashed and away they sped like a flash
of gray light. A run of a few minutes placed them beside
their foe, and they promptly brought it to a halt. It darted
at them with open jaws, but they avoided its fangs; and when
it ti'ied to escape, one or the other bit it severely in the flanks.
They worried it in this manner until the pack arrived, and
when we reached the scene we could only see a struggling
mass of dogs and flying hair, and hear an occasional yelp as
some hound was severely bitten ; but the struggle was soon
over, and a splendid wolf lay dead before us, its head and throat
being covered with scars and its limbs broken. The spoils were
then distributed among the equestrians, but that was a simple
affair and easily done, for the first horseman in at the death
received the brush, and the owner of the pack took the skin.

Some persons run down the animal with greyhounds trained
to the business, and they keep it at bay until the hunters
arrive, when it is killed with fire arms. " Wolfers " resort to
this method on the plains sometimes, but as thev seek the hide
only when it is in good condition, in winter and spring1, they
cannot use greyhounds to good advantage in the wild country
they frequent during their expeditions.

In several merry spins that I have had after the wolf, both

IN THE FAR WEST. 131

with and without the cheerful music of hounds, I have found
the chase much more exciting than a run after a fox, as a
person has no feeling for the fugitive, and he likes to practise
his revolver on it as it scuds away. When mounted Indians
pursue a pack of wolves, they make a surround, drive the
animals into the centre, and then shoot away until they have
slain all that have not run the gauntlet. They prefer to trap
them, however, to any other mode of capture, as it is a saving
of time and energy. A wolf caught by the leg will gnaw it
off rather than be made a prisoner, but before attempting that
it will try to run away with the trap, and if successful in this
it will travel rapidly on three legs, for days at a time, or until
it dies of starvation.

There are so many wolves in the Far West, and so many
good opportunities for driving them, that wolf-hunting
must yet become a stirring pastime, one which will afford
a virile pleasure, and, at the same time, prove of benefit
to farmers and stock-raisers. As the animals can be pursued
at nearly all seasons, and every farm is open to horsemen, wolf-
hunting ought to become there what fox-hunting is in Great
Britain, and doubtless it will be so when the country gets
settled up, and people have a little spare time to devote to the
pleasures of the chase.

Can the wolf be domesticated and made useful to man is a
question which might be asked here ; and from what I heard in
the West it seems probable that it can, for a hunter there had
one that would chase a deer as well as any stag-hound, while it
could also compare in pace with it, and had great endurance.
It was so tame that it ran with a small pack of hounds which
he owned, and so obedient that it answered his call promptly.
He thought wolves had few equals for hunting large animals,
such as the elk, or wapiti, moose, deer, wild boar, and others, as
they pounce upon the quarries and cut the hamstring, and
once crippled in that quarter their formidable weapons are not
very dangerous to their agile enemies. The lupine hunter
does not always come off first best in a contest however, as an
incident related by a Western pioneer will show. This charac-
teristic story was told to a party of men who were discussing

K 2

132 SPOR TING AD VENTURES

the merits of wild pigs, and as a type of the Westerner's
descriptive power is one of the best I ever heard or read. The
speaker was one of those old farmers who lived some time in
the wilderness, and he commenced his story in the following1
quaint manner: — "One day while passing1 along the bottoms
I seen such a sight of hogs as I never did see. Thar they
stood, and squirmed, with their bristles up, and steam a risin'
out o' their bodies, and their eyes a flashing and teeth a
champin' ; a mass of bilin' mad hogs, who was a scream in' and
a shakin' 'emselves with rage.

" What was a causin' of all this commotion I was not long
in seein'. Thar, in the middle of the great convention of hogs,
stood a big oak stump, about five feet high, and in the centre
of the stump stood a big gray wolf, as gaunt, hungry-lookin'
a critter as ever I seed.

" He was handsomely treed, and wasn't in a very pleasant
fix, as he was beginnin' to find out. All about him was a
mass of oneasy hair, fiery eyes, frothin' mouths, gleamin'
teeth. Poor critter ! thar he stood — his tail tucked close
between his legs and his feet all gathered into the exact centre
of the stump — and Jerusalem! wasn't he a sick-lookin' wolf?
lie seemed to be thinkin' that he had sold himself awful cheap.

" Right close about the stump and rairin' up against it was
a crowd of some of the biggest and most onprincipled old sows
I ever sot eyes onto. Every half minit one of these big old
she fellows would rair up, git her fore feet on top of the stump,
and make a savage snap at one end or t'other of the wolf, her
jaws comin' together like a flax brake.

" The wolf would whirl round to watch that partickerler
sow, when one on t'other side of the stump would make a
plunge for his tail, an' so they kept the poor, cowardly, cornered
critter whirlin' round and round, humpin' up his back, haulin'
in his feet and tail, and in every possible way redncin' his
general average. I'll bet his entire innards was d rawed up
into a bunch not bigger'n my fist !

"Almost every instant thar was a charge made on him from
some quarter, an' sometimes from three or four directions at
once. Jewhittaker, wasn't it Imrrvin' times with him then !

IN THE FAR WEST. 133

" When he had a moment to rest an' gaze about, all he saw
was them two acres of open mouths, restless bristles, and fiery
eyes. His long red tongue hung out of his open jaws, and as
he moved his head from side to side he seemed to have about
the poorest conceit of his smartness of any wolf I ever seed.
He had got himself into a nice pickle by tryin' to steal a pig,
and he knowed it jist as well as if he'd bin human, and was
ashamed of himself accordin'. No quarter could he expect
anywhere in all that sea of open, roarin' mouths.

" Sich was the noise and chargin' and plungin' and surgin'
to and fro, that I hardly felt safe behind my tree 100 yards
away.

" I determined to try an experiment on that wolf. I raised
my gun, and tired into the air. At the report the critter forgot
himself. He bounded from the stump with the crack of the
gun, but he never tetched ground. Half a dozen open mouths
reached up for him, and in them he landed. There was jist
one sharp yell, then for a rod around was seen flyin' strips of
wolf skin, innards, legs, and hair — for half a minit was heard
a crunchin' of bones, and then them old sows were lickin'
their chops, rairin' up onto that thar stump, and prospectin'
about for more wolf.

" 'Bout that time I concluded the neighbourhood was likely
to prove onhculthy, and I got up and peeled it for the nearest
clearin's."

134 SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER VI.

THE PRAIRIE WOLF.

The prairie wolf — Origin of its name — Its position among the Con/da?
— The connecting link between the large wolf and the fox — Its burrows
— Peculiarity of its barking — Its form and colour — How it is looked
upon by plainsmen — Where it is very abundant — Hunting it on horse-
back— Its speed — Best dogs for hunting it — Its numbers make it diffi-
cult to be hunted by one pack of hounds — The heaviness of its brush —
When it runs best — Best horses for the chase — Leaves a screaming
scent — Dashes after it with hounds and horses — Kill six in one day —
Run into encampments of war parties of Indians — Rapid retreat — A
severe fight with the red men — A chase on the plains of the Columbia —
The meet — Mongrel dogs and their love of fighting — At cover — Start
two coyotes — The pursuit — Killed by Indian dogs — A mongrel grey-
hound brings one to bay, and it is shot — I shoot one — Looking for my
party- — A meet and a run — Surprised by Indians — Whites versus
Indians in the chase — Seven coyotes killed — Fun and confusion — Falls
and laughter — The relation of Indian dogs to coyotes — Their character
for hunting — Future of coyote hunting.

THE prairie wolf or coyote (Cattis latrans) is found all over the
open plains of the Far West, and ranges from British America
on the north to Mexico on the south. Its technical cognomen
is derived from its characteristic in barking, which is so
different from the melancholy howl of the gray wolf, and its
common name of coyote, from the Mexicans ; but amongst
them it is a wretched creature,, little larger than a fox, and so
timid that it flees from a cur. It is much larger, more
active and energetic iu the north, and has all the qualities
necessary to make hunting it with hounds and horses both
interesting and exciting. It seems to occupy the position in
size and character between the large wolf and the fox, and to
be the connecting link between them. It resembles the wolf
in bodily outline, appearance, and colour, and, like it, hunts in
packs; but it approaches the 1'ox in some of its habits. Like
the latter, it lives and has its young in burrows, which it

IN THE FAR WEST. 135

makes, if necessary, by digging with its claws, whereas the
large wolf produces its young in caves, the clefts of rocks,
under a tree, or in places where no digging is necessary.
The voice also seems to be a combination of the long howl of
the wolf and the yelp of the fox ; but so distinctly marked is
it from either, that once heard it is never forgotten. The
coyote has the strange peculiarity of making the cry of one
sound like that of many, and should two or three try their
larynx at the same time persons would fancy that large packs
were giving tongue in chorus. The cry seems to be divided
into two parts. Its first begins with a deep, long howl, then
runs rapidly up into a series of barks, and terminates in a
high scream, issued in prolonged jerks.

This animal is larger than the fox, being about two feet
high, and, like it, has a long, slender, and rather sharp-pointed
muzzle. The eyes, which are close together, are of a light
brown colour ; the ears are long and erect ; the legs, especially
the hind ones, are very long, compared to its size ; the feet are
also long ; the pads are black and naked, and the tail, which
is bushy, and more than half the length of the body, is tipped
with white hairs. Its general colour is an ochreous gray,
which is much lighter on the abdomen than on the back and
sides ; and the long hairs on the neck, which it bristles up
when angry, have a speckled appearance when it is in that
mood. It hunts much at night, and its dismal howls may
then be heard a long distance off. Its cry, which is so much
execrated by those who feel that their life is not endangered
by red foes, is pleasant music to those who have to traverse
a country frequented by hostile Indians, for while it indulges
in midnight serenades they know that their most deadly
enemies are some distance away. Let its cries cease, however,
and the plainsmen, who have been lulled to serene sleep by its
wcii'd howls, would awake at once, and make preparations for
a struggle of life and death. Its voice has often been to
hunters what the geese were to ancient Home ; and this
characteristic has often been the means of saving its life, for
it was looked upon more as a friend than a foe, notwithstanding
its kleptomaniac propensities, and the natural antipathy of man

136 SPORTING ADVENTURES

to all its wild tribe. Its specific distinction of lafrans is most
appropriate, for a bigger barking thief it would be difficult to
find ; nor, at the same time, one more cowardly, for a cur will
cause a whole pack to scamper away with the utmost celerity.
It never attacks man, even when famishing; but should he
leave any edibles convenient, it will steal them with greater
cunning than ever fox displayed.

The Indians of Washington Territory have a tradition that
it is a demon or deity, and therefore pay it much respect, and
never, I believe, kill it, for fear of its bringing them " bad
medicine," or ill luck. It figures largely in the myths of all
the red men inhabiting the region bordering the Pacific Ocean,
and occupies a position of prominence not accorded to any
other animal. While it is common everywhere in the Far
West, it is unusually abundant on the great plains of the
Columbia, east of the Cascade Range, as it finds plenty of food
there in the innumerable sage hares, ground squirrels, badgers,
and other small game that inhabit the country ; while it enjoys
a feast, that lasts for several months, off the myriads of dead
salmon that strew the banks of the Columbia and its numerous
tributaries during the spawning season. I have seen coyotes
trotting up and down the shores of these rivers in large packs
during the spring and summer, and fighting and snarling
over any of fill washed ashore by the waves.

It has so little fear of man in that region that it will impu-
dently stare at him as he passes by, perhaps within revolver
range, and should he fire at it and miss, the result might be
that it would trot off a few paces, then turn about and gaze
once more with an expression in which one might read, " I
wonder who that is? what could lie mean by making that
noise? he evidently is no friend of mine, so I'll be off to safer
quarters;" and having come to this conclusion it would quietly
move off, as if it were in no great hurry to display its fears.
Should one repeat the lire, however, it would become a dis-
solving view, for when put to it, few of its genus can make
better time for a short distance, say from ten to fifteen or
twenty miles. It has so little running to do in search of its
prey in the Far West, owinn1 to the profusion of animal life,

IN THE FAR WEST. 137

that its full powers of speed have not been fully developed,
and its wind is not good, if driven hard by swift-footed fox-
hounds, for more than two or three hours. I have myself,
when mounted on a good horse, overtaken it in a run of fifteen
or twenty minutes, but I must say that the pace was killing
on my steed, and that I plied the whip occasionally.

One of my greatest amusements in a certain portion
of California was to mount a horse and ride after coyotes
until I lost or captured them. This horse, which was
a great favourite of mine, although he would buck like
a bounding rubber ball occasionally, and shy without the
least cause every few minutes and when I did not expect
it, was a capital jumper — an unusual thing for an untrained
horse in the West — and could run ten or fifteen miles at a
slashing gait without showing much suffering. When I
hunted coyotes I generally had one or two dogs with me, but
I frequently went without them, as the quarries were so
numerous that they were liable to start up at any moment near
my feet. At the first view I would dash after them, and force
them to their best pace for fifteen or twenty minutes, and I
found that this soon produced its effect, and that I might
expect to capture them at any moment if they did not escape
me in the chapparel. When I drew alongside I let them have
the contents of a large revolver, but I sometimes secured one
by striking it on the head with a club or " waddy," or by
lassoing it with a raw-hide lariat.

It may perhaps be needless to state that I lost many more
than I caught, unless I was accompanied by the dogs, and
even then I might say that I could count more escapes
than captures. The only way to be sure of it is to use a grey-
hound, for that light-footed creature will soon bring it to bay,
and enable the pack of hounds, or other dogs, to come up with
it. If a person is well up in the run on such occasions he will
see a pretty bit of a scramble, for the coyote, when it sees no
means of escape, will, like the traditional worm, turn on its
foes, and use its sharp teeth to good advantage. A capital
dog for hunting it would be a cross between the fox-hound
and deerhound, or the fox-hound and the German v.Uiiierhi'iiil,

138 SPORTING ADVENTURES

or boar-hound, for the greyhound alone docs not seem to have
sufficient combativeness or destructiveness to face any animal
that will make a vigorous resistance. I am rather inclined to
believe that the latter cross would produce one of the best dog's
for coyote hunting- in the West, as it would have strength and
courage enough to face any game, and it ought to have
sufficient nose to enable it to follow a coyote, and the speed
to overtake it also. A good pack of fast fox-hounds will drive
it at a rattling pace, however, and if the ground is open, may
kill it inside an hour. I have known it to lead them for
twenty or more miles without a check on broken, hilly ground,
and escape in a chasm, yet I have frequently seen it captured
in half an hour; but then the dogs were fast indeed, and got
off close after it. I have seen several killed in a day by a
small pack, but in such cases they were in unusual numbers,
and rose up almost under the noses of the dogs. I have seen a
small pack of seventeen or eighteen couples of coyotes rise out
of burrows in the ground, apparently at once, and scud about
in every direction, and in their eagerness to escape they some-
times ran into the mouths of the dogs. Where they are so
numerous the greatest annoyance is that the hounds separate,
and the result is that there are perhaps a dozen runs going on
at the same time instead of one.

If a coyote is started alone — not an unusual occurrence —
the best means of securing a kill is to drive it as hard
as possible for the first few miles, for, as in fox-hunting, it is
the pace at the start that does the work, and causes it to suc-
cumb in a short time. Having a large brush, it soon tires on
soft ground, on a wet day, especially if the mud carries, for
the tail is heavy and soon drags it down. If nature intended
it to escape by fleetness, she ought to have made it bob-tailed,
for its present long caudal appendage is too cumbersome for
its fore-quarters in a long run, and is a regular mud-carrier.
When the animal is running up hill it also trails badly, and
seems to almost counterbalance the advantage furnished by
long hind-legs and staunch flanks. Over hard, broken ground,
however, it does not seem to be so much of a drag-down, and
the bearer can then travel at a rate that would put the best

IN THE FAR WEST. 139

hounds and horses in Great Britain to their mettle to keep it
in sight. The horses used in its pursuit should be compact,
fleet and enduring, and should also be prompt in movement ;
in a word, handy, for a coyote will often jump out of its bur-
row in the twinkling of an eye, and the steed that is not able
to get under full headway in a moment is liable to remain
in the background, unless it is unusually fleet. Indian
mustangs make capital mounts, as they have fair endurance,
and can make a good spurt fora short distance, and can plunge
into a gallop from a halt; yet some of the thorough-bred blood
in them would enhance their value, as it would give them the
speed they now lack, except for a few minutes. Regular
hunters would, to a certain extent, be useless in the West, as
the country frequented by the coyote is so uneven, in many
cases, that a run is often a scramble up hill and down dale, and,
to clamber well, a horse seems to want some mustang blood in
it, or the blood of those Kerry ponies which are said to be
able to slide down a precipice with a rider.

With a good horse and a fast pack of hounds, few sports are
more spirited than a coyote hunt, as the run is, in nearly all
cases, a break-neck one, for the animal leaves what might be
called a screaming scent, and its flight is as straight as a bee-
line, except under unusual circumstances. The male has one of
the most vilely obscene odours imaginable, and if the wind is
blowing from his direction when he is in flight, a person with
keen olfactories can detect it, if close on. Although the coyote
is generally captured by being trapped or poisoned, yet a few
gentlemen of sporting proclivities have a dash after it occa-
sionally on horseback, their ride being cheered by the stirring
music of flute-voiced fox-hounds. Others keep mongrel grey-
hounds, which can overtake it in a spurt of two or three miles,
if it has not received too much of a start ; and they afford
capital amusement, as the run is nearly always a straight one,
for the animal doubles only when headed off or closely pressed.
Those who poison it for its skin, frequently scatter a little assa-
foetida over the bait, as it likes the smell of this, and will eat
any meat on which it is placed with a ravenousuess that only
wolves or jackals can display.

HO SPORTING ADVENTURES

It is sometimes rather dangerous to handle this animal when
dead, for it is frequently covered with sores, produced by eating
the corpses of Indians, which are often left unburied, or so
lightly covered that they can be easily dug up. Persons should
therefore be cautious about handling it without gloves.

The only danger one encounters in hunting it on horseback
is, that in a headlong dash his steed may tread in the hole of
a prairie dog, badger, or ground-squirrel, and break its leg, or
be thrown so violently as to pitch the rider several feet away
on his back. This can be avoided, however, by a little caution,
so that the sport is not so dangerous as fox or stag hunting in
Europe.

A run is spoiled occasionally by the numbers of the animal,
for, congregating as it does in large packs, it is no uncommon
thing for the hounds to come suddenly upon one containing
twenty or more, and then it is both amusing and annoying to see
them break into half a dozen or more groups and scamper away
in different directions with as many groups of hounds behind
them. All the horns in the world could not control the dogs
under such circumstances, so the riders have to follow some
special pack, or sit idly in their seats and await the return. As
a coyote rarely runs to ground, crosses heavy woods — though
it may pass through a coppice — or doubles back, a person may
imagine how tedious it must be to await the return of the
hounds. I have known them to go so far that they did not
get back to camp until late at night, and it was no unusual
event for some of them to spend a night on the prairie.

A hunt would be more picturesque if there were many
persons in the field, or if it were graced by the presence of
ladies ; but in that thinly settled country men and women are
too busy to devote much attention to the chase, except for
some practical purpose, such as supplying the house with meat,
or their pockets with the money procured from the sale of
peltries.

One of the most interesting runs that I ever had after the
coyotes netted us six of them ; but when we returned to
the house in the evening, both hounds and horses were so
badly used up that they were of little use for two or three day?.

IN THE FAR WEST. 141

thereafter. The master of the hounds announced his intention
to a few neighbours of having a grand coyote hunt one day,
and asked them to be participators therein ; and they promptly
returned an affirmative answer by coming personally the night
before the meet. As there were not accommodations in the
house for all, it was decided that some should sleep on the hay
in the stable, and, with true Western contempt of idle luxu-
riousness, they all concluded to go there ; and that matter being
settled in a minute, the next was to decide at what hour in the
morning we should start. Various hours were specified, but
the matter was finally determined by a veteran, who was
known as "an old settler," and therefore conspicuously
important, when he said, with true Western politeness :
" Gentlemen, I guess you all know more about coyotes than
I do, but if you'll take my good-for-nothin' advice, you'll go
out as airly in the mornin' as you can, for coyotes are like the
men that make money in the States — they stay awake all
night athinking how they'll beat other critters, and then
they're up the first thing in the mornin' atryin' to carry out
all their nasty plans — I beg your parding, young gals, for
sayin' ( nasty/ but that's my opinion o' coyotes ; for I think
they're only thievin' Injun dogs that can't be civilized. Now,
if we get out in the mornin' we'll be sure to take em on the
hop; and if we do, you'll have peltries enough (addressing the
M. H.) to make up for the day's loss ; and if we don't see 'em,
why, we'll come home airly." Therms and cons of this state-
ment were discussed fully, and it was finally decided that we
should be up at daylight, and be on the coyote ground, three
miles away, by four o'clock. The evening was spent in telling
stories of hunting experiences about all sorts of wild game,
and I learned more on that occasion about the natural history
of Western animals than I did out of all the learned works I
had ever read. The intervals between the tales were filled up
with music on the "pi-anor," as the "fust settler" called it
by the young ladies of the house — charming1, independent, sell-
reliant and domestic young ladies, who would do honour to any
drawing-room in their ease, obliging behaviour, and in their
good looks ; but I fear they would not pass muster in their

142 SPORTING ADVENTURES

dress, for it was a simple calico, made graceful by no other acces-
sories than their good taste and Venus-like forms. It is a pecu-
liarity, or I might say a feeling- of paternal pride, in all Western
men, that the moment they are able to purchase a piano they
do it for the sake of the daughters, for, as they say locally,
"boys are boys, and gals are gals;" and while one wants "a
rifle, a dog, and a horse, the other wants nothing but a
new dress or a hat, and a ' pi-anor/'J The boys are nobodies,
the girls are everything ; the former can hunt or fish, or be
anything they please ; the girls must be educated, and able to
talk a little French and play the " pi-anor/' else they are also
nobodies. What with music, singing, story-telling, and the
contents of a barrel of cider, the evening was pleasantly spent,
and by midnight we were all soundly sleeping.

We were awake before daylight, and had breakfast by
lamp-light, and after that we saddled our steeds, and each
taking a spare horse with him, we were off by four a.m., and
in half an hour after we were amid the haunts of the prowling
coyote. We had scarcely reached the ground before we espied
a vagrant trotting about, and, getting after it close behind, we
ran it for five miles at a rattling rate, and the hounds killed
it on a knoll, before we were within shooting range. The
" blooding " then received seemed to have sharpened their
appetite for more coyotes, for they were jumping about and
giving tongue as if they were on a trail ; but we supposed
it was the buoyancy of their feelings at a prompt victory
that caused them to indulge in such an unusual display of
melody. Having skinned the slain animal, we moved down
into the plain, and there the dogs found the scent so fierce that
they raised their heads in the air, and went away at full cry.
We could see nothing to cause this outburst, but before we had
gone a few yards, out jumped from their burrows two dog
coyotes, and away we went after them. The hounds separated
on the quarries, two couples following one, and three the other.
I kept with the former, and in a run of less than seven miles
had the satisfaction of planting a bullet in the fugitive's head
as he swerved past me on a new tack ; and the hounds on
coming up found him dead, much to their astonishment, and,

IN THE FAR WEST. 143

I should fancy, disappointment, as they were content with a
few shakes, and a glance at me, as if to inquire how it hap-
pened that he was dead. The other men followed the three
couples, but they had to run for ten miles or more before they
caught the runaway. As both divisions of the hounds were
running in almost parallel lines, we had little difficulty in
reuniting the pack, and when that was done we started off for
new fields, after giving the animals a short rest.

Moving about two miles towards the north, we reached a
long, rolling plain that extended for miles in every direction.
Halting there, we changed horses, for each man had his spare
steed with him. When the dogs were cast loose they could
find no scent, the soil being light and gritty, therefore not
well able to hold it, so we left there and directed our course
towards the eastward, where the grass was denser. A tramp
of two miles led us into a region where the hounds found a
sharp perfume, and away they went at a rattling pace, but
they lost it inside of a mile, and so suddenly that we were sur-
prised at it. We tried all means to strike the line again, by
casting about in every direction, and harking back, but we
could not find it. We then commenced searching the ground
for a burrow, and after working for perhaps ten minutes, one
of the party found a deep hole on the banks of a rivulet, and
leading the dogs there they gave tongue in the most
clamorous manner. This proved that the quarry was there,
and we were beginning to plan how we should get it out,
when one of the dogs raised his voice a few yards below us,
and on looking around we saw a coyote streaming away before
him. We dashed after the quarry at our best pace, and as the
horses were fresh we were soon leading the hounds. When
we got within range of the fugitive we opened fire promptly
with our revolvers, and somebody hitting it in the flanks
tumbled it over, and before it could get away the hounds
were upon it and throttling it to death. After this kill \ve
concluded to turn homewards, and take our chances with
meeting any coyotes on the way. We had proceeded scarcely
three miles before we surprised a vixen out for a "consti-
tutional," but she evidently had little fear of us, for she did

144 SPORTING ADVENTURES

not attempt to move until she saw the baying hounds heading
full for her. She then tore away at a stirring pace, but she
was driven so hard that she ran to earth in the first burrow
she met. This was a most unusual proceeding for a coyote,
and we were rather surprised at it ; but we concluded to have
her nevertheless, so one of our party was sent to a stock-
raiser's cabin about a mile away to borrow a spade with which
to dig her out. When he returned operations were com-
menced, and in less than twenty minutes we had her brush,
and a few minutes later her skin. We were so delighted with
our success that we were getting coyote-struck, but as our
horses were badly blown, and were covered with foam, we con-
eluded to give up any more hunting for the day ; so when we
reached a small country store, where everything from cloth
to whisky was sold, we entered and drank a bumper or two,
and after hearty hand-shakes and several " good-byes," each
wended his way homeward. T returned with the host and
hounds, well pleased with my share of the spoils, as I had two
brushes dangling from my horse's mane. When within five
miles of the house we started a splendid male, and the hounds,
weary as they were, started after him, nor would they respond
to the peremptory recall of the melodious cow's horn which
their owner carried. Seeing that they would not return, we
concluded to follow them, for fear they might get lost, or be
captured by some lover of good hounds, so we jogged along
at a steady canter, just close enough behind them to hear
their cry. Their route led us over steep hillocks, up which we
could only crawl, down precipitous ravines, where we had to
pick our way, and across charming vales, gay with brilliant
flowers and green with the richest of grasses. The chase con-
tinued in this manner for an hour or more, when we, at length,
got a glimpse of the hounds as they were entering a heavy
piece of woods that crowned a hill-top. We followed them
through this at a snail's pace, but on reaching the other side
we saw the coyote running short, and this induced us to
make a final spurt. Plying the spurs, we tried to close with
the fugitive, but before we could do it we founcl ourselves in
the midst of an Indian encampment, and the pack .streaming

AY THE PAR \VEST. 145

uway to the left on open ground. As the Indians wore at
that time supposed to be unfriendly, we did not know what
was best to d(» at first, whether to dash through it uncon-
cernedly or turn about and beat a retreat; but after a halt
of about a minute we saw that the women and children dis-
appeared like magic in the tepees, and that there were no
men about except a few old bucks, who stared at us in as
much astonishment as Indians ever display, and knowing
then that the braves were out hunting or on the war-path,
we dashed through the village, revolver in hand, and fol-
lowed the quarry. In a run of a mile or two we came sud-
denly upon a large pack of mongrels of all sizes and shapes,
which were worrying our hounds, and jumping into their
midst we soon scattered them by a few vigorous kicks,
and sent them howling down the sides of a blul!'. The rescue
was evidently welcome to our dogs, for some of them were
bleeding at the ears, and all were thoroughly exhausted.
"We found the coyote dead a few yards further on, and, judging
from his numerous wounds, we came to the conclusion that
he had run into the Indian curs, and was killed by them
before our dogs could overtake him. As we were rather
suspicious of the friendliness of the red men, owing to the
strange actions of the squaws and children, we collected the
hounds together and hastened homewards as fast as our
weary horses could carry us. Instead of retreating through
the camp, however, which was the nearest route, we crossed a
high, wooded hill, and on emerging on the other side, where
we commanded an extensive view of the plain, were perfectly
thunderstruck to see smoke and flames issuing from the scattered
cabins, and to behold groups of horsemen dashing about in
various directions. A momentary glance enabled us to decide
what was the cause of these conflagrations, and when my com-
panion turned round to me and said, " I think, old boy, our
scalps will be lifted before we're many hours older/' I confess
I felt some qualms steal over me.

As time was of the utmost importance just then, we did not
waste much of it in discussing what was best to be done, as
my companion had resolved on reaching home as rapidly as

i.

146 SPORTING ADVENTURES

possible, to try and save his family from the tomahawk of the
red foes. He was very much afraid that they might have
been there before him, and this made him almost wild with
excitement and feelings of revenge ; but on rounding a long,
sharp spur of the hill, which gave us a good view of the vale
in which his cottage was situated, he was delighted to see
everything in its usual tranquil condition. Cheered by this
welcome sight, we hastened onward as rapidly as possible, and
in the course of half an hour reached the house. Leaping off
the half-dead horses the moment we reached the door, he
rushed in, still doubtful of the fate of his family, but on
finding1 his wife attending to her business as usual, and the
young children playing on the floor, he became as stoical as
an Indian brave, and after kissing them all in the ordinary
way, he asked his wife if she had seen any Indians about
during his absence. She replied that she had not, except Joe,
the half-breed, and he was hastening as fast as his horse
could carry him to the mining hamlet ten miles away. In
response to her query why he had asked such a question, he
said that it was mere idle curiosity, as he had seen a party of
them on his way back, and he did not know but they might
be out on a horse-stealing expedition and pay his ranch a visit.
Having lulled her suspicion by his coolness, he went to the
stable and hitched two bell mares and six stout mules to his
waggon, and in this he placed a quantity of bed clothing and
some wearing apparel. When this was done he told his wife
that he was somewhat afraid that the red demons might visit
the valley during the night or the following day, and he
thought it best to take the family to a place of safety for fear
of any accident occurring to them.

The wife, suspecting that something was amiss, did not utter
a word; and at his request she wrapped the younger children as
warmly as possible, and placing them with the elder and a quan-
tity of meat, bread, and flour in the waggon, she took her seat
beside the eldest boy and drove the team herself, while we, armed
to the teeth, rode on ahead on fresh horses to reconnoitre the
route and look for Indian signs. After travelling1 about two

o o

miles in the direction of the mining village we came upon the

IN THE FAR WEST. 147

tracks of unshodden horses, and after scanning them carefully
we decided that they were produced by four Indian mustangs
which had come from the direction of the camp we had visited in
the afternoon, and were going towards the north-eastern portion
of the valley, where there were several settlers engaged in stock-
raising. We deduced from this that the animals were ridden by
four braves who were probably out on a reconnaisance to see if
the presence of their tribe in the vicinity was known, and what
opportunities were offered for making a raid on the settlement.
The smallness of the party was evidently intended to allay
suspicion, for the stock-raisers who have been harassed by the
sudden attacks of the red men fly to arms on seeing them in
any numbers, or finding the tracks of their shoeless ponies on
the ground. Being assured of their purpose, we made a
dutour to the right, and called at two farm-houses, and informed
the occupants of the threatened danger and what we had seen,
and they soon joined us, leaving everything behind them
except a little food and clothing. Thus reinforced we moved
onward as rapidly as the teams could travel, the men keeping
close to the waggons, but whenever we approached a house two
of the party rode off and notified its inmates of the alarming
condition of affairs, and they too were on the march towards
the mining camp as rapidly as possible. This place was selected
as the head-quarters, owing to its strong position and the
number of men there, and the fact that food and shelter could
be procured there for a considerable length of time if the
people could not return to their own homes.

When we reached the camp at eight o'clock it was in a state
of the greatest excitement, news of the danger having been
brought there by the half-breed Joe, the information having
been imparted to him by his cousin, an Arapahoc squaw. Men
were running hurriedly about, and arming and mounting in hot
haste, while couriers were being despatched in every direction to
warn the distant stock-raisers and to rally the scattered miners.

The women and children, as fast as they arrived, were
furnished with accommodations in their own cabins bv the
generous miners, and the armed men were assigned to detach-
ments which were under the command of experienced Indian

148 SPORTING ADVENTURES

fighters. Al>ont midnight wo had fifty mounted and well-
armed men ready to take the field, while twenty more remained
in camp to guard the women and children, that immher, with
the reinforcements which were sure to come in during the
night, being deemed sufficient to protect the village from a
whole tribe of Sioux. Each man who was to take the field
having been supplied with bread and beef enough to last for
three days, he tied them on his saddle; and when everything
was ready, all started out in a body, about one a.m., and as the
moon was shining brightly we were able to gallop rapidly
over the rolling plain, until we reached the previously men-
tioned spur of the hill, and there we halted to ga/e on the
scene of devastation, which was visible for miles towards the
south. Houses were blazing or smoking in every direction as
far as the eye could see, and their lurid glare illuminated
the country for miles around. It was evident from the course
of the flames that the raiders were working towards the
south, and burning and killing on their way ; but why
they left the main settlement undisturbed was a mystery
to many. The only cause that could be adduced was that the
settlers towards the south had larger flocks and herds, and were
also more widely scattered, so that they could not rallv in
sufficient numbers to make a stand of any consequence against,
the red fiends.

"We gazed on the scene for an hour or more with a sort of
fearful fascination, and during that time deep and vehement
were the threats and execrations hurled at the treacherous foes
who had created such havoc among a peaceable people. As
we desired to be up at daybreak, we concluded to have a short
nap, if possible; so each man picketed his horse and unloosed
the saddle, but did not take it ofT, and rolling himself up in
his woollen blanket, was soon trying to woo gentle sleep. This
was rendered impossible, however, by the yelping of coyotes
and the melancholy howling of wolves, and when we arose
about daylight I doubt if one person had enjoyed ten minutes
of undisturbed repose. After a hasty breakfast it was decided
to send ten men back to the cottage of my host, and let them
watch the valley, while the remainder tried to surprise the

IN THE FAR WEST. 149

Indian encampment we had visited the previous day. As
soon as they started to return, the party that I was with
moved off at a brisk trot, with scouts well advanced, and
flankers stretching for a mile or more towards the wooded hills,
to prevent any sudden assault from that direction. After
proceeding about three miles we heard firing in front, and
galloping up as fast as we could, found the scouts on foot and
skirmishing with a party of young braves. Our line was
deployed in extended order at once, and each man advanced as
he pleased. We found the Indians in stronger numbers than
we expected, considering their movements the previous day;
but as every man of our party seemed to be actually mad for
revenge, their numerical superiority availed them little, and
they were pushed backwards gradually, notwithstanding the
fact that they took advantage of every bit of cover, and
seemed to rise out of the ground like grasshoppers. They
tried to surround us two or three times inside of an hour, but
a vigorous charge scattered them like chaff, and the survivors
were glad to beat a hasty retreat to their own lines. Their
yells and shouts when circling around us were fairly demoniacal
in their intensity, but these had little effect on the pioneers
who opposed them, as they had heard them too often to care
much for them. After they were driven back to the wooded
hill they made a most determined stand, and poured out a
deadly fire that killed several horses and wounded a few men.
A party of our men on the left, who were on open, rolling
ground, attempted to stop this by making a vigorous charge,
but they were met by such a volley that they were compelled
to halt and seek cover wherever the}' could find it. A few of
the more advanced, who had their horses killed under them,
used their trusty steeds as breastworks, and kept up the fight
with a vigour and determination that only Western pioneers
can display, and their fire was so destructive that a body of
the Indians charged them several times on horseback, in order
to capture them, but they were driven back with heavy loss
each time.

The detachment which I accompanied worked around to
the right until we reached a wooded knoll, and under cover of

ISO S PORTING ADVENTURES

this most welcome shelter, we reached the flank of the Indians
and opened a fierce fire, which soon caused them to give way
in the most precipitous manner. Our lusty cheers on seeing
this were answered by the others, and a minute later by a
rattling- volley and a wild hurrah from the mountain side.
The latter seemed to have fairly demoralized our foes, for they
broke away from our front panic-stricken, and fled beyond
the range of our rifles in a few moments. "When we saw this
we returned to our horses, and mounting them in the twink-
ling of an eye, dashed to the left, and got several shots at
some braves who were trying to escape from the forest, and
these forced them back again, when they were received by
other volleys delivered by concealed foes. Every Indian who
was killed on foot was no sooner struck than he gave a wild
yell, jumped high into the air, then fell back dead. These
preliminaries to dying are, I believe, peculiar to the red race.

This attack decided the fate of the day, for the Indians
fled in every direction, while we pursued them over hill and
dale, dropping one every now and then. We were in hopes
of reaching their camp before they could get it away, but in
this we were disappointed, and when we reached there nothing
was left of it but a few old tepees and some poles and peltries
which they could not carry off in the hurry of their flight,
The noise of the firing had evidently warned the squaws of
their danger, and while the warriors were fighting they took
time by the forelock, and escaped to safer quarters.

When our party had assembled once more, we found that
the ten men who had been sent back to the valley returned
on hearing the continuous fusillade, and getting in rear of
the enemy, a feat easilv performed owing to the wooded
character of the hill, had opened such a destructive fire on
him from cover that he was compelled to ivtreat in a panic.
Our loss in this affair was two men killed and eight wounded,
while that of the Indians must have been four or five times
as much, as our rilles were far superior to theirs, and our
shooting was certainly far more accurate.

As soon as we felt sure that our foe had fled for good, ;i
party was sent back to thr mining village with the dead and

IN THE FAR WEST. 151

wounded, while the remainder started towards the south to
see what damage had been committed, and to learn if the
tribe we had been fighting were those who had been raiding
in that direction. We had not travelled far before we came
to a smouldering waggon, and beside it we found a man and his
wife, and evidently his two daughters, lying dead. They were
terribly, unspeakably mutilated, and the horrible expression
of their features showed what an agonizing death they must
have suffered. After burying these in the rudest manner, to
prevent them from being devoured by wolves, we moved
on, and at every few miles met indications of the savage
fury of the demons who were scouring over the country.
Every house was burnt, and amid their ashes, or lying in
the yards, were the mutilated remains of men, women, and
children, not a person being spared from the babe to the gray-
haired old man. The scene was so sickening, and the destruc-
tion so wide-spread, that we were compelled to desist and
turn our faces homewards, for it was evident, by the nume-
rous tracks of horses' hoofs, that there were two bodies of
Indians in the field, and that the one we were following
was much the larger, and could not have numbered less than
three or four hundred warriors. Fearing they might return
through the valley, we made all possible haste back, to pre-
pare a warm reception for them ; and on reaching the
mining hamlet once more, we found the tallest tree there
graced by four dangling Sioux, who had been captured
while trying to return to their own camp. Thev were
evidently those whose tracks we had discovered the pre-
vious day, so their summary fate was the cause of some
rejoicing.

The village was kept in a state of excitement for a week
by the reports of scouts and reconnoitring parties, who
reported the movements of several bodies of Indians that
were hovering in the woods adjoining the valley on the
north, but as they did not come any nearer, hopes were
entertained that the severe lesson taught them would prevent
any further trouble. Suddenly, one evening, a large war-
party, driving an immense herd of horses, was reported to

152 SPORTING ADVENTURES

be advancing- at a gallop from the east, and every available
man present, except the camp guard, went out to meet
them, and, seeking- shelter in a ravine, waited until the
painted braves came within rifle range, when they opened
a deadly fire on them. This was evidently a most unexpected
encounter to the red thieves, for they were thrown into a
momentary panic, but they soon recovered themselves, and
while some drove the horses away towards the right flank, the
others opened a brisk fire to cover their retreat, and kept
it up for half an hour, when they broke away terror-stricken.
The cause of their flight was soon made evident by the
appearance of a body of cavalry, who had been pursuing them
for several days, and on seeing these, the miners and ranchers
ran from cover, mounted their horses, and dashed after the
foe. A running fight was kept up for three miles, when a
vigorous charge from opposite quarters finished the contest
by scattering the Indians in every direction, and forcing them
to leave nearly all their plunder behind. The captured horses
were driven towards the village, while the cavalry pursued the
fugitives, and kept them running until they sought the
shelter of the Wind lliver Mountains, sadly depleted in num-
bers and perfectly demoralized. I received, as the result of my
coyote hunt and subsequent Indian hunt, a slight flesh wound
in the side, and two months of as hard campaigning as
any person would care to have ; and these have so indelibly
marked that chase in my mind, that 1 doubt if I shall soon
forget it.

One of the most exciting, interesting, and laughable hunts
after the coyote that I ever enjoyed came off on the great
plains of the Columbia lliver, east of the Cascade Range.
The region in which it occurred afforded ample scope for
testing the pace, endurance, and cunning of the long-tailed
quadruped, and also the sagacity of its very near and dear
kindred, the Indian cur, for the former is frequently the size
of the latter, and the two are more likely to play with each
other than to quarrel, unless hounded on by man, or the coyote
is too intrusive in its familiarity. 1 have known even the
civilized doirs, of the leminine j.;vnder, belonging- to tin1

LV THE FAR WEST. 153

pale-faces, to pay visits of courtesy and good fellowship to the
prairie roamers, and play with them by the hour ; and when
the visit was returned the guests were treated with becoming1
kindness and consideration. This would seem to be a proof
positive that both species consider themselves close kindred,
for I have never seen the domestic dogs display the same
feelings towards the large gray wolf, and a fox was perfectly
abhorrent in their sight.

Some of the Indian dogs resemble coyotes so much that
it would be hard to distinguish which is which by form and
colour, and often in habits ; and even the known half-breeds
seem more inclined to take after the sire than the dam in
every way. The latter have a keen nose, and when trained
make excellent hunting dogs, but they are not much in a
tussle with a wild animal, and are anything but playfully
sociable and affectionate with their human masters or their
families.

On the occasion to which I refer the hunt was organized
for the purpose of enjoying a national holiday, clearing the
coyotes out of a region in which they were becoming too
numerous to be agreeable acquaintances of some of the
denizens of the farmyard, and to afford visitors a day's amuse-
ment. I stopped at the house selected for a rendezvous, and
before daylight of the hunting morning was aroused from a
sound sleep by a thundering knock at the door, the stamping
of horses, the growling and fighting of dogs, and the
strong language of men who were yelling at the combatants.
These early arrivals being admitted, they were followed in
such rapid succession by others that fifteen had assembled by
live o'clock, and they were accompanied by as motley a lot of
dogs as could possibly be got together. After a hearty
though hasty breakfast, which was often interrupted by yells
at the canine combatants, we mounted our steeds and started
for cover at a good trot. The snarling pack, as tliev moved
aloui;-, presented a sorry appearance, and looked perfect speci-
mens of what a Falstaflian canine regiment ought to be.
There were sheep dogs, curs, mongrel pointers and setters,
terriers, mastiffs, Newfoundlands, and hounds of all kinds and

154 SPORTING ADVENTURES

crosses from the thoroughbred harrier to the half-blooded
greyhound, besides the 01 pollol of the dog1 world generally,
whose family no one could make out. This miscellaneous rabble
seemed to think that they were assembled for the special
purpose of fighting, so they went at it vigorously whenever
they had the opportunity. Were it not for the pace at which
they were moving and the many yells and curses hurled at
them by their owners, half of them would evidently have
been killed before we reached our destination.

A trot of three or four miles brought us to a scrubby coppice,
in which firs, cottonwoods, alders, and willows were mingled
together in confusion. Adjoining this was a stream, and back
of it rose a series of the low terraces so characteristic of the
trappean regions of the Pacific Coast. One of the party,
who had two mongrel hounds that were used for hunting any-
thing, from the bear and deer to a wild cat, and which were said
to be excellent " smellers," was appointed Master of the Hunt,
out of respect to his dogs; and he, pleased with his new honour,
went proudly forward with his pack, and began to beat the
excuse for a wood downward, while others took positions to
the windward to check any movements in that direction by
the quarry. A half-bred Indian, who was supposed to know
more about coyotes than they did themselves, took all the
dogs that he could induce to follow him to a treeless vale below
the coppice, but his followers were evidently bent more on
fighting than hunting, for our ears were soon regaled with
snarling, growling, and yells, and the " cussing " of a dis-
gusted whipper-in. I had taken a position to the leeward of
the vale with a party of four, who had half a dozen dogs with
them that no amount of coaxing and patting could induce to
leave the heels of their masters, and there we waited patiently
for half an hour, but hearing no sound that indicated work,
an impatient member of the group started off himself, stating
that he could find a coyote quicker than all the assembled canine
multitude. His assertion proved perfectly correct, for he was
gone scarcely ten minutes before two ochreous-coloured objects
were seen stealing out of a burrowin the open ground a little way
below us, as if they thought themselves too modest to liu-c

IN THE FAR WEST. 155

such a large company as ours. Their presence was a signal
for a fierce yell of delight, and away went our party after them.
This caused the prowlers to think we had some sinister designs
against them, and to consider the enthusiasm of our greeting
too demonstrative for their sensitive nature, so they gave a
startled look of surprise, which lasted for a few seconds, and
feeling assured that they were the great centre of attraction,
became alarmed, and sped away at their best pace. The dogs,
assuming that something was up, began to bark loudly, but
when they were " hied " on they fancied that it was the signal
to commence fighting, and at it they went, now rolling over
and over each other, then breaking loose in order to overtake
their masters. Two mongrels, which were too cautious to
light, and too Heet of foot to be captured by the bullies, espied
the runaways, and after them they went with sharp yelps.
The quarries being checked to the leeward, headed up wind,
but they had not gone far before they were stopped by another
party of horsemen and their dogs. This forced them to take
a middle course, so they bent their footsteps towards a series of
wave-like hillocks that stretched far away to the north.
Horses and dogs were now in full pursuit, and it was hard to
tell whether the latter or the men made the most noise, for all
were yelling or yelping. The chase led over the hillocks for
a mile or two, then into a narrow valley, and up this the
hunted turned their noses. This gave us a splendid chance
for a run, and we resolved to utilize it, as we had no fleet
dogs to bring them to bay. Putting spurs to our steeds, each
individual now made a race of it, as every one was anxious to
claim the first brush. AVe had a good run of two miles or
more over this pretty vale when the coyotes again changed
their course suddenly, and broke over the hills with, appa-
rently, an army of dogs in pursuit. They had, in fact, almost
run into an Indian village, and had, as a result, brought
the large canine force, which always accompanies the red men,
after them. The new pursuers were fresh ; the coyotes were
getting tired and scared ; and the consequence was that they
were soon overtaken and killed by their own nearest relatives,
that follow man in his wanderings. The inglorious ending of

1 5 6 Sf' OR TING A D VEX TL'RES

our chase was a cause of much regret, as many were pant-
ing1 for the honour of wearing1 the runaway brushes. Having
excommunicated all Indian curs in vigorous anathemas, our
cavalcade returned towards the stream, as several of the party
and the best dogs were left there ; but before we had proceeded
three miles we saw a dozen coyotes hastening rapidly away to
safer quarters. A little further on we met one at bay, a
mongrel greyhound having overtaken it. When we rode up,
our dogs joined their comrade at once, and in two or three
minutes a brush graced the saddle-bow of one of our party.
As our horses were somewhat tired, we did not care to run
them for awhile, so we jogged back to cover, and passed time
away by discussing the merits of dogs and horses. Some of
the huntsmen were exceedingly angry at their dogs for their
bad behaviour and slowness of foot, and several, which were
the most knowing and famous of their race in the world in
the morning, according to the assertions of their owners, lost
their character by that run, and were deemed worthless for
coyote hunting at least. On approaching the stream we saw
some of our party on the hills above, standing around in an
attitude of expectation, and heard the cries of the two famous
hounds, an indication that they had something in view. This
caused us to scatter, in hopes that we might be fortunate
enough to get a shot at anything started. I moved some dis-
tance to the leeward, and waited there patiently for half an
hour, and my patience was soon rewarded, for a coyote came
sweeping by me less than fifty yards away. As mus-
tangs can jump into a gallop from a standstill, I went in
full pursuit at once, and so well did my caijuse ply his legs that
I was soon within a distance that enabled me to use a revolver.
To hit a small object in rapid flight is no small difficulty, even
with a rifle, but to shoot it with a revolver is a matter of
great difficulty, unless by accident ; hence I must confess that
1 nearly emptied mine on the fugitive, and that it was only
when I was close alongside that 1 tumbled it over with the
last shot. A large pocket-knife ended its fate, and slinging
it over mv saddle I rode back to rejoin my comrades. None
were in sight in any direction, however, and as I did not know

IN THE FAR WEST. 157

the way home very well, I began to move in the direction
where I supposed it was. After riding two or three miles I
met the entire party making preparations to go in search of
me; but, seeing me in the flesh, they concluded to have
another run if possible, for coyotes were more abundant than
they expected, or even cared for. Moving towards the small
vale over which we had enjoyed the first run, the hounds were
set to work, and they soon gave tongue. A little later and
we saw some coyotes break cover near a rivulet, and after
them we went, though at a rather slow rate, as dogs and
horses were getting pumped. While moving forward at a
heedless pace we were almost startled out of our wits by sec-
ing charging towards us in full cry a troop of mounted Indians.
We halted at once, not knowing what to make of the
incident, and prepared for trouble, as we supposed that it was
a war-party, belonging to some tribe that had " broken loose "
without a knowledge of the fact having come to our ears.
Some of us had empty revolvers, and these we loaded at once,
and dashed out of the valley and on to a knoll, without waiting
for a moment to consider the character of the approaching
cloud, except that it was not composed of whites, and having
gained a position from which we could run or fight, we halted
to reconnoitre. Our fears were soon dispelled, however, for no
less a personage than an individual named Snake Jim, a sub-
chief of the Snake tribe, rode up towards us suddenly as if he
had risen out of the ground, and after a cheery " How/'
informed us that some of the young braves of the village,
who belonged to the Snake reservation, and had learned from
the whites to have no fear of the "bad medicine "of the coyote,
wanted to join in the hunt, if there was no objection. He was
positively informed that they would be welcome, and being
reinforced by about twenty braves and an army of their curs,
we resumed our sport. Jim said he knew where there were
several coyotes, and under his guidance we \vent to seek them.
A ride of two miles brought us to a deeply buried dell that
was surrounded by huge basaltic boulders, and in which hares
seemed to be unusually numerous. Dividing our forces there
the red men occupied one position and the whites another.

153 S PORTING ADVENTURES

The dog-s were then sent in, and they soon sent out t\v<>
dozen coyotes, it seemed to me, and after them we all
dashed right and left. The dogs were yelping, the Indians
yelling, and using their bows and arrows, and the whites
were shouting and firing their revolvers. The whole scene
was one of excitement and wild hurrah, and reminded me of
a sharp and close cavalry skirmish. Some of the men were
" hieing " on their dogs ; some got thrown by running their
horses through the villages of ground squirrels, and got heartily
laughed at for their misfortune ; whilst others were shouting
at the red men to keep out of the way. It was a scene of fun
and confusion, and the confusion was increased by the anti-
pathy of the civilized dogs to their more barbarous brethren,
and the efforts they made to hunt them instead of the coyotes.
The riding and yelling and yelping was fast and furious until
four of the fugitives were killed by the Indians and three by
our party, and having run by that time about six miles, we
concluded to stop for the day, owing to the condition of our
horses, and the fact that the coyotes were scared away from the
neighbourhood. During the last run the poor creatures were
rushing madly through the canine lines in their effort to
escape, but wherever they turned they met new foes in large
numbers, so that those which got away were compelled to
iight bravely for their liberty. We could have killed several
more during the day if we wished, for they were scattered
all over the country in small groups, but our purpose having
been accomplished we returned home, well satisfied with our
day's sport. On the way back we called at the small Indian
village of mats, and I noticed there that many of the dogs
running about were perfect facsimiles of the coyotes in all
but colour, and even barked so much like them that it
would be hard to distinguish which was which. I learned there
also that the coyotes frequently associated with Indian dogs
at certain seasons, and that the products were wary, thiev-
ing, timid creatures, but often excellent animals for hunting
game, and especially their own ancestors. Some of the best
dogs in the country for mute hunting arc these mongrels,
and if well trained they are said to be invaluable.

IN THE FAR WEST. 159

Leaving the encampment, we wended our way homeward,
and after a pleasant evening with song and story, I retired
to bed, thoroughly tired and highly pleased with the day's
amusement. The pursuit of this animal, which is faster
than any fox, will, no doubt, be fashionable in a few years,
when gentlemen with sporting proclivities enter the country,
and the sons of those now residing there learn to appreciate
the pleasure it affords.

1 60 SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER VII.

THE "BrFKAi.o.

The buffalo — Number of species — Difference between them — Its si/.e,
weight, and measurements — The gigantic buffalo of pre-liislorie times —
Fierce aspect of tlie modern bison — When it is dangerous— Courage of
the male — Soeial character of the species — Mothers have little a flirt ion
for the calves — Where the females produce their young — An ubatin
of horns — Fight between a gri/./ly bear and a small herd of bulls —
Defeat of the former — A bull rescues a calf from a pack of wolves —
Another tries to protect a cow from a hunter — Cows courageous
sometimes — A mother charges a hunter — Her fate — A new mode
of capturing calves — Lassoing calves — Few live — Buffaloes in a
state of domestication — Their stubborn character — Favourite habitat of
the buffalo — Character of the buffalo grass — Sufferings of the animals
in winter from hunger — How to tell a buffalo ground — Wallows, and
how they are made — Why old bulls leave the herds — Use of the buffalo
to the Indians — Future of both — The flesh of tlie buffalo — How it is
dried — A custom of the West — Eat all you want, but pocket none —
How the wolverine feasts on dried buffalo meat — Cunning and courage

— Pemmican — What it is, and what it tastes like — The most delicate
parts of tlie buffalo — Cows better than bulls — Vitality of the animals —
Worst place to shoot at--Best weapons for hunting tbem — How old
hunters kill them — Suggestions to novices — American horses ^Y•/•.sv^s•
mustangs — Running fifty miles a dav for ten days — Opinion of old
hunters — Faults of mustangs in running buffaloes — How experienced
hunters attack a herd — The various systems employed for killing the
buffalo — Great annual slaughter of the animal — Hide hunters — Indians
dressed in wolfskins attack the buffalo — Why they use arrows instead
of fire-arms — Hunts of the half-breeds of British America — The result

— Indian hunts — Driving the animals over a precipice — Mean devices
of the whites — How thousands are destroyed annually — Stalking — My
first hunt — The camp and the night alarm — A solitary cow killed for
luck — Chase after a calf — Lasso one and get knocked down — My horse
recaptured — Bucking — Shooting at antelopes — Stalking buffalo skulls —
Gambols of herds — Queer sportsmen — A dash after a herd and what
came of it — My first brush, and how I won it — An alarm of Indians —
The retreat — Suspicious horsemen — A bloodless but blanching charge —
Opinions of a party of Teutons about jokes — The result to me of my
day's hunting — A spirited chase in the Republican Valley — Falls, and
accideWts§f Wolves and number of quarries killed— -A magnificent spec-
tacle— A thousand hunters and thousands of buffaloes in motion at the
same time — A night scene— Howling wolves and bellowing bisons —
An alarm of Sioux The retreat — Panic-stricken Pawnees.

Tin-; bison, or American Imllalo (/>us americanns] is now
confined to a few ivinons extending1 J'rom British America to

IN THE FAR WEST. iCi

New Mexico, but it is nowhere abundant compared to what
it was.

There are supposed to be two distinct species of the animal,
namely, the common one which frequents the prairies, and
the wood, or mountain buffalo, which is never seen on the
plains, and cannot be induced to leave its forest home. The
latter, according- to Hind, is not uncommon north of the
Saskatchewan region, but in the United States it is confined
to the wooded mountainous regions of Montana, Dakota,
Colorado, and Idaho. It differs from its lowland congener in
being much heavier in body, having shorter and more robust
legs, a soft and uncurled mane, a softer and finer pelage, and
having the bump of cautiousness more largely developed, so
that it is not unlike the Lithuanian aurochs. It can pick its
way amid crags and chasms with an agility worthy of a goat,
and with much greater ease than one would give it credit for.
Owing to the wild, and sometimes inaccessible character of its
haunts, it is not hunted much, so that little is knownof its habits,
but they do not vary much, in all probability, from those of its
better known kindred, the difference being such as a person
would expect to find between animals whose haunts are so
totally distinct.

An adult male of the common species is about six feet high
at the fore-shoulders; measures from eight to eight and a half
feet in length ; the horns are between twelve and thirteen
inches in length, and the tail about twenty ; and when the
animal is in good condition it frequently weighs two thousand
pounds, but the ordinary weight is between twelve and six-
teen hundred pounds. Large and heavy as it is, it cannot
compare with the pre-historic species of the West, for, judging
from the fossil remains found, that must have been seven or
eight times its size, and, if everything was in proportion, must
have weighed several thousand pounds.

If Ximrods chased it, they must have been giants indeed,
and worthy con temporaries of the mastodons, gigantic elephants,
turtles, sloths, and other huge animals that roamed over the
earth in the misty past.

The modern bison would be a good example to prove that

M

1 62 SrORTIXG ADVENTURES

appearances are often deceiving, for the novice on gazing1 at
its ponderous proportions, its large head covered with thick,
matted hair, its shaggy mane, a foot long, its sullen demeanour,
its wicked eyes, which seem to glow into an emerald lire with
rage and hate, and its sharp-pointed horns, would be apt to
consider it one of the most dangerous of quadrupeds ; yet the
reverse is the case, for unless wounded or cornered, it is one of
the mildest, most harmless, and stupid animals on the Con-
tinent. The only time in which it is liable to assume the
offensive is during the rutting season, in July, for it is then
exceedingly petulant, and the temper of the males is not soothed
by their frequent though generally bloodless contests, and their
long fasts, for wooing occupies the greater portion of their
attention. They are more afraid of man than any other foe,
and while they will take little notice of the wolf, cougar, or
grizzly bear, one sniff of the former will cause thousands of
them to flee for miles at their best pace. The males are by no
means deficient in courage, for they will boldly attack a grizzly,
and if their horns are not blunted by rooting- in the ground, are
able to place that monarch of the western wilds Jiurs decomhai
occasionally.

The social character of the bison is much like that of the
domestic cattle. It is gregarious in habit, and travels in
herds which have been estimated to contain over one hundred
thousand individuals, and to cover an extensive plain so
thickly that it looked almost one mass of black dots at a dis-
tance. The herds are not so large now as they formerly were,
yet they may, in some regions, still be compared to the "cattle
on a thousand hills," and few grander sights can be witnessed
than to behold them in herds of many hundreds, moving north
or south during their annual migrations.

The females commence bearing when three years old, and
continue to be prolific up to an old age. They produce
only one calf at a time, and drop that generally in April,
though I have seen some in July that did not look to be more
than two or three weeks old.

The mothers seem to have little affection for their young,
and generally desert them at the first alarm; but the males

AV THE FAR ll'h'S'f. \r>$

are sturdy protectors, and carefully guard them from all foes.
Calves run with their mothers until the latter are ready to
increase the bovine population again, and after that they look
out for themselves. When the females are about to become
mothers they retire from the herd singly, and secrete them-
selves in some refuge where the young may be protected from
wolves and other foes until they are able to run about ; and
when that time comes they rejoin the males, and the united
company stroll over many long miles together.

When a herd is feeding, the cows and calves are in the
centre, and the old bulls occupy the outer spaces, as if they
intended to make an abatis of their horns to repel all adver-
saries. How effective a protection this abatis is the wolves,
which constantly attend the herds in large numbers to see if
they can pick up a calf or a wounded adult, know too well, for
they never attempt to force it ; and that the buffaloes consider
it impregnable is evident by the contempt with which they
treat their hungry attendants, and the closeness to which they
will allow them to approach before they attempt to send them
scampering away by a mere threat or a vigorous charge.
Even a hungry grizzly has learned how dangerous it is, and
has given its life as a forfeit for its ignorance and presump-
tion. I heard an old hunter in Dakota relate how a male
grizzly once attacked a herd in his presence, and got so much
the worst of it that he was glad to crawl away with broken
ribs and protruding viscera, only to deliver up his ghost to a
ride bullet.

The huge bear commenced operations by boldly advancing
towards a small herd of cows which was protected only by
five or six bulls, the remainder of the stern sex being assembled
in bachelor parties by themselves in other portions of the plain.
As he approached the herd the males closed up together, to
make a protecting screen for those under their charge, and
lowered their sharp-pointed horns almost to the ground. The
grizzly halted to gaze at the reception prepared for him, and
alter sniffing the air, and gazing for a few moments, he con-
cluded that lie had little to fear, and advanced boldly to the
assault. Before he reached the herd the most daring of the

M -1

1 64 SJ'OX TING A D YEN TURKS

bulls charged him fearlessly, but ere he could reach him
with his horns the bear struck him a powerful blow along1 the
back with his huge paws, and killed him immediately by break-
ing the spinal column. Nothing daunted at the fate of their
companion, the others charged vigorously, but two of them
were overpowered in less than three minutes. The survivors
plied their horns to such good advantage, however, that their
powerful assailant was glad to crawl away with broken ribs
and protruding riwrn, only to fall a victim to the hunter.

The same man told me that he saw a pack of wolves chasing
a young calf, apparently about two months old, on one occa-
sion, and that the poor creature was so weak from loss of blood
and hard running that it must soon have fallen a prey to its
merciless pursuers had its life not been saved by a splendid
bull, which charged down so suddenly upon the hungry throng
that he hurled one of them into the air with a vehemence that
killed it when it returned to earth, and caused the remainder
to scamper away with the utmost celerity, as if they were
panic-stricken. He then escorted his young charge away,
and, although the prowlers followed them, they took excellent
care not to go too near for fear of the consequences. The two had
not travelled far before they met a herd, and this they joined,
the youngster taking its place in the middle with the cows and
calves. It is no unusual incident for wounded buffaloes to
be protected from wolves by those that are not, and the bulls
are certainly entitled to be classed in some characteristics with
the knights of old, who fought for love, not gold. 1 saw a
bull come to the aid of a wounded cow that was being pursued
by a horseman, run with her for a mile or two, and change
sides whenever the pursuer did, as if he would guard her from
all danger. His gallantry would have been rewarded but for
the fact that his companion was so badly injured that she
could not live, and the hunter thought it better to kill her
than leave her to be worried to death by wolves. Even cows
show courage occasionally, especially if assembled in numbers,
and boldly charge wolves that may threaten themselves or
their young. I knew one to dash after a hunter who was
trying to lasso her calf, and he only escaped her horns b\-

IN THE FAR WEST. 165

killing her with a lucky shot just as she was about attacking
him. It is a common idea among hunters that the cows have
little affection for their calves, and that they will desert them
in a moment if threatened by any danger. While this is
generally true, yet there are some notable exceptions, and any
person who has ever seen a mother lick and fondle her young
one must know she has a deep feeling for it. I have known a
eow which left her calf in a little dell, come bounding and
bellowing about our party to see if we had captured it, and
when she did not find it, go dashing back again in a state of
the greatest excitement, and bellowing loudly for it.

A mother has even been known to charge headlong into a
small valley in which her young one was concealed on find-
ing a hunter there, and cause him to run for his life; and
another not only charged a body of mounted hunters, on
suspicion that they had stolen her calf, but dashed wildly up
and down, and circled around a flying column containing at
least five thousand buffaloes, thinking it might be among them.
When she could not find it she fled over the plains in a crazed
state, and uttered pitious calls for her darling at intervals;
but no answer came back to her until she had disappeared over
a hill in the horizon. Whatever may be said about their
affection, it is certainly true that they are very careless mothers,
for they leave their young without any hesitation in exposed
situations where they are liable to be attacked at any moment
by wolves, and in this way many of them arc destroyed
annually, for the lupine prowlers are always vigilant, ready to
eat at all hours of the day or night, and miss no opportunity
of killing a young one even though they are not hungry.
The calves themselves seem also to be very stupid creatures,
for, instead of dashing off to join the herds and claim their
protection, they frequently, especially if a little tired, merely
poke their nose into a bunch of grass, and because they them-
selves cannot see, they fancy they are perfectly concealed from
all foes. This idea is soon rudely banished, however, by the
sudden onslaught of ravenous wolves or the rifle and lariat of
the hunter.

Lassoing calves is most interesting sport, as the creatures

1 66 S/ Wv' TING A D VENTURES

run well, course like a hare, and, when hard pressed, boldly
charge the horses or riders, and even attempt to pierce them
with their sharp but tiny horns ; and even when captured they
buck and plunge so violently that the attempt to lead them to
a rendezvous is most amusing-. Calves not older than a month
or two will readily follow a horseman if they are separated
from their dams; but when they get beyond that age they are
too knowing not to distinguish the difference between their
own kindred and the steed. Hunters who wish to obtain
calves for menageries or private persons often resort to this
method of capture, as the animals are more likely to live than
if they were driven hard for several miles before being lassoed;
and it is said that if a person breathes into their nostrils when
they are caught they become tame at once, and will follow his
horse for several miles like a dog. I have known them to
follow horsemen out of a herd after a short run, and trot
behind them for several miles without making an effort to
escape.

Thousands of them are captured alive annually by being
run down with horses, but the greater number die, owing to
the severe manner in which they were chased,, or else to their
<'-rief at being separated from their kindred and the nutritious

o o i

grasses and freedom of the plains. I have seen a troop of
cavalry lasso one hundred of them in two days, and bring
them to the barracks, and although they had plenty of room
in a corral to run about, and an abundance of hay and grass,
few of them lived more than a week. The same mortality was
noticeable among those captured by expert lassoers and
regular hunters, so it is evident that they cannot stand
much hardship.

The calves can be domesticated readily, if treated kindly,
and when the bulls reach adult age they are said to be as good
as oxen for ploughing; but they have the great fault of being
stubborn, and when once they take it into their heads to go
in a certain direction nothing can prevent, them except a wall
or a bullet. One or two generations of domestication might
break them of this habit, however, and they could then be
made into valuable beasts of burden, while the cows would prove;

AV THE FAR WJLST. 167

a valuable addition to the farmyard. My own opinion is that
the buffalo can bo tamed easily, and vastly improved in
physique, strength, and edible qualities by careful feeding ; for,
in a wild state, its flesh is rather flavourless, and the stateliest
bull cannot compete in power or pugnacity with one of his
domestic congeners scarcely one half his weight or age. The
wild bull, that is the domestic species run wild, can defeat any
two buffaloes in ten minutes, and a herd of wild cattle can
drive twenty times their number of buffaloes in a very short
time.

From experiments made in New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, and
other portions of the United States, it has been found that the
buffalo can be domesticated without much trouble, that its
flesh can be greatly improved, and that the milk of the cow is
rich and sweet, and yields more cream than almost anv of the

' */ */

farmyard species. The hide of the buffalo is also four times
as valuable as that of the domestic race, and by careful feeding
the fur is made longer and finer than it is when the animal

O

runs wild. There is no doubt that the buffalo can be made a
most valuable addition to our domestic animals, and it is
rather a pity that some persons do not try it, and keep it from
totally disappearing.

I have heard that buffalo bulls associate freely with domestic
cows, and that their offspring is large and hardy; that their
flesh is excellent; that the females are good milkers ; and that
they can be kept easily, as they are indiscriminate feeders, and
anything but dainty in palate. "Whether the cross would
prove prolific is another question, but the probability is that
it would, by paying careful attention to the laws of breeding.
The cross is said to be very stubborn, however, but this fault
could, no doubt, be eradicated without much trouble.

If the buffalo of India can be made useful to man, there is
little doubt that its American congener also can ; hence its
domestication should be attempted by wealthy private gentle-
men, stock-raisers, and even small farmers, and they would
undoubtedly find their efforts crowned with success. Any
pasture will answer its purpose, for it will thrive where anv
of the bovine species more dainty in appeti'e than a Texas

1 68 SPORTIXG ADVENTURES

steer would starve ; and as it associates readily with the do-
mestic species, it requires no unusual care.

The favourite habitat of the animal in its wild state is a
rolling plain where a short but very nutritious species of the
gramma1, known locally as the buffalo grass, grows in profusion.
This is the most pugnacious grass known, for it will allow no
rivals to intrude on its ground, but if they do they are soon
crowded out of existence. Like the bunch grass (Festucca
szctlrella}, of which the buffalo is also fond, it cures on the stalk,
and so a fiords pabulum tolarge numbers of quadrupeds through-
out the year, for it is really the only thing they can depend on
for food during the winter. The buffaloes that frequent the
northern regions obtain it in winter by scraping away the
snow ; but during severe seasons, when the snow is deep, and
the crust hard, they cannot get at it, and the result is that
many thousands starve to death. This is one of the reasons
for their decimation, as much almost as their wanton slaughter
by Indians, hide- hunters, and sportsmen. It is pitiful to hear
the deep, gruff bellowing of the poor creatures then as they
wander over the snow-fields in search of food, or rush wildly
about when almost mad with hunger.

A stranger who never saw a buffalo ground would know it
immediately by the number of wallows it contains, and the
numerous skulls that lie about in every direction. The latter
are so deceptive that I have more than once mistaken them at
a distance for living animals, and wasted valuable time in
carefully stalking them. "When this error has been committed
a few times, however, a person learns to be more cautious and
less enthusiastic, and to be sure that he is not labouring under
a mistake before commencing his stealthy, crawling, and often
fatiguing "still hunt."

The wallows, according to Catlin, are made by the strongest
bulls for the purpose of enjoying a bath. A veteran with
ponderous horns, on reaching a spot where the earth seems
damp, lowers himself on one knee, and plunging his horns,
and at last his head, into the ground, makes an excavation
into which the water filters from amonirst the irrass, forming

~ C"> ' O

lor him, in a few minutes, a cool and comfortable bath, into

LY THE FAR WEST. 169

which he plunges like a hog in its mire. Throwing himself
flat upon his side in this delightful hole, he forces himself
violently around, and ploughing up the ground by his rotary
motion, sinks deeper and deeper into the ground. Having
cooled his sides, he stands in the pool till inclination induces
him to step out, and give place to the next in power; and in
this manner the whole herd pass through in turn, each one
swinging its body around in a similar manner. When all have
finished their bath, the hole is quite deep, and once seen its
origin will always be known. Tt is evident that this excavat-
ing propensity must soon destroy the sharpness of the horns of
the sturdier bulls, especially if the soil is of a stony nature, so
that they have to yield their supremacy in a short time to the
younger bulls, which have appendages with sharper points.
It is supposed that the veterans are driven out of a herd by
their jealous juniors, when their horns become too blunt to
fight to good advantage, but this I should deduce to be a
fallacy, inasmuch as the natural characteristic of the animals
is to be social and peaceable. The actual reason why these old
hermits quit their companions and seek comfort in solitude
might be attributed to the waning or failure of their salacious
disposition, for some of them look as if they entertained the
sentiment, in a bovine form, that their only books were the
cow's looks, and folly was all they taught them. I hope the
spirit of Moore will pardon me for thus transposing and
applying his rollicking ditty ; but I thought it so appro-
priate to the circumstances that I could not help using it.
These hermits are the specimens on which the wolves delight
to dance attendance, yet they take excellent care to avoid their
horns unless they are ill, or so decrepid as to be unable to make
a strong resistance. Even when in vigorous condition they
sometimes yield their life to their gray foes, as the latter cut
their hamstring by a sudden bound, and once that is severed
they are soon transformed into wolf meat.

Next to the lupine prowler, the Indian is the greatest lover
of the buffalo, and no wonder, for to him it is house, food,
clothing, and fire. Its flesh furnishes him with food ; its skin
with wigwams, lariats, reins,, robes,, ami raiment ; its dung — the

1 70 SJ'OX TING A D VENTURES

well-known bois t/c ntc/tc of the Canadian wyitfjeurs and half-
breeds, and the "chips'" of the plainsmen — with fire ; and its
bones often supply him with arrow tips and other implements
of the chase.

The statement so frequently made that the red man and the
buffalo will disappear together is certainly true in a particular
sense, for when the latter becomes so scarce as not to be able
to supply the wants of the former, he will have to devote his
attention to farming1 or stock-raising- to obtain a means of
subsistence,, and as he cannot, or will not, do either of these,
he must become a pensioner of the Government, and the result
will be speedy starvation, or a war in which he will be deci-
mated. In that case we shall know the typical Indian no
more, and instead of the fierce, treacherous, and cruel brave,
we shall have a sneaking1, begging, poor wretch who will, at
an early day, be placed in the soil where his rude forefathers
sleep, and his race will no longer be known on earth. The
flesh of the buffalo has been the principal, one might say the
sole food, of many thousands of Indians, half-breeds, trappers,
and voyageurs for many years; and considering their thought-
lessness and their wanton destruction of all game at times,
a person might wonder how it happens that the buffalo is so
numerous as it is.

AVhat these people do not eat fresh they dry, or make into
pemmican. The drying process is simple enough. A number
of poles, about four feet high, and having a crotch at the top,
are inserted in the ground, and on these are placed light-
boughs, to make a platform. Tinder this platform, and about
the middle, a shallow trench is dug, which is filled with green
wood so as to make as much smoke as possible. The flesh is
next sliced off the carcass in long strips about two inches
wide, and from half an inch to an inch in thickness, and is
placed on the frame, after being immersed for a few seconds
in boiling brine; but if salt is scarce the meat is dried without
it. AVhen the staging is carefully and evenly covered with
the strips, the fire is lighted, and kept burning for two or
three days, but never so brightly as to do more than make
a dense smoke, as it is the dry air and sun that really cure the

IN THE FAR WEST. 171

meat, and not the fire; for the sole purpose of the latter is to
keep flies away, and to lessen the effect of the night dew. If
ants appear, the upright poles are greased, and this causes
them to retreat in a short time. The meat is often cured by
merely hang-ing1 it on the boughs of trees, or on frames in
long strips, and turning it round occasionally for two or
three days. These platforms are frequently met with in the
hunting regions frequented by Indians and half-breeds, and if
they contain any pabulum, the wayfarer is permitted to take
all he wants for present necessities, but to pocket none for
future use, for such is the recognized custom of the land.

The stages are frequented at all times by wolves, and some-
times by wild cats, but they seldom get any of the contents.
There is one creature, however, which is fortunate enough to
feast off the stores, and that is the wolverine, one of the most
daring, courageous and cunning animals in the world. Instead
of wasting its time in sniffing and sighing, or trying to climb
the thin, upright stakes, it quietly goes to work and cuts a
number of them down with the dexterity and rapidity of the
beaver, its sharp teeth enabling it to do this in the course of
a few hours. When several posts are cut away, the platform
and its contents tumble down, and the wily animal enjoys a
feast that would cause a hungry wolf to go into ecstasies.
Should the latter attempt to become a participator of the good
things procured by the other, however, it pays dearly for its pre-
sumption, for the wolverine allows nothing, except its own kin-
dred, to be self-invited to its board. It is probably the most
cunning animal on the Continent, and a fox or a wolf is only
a sucking dove compared to it. It defies traps, and no matter
how carefully a hunter may secure his bait, it will probably
be taken away, and no result left for it. Meat buried deep
under the snow for safe keeping is stolen with a promptitude
and ability that defies detection ; but the experienced hunter
knows at once who is the thief, and frequently does not attempt
to follow in pursuit, for he knows how useless it would be.

This western robber and glutton is a peculiar-looking
creature belonging to the Mu^ltlida-, and is the largest of
the genus. It is not unlike a polecat in form, but it is

i;2 SPORTIXG ADVENTURES

much heavier and more ungainly. It has a large head, which
is carried somewhat lower than the upper portion of the body ;
the leg's are short and massive ; the tail is of medium length,
black and bushy ; the claws are sharp and dense, and its
fang's are pointed and powerful. I have known it to enter a
cabin and devour three or four pounds of pemmican, and get
away from its pursuers, although three or four dogs joined
in the chase.

This pemmican, which is made of meat dried,, pounded,
and mixed with melted fat and dried berries, forms the
principal food of the wandering1 Indians, hunters, and
voyageurs ; but an inexperienced pale-face would find it a
difficult matter to eat it with any relish, unless he was
almost starving. It frequently has a rancid taste, that is
sickening at first ; but under the best of conditions it is
anything but agreeable. I have been forced to eat it for
want of something better on a few occasiocs, but whether
it was made of the flesh of tlu mountain sheep, wild goat,
or buffalo, it seemed to have the same flavour, differing1
only in various degrees of nastiness. The berries which it
contains are intended to give it a sharp, sour taste, to
counterbalance the nauseousncss of the stale fat and the in-
sipidity of the lean meat. The flesh of the buffalo is highly
prized by some amateur sportsmen, on the principle, 1 suppose,
that it is considered to have a gamy flavour, and to be there-
fore a dish fit for the gods ; but I could never take kindly to it
unless it was unusually tender, or I was very hungry. The
tongue and hump are considered to be the most delicate parts,
and many sportsmen will not eat any other. They do not
however, in my estimation, deserve the encomiums bestowed
upon them. They are the best parts, it is true, but they
cannot compare in succulency, flavour, or nutritive qualities
with a good beefsteak, though I doubt if any steak ever
tasted so well to a hungry hunter as they do after he has been
on the prairies a few days or weeks. The cows and calves
are much more palatable than the bulls; hence, the man
who supplies his house with buffalo meat selects them as a
first choice whenever he can. Thev arc also easier to kill

IN THE FAR WEST. 173

than the males, though they too will often carry an enormous
load of lead before falling. I have known an old bull to be
perforated with fourteen bullets and escape alter all, and I saw
a cow pierced with ten bullets, which were scattered all over
her body, run for three miles and fall only when she broke
her leg- by treading- in the hole of a prairie dog-. The head is
the worst place to aim at, as it is covered with a dense
plastron of matted hair, which seems to absorb the ball before
it reaches the skull, unless the rifle is of heavy calibre, or it
is fired at close range. A twelve-bore is a capital weapon for
buffalo shooting, but it seems too inconvenient for use on
horseback. In running them I have found a large revolver
a good weapon, as it is compact, and will kill readily at close
range. The best buffalo-hunters burn the hair on nearly every
one they slay, so close do they approach, and they generally
aim for the spinal column or the ribs. The novice, in running
them, might not do much better than to hit them in the fore-
shoulder, for that soon causes them to halt, as the fore-quarters
are so heavy that they cannot be sustained long by only one
leg ; and if wounded in that part, the hunter can finish them
when he pleases. A very necessary clement to attain success
in hunting the buffalo is a fast and courageous horse that can
be kept under control, and will not lose his head in a stam-
pede or be afraid of ranging alongside a herd when it is
in motion. For this purpose an American horse — as all horses
are called that do not belong to the Indians, or rather that
do not come under the head of cat/iotc — is preferable to a
mustang, so far as my experience goes, for he has greater speed
for a long run, is more intelligent, more tractable, and will go
until he drops, whereas the other is liable to bolt at any
moment, unless very well trained, and will often stop whenever
he feels that he has done enough. I have been with a party
that ran buffaloes for four days, at an average rate of fiftv miles
a day ; and those who rode American horses killed more than
those who rode mustangs, and their animals were also fresher
when the run was over.

I heard of even a better case than this from an armv otlicer,
who is now on the high road to fame, for he told me that he had

1 74 SPOK TIXG A D VEXTURES

ridden an average of fifty miles a day for ten days after
buffaloes with two American horses, whereas some of his
troopers, who were mounted on mustang-s, could scarcely keep
in sight of the herds after the fourth or fifth day. The most
famous scouts and buffalo-hunters that I met in the West were
dubious about using pure mustang-s in a long buffalo chase,
and I know for a fact that those deemed to be the most
successful did not employ them. I have ridden mustang's
in the chase on various occasions, but the greatest fault I
found with them was their propensity to bolt suddenly at
a rig'ht angle whenever a wounded buffalo assumed a
threatening attitude ; and if a person did not know this trick
he was liable to be thrown, and left to face the fury of a fierce
bull, or the hoofs of a maddened throng- that a precipice could
not swerve from their heedless course.

This habit of breaking away the moment a shot is fired may
have its advantages ; but they are more than counterbalanced
by the disadvantages, and not the least of these is that a man
does not feel secure of his seat for five minutes together in a
headlong dash. Mustangs trained bv Indians are also accus-
tomed to run on the right of a herd, as that is the most con-
venient position for the red men in shooting their arrows; but
it is not always so to the pale-face, especially if he uses a revolver.

One of the surest means of bagging a large number of
buffaloes is to remain about twenty or thirty feet behind a
herd, so as not to scatter the animals, and rake them forward,
so as to make a three-quartering shot through the ribs and
lungs; for if a person crowded on them they would push
away from him laterally, or break up into groups, and by this
means give him as much trouble to tumble over a dozen as it
would to kill three times that number. If a person has a fast
and trained horse, all he has to do is to throw the reins on his
neck and li'-e away, and he must be a poor shot indeed if he
cannot claim several trophies in a run of twenty minutes.
Experienced hunters kill one almost at every shot, or at least
cripple them so much that they cannot escape, so are subse-
quently captured. Dr. Carver, the famous rifleman, and,
probably the best buffalo-hunter in the world, has killed sixty-

IN Till: FAR WEST. 175

three out of a herd in one run, and wounded several more ;
and it was no uncommon thing for him to kill thirty or forty
in a run, and select his animals. I have hunted with him and
other persons in the West, but I never knew one to even
approach him in killing1 bufi'aloes or any other game when
they were running at full speed.

The two methods of hunting the buffalo employed in the
West is to stalk it and run it down on horseback. Which
is the most sportsmanlike method, sportsmen will readily
discern without any comments. Hungry men and hide-
hunters generally resort to the former, the true lovers of the
chase to the latter. By the former system all one has to do
is to crawl to the leeward of a herd, taking advantage of every
rise in the ground, and fire away when a good opportunity is
presented; for buffaloes are such stupid creatures that the
greater part of a herd may be destroyed before the remainder
get out of range, provided they do not see or wind the hunter.
This is how the hide-hunters make their enormous hauls, and
rid a region of the animals in a short time. In a letter which
I published in a prominent New York journal in September,
1874, 1 made the following statement about the destruction of
the buffalo ; but from what I have learned since, by experience,
I should be apt to more than sextuple my estimate, and still
be within the bounds.

"It is estimated that the 'hide-hunters' of Kansas, Texas,
Colorado, and Southern Nebraska kill 5U,OUO each year for the
skins alone ; that the Indians kill three times that number,
and that perhaps 10,000 more are killed by sportsmen and
those pioneers who depend on buffalo for their winter meat ;
thus we have the enormous figure of 210,000 as the annual
slaughter. But this even will not represent the grand total,
for many calves are captured to be sold to menageries, museums,
and to private gentlemen who desire such pets. I cannot
approach a summary of the latter, but I think that from five
to ten thousand would be an approximate estimate, though a
low one. I have known instances where a hundred of these
creatures were caught in a day by being run down, and not
more than one-tenth were alive the next, for, though apparently

1 76 SrOX TING A D VRN TURES

strong1, they cannot endure much hardship. By giving the
figures in round numbers, we may estimate that a quarter of a
million b'son are destroyed annually. At this rate of destruc-
tion they cannot last long, so the next generation will probably
witness the decimation of the animal most characteristic of the
fauna of North America — one with which the history of the
plains, pioneers, and trappers is most closely blended.'''

This assertion may seem extraordinary, yet everything points
to it as a fact, and although buffaloes still roam in millions
over the western plains, their fate is already sealed, as the hide-
hunters kill even gravid females, and leave their carcasses on
the prairie to feed carnivorous birds and quadrupeds.

I counted as many as thirty carcasses of cows one day in
Southern Nebraska, and in each case the udder was full of
milk. The Vandals in this heedless destruction were the hide-
hunters, from whom no game is safe if they can only get a few
pence for either the flesh or the skin. The death of over five
million buffaloes iu four years proves how successfully and
assiduously these men work, and how stupid the bison must
be. I have seen a small herd almost decimated by regular
hunters before the remainder took the precaution to leave, yet
thev saw whence the deathly missiles came by the pulfs of
smoke. They would not have fled in all probability when
thev did, had not one of the men. shown himself uninten-
tionally ; but the moment his head peered above the ravine
in which he was stationed, they swaggered away at their
best pace.

The animals which are so much afraid of man show no fear of
their satellites, the wolves, and this trait of their nature is used
to good advantage by the Indians, for they sometimes dress
themselves up in wolf-skins, and approach an unsuspicious
herd from the leeward to within arrow range, and squatting
themselves on their heels ply their bows to such good
purpose that they soon have a good stock of meat lying on
the ground before them. They prefer using their swift and
noiseless primitive missiles in such cases to lire-arms, as the
noise of the latter is liable to scare the animals, and produce
a stampede that may last for two days. The rifle detonations

IN THE FAR WEST. 177

are also liable to terrify other game and clear the country of it
in a short time.

Their favourite mode of hunting now is to make a surround
on horseback and slay right and left until they become weary ;
and if this drives the buffaloes away they follow them up as
fast as the squaws can prepare the meat and attend to the
hides. I have seen some surrounds of the Sioux and Pawnees,
and were the scene not made picturesque by the wigwams, the
numerous and almost naked warriors, and the bustle and
excitement of galloping steeds and herds, I should say that it
was not so inspiriting or successful as a drive organized by
Western hunters and sportsmen.

The half-breeds of portions of British America organize regular
hunts also, and on such occasions they take all their household
effects with them. The women and children are stowed away
in rude carts, and the men ride the mustangs which are to
play so prominent a part in the chase. As the long cavalcade
winds over the grass-clad prairie, made gay with many species
of brilliant wild flowers, it presents an inspiriting sight, and
recalls, in a small way, the advance of an army. When it
reaches the buffalo-grounds a camp is pitched in a convenient
locality, close to wood and water if possible, and after that is
done the leader takes his men to the leeward of a herd, and
distributes them in such a manner that they may be able to
drive it towards the encampment, in order to avoid as much
trouble as possible in gathering up the meat. They sometimes
place buffalo " chips" in such a manner on the prairie as to
make them look like men, and when the herd sees these it
breaks away from them, and heads, perhaps, for the camp,
where another party of hunters is ready to receive it. When
everything is arranged, the men close in gradually on the
thousands of shaggy creatures that dot the plain, probably as
far as the eye can see, and on arriving within charging distance
they dash on at the best speed of their horses. Then com-
mences a scene to which no pencil can do full justice. The
alarmed throngs, on seeing their foes, break away in wild
terror, the cows being generally at the head of the column,
owing to their greater fleetness and lightness, and the onlves

x

178 SPORTING ADVENTURES

being- next to them, while the burly bulls close the rear and
flanks. This terrified host causes the ground to fairly tremble
beneath its weight ; and the noise of its movements may be
heard a long distance oil', as it is not unlike the roar of an
advancing hurricane.

When the hunters range alongside the crowding multitude
they use rifle and revolver so rapidly that the noise sounds
like the firing of a heavy body of skirmishers. They require
few shots to kill an animal, one or two being generally suffi-
cient, for their trained buffalo-runners carry them so close to
the herd that a bullet can be planted in whatever portion
of the body the hunter wishes. The result is, that in a run
of perhaps twenty miles, a thousand or two animals may
be lying on the ground, and in some instances double that
number. When the recall is sounded, the horsemen return
and devote their attention to the wounded, and soon put them
out of their misery. The carts follow the hunters and gather
up the meat, and the greater portion of that is, in a few hours,
ready to be placed on the drying stages, while the hides are
being prepared for curing. When the expedition returns after
the grand hunt, which sometimes lasts for weeks, its mem-
bers have meat enough to feed them for several months, and
many a buffalo robe with which to provide clothing and
luxuries for their families.

A good robe is worth from two to four dollars, so it will lie
seen that they can earn a handsome sum in a short time. A
spring robe, when the animal has very little hair on its bodv,
and it looks like a shorn poodle, is worth only one or one and
a half dollars, yet the skin-hunters slay it even then for tin's
paltry sum in large numbers.

The Indian hunts that I witnessed were something like the
one described, except that they used short, powerful bows and
heavy arrows in preference to fire-arms. The reason they
gave for this was, that the former made no noise and did not
therefore terrify the animals so much as the latter would,
or cause them to leave the country, and so make a long
pursuit a necessity. By using arrows they could hunt for
. several days within an area of twenty square miles, whereas

IN THE FAR WEST. 179

the use of riHes would make them travel perhaps ten or
twenty miles before tliey could find a herd, and it would then
be so timid that to approach it might prove a difficult matter,
and would certainly require great caution and the most careful
stalking-. Another reason is, that every man can tell what
meat belongs to him by the private mark on his arrows, so all
that the squaws have to do is to search for the arrows of their
husbands, and commence an immediate dissection of the car-
casses in which they are planted. If a precipice is convenient
the red men avoid all trouble by driving the herds towards it,
and into this they tumble headlong, for they move at such a
velocity, and are so crowded together, that the rear pushes the
front downwards, and all follow in the ir.ost stupid manner,
though they may see the danger before them. Many thousands
are destroyed in this way, and many more by being lost in
quicksands or swallowed up in the ice and turbulent currents
of large rivers, so that fate seems to aim at their destruction.

One of the meanest devices ever instituted by man for their
destruction is that practised by some persons south of the
Platte River, in Nebraska. Streams being exceedingly scarce
there, the poor creatures have to travel many miles sometimes
to obtain water, and when they reach it they are so desperate
from thirst that nothing except death can prevent them from
having it. Hunters knowing this, post themselves along the
streams and kill them as they come to drink, but for fear their
work by day should not prove effective enough, they build
fires at night, and by this means keep the dying creatures
away from the water for three or four days at a time. AVhen,
however, they can stand the pangs of thirst no longer, they
rush for the precious fluid, preferring death to unbearable
misery, and many sink, to rise no more, under the leaden hail
of numerous rifles. Herd after herd is frequently slaughtered
in this barbarous manner, until scarcely any remain in a large
tract of country. The result is, that few, comparatively
speaking, are now found there, though they could be counted
by the thousand a few years ago.

I have had some exciting and pleasant runs after the buffalo
on horseback, and I have stalked it on a few occasions, but the

N 2

1 8o SPORTING ADVENTURES

latter method seems to me to be little better than shooting1
cows, and not half so dangerous as an attack on wild cattle;
hence, it is scarcely worth mentioning1, for all that is required
to be successful is to seek shelter behind a knoll to the leeward
of a herd, and fire away to the heart's content, or until the
animals get beyond range.

As nearly all buffalo hunts are alike, and differ only in minor
details, such as a fall from a horse, or a charge from an angry
or wounded bull, and perhaps a severe bruise, I shall tell how
I secured my first two buffaloes, as my experience may prove
of use to the novice in the chase. While halting for a few
days at a little village in Nebraska, word was brought in that
the buffaloes were moving towards the Platte River in im-
mense herds, and that the country was black with them. This
seemed to cause as much excitement among the men as if it
were an announcement of an Indian raid, and all those who
had horses and rifles or revolvers made preparations at once to
have a dash at the strangers. In the hotel at which I was
stopping was a celebrated hunter, Dr. Carver, and at his invi-
tation I joined a party which he was to lead.

Not having a horse, I was advised to procure a buffalo-
runner owned by the keeper of a livery stable, and to him I
accordingly applied, and made a bargain with him that I was
to have his steed at the rate of four dollars per day, and be
responsible for his value in case he was injured. At live
o'clock in the evening he was brought to the hotel, and when
I gazed on him I must say I was sorely disappointed, for he
was small, ungainly in form, weedy, and boasted of very little
flesh. He bore an old Mexican saddle on his back, and a
rusty pair of reins and a curb bit completed his trappings.
After gazing at him for a few moments in silent disgust, I
asked his owner if he could run a buffalo, and that individual
told me in the most emphatic terms possible that he could,
and was one of the best horses in the country for such a
purpose.

Assured by his manner that the brute was really excellent,
I mounted, and when the remainder of the party, ten in
number, rode up, accompanied by a large covered waggon or

IN THE FAR WEST. 181

prairie schooner, we moved off into the open country in the
dim twilight. After marching until near midnight we went
into camp by simply halting, and after picketing our horses so
that they could graze, we took our blankets out of the waggon,
and rolling ourselves up in them, we lay down to sleep under
the shelter of the vehicle. Slumber was rendered impossible,
however, by the sharp attacks of innumerable mosquitoes,
whose " little bills " pierced through our heavy woollen
blankets and clothes with, apparently, as much ease as if they
did not exist. The first hour of retirement was devoted to
tumbling about uneasily, in order not to have all the pricks on
one side, and to blessing mosquitoes and all their race ; but
just as they were becoming unendurable a fierce and sudden
wind, to which the prairies are often subjected, came sweeping
towards us with a howl of seeming rage, and in another
moment our pests were swept away. The gale, though strong,
was not very cold, and by cuddling close together we managed
to keep warm enough to fall into a restless doze.

I had scarcely lost conscioiisness, however, before I was
aroused by an alarmed shout of, " Get up, boys ; the Indians
are coming." The words were scarcely uttered before we were
all thoroughly wide-awake and unrolled from our blankets.
In searching for my boots, which were the only part of my
vestments of which I had divested myself, I caught the man
who was sleeping near my feet by the hair of the head, and
gave it a strong pull in my haste to find what I wanted. This
act must have thoroughly surprised him, and recalled visions
of scalping to his mind, for he yelled out, " Holy Jerusalem,
what is that ? " This brought as a response a suppressed chorus

of " Shut up, you d n fool ;" but the incident seemed so

ludicrous to me that I chuckled heartily, notwithstanding the
apparent danger. We were soon dressed, and with rifies in
hand we ranged ourselves on one side of the waggon, prepared
to sell our lives as dearly as possible. As the night was
exceedingly dark we were in hopes that our position might not
be seen, and that the announced enemy might pass us by, but
this hope was soon dispelled by hearing the clatter of many
hoofs bearing directly down upon us. AVe cocked our ritlcs,

1 82 SPORTING ADVENTURES

and stood in breathless excitement awaiting the attack, yet
hoping we should escape it, for we had the strongest objections
to losing our scalps and having our bodies mutilated. The
horsemen left the hard road when a few yards away from us,
and galloped on to the grass. Supposing that our position was
actually detected, we wore thinking of opening fire, when they
halted, and a strongly accentuated German voice called out :
" Veil, poys, I dink ve'el gamp here ; I see dere's oder poys
here," The other boys were delighted at this unexpected turn of
a Hairs ; but as soon as they were over their surprise, how they
blessed that man's Dutch heart, and wished he and his party
were transferred to a certain region, where no winter climate is
known ! After a short but emphatic verbal battle, we learned
that the strangers were a party of Germans from town who
were out for a buffalo hunt. After being taunted with not
knowing a buffalo from a pig, and classifying any buffalo that
would allow them to kill it as an idiot, a truce was declared,
and we were once more rolled up in our blankets. The indi-
vidual whose hair was pulled was then reviled for his scream
of alarm, and he was told that he was anything but a wise
man ; and he, to retaliate, said that if he knew who made him

scream lie would put a bullet in him. "The d n fool did it

on purpose to skcer me," said he, " for he pulled out a whole
handful of hair, and I thought my head would be lusted off
my neck backwards." As no person seemed inclined to
acknowledge doing the deed, though nearly all except the
right one were accused of it, we went to sleep once more, our
lullaby being sung by the howling gale.

We were awake with the first streak of dawn, and after
bolting a lew mouthfuls of sandwiches and a cup of coffee, we
saddled our steeds and rode away, the waggon bringing up
the rear. A\ e marched for three or four miles, but saw no
signs of buffaloes where they were reported to be so numerous,
and this caused some of the party to think the Indians had
been pursuing them ; and as the Sioux were then dangerous,
and had been making raids on some of the settlements, it was
deemed best that we should be cautious in our movements, and
keep together a* much as possible in a run, and, above all, to

IN THE FAR WEST. 183

rally at once when the assembly call of " hoopee " was shouted.
This matter being understood, we advanced slowly in search
of the animals, but we could see nothing of them, though
antelopes in large numbers were met, and the prairie seemed
to be alive with birds. We also noted that the grass was not
trampled, and deducing from this that the buffaloes had not
come so far south, we put spurs to our horses and can-
tered on a few miles further. On reaching a large meadow
near the Platte River, we espied a cow and a calf grazing to-
gether. As they were the first seen, it was decided to capture
them for luck, so two men were detailed to carry the resolu-
tion into effect. They galloped down through the long grass,
which reached almost to the saddle-girths, and were soon beside
the cow and running her hard. She coursed about in a lively
manner, first in one direction, then in another, according as she
was headed off, until she was finally brought to bay through
sheer fatigue, and one of the men killed her with his revolver.

The calf had, in the meanwhile, broken away and headed
straight for the low, rolling bluffs or hillocks about two
miles distant from the stream. This brought it across our
path, so the leader and myself concluded to lasso it with some
heavy ropes that we carried.

Starting in pursuit, we followed it down a trail, then up
the bluffs, but I found that the famous buffalo-runner I
bestrode was far behind in the chase, and that I could not
even keep in sight of my companion. I therefore slowed
down to a walk, and gave way to a vigorous rumination about
the man who introduced me to his horse. While engaged in
this unpleasant meditation I espied a calf a few yards away,
and concluded to see if I could not have better luck with that
than the previous one. Riding slowly towards it, and as much
under shelter as the ground would permit, I approached it to
within fifty yards before I was detected, then away we both
went. After running about a mile T drew close to it and
made a throw, but the rope being heavy, and the wind blow-
ing strongly against me, I missed, much to my chagrin. I
lost nothing in speed, however, by the cast, and, still keeping
up the pursuit, and coursing the creature in every direction, 1

1 84 SPORTING ADVENTURES

finally got a good throw and caught it by the neck. Taking
a few turns of the rude lariat around the horn of the saddle, I
dismounted to secure my quarry, hy tying its legs ; but I had
scarcely touched the ground before my steed, finding himself
relieved of his load, broke away abruptly, dragging the calf
alter him for a few feet, but he soon released himself from that
encumbrance and left the half-choked creature, the rope, and
myself, on the open and, to me, unknown prairie, while he
galloped away, swinging his tail, and turning round every now
and then as if to see how I liked the predicament in which he
had placed me. I did not like it by any means, and if
he had been my property, and within close range, I fear he
would not have lived for more than a second or two. I
seized the rope before the calf could run away with it,
and then commenced a tug of war between us, but as I had
the advantage I was the victor in less than five minutes,
for my antagonist was so choked that it had to cease its
struggles. When I approached to upset it, by entang-
ling its legs in the rope and then securing them, the vicious
little creature charged me suddenly, and striking me full in
the stomach with its head, it both doubled me up and tumbled
me over, and when I was down attempted to gore me with its
tiny horns. I was soon on my feet, however, and had my
courageous little foe down by the rope trick, and after tying
its feet with a piece of string I took off the lasso, intending to
follow my horse and try its power on him. As he was some
distance away, and the probability was that T would have to
meet some of the party before I could catch him, I concluded
to let the calf go free, for if left tied it would undoubtedly
have fallen a prey to the wolves, as I could not, in all pro-
bability, have found it again if I went any distance away
on a prairie where no mark existed by which I could identify
the spot. I therefore released the creature, and was rewarded
for my kindness by another charge; but I escaped that readily
by volting to one side and allowing the assailant to rush
past me and get away.

Starting out in pursuit of the runaway steed, a short tramp
brought me to win-re he was grazing, but on seeing me

IN THE FAR WEST. 185

lie made a defiant attempt to kick up his heels a few times,
then started off; but, fortunately for me, he ran towards a
farmer's waggon that was passing by a short distance off, and
the driver captured him, and held him until I arrived. When
I was on his back once more I plied the spurs vigorously, and
received in retaliation a series of buck jumps that threatened
to break my spinal column. After a sharp contest of fifteen
minutes he acknowledged his defeat by moving onwards at
a smart gallop, and I was soon with my companions. I
found that the leader had lassoed some calves, but that the
others had not seen anything except antelopes and prairie
dogs. Waiting until the waggon came up, in order to place
the calves in it, we had a good opportunity of reconnoitring
the surrounding country from a high bluff. We could see no
buffaloes in our immediate vicinity, but far away, much further
than we cared to go, they dotted the landscape for miles in
small herds. This induced us to change our route, and
go direct for the highest bluffs, and after the calves were
stowed away in the waggon we marched towards them. A walk
of three or four miles led us into a splendid rolling prairie
over which the antelopes roamed in large numbers, and as we
had few prospects of meeting what we sought, we concluded
to test our rifles on them.

Taking a seat on the grass, we commenced popping away
at all ranges, and if we did not hurt them much we
scared them a good deal, for they would stand and stare and
wheel, then bound away with the fleetness of a greyhound. It
was amusing to see the young approach us after being shot at,
as if thev could not understand that our firms1 meant danger,

%, o "

or else they were so blind that they could not see us while
lying still, for motion seems to be one of the necessary condi-
tions to their recognition of objects.

While amusing ourselves in this manner, one of our party
noticed a number of trupials hastening past us, and he an-
nounced the event by jumping up suddenly and shouting,
" I say, boys ; there's buffaloes round yere somewhere, for
there go the buffalo birds ; so we'd better be off." His sug-
gestion was acted upon at once, and a few moments later wo

1 86 SPORTING ADVENTURES

were following- the route taken by the winged pilots. These,
which are known in portions of the West as " buffalo birds,"
are of a dark-brown colour, and are really blackbirds. Flocks
of them are nearly always found with the animals that have
given them their name, and the two seem to get along well
together, judging from the fact that the former may be seen
perched on the backs of the latter and pecking away at the
hide in the most familiar manner.

After riding about a mile we saw a group of what we sup-
posed to be our quarry a short distance away, and carefully
approached it, but on getting within range found we had been
stalking fleshless skulls that must have lain there two or three
years at least. This proving a severe disappointment, we
moved onward in silence. A short distance beyond this spot
we saw two splendid herds coming from water, and as they
were advancing in our direction we decided to await their
approach. The usual impatience of delay was appeased, how-
ever, by watching the animals gamboling about in the most
playful manner, and noting the mock contests of the unwieldy
bulls. These would rush at each other as if about to engage in a
deadly strife, but after one or two pushes they would break away
and frisk about in the liveliest manner, as if they felt extremely
happy. Others were rooting up the ground and scattering it
about with their horns, and not a few were trying the quality
of their voice in low, deep tones, which, if gruff, were not
unmusical. The scene was full of life and interest, and we
were enjo}-ing it very much when the animals altered their
antics by a sudden stampede, and went thundering to the
windward. We were disappointed before ; we were disgusted
now, and our disgust was increased by seeing the " Teutonic
Indians "of the previous evening rushing after them pell-mell,
and, though far in the rear, keep firing at them with rifles
aimed from the nose. The bullets could not reach half the
intervening distance, yet they kept up the firing until they
sunk from our sight behind a bluff. The imprecations
hurled at such sportsmen by our party was a caution, and
one went so far as to suggest that they should be pursued
and shot at as nuisances run wild. The suirirestion was not

IN THE FAR WEST. 187

acted upon, however, and we wended our way in an opposite
direction.

On reaching the top of a bluff we espied a large herd
grazing in a ravine, and to be sure this time that our labour
was not in vain, we dashed across an intervening plain, crawled
slowly up the declivity of the ravine, and when we reached
the summit found that we were actually right on the herd.
We dashed at it promptly as it tore away in a solid mass,
and in a few moments our leader and the best mounted of
the party were ranged alongside it and firing away for dear
life. The experienced hunters cut off the rear guard and
turned it to the right, but I followed the main column and
tried to get a shot, but my famous runner would not take me
close enough to enable me to shoot with any degree of accu-
racy. Seeing no other resource left, I threw the reins on his
neck and commenced banging away at the herd, in hopes that I
might wound one, but though watching closely I could not even
tell where the bullets went. My steed decidedly helped me
in this ill-luck, for as soon as he ceased to be directed by the
reins he swerved away at right angles, and in a few moments
carried me beyond rifle range. I was so furious that I felt
like killing him ; but I thought better of it, and turned back
towards my party with feelings of shame and disgust. I had
not proceeded more than a hundred yards before an old bull
with a splendid head came rolling out of a ravine, with a gait
not unlike that of a sailor on shore, and attempted to cross my
front. I fired at him and planted a bullet in his shaggy fore-
head ; but it had no effect upon him, apparently, for he kept up
his swinging gallop at the same speed. I then started in
pursuit, and commenced firing away, in hopes that I might
give him a wound that would cause him to halt, as I had no
confidence in the pace of my horse, but before I fired the third
shot the bullet got jammed in the Winchester rifle which I
carried, and no amount of pushing and "cussing" could ex-
tricate it, so I was compelled to halt to get it out. When
I turned my attention from the gun to the bull I saw him
disappearing over a bluff, while my horse was going direct for
home. Oh ! how I blessed that buffalo-runner and the man

1 88 SPOR TING A D VENTURES

who praised him ! My misfortunes having reached a climax,
I became stupidly calm in mind, and let the brute go his own
course, without even attempting to punish him with the spurs.
On my way back I saw the leader advancing and driving a
wounded cow before him, and by his side was a coal-black
negro who rode a sorry excuse of a mustang. When he saw
me he shouted to hurry up, and on approaching him he asked
me if I had killed anything.

" Nothing/' said I.

"Well/' said he, "you mustn't go way from your first
run with me without killing a buffalo ; so you'd better tackle
that cow, else you won't have any luck in your next hunt."

The thought was ignominious, but being imbued with a
small amount of the hunter's superstition, I concluded to
become lucky in the chase, even at the expense of pride, so
I opened fire on the poor creature, and in a short time caused
her to halt, and a shot in the eye finished her. as it reached
the brain. When brought to bay her eyes were a glowing
emerald with rage, and she looked vicious enough to do any-
thing, but, fortunately, she was unable to charge, else she
might have gored me or the brute I rode, for he was too
stupid or lazy to move off promptly even with a vigorous
application of the spurs. I had killed my buffalo to be sure ;
but, by Jove, in what a manner ! I actually felt ashamed of
myself, and this feeling was not allayed when I heard that
she really belonged to the negro, he having wounded her
first, but that she was taken away from him by my com-
panion, on the ground that he did not belong to our party,
and he wished to reserve her for me. " But how did you
know that I would not be successful ?" said I. " Because,"
said he, emphatically, " that wretched mustang you ride can't
overtake a buffalo, and if he did he would run away from it.
I know what he can do ; but as there was no other horse left
in town, I thought you could not do better than take him if
you wished to join in the hunt; yet I had a hope he would
prove better than he has. I know now what he can do, so
you may have my spare runner for the next hunt." This
assuaged my feelings of abashment somewhat, as it caused me

IN THE FAR WEST. 189

to think that my ill-luck was not entirely my own fault; hence
I took the brush at his suggestion, and left the remainder to
the negro. When our party was assembled, I learned that
they had killed only three cows for meat, but had captured
four calves by lassoing them.

When the waggon drove up, we obtained some water from
the barrel which it carried, and after moistening our parched
lips we gave some to the horses. The best portions of the
carcasses were then placed in the waggon, and on top of these
the bucking, stubborn youngsters, which insisted on charging
everybody that approached them.

While attending to this duty, which occupied some time,
we descried a body of horsemen on a bluff two or three miles
away, and as they appeared and disappeared a few times, it
caused our party to think they were a marauding band of
Sioux, and that we had better retreat at once if we would keep
our scalps on our heads. The resolution was no sooner taken
than it was carried into execution, and after everything was
ready we hastened to the rear at a good canter. When we had
placed a few miles between ourselves and our supposed foes
we halted at the remains of a turf cabin, whose inmates
had been killed and the hut burned down the year before
by the treacherous red men. After a rude, though hearty
meal, we resumed our homeward march, but we had not
proceeded far before we saw another body of horsemen tear-
ing down the plain in front of us. The men did not ride
like Indians, and yet they were coming at a pace strongly
indicative of a desire to head us off. We therefore halted,
held a consultation, and decided to send two of the best
mounted of the party in advance to reconnoitre, and to have
them hasten back in case the strangers were foes, so that we
might retreat to a good defensive position. They galloped
away, and after an absence of fifteen minutes returned with
u report that the supposed enemies were sheltered behind
another dismantled cabin, whose inhabitants had met the
fate of those of the previous one, but that they did not think
they were Indians. Being assured of this, we galloped onward,
but on approaching the cabin we left the road, and moved on

1 90 SrOK TING A D VENTURES

the grass-clad prairie, in order to deaden the footsteps of
our horses. When we were within a hundred yards of it
we gave a tremendous war-whoop, and rode on like the Six
Hundred ; and in a moment more we saw a party of white
men, with well-bleached faces, peer from behind the cabin, and
these we recognized at once as our Teutonic acquaintances of
the previous night. When we rode up their features were
still blanched, and they were in a violent state of agitation.

" Gott iiii Ilinimel," said one, " for vhat you scare us so?"
I nearly choked mineself mit a sandvich ;" and as he spoke
he was still slightly gagging with the remnants of a sandwich.
His question was greeted with hearty laughter, for the fear
displayed on the features of all looked ridiculous to us, who
were not in their position. " Mebbe you call dot foon/'
said another, " but I call it tain fool foon mit-out no joke."
We were soon at peace, however, and when the truce was
declared, we learned from them that they had killed nothing,
and that the cause of their hasty retreat was seeing a body
of Indians. On comparing notes we learned that both our
parties had mistaken each other for the common foe; but
we took excellent care not to tell them that we had run
away for the same reason they had.

After a few pulls at their water-jugs ! peace was ratified,
and we jogged homeward together, but the way was made
rather jolly by many lively sallies at their fears and sports-
man-like qualities, all of which they took in the most
simple earnestness, and answered in such a quaint manner
that Hans Breitman, had he heard them, might have pro-
duced a capital work, did he take for a title their oft-repeated
saying, " Mebbe you tink you make lots of foon of us ;
but I call dot tarn fool foon."

When I retired to bed that night I was so seriously lace-
rated from hugging the saddle during the bucking and
running that T could hardly move, and on awaking the
next morning I was so stiff and sore that I could not walk
without presenting a ridiculous gait, so I stayed in bed.
Notwithstanding the disagreeable condition of affairs, I
laughed heartily at the scenes of the hunt, and treasure to

IN THE FAR WEST. 191

this day my first buffalo brush, as it recalls incidents I
would not willingly forget. None that I have since won in a
more glorious manner can approach it in value in my estima-
tion, and whenever I see it memory becomes active, and I am
once more playing the part of a novice on the plains of the
Far West.

My next brush was won in better style ; yet I have reason
to remember it. A large party of us started out for a hunt
in the Republican Valley, and as we intended to be absent
some days we took waggons and camping outfits with us, and
a good store of food and ammunition, besides nearly every of-
fensive weapon known on the continent. I was content to
carry only a large self-cocking revolver, and for a steed I
secured a small, wiry, short-legged mustang, which was
recommended to me as a capital buffalo-runner, he having
been used specially for that purpose by a sub-chief of the
Pawnees. As I was present when he was purchased, and heard
the close-bargaining chief recommend him emphatically as
tickorce tuchnec, or " very good," I felt satisfied that he was
superior to my last mount, and he was accordingly bought
for the sum of one hundred dollars after much h a £•<••! i no-, and

o o o *

with the assumed regret of the high-minded vendor, who did
not forget to tell us that he was a htysliaicroo, or chief, and
had a straight tongue. I expected to accomplish wonders
with him, and I did, but in a manner different to what I
anticipated. I received with him as a present an old lasso
(ahshitscawree) which looked as if it had seen many years of
service; this I was, according to instructions, to tie around the
horse's neck in the chase, and coil the remainder in my belt,
so that if I got thrown I could catch my steed readily, and pro-
bably be dragged out of the way of danger, by clinging to it,
as it would uncoil itself if I left the saddle unceremoniously.

When we reached our camping-ground we found that the
buffaloes had moved to the southward of where they had been a
few days previously, so we concluded to follow them. Our route
led over an undulating prairie, which was richly carpeted with
flowersand rich, succulent grasses,until theeveningof thesecond
day, when we reached the buffalo-grounds, and then our hearts

192 SPORTING ADVENTURES

bounded with joy on seeing the shaggy creatures, looking
like so many black dots in the distance, scattered over a large
area. We discerned by their movements that there was some
commotion among those further south, and after watching
them attentively for an hour or more, we saw the dots unite
in larger numbers and come towards us at a rapid pace. We
inferred from this fact that they were fleeing before a large
body of hunters, and that they would, in all probability,
be so close to us the next day that we need not leave camp
to enjoy all the hunting we wanted. In order to avoid their
heedless, headlong rush when stampeding, we concluded to
pitch our tents in a grove of willows near the bank of the
river, and not to picket our horses, but to tie them up to
trees and cut grass for them, as we were afraid they might be
injured by the advancing columns, should they approach our
quarters.

After the camp was erected we cleaned our arms, dined,
and laid in a large store of wood with which to build fires
at night to the leeward of the tents, in order to terrify the
buffaloes should they attempt to enter the coppice in our
vicinity. Everything being carried out according to the
programme, we appointed sentinels, who were to remain on
duty two hours each, and their business was to announce
any danger to our position from the advance of the shaggy
multitude, and to keep the fires burning. I was on duty
about two a.m. when I heard the muffled roar produced by
many hoofs galloping over grass, but as I could see nothing,
although the moon was bright and the fires burned fiercely,
I did not like to awaken my sleeping companions until I
knew which way the columns were coming.

In about fifteen or twenty minutes I saw a black mass
emerge from the horizon and come thundering towards our
position with measured pace, and a few moments later I could
detect the outlines of the buffaloes. Not knowing which way
they were really heading, owing to the broad front of the
column, and fearing they might be down upon us unless I was
prompt in action, I fired my rifle, and in two minutes there-
after every member of the encampment was out, dressed and

AV THE FAR IVEST. 193

armed, yet not one of them had been aroused by the uproar
created by the advancing hosts. Taking position to the
leeward of the camp, \ve commenced firing at them as soon as
they came within range, and banged away uninterruptedly for
ten minutes, as we feared they might ride down our camp or
stampede our horses if they came too close. The firing soon
produced its effect, for the herd divided, some going straight
ahead, while others plunged into the river and crossed to the
opposite side. They were so thick in some parts of the stream
that the water looked fairly black with them, and through
this they ploughed and rushed in the wildest confusion. This
sight was as unusual to us as it was spirited, and we enjoyed it
thoroughly. When they vanished from our sight all retired
to bed again, except the sentinel on duty, but the novelty and
animation of the scene prevented me from wooing gentle
slumber for some time.

We were astir at daybreak the next morning, and, after a
hasty breakfast, vaulted into the saddles and started, in search
of the slain and wounded. We found them few enough, our
fire having killed only six cows and seriously wounded
another, but we discovered a solitary old bull roaming about, half
a mile away, and we soon had him among our trophies; not
because he was deemed palatable, but that he had a magnificent
head.

We next directed our course to the eastward of the camp,
and after a ride of two miles came upon several small herds,
but beyond these the prairie was almost covered with them.
We halted and held a consultation, and it was then decided that
our party should divide into three detachments, and that each
should take one of the small herds and drive it, if possible,
towards the main body, so that we might pick up the meat
on the way to camp, and not waste any time in useless riding
back and forth. That matter having been settled, the party
to which I belonged approached to within a quarter of a mile
of the column we had selected, before being detected, but on
seeing that we could get no nearer we dashed after it. The
race continued at a headlong pace for a mile or more before we
were able to overtake the animals, and even then we could only

o

1 94 SJ'OK TING A D YEN TURKS

range alongside the old bulls. As it was each man for himself,
I chose a sturdy veteran that occupied the flank,, and when I
was within fifty paces of him I leant forward and fired at his
heart, but the ball must have struck his ribs, as he did not
slacken his pace. I then brought the mustang closer to him
and fired at the fore-shoulder, and in doing so I leaned to the
right ; but the explosion had scarcely taken place before my
steed wheeled suddenly, and it seemed to me on his hind-legs
alone, and as I had lost my balance by my attitude he went
clean from under me, and I came on the ground with a thud
that made me see as many stars as there are in the firmament
in a few seconds, and caused me to feel as if my head were
smashed. Instead of stopping to scratch it, however, and
indulge in vehement language, which seems to be the usual
and the proper thing to do under such circumstances, seeing
that almost everybody does it, I had too lively a sense of danger
to indulge in such delights, so I seized the lariat or trailing rope,
which was running out rapidly, and bolted after my steed in
a half-dazed manner, for I felt as if I had half a dozen pieces
of a head on me instead of a whole one. I did not go far, how-
ever, before I overtook him, and got into the saddle somehow.

It was a most fortunate thing for me that the bull did not
charge, else I might have been gored to death. I learned
from that accident to keep my balance, and not to touch the
mustang with my feet, as his training had taught him to be
guided by them, and to wheel to whichever side he felt their
pressure.

I did not lose much time in getting under headway once
more, and in five minutes I was beside the bull, which had
fallen back to the extreme rear of the column. I tried to force
my mustang close beside him, in order to get in a deadly shot,
but that wary animal did not seem inclined to do so, but kept
away at least thirty yards or more. I then tried running past
the bull, and managed to accomplish that easily enough, and
to deliver three shots in rapid succession at his shoulder.
"When I wheeled about I saw him stop, and noticed blood
oozing from his nose ; and when I got in front of him he
charged me viciously with his head lowered; but the mustang

IN THE FAR WEST. 195

was evidently prepared for this action, for he turned abruptly to
the left, and by the time the enraged bull got to where he had
been standing* he was several yards away in another direction.
I ehecked him in a few moments, however, and charged the
veteran at full speed, and rushing past him gave him two shots
in the head, and when I wheeled about again I saw him stag-
gering; and in less than a minute he fell dead. I need not
say I was glad of it, for my head seemed to be splitting, and I
wished very much to see if it were whole or in parts. After a
short examination I learned that there were no unusual inden-
tations in it, and this put me in better humour than I had been.

Not seeing any wolves on the plain, I left my trophy where
it fell, and threw a handkerchief marked with my initials over
it, so that other hunters might know to whom it belonged ;
for I was most anxious to preserve the head, on account of its
size, the thickness of the matted hair, and the length and
fulness of the horns. I next marked the position by taking
bearings and noting the character of all surrounding objects,
a precaution, I may add, which is rendered necessary if one
would not lose the fruits of the chase, for in a region where
one spot is almost exactly like another, a person must closely
scan every little detail that would give it an individuality by
which he could recognize it.

After marking the place carefully in my memory, I mounted,
and rode on, and as I moved along I noticed my companions
running herds in every direction, and firing away for dear life ;
but as I wanted sport, not meat, I did not join them. AVhen I
reached the heavy columns, however, I concluded to have some
runs alone, if the others did not come up within half an hour ;
and as they did not, I selected a herd which contained, I should
imagine, about five thousand, and dashed at it from cover when
within an eighth of a mile of it. The majority of this herd
was evidently composed of adult bulls, which cannot at all
compare in speed with the cows, calves, or the younger mem-
bers of their own sex, hence I had little trouble in overtaking
them. When I started in pursuit the vast assemblage visible
in every direction seemed to be in a state of commotion, and
fearing I might get entangled in it, I ran to the front of the

o 2

1 96 S/>OR TING A D I DENTURES

herd, intending- to drive it away from the main body and push
it towards the rolling- g-round to the right. AY hen I reached
that position, however, I found the work rather difiieult, as the
animals would not turn, but gave way laterally. I therefore
concluded to kill one or two to see if that would have any effect,
and turning my mustang's head towards the herd, and not
twenty paces away from it, I fired at the spinal column of the
leading cow, and, fortunately, she fell dead at the first shot. Thus
encouraged, I drew closer, probably to within ten paces, and
brought another on her knees, and plunging forward on her
head, she was soon trampled to death ; for the buffaloes crowd
so closely tog-ether during a stampede that they have no room
to swerve to one side, so on they must go, trampling every-
thing before them.

The herd I \vas pursuing- was so densely packed that it could
be covered witli a blanket, provided one could be found large
enough; and on looking- towards the rear all that could be
seen through the heavy cloud of dust was a thicket of horns, for
the bodies were almost concealed. Seeing that I could not
turn it, I stopped the pursuit, not wishing to kill needlessly,
as I had already secured some fine robes ; yet I was anxious to
get a few more of the best quality, and some burly heads for
friends who were desirous to have them. As the column was
passing by me, I saw a splendid bull on the flank, and ranging
alongside him I fired at his fore-shoulder at a distance of five
paces, and brought him tumbling down. Riding- close up to
him, I placed my revolver against his back, fired, and, as I broke
the spinal column, he fell dead in his tracks. This caused those
behind to push away a little, and gave me an opportunity of
firing at another fine bull; but as I only hit him in the head, he
went on with as much ease as if I had merely struck him with a
pebble. Not wishing to lose him, however,! followed, and in two
shots brought him down, the last one having entered the heart.

I felt satisfied then, and rode out of the dust cloud, to let
the remainder pass on in peace, and perhaps to relieve my
mouth, nostrils, and eyes of their accumulation of dust. I
soon learned that I had not done so too soon, for a few yards
away another herd came thundering by, and had I remained

IN THE FAR WEST. 197

in the cloud I would not, in all probability, have seen or heard
it, and the consequence might have been disastrous to me.
Even as it was, I had to fire at those on the flank towards me
to make them give way to the left, as I was afraid they would
crowd on me, and entangle me in their midst, and injure, if
not kill, me. My efforts proved successful in a short time, and
they left a large space of ground between us.

After I had marked the position of the slain animals, I rode
back in search of my companions, and on reaching a piece
of rising ground, beheld one of the most spirited hunting
scenes imaginable. The prairie, as far as I could see, was
dotted with rushing herds, and running after them were
several bodies of horsemen, while numerous puffs of blue
smoke hung around them in clouds. I could see some fall
occasionally, and knew that a havoc was being committed
among them. It seemed a pity to destroy them so mercilessly,
and on stating my opinion to a farmer at a later hour in the
day, he responded to my sentiment by saying that he would
be very glad to see the day that the buffaloes disappeared in the
Republican Valley, as they ate up grass enough to support thou-
sands, and perhaps millions of domestic cattle, and they brought
thieving Indians and unprincipled hide-hunters in their train,
and between all three the farmers suffered more than their share
of annoyance. He had no sentimental love for the shaggy
quadruped, for in his estimation it " wasn't nothin' but a
good-for-nothin' critter, that wasn't good for nothin' but to
feed Injuns and eat up the food of the regular cattle." Others
in the same region held his opinion, so it is evident that the
presence of the buffalo is not considered an unmixed blessing.

On my way back I noticed that wolves were making it
rather lively for wounded animals, or those that strayed from
the herds. I overtook one of the gray species, and as it did
not attempt to escape, I dismounted and gave it a kick, but
the poor brute was evidently sick, for it yelped with pain, but
did not accelerate its pace. Knowing that it would soon
be out of its misery, I did not molest it further, and passed
on. In a short time afterwards I noticed a pack of prairie
wolves chasing a calf that looked thorough! v pumped, and was

198 SPORTING ADVENTURES

bleeding from wounds in the nose, throat, and ears, while one
eye was dangling down by a single muscle. On seeing me
they stopped short, and gazed at me with something akin to
curiosity, and before they were done scrutinizing I dashed at
them and emptied four chambers of the revolver in their midst.
This caused them to scatter in a hurry, but I had the satisfac-
tion of killing one and hitting another before they could get
away. I slung the slain animal on my saddle, but allowed
the wounded one to escape, as I did not wish to run my horse
too much. Wolves of both species were quite common,
and were feeding on dead buffaloes, but they did not dare
go near the one on which my handkerchief was placed,
their bum]) of cautiousness being too gi'eat to approach any
strange object for fear it might mean danger to their physical
welfare.

Soon after I had taken the brush of my first bull, the
waggons came up, and the drivers commenced loading them
with heads and hides, but they only took the best portions of the
meat. After pointing out to them the route the hunters had
taken, I started off to rejoin the remainder of the party, but I
had not proceeded far before I met a solitary old bull in a dry
ravine, and, judging by his looks, he must have been a veteran
indeed, for his head was covered with dense masses of hair, his
horns were split and pointless, and the scars on his nose and
hams showed that he had had many a contest with wolves.
He did not see or wind me until I was fairly upon him, for the
sight of the buifalo at the best is comparatively feeble, but
when once he recognized my presence he bolted away at a
good swinging gallop, which forced my horse to put on a good
spurt to overtake him. When I ranged alongside him I fired
at his spinal column, but the bullet striking him lower down,
he no sooner felt its sting than he wheeled abruptly and
charged ire, and before I could get safely away he gave the
mustang an upward raking blow in the flanks that scraped
away some of the skin and brought the blood. This caused
my steed to bound oil' at his best pace, and we were soon bevond
reach of danger. Had his horn not been blunt he would, no
doubt, have seriously injured my hoi>c,or perhaps killed u.- both.

IN THE FAR IVEST. 199

After running- a short distance I wheeled back, and set out
after the assailant, which was making fast tracks over the
prairie, and was soon at his flanks and firing away, raking him
forward with every shot. He made two efforts to charge, but
the mustang was too quick for him, and before he could wheel
about we were out of his way. At the fourth shot he faltered
for a few moments, swayed on his legs like a drunken man,
then fell on his horns, all in a lump. He was down only a
short time, however, before he arose, and spreading his legs
apart to steady himself, looked at me in the most frightfully
ferocious manner that it is possible for an animal to assume.
I saw that he was beyond all power for harm, however, for the
blood was flowing from his nose and mouth, and his head was
lowered, and on noting this I halted a few feet from him, and
gazed at his ponderous proportions and impotent rage with a
certain degree of fascination, for he was as perfect a picture of
malignant ferocity as it is possible to conceive. His eyes were
bloodshot and of a glowing reddish-emerald hue; his mouth
was open and crimsoned with his life's fluid ; and fury seemed
to hiss out of his nostrils in streams of smoke and blood. His
bearing was as defiant as his looks were revengeful, and he
stood there an immovable living statue, for he was unable to
advance or retreat. In a few minutes, however, his mien
changed from that of a desire to annihilate a person to one of
pain and weakness ; and, after swaying and staggering for
five or six seconds, he fell over dead. After marking his
position, I rode on, mentally resolving to use a rifle of large
calibre the next time I went after buffaloes, for I had come to
the conclusion that a person could do better shooting with it,
or at least more destructive work, than with a revolver, while
it would also enable one to keep beyond charging distance.

After travelling a couple of miles I met a number of our
party, who were wandering about, like myself, in search of
experience and sport rather than hides and meat. Joining
company, we moved towards the south, and in the course of
twenty minutes reached a knoll that gave us a commanding
view of a large portion of the surrounding country. "NVe bad
been there onlv a short time before we noticed an immense

200 SPORTING ADVENTURES

column of buffaloes rising1 out of the horizon, and come gallop-
ing towards us, and a little later we saw that it was pursued
by a large band of Indians, who were plying their arrows as
they only can. They carried the quiver slung over the shoulder,
and so quickly did they draw the bolts from this, that one
arrow was scarcely on its way before another was following it.

Knowing that they were friendly Pawnees, we decided to
have a run with them, so when the buffaloes drew near us we
dashed for the head of the column, and as it passed us we
discharged our weapons at every stately bull that suited
our fancy, and when all had gone by, we wheeled about and
followed them. I was more interested in the picture presented
by the chase than in getting trophies, however, as it was full
of life and animation. The maddened herd, the clouds of dust,
the thundering of hoofs, the falling of the killed and wounded,
the charging and wheeling of ponies, the showers of arrows,
and the wild excitement of the nude centaurs made as stirring
a hunting scene as it is possible to conceive; and so interested
in it was I that I permitted the animals to pass on, and
remained behind to enjoy the grand spectacle they presented.
After gazing at it for a sufficient time to enable me to appre-
ciate its spirited character, I dashed after the fugitives, and
was beside them in less than twenty minutes, and picking out
the best heads.

While going at full speed my horse put his leg into a prairie-
dog hole, and falling forward, pitched me headlong to the
ground, and I had no sooner touched it than the revolver
went off so close to my nose that some of the dirt ploughed
up by the bullet went into my eyes and mouth. I was upon
my feet in a moment, however, and on looking for my horse
found him standing still, trembling with excitement and the
violence of the fall, but as he had suffered no serious injury, I
inferred that he had merely stumbled against the mound near
the mouth of the hole.

My own bruises were confined to skinned knuckles and
arms, and a few scratches on the forehead, and after I had
ascertained their extent, I vaulted into the saddle, and started
for cam}), as 1 was a little bit shaken, and my horse seemed

IN THE FAR WEST. 201

to be unsteady and nervous. After a refreshing drink of
water, \vhieh I procured in a thread-like brook, T moved south
once more, and on reaching the hillock from which I had
started on the last run, saw herd after herd of buffaloes come
thundering- towards me. The many puffs of whitish smoke
which hung1 over them proved that they were being- pursued
by white men, and the black dots on the prairie proved how
destructive the shooting- was. The picture presented by the
advancing- hosts mig-ht have been appreciated at any other
time, but just then it was anything- but agreeable, as I feared
I would be entangled in their midst, for my horse was too
tired to flee before them, and the columns were too wide to
cross their front before they could reach me, so there was
nothing left but to try and pass between two herds, or open
a gap by scaring the animals with voice and weapon. "NVhen
the multitudes came near my position some of the leaders
winded me, and the moment they did so they gave way to
the left, and they were followed by those directly behind, while
others swerved to the right and divided up into groups. I
darted into one of the lanes, and by using voice and
revolver, produced such an effect that the herds forced them-
selves further apart and left a space through which I rapidly
retreated. On emerging at the rear I found a party of
hunters there, at a full stop, evidently awaiting some exciting
or important event ; and when they saw me they asked if I
knew of any man being killed in front. I guessed at the
cause of their alarm at once, and told them I had not. ""Well,"
said one, " there's some idiot there among the buffaloes, and
he's been either shot or caught in the herds, and he's yelling
like a pig under a gate. lie seems to be a regular greenhorn,
for if he doesn't want to be shot he ought to keep on the
outside of a herd." " Never mind, Bill," said another, " if he's
dead we can't help it, and if he ain't we'll find him. Let's
be off; we can't afford to lose our buffaloes;" and without
another word they started off in pursuit of the runaways. I
did not care to explain matters to them, so 1 jogged towards
camp, and reached it by six o'clock.

I found the greater manlier of our party then1, and though

202 SPORTING ADVENTURES

several of them had been thrown, yet only one was severely
hurt, and he had his collar-bone injured by a fall. By
seven o'clock all were assembled, and we sat down to a savoury
dinner, the chief part of which was buffalo humps and tongues;
and most palatable they seemed to hungry men. After
picketing- our weary horses so that they could graze, all retired
to bed except the solitary sentinel, but we could get little
sleep, owing to the wild, melancholy howling of the wolves, and
the deep bellowing of the buffaloes, which frequently ap-
proached close to our fires. We were up early the next morning,
as we intended to bring in the animals we had killed, for to hunt
on that day with our wearied steeds was out of the question.

After breakfast we sallied forth, but we had not proceeded
more than two miles before we met a courier, who informed us
that he had ridden from Kearney Junction, some sixtv or
seventy miles distant, to inform the settlers that the Indians
were expected to make a raid on the valley, under pretence of
coming there to hunt. He reported that a telegram had been
received at Kearney the previous evening that a large body
of Sioux were encamped south of Sydney, and that their
destination was evidently the Republican Valley. This news
caused us to feel somewhat alarmed, so we concluded to take
what meat we could obtain in a couple of hours, and retreat
into Kansas if the road to the north was closed against us.
We therefore hastened our work, and in about three hours had
four waggon-loads of meat and hides. Returning to camp, \ve
struck tents at once, and set out on the march to Kearney
Junction, and arrived there the next day, just as a large
party of panic-stricken Pawnees entered it, for they, like our-
selves, had the utmost fear of encountering their worst foes,
for the most deadly hatred exists between both tribes, and they
show no mercy to each other whenever they meet. On making
inquiries at the telegraph office, I learned that the marauders
were stopped by some companies of cavalry, and were sent
back to their reservation, but as I had had enough of hunting
for the time, I did not return to the valley.

I heard it estimated in this town that there were over a
thousand hunters, including ihe Indians, in the Republican

IN THE FAR WEST. 203

Valley when we were, and that every herd in the region was
in motion at one time. This was evidently the scene I had
witnessed, and grand indeed it seemed ; it was one I certainly
would not have missed for a good deal.

I passed through the same valley in 1874, when the crops
were eaten up by grasshoppers, and persons had scarcely any-
thing to live on but meat, and I then learned that buffaloes
were not considered such nuisances as they had been, for were
it not for them many of the inhabitants would have suffered
from hunger.

I have followed the shaggy bison frequently since then, but
no runs are so distinctly impressed on my memory as those of
the first two expeditions, as they were my novitiate in bulfalo-
hunting, and gave me more experience than would a dozen
ordinary runs in which there were neither mishaps nor dis-
appointments.

A person does not always escape from a buffalo-hunt without
any more serious injury than a fall or a few bruises, however,
for it is no uncommon incident to have a man's horse ripped
open by an angry bull, or himself trampled or gored to death.
I saw an Indian on one occasion wounded so seriously by a bull
that he died in twenty-four hours after; and I heard of an
experienced hunter in Montana who got entangled in a large
herd, and was carried along by it for some distance, onlv to
meet his death by being pushed into a chasm by the wild
crowd of animals behind him, and which followed him to the
great spirit land.

Buffalo-hunting has its comic side sometimes, but those who
are participators in the comedy do not, as a rule, see the fun of
the matter. To watch a man on foot legging it livelv before
a pursuing bull is certainly ludicrous to a spectator, for his lace
and eyes seem to fairly bulge out with fear, and he makes the
most unnecessary leaps, and glances about him in the wildest
manner, to see how affairs stand. To wateh a man holding
on to a horse's tail while the animal bucked and circled
and galloped to avoid the furious charges of an angrv A////V/.V
is mirth-provoking; and to see a novice, who is well mounted,
riding like John (iilpin before a rheumatic veteran that can

204 SPORTIXG ADVENTURES

scarcely toddle along-, is certainly sufficient to cause a smile ;
and that such scenes are not rare is evident from the number
of stories floating- about in the West. By using- ordinary
precaution one can generally escape any disagreeable predica-
ments, however, if he is at all well horsed, for much depends
on the intelligence, speed, and training of the steed. Dr.
Carver, who killed five thousand buffaloes in one season, nearly
all of which were shot from horseback, did not have a fall
during that time, and as his horses were too well trained to
withstand the charges of the bulls, he escaped without any
serious accident. The pleasure of pursuing the buffalo will
soon be unknown, however, as it is fast disappearing before the
advance of the pale-faces, for where thousands upon thousands
were found a few years ago, only a few small groups can now
be seen, and they must soon join their predecessors, unless a
law is passed to protect them.

IN THE FAR WEST. 205

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MOOSE.

The moose — Its range in the West — Its form, haunts, and habits — Tlio
rutting season — Cries of the animal — How males arc lured within rifle
range — Calling as an art — How to make a call — The best callers —
Young bulls easily inveigled — The best time for calling — The moose
as a browser — Difficulties in stalking it — Acuteness of its nose and ears
— How experienced hunters quarter the ground — Its haunts in summer
— Hunting it in winter — Dogs and snow-shoes — The European and
American species — How the latter can be domesticated — Hide-hunters
— A moose-hunt and its result — A charge — Lost in the forest — Trying
to find camp — A welcome moose call — Rescued — A hunt on snow-shoes
— Episodes — Number of moose killed — Difference in si/.e and habits be-
tween the eastern and western species — Large antlers — Moose-hunting
as an art.

THE moose (Alee americanus], which is fast disappearing from
its haunts in the Atlantic States and Canada, is still common
beyond the Rocky Mountains, being- found from British
America to the mountains of Central Idaho, while it is very
abundant in Alaska. It does not, in all probability, move
further south than the 48th parallel of latitude, as I never
heard of it in Oregon, and but very little in Washington
Territory. The Lumni Indians, in the north-western portion
of this Territory, say that it was formerly quite common in
their section of country, but that it has moved further into
the recesses of the forests and higher up on the mountains
since the advent of the white man. That they do not con-
found it with the wapiti, or elk, is evident from the fact that
they have a different name for it, and readily recognize its
horns as portrayed in works of natural history. 1 have heard
that it is found extensively in the Coeur d'Alene and Kootenay
Mountains, in Idaho, and is largely hunted by the Kootenay
or Long-knife Indians — a wild tribe who inhabit these
mountains, and make, or at least did make, it dangerous

206 SrOR TL\G AD I 'JLVTURES

for a stray naturalist or Nimrod to seek knowledge or pleasure
in their country. The red men capture it by means of pitfalls,
and traps made of fallen trees, but their most successful mode
is to lie in wait near its watering-places and shoot it from
under cover when it comes to drink. They never follow it
for hours and days as their brethren in Canada do — for the
simple reason that they can obtain food as good with much
less trouble, and that they are thoroughly indifferent to such
feelings as the enthusiasm of the chase. One thing may be
said in favour of the Indian, and that is, that he seldom
destroys the life of a valuable animal needlessly; hence,
probably, the reason why he and all wild animals dwell in
close proximity ; whereas the presence of a white man will
send them scampering off in a very short time, and the
chances are that they do not return. To this fact might be
attributed the expulsion of the moose from the vicinity of
many places settled by whites on the Pacific Coast, whereas it is
common near the encampments of some of the northern red men.
Its true range lies between the JSth and (55th parallels ; but I
should say that, with the exception of those that roam as far
as the Grand Coulee of the Columbia, few are to be found
lower than the -10th parallel. Its worst foes on the Pacific
are the P>laekfect of Montana, who organize regular expe-
ditions for its pursuit late in the autumn, and, it is said,
capture or slay large numbers, they preferring its flesh to
that of the buffalo.

This splendid animal differs from all its congeners in many
features characteristic of the deer family, and this has caused
naturalists to class it in a genus by itself. Its nose is, in
the first place, covered with hair, instead of being naked as in
other members of the Ccrrida: ; the nostrils are larger, being
huge cavities ; the upper lip is long and prehensile ; the ears
are very large; the horns are palmated; the neck is short;
the limbs are unusually long ; the body is rather short ; the
tail is only rudimentary, and both sexes have a thick, shaggy
mane. It is the largest member of its family on the Con-
tinent, a full-grown stag or bull being from four to four and
a half feet in height at the shoulder, and weighing from eight

IN THE FAR WEST. 207

to eleven or twelve hundred pounds, although its body seldom
exceeds seven feet in length. Its antlers, which distinguish it
so much from its kindred, attain a weight of from forty to
sixty pounds, measuring from root to tip, along the curve,
from four to five and a half feet, and they are about the same
distance apart at the points. They do not arrive at perfection
of proportions until after the fifth year, when the palm is
frequently twelve inches in width. A male calf produces only-
two small knobs the first season ; but in the second these
attain a length of seven or eight inches, and in the fourth
they are sufficiently developed to become palmated. The
antlers are cast in December or January, and appear above
the skin in March or April, and so rapidly do they grow that
though they are in the " velvet," in July, and so soft as to
bleed very easily, yet by the latter end of August they are
hard and full-grown, and their adult owner is then ready to
test their eighteen points against all rivals in love. It is
only the male, as a rule, that is furnished with these powerful
weapons, yet cases have been known in which they also adorned
the female.

The latter, which is much smaller than the male, brings
forth her young in May, the number being confined to one at
a birth for the first two years, but after that she has two at a
time. The calves remain with their mother long after she has
ceased nursing them, and, if a herd is together, form a per-
manent portion of it. Gravid females always secrete them-
selves in the densest portion of the forest early in the season
while carrying their young, and remain there until September,
when they course over it in search of mates, and cause it to
resound with their wild erotic cries. The period of gestation
is about eight months, and the calves are so strong at their
birth that they are able to run about in a lively manner in
the course of a few days. The mother is much attached to
them, but the same cannot be said of the sire, for he is
sometimes their worst foe until they are able to take care of
themselves.

The rutting season commences in September and lasts six
or seven weeks, and during that time whenever the males

208 .SYWv' T1XG AD] TEXTURES

meet they engage in desperate and often deadly encounters.
They are so busily engaged in fighting, roaring, and wooing
during this period that they fade to skeletons, for they eat
very little; and the haughty morarchs that stalked through
the forest in September so conscious of strength and proud of
mien, skulk through it in November ragged, dingy, listless
and starved-looking wretches. They that would boldlv lace
man, if necessary, a few weeks before, would not now light a
cur ; and their only desire seems to be to mope and hide them-
selves in the thickets.

During the running season the woods resound with the
cries of the animals that are in search of mates, and persons
who can imitate the call of the female can then lead many a
bull to destruction through it. This syren-like cry consists
of a series of low, deep grunts that end in a wild, loud,
prolonged and hideous roar, which may be heard a distance of
two or three miles on a fine night. The males on hearing
this rush towards it from all parts of the forest, and should
they meet, dire is the result to some of them. The female
looks on during these contests in the most disinterested
manner, then quietly strolls away with the victor, as if to
prove the correctness of the adage that " the brave deserve
the fair." Some old Indian hunters are excellent callers, but
it requires natural aptitude for imitating sounds, and a long-
experience to become proficient in the art. The best appa-
ratus for " calling " is a tube or trumpet made of the flexible
bark of the birch. This is generally about an inch in diameter
at one end, and four or five inches at the other, and is
eighteen or twenty inches in length. One who can use this
properly may deceive any erotic male that runs in the forest ;
but let the least false intonation be uttered and even the most
unsophisticated youngster would detect the imposition and
keep far away from it. One of the great secrets in " calling "
is to know how to modulate the sounds so that the cautious
lover may be lured to within close range, for a person cannot
afford to waste any lead on him, or he might never see him
again.

The " calling " commences in September and is practised

IN THE FAR WEST. 209

only on moonlight nights during the running season, for the
animals will not respond to it in the day-time, and it would be
useless to try it on dark nights, as they could not be seen in the
gloomy forest at any distance, large as they are. The weather
ought also to be favourable, as the " call " is then heard more
readily, and the chances of getting a good shot are greater.
The males respond to it more promptly in the earlier than in
the later portion of the season, and the young are more easily
inveigled than the adults, whose experience has taught them
that " all that glitters is not gold." The unsophisticated
youngsters are sometimes lured within range by merely
striking a tree with an axe or a rifle ; but no old one can be
deceived by such a simple device.

The short neck, long fore-legs, and elongated prehensile lip
prove that the moose is a browser and not a grazer ; hence we
find it only in extensive forests, where it can obtain shelter
and a variety of choice food. It is very fond of dainty shrubs
and the tender shoots of young trees, but its favourite
pabulum is the maple, which is, on this account, known as
moose-wood in portions of Canada and the United States.
Being naturally timid and wary, the moose frequents the
deepest recesses of the forest, where even the most light-
footed hunter can hardly approach it undetected, for its huge
ears and nostrils warn it instantly of danger. One would scarcely
credit, without proof, the distance to which it can wind or
hear a person in the woods ; and this makes stalking it a
laborious, and, too often, an unsuccessful enterprise. The
most experienced hunter cannot circumvent it under ordinary
circumstances, for should he crush a dead stick under foot,
brush against decayed leaves or branches so as to rustle them,
or be to the windward, he could not hope to capture it unless
he ran it down in the snow. Its sight is by no means acute,
and it cannot compete with any of its congeners in this
characteristic. This is evidently due to the dense and gloom v
haunts which it generally frequents, and where intensity of
vision would be useless ; but this defect is atoned for by such
keenness of nose and ear that its loss must be little felt.

AVhen browsing, the animal makes a very devious path that

2 1 o SrOX TING A D VENTURES

winds in every direction; and when it has done feeding1 it lies
down to the leeward of its trails with its head to the windward.

A hunter acquainted with its habits would not, therefore,
follow its tracks, but would carefully quarter the ground
against the wind, keep a sharp look-out, and move almost as
noiselessly as a cat. If persons are hunting together they are
liable to bag one by these means, especially if there is a
stream or a lake in the vicinity.

Moose may be sought for around woodland tarns in summer,
as they frequent them to avoid the attacks of flies, which are
their greatest pests, and to feed on the yellow lily. In
searching for them the water ought to be carefully scanned, as
they are often almost wholly immersed in it, the only part
appearing above the surface being the nose, eyes, ears, and
the antlers, the latter looking like snags at a distance. In
the winter, when the ground is covered with snow, herds of
females, calves, and young bulls are found together in " yards/'
but the old males like to wander about by themselves, or to
form small bachelor parties.

A moose yard is simply a feeding-ground, the paths through
the snow being formed unconsciously by the animals while
browsing. It is generally found where deciduous trees are
numerous, as the animals like to nibble at these in the
daintiest manner. After the first heavy fall of snow they
seldom change their ground ; but if the fall is light they
frequently do so, and three yards may sometimes be found
within five miles of each other, especially if young trees are
numerous, and the herds are large. AYhen the young trees have
been plucked of their shoots as high as the moose can reach,
they ride them down with their long fore-legs, and straddle
them until all the tender portions have been eaten off.

When startled by hounds or hunters the bulls throw the
antlers as far back as their straight, short necks will permit
them, and with noses in air dash through dense forests and
matted thickets with great ease, while their limbs are so long
that they can step over fallen trees without breaking their
2-ait. Thev are by no means so handsome in looks or graceful

c5 »/ */

ill motion as their kindred the wapiti ; and their fore-shoulders,

LV THE FAR WEST. 211

which arc higher than the haunches, and their ridge-like withers,
give them a most ungainly aspect. When running, they make
a clattering sound with the horny points or spurs of the hoofs,
and a slot or track so distinct that it may be readily noticed
even on dry grass, as the hoofs are long and sharp-pointed,
and the fore are shorter and less tapering than the hinder ones.
This form of hoof prevents them from running well through
deep, crusted snow, and the result is that they are readily
captured, for they break through it easily; whereas their
cousin, the caribou, with its expansive, broad-pointed and
rounded hoof can travel over it with facility. This fault or
defect in the moose is probably one reason why it has not been
domesticated in northern countries as the reindeer has,
although it has many advantages over the latter in size,
strength, and speed.

Its congener in Sweden, the European elk, was formerly em-
ployed as a beast of burden, but the State authorities forbade
its use after a time, owing to the fact that its superior speed
frequently enabled criminals to escape. As a forest traveller the
moose has no superior and few equals, and its endurance is some-
thing extraordinary. Were it domesticated it would be found an
invaluable aid to the farmer, as its support would cost very
little ; its flesh and hide can be used ; and it has apparently
the strength of any ordinary horse. It is easily tamed if cap-
tured young, and is inclined to be confident and affectionate
if kindly treated ; but during the rutting period the males are
liable to be headstrong and pugnacious, if not dangerous.
One generation of domestication might, however, eradicate
these qualities, and render it as docile as a cow. It
would make a capital steed for mounted scouts or couriers
in a rough or wooded country ; but I would rather be off its
back if any manoeuvres were to be executed, or any firing
took place.

The usual methods of hunting this monarch of the Cervidcc
is to stalk it ; " call " it within range during the rutting
season; run it down on snow-shoes during a heavy fall of
snow ; or drive it with dogs until it is brought to bay in a snow
bank, or is exhausted. The first two methods are legitimate

212 SPORTING ADVENTURES

sport, as tlioy bring- out the qualities of the hunter; but the
last two are merely taking advantage of the animal's inability
to travel in deep snow, then assassinating it.

The Indians of the Far "West capture it by means of pitfalls,
lying in wait near its haunts and shooting it as it passes them,
and by grand drives, in which probably two or three hundred
warriors are sometimes engaged. Some of the Indians of the
Territories and portions of British America have an annual
drive, in which they slaughter the poor creatures in large
numbers ; but they, unlike the wretched white " skin-hunters,"
utilize the meat for making pemmican, and the hides for
making clothing, snow-shoes, and moccasins, whereas the
latter leave the carcass to rot on the ground, taking only the
hide. They also destroy without regard to sex, and gravid
females and calves are slaughtered as readily as old bulls.
These hides bring, in winter, when the coat is inclined to be
dark and the inner hair close and woolly, from four to five
dollars, and for this sum men travel weary miles and destroy
some of the finest animals on the continent with a recklessness
of consequences worse than barbarous. If the destruction
continues as it has been carried on heretofore, the animal will
soon be a memory of the past, and will be known only through
works on Natural History.

I have not had as much experience in hunting it as other
large game, for in the Far West, where it is common, it was
dangerous to frequent its haunts a few years ago, owing to
the enmity of the Indians against all intruders on their
preserves, and the fact that white men could only follow it
with safety in large parties, as it was a stranger in places
settled by them.

I have followed it in several portions of the continent, how-
ever, from Maine to Western British America; but I must say
that the hunters I accompanied were more frequently unsuc-
cessful than otherwise, owing to its extreme caution and
speed, and the wooded and often mountainous character of its
home. All my expeditions were not failures, however, and
I have enjoyed some delightful sport with it that atoned for
laborious days and nights spent in its vain pursuit. In Idaho

IN THE FAR WEST. 213

and Montana, where it is still quite numerous, sportsmen who
are strangers in these countries must take guides and camping
outfits with them, and if they do not slay dozens of moose
they will at least have the pleasure of beholding some of the
wildest and grandest scenery on the continent.

On one of my moose-hunting excursions I accompanied a
rancher who seemed to devote as much attention to the chase
as to farming, and an Indian who did odd jobs about his
place. This trusty retainer had the usual antipathy of his
race to continuous labour, so I have a suspicion that he was
kept more for his fondness of the chase than for any other
reason. He was also an excellent shot, a close observer of the
haunts and habits of animals, and could skin them as rapidly
and cleanly as the most expert butcher, while he was deemed
unrivalled as a cuver of their hides and as a maker of beaded
moccasins.

Reaching a position in the dense forest where " signs "
were numerous, we selected the shade of a large fir-tree as a
site for a primitive camp; built a fire there; and, after supper,
devoted ourselves to puffing tobacco smoke until the moon
began to creep from under a mass of clouds. This was the
signal for us to commence operations, so we loaded our rifles,
and the Indian taking a light axe and a hunting-knife with
him, we marched about a mile from camp. We could hear at
intervals, as we advanced, the short, guttural sounds of
the bulls, and the wild, prolonged roar or call of the cows.
When we reached a good position, where the undergrowth
was heavy and the space in front open, the hunter and myself
sought shelter in the shrubbery close together, while the
Indian climbed a tree; and as soon as lie was comfortably
seated on a branch he commenced calling with such exactitude
that I could only tell his cry from that of a cow by its proxi-
mity. After waiting patiently for half an hour we heard his
summons answered by deep grumblings from two directions
close by; and on hearing those he lowered his call, making it
deep and subdued, as if the female were in a most loving frame
of mind, and this was repeated three or four times in different
kevs, being now loud, fierce and emphatic, anon sinking into

214 SPORTING ADVENTURES

a low, long-drawn grunt. A few minutes later and two
splendid bulls came crashing1 through the forest from opposite
directions,, about two hundred yards away. Both reached the
open space at nearly the same time, and just as the deceptive
red man was giving vent to a low and most loving grunt. On
seeing each other they forgot the call of love, however, and
after gazing sternly at one another for a few moments, and
uttering cries of defiance, they charged at full speed, and,
meeting with a clanging thud, were soon engaged in a despe-
rate fight. They struggled and pushed, and tried to get every
advantage of each other, but they were too evenly matched for
either to win an immediate victory. Their horns clashed and
gave forth a dull sound, not unlike that produced by men
fencing rapidly with foils ; but this was frequently drowned by
the tearing up of the ground, the scattering of the leaves, the
crashing of bushes, and the deep grunts of the combatants.

The contest was waging about five minutes perhaps, when
the Indian ran up to us, and said that we might be able to kill
both if we could steal upon them unawares. We, accordingly,
crept out of the thicket, and advancing as noiselessly and
rapidly as possible up wind, got within thirty yards of them
undetected, for they were oblivious of everything but the
struggle, and securing a shelter behind a tree, and in a position
where the moonbeams streamed in clearly, we took aim at
them while their antlers were locked, iired, and when the smoke
cleared away we saw one on his knees, and the other trying to
unlock the entangled horns. I fired at the latter twice in
rapid succession, and had the satisfaction of seeing him stagger,
then fall over on his side. On approaching them we found the
shoulder of the first one to be broken, but, as he was not dead,
the Indian finished him in a few moments by giving him three
or four blows on the head with the axe.

Both animals proved to be in excellent condition, and were
evidently full grown, as one boasted eighteen points on his
antlers, and the other sixteen. Having " drawn " them, we
covered them with boughs and leaves, marked their position,
then sallied out for new trophies.

.Moving nnward cautiously, a walk of two miles or more

IN THE FAR WEST. 215

brought us into a charming coppice of foliaceous trees of
several varieties, and as it had the appearance of being- a
favourite feeding resort of the moose we decided to halt there
and test our luck. It was also recommended to us by the
density of the coniferous forest in front, from which issued at
intervals the hideous roars and nightmarish grunts of the
animals. Having satisfied ourselves about the advantage of the
copse as a cover, I went to one end, and my companion to ano-
ther, while the Indian took up his quarters in a tree-top about
three hundred yards behind, and nearly equidistant from us.

When he had established himself comfortably he commenced
his deer lay of love, and grunted and roared out his erotic
strains for two hours with a perseverance and artistic finish
most highly commendable ; but neither cautious veteran nor
impulsive young bull came within rifle range, although they
answered him vigorously several times from various directions.
Thinking that the animals might have winded me, and there-
fore kept away, I threw up a leaf and saw from its course
that I was to the leeward of the majority of the vocalists who
had answered the call, so I decided that being winded was not
the cause of their non-appearance. As the vigil was becoming
wearisome, and I was getting sleepy, it being past midnight,
and the moose seemed indifferent to the red man's persistent
appeals, I concluded to start for camp ; but before I had made
up my mind to move, a sturdy young bull came dashing
through the forest, and on coming into an open spot, stopped
suddenly, bent his long head forward to catch the exact
direction of the sweet strains, and commenced snifling the air,
as if trying to detect the presence of a foe.

He was scarcely forty yards from me, and feeling rather
nervous about him I fired just as he attempted to advance,
but I only succeeded in breaking one of his fore-legs. When
he recovered from the shock and surprise he bolted at once for
the heavy forest, and as I did not want to lose him I followed
in hot pursuit. I found this hard work, however, as I could
only catch a glimpse of him occasionally, and the only real
guide I had to follow his course was the crashing of the boughs
and bushes. Realizing1 the truth of the old adaire that a stern

216 SPORTING ADVENTURES

chase is a long- one, oven after a wounded moose, I concluded
to cut to the right in a straight line, as he seemed inclined to
keep more in that direction than in any other, and to head him
off', or at least to induce him to halt by stopping the noise
behind him ; and acting on this idea, I tore through the woods
as rapidly as possible, and after running about what I should
judge to be a mile, I emerged on a glade, but on scanning it
I could see nothing animate there. I walked over a portion
of it and scrutinized the ground for " signs " as carefully as
the pale moon would permit me, but I could find no indications
of the presence of a moose. Feeling sorely disappointed at my
want of good luck, I concluded to go back to camp, but on re-
entering the forest I could not tell in which direction it lay.
I started, however, towards where I supposed it was, and
wandered about for two hours, yet I seemed as far away from
it as ever. Realizing the fact that I was actually getting lost
in an unknown forest, my feelings were anything but cheerful,
and I began to upbraid my own thoughtlessness for daring to
follow an animal in a region of which I knew nothing, and did
not even take the precaution to note. I did not know what
to do. To rest I could not; and to keep wandering aimlessly
about I felt to be worse than useless, as every step might take
me further away from succour. After thinking the matter
carefully over, I concluded to stop where I was until morning,
if I could not get a response to some shouts, and try to retrace
my footsteps by the tracks they had made. I commenced
hallooing accordingly, but after keeping it up at intervals for
half an hour I stopped it, and resigned myself to fate.

Feeling fatigued, I sat down beneath a huge fir, placed my
head against the trunk, and was soon fast asleep ; and when I
awoke the next morning the bright rays of the sun were
streaming through my leafy chamber. On arising I felt quite
still', the night dew having chilled, and my unusual position
cramped me. (Jiving myself half a dozen good shakes to
arouse the blood to more vigorous action, and rubbing my eyes
to dissipate the efiect of lingering sleep, I commenced a search
for cam]) once more. My first movement was to note where
my footsteps had led me, and after following them for an

IN THE FAR WEST. 217

hour or more, found I had been wandering about in circles,
which sometimes crossed each other, and had a general trend
to the right.

I knew then that I was really lost, and had acted as nearly
all persons do under the same circumstances; but as I had
daylight to aid me I did not feel any great sense of alarm,
and went about retracing my footsteps in the calmest manner.
I first commenced to beat about in order to discover tracks
that did not trend to the right, and after a long search I saw
some that evidently led to the glade in which I first missed
my bearings. This was a most welcome discovery, as I felt
that I could not be far away from camp, so I commenced
retracing them at a rapid rate. This was not a very difficult
matter, for by scanning the ground a little in advance
with a quick glance, I could see by the trampled grass and
bushes, the lightness of the dew in some places, and an occa-
sional distinctly marked footprint, the route I had taken.

"While deeply engaged in this pleasant duty I was startled
by hearing a thundering crashing a short distance to my left,
and on looking in that direction I saw the cause of my woe,
the wounded bull, hopping away on three legs through the
undergrowth. Forgetting everything but his presence in a
moment, I started after him, and in less than twenty minutes
headed him off, by taking short cuts, and as he passed by me
within a distance of seventy yards I fired at his head, and he
fell on his antlers. When I approached him he was shaking
his head violently, and roaring and grunting as if he were in
the greatest agony. Supposing that I had hit him in some
vital part, and not earing to fire another shot unless it was
actually necessary, I advanced towards him heedlessly, but on
reaching within a few yards of him I halted, as his tongue was
out and his eyes fairly blazed with rage and hate. "While
looking at him, he bounded suddenly on his legs, and charged
me with the greatest impetuosity; but, though surprised, I
did not wait the onslaught, but dodged behind a large tree,
and ere he could bear down on me I had reloaded my rifle and
given him its contents directly through one of his huge ears,
with a result most fatal to him, for he fell dead in his tracks.

218 SPORTING ADVENTURES

After enjoying my victory, and meditating for a short time on
the law of compensation and the result of accidental circum-
stances, T started in search of camp once more.

Hoping that my companions were out looking- for me, I
commenced shouting1 as loudly as I could, but no responsive
voice came hack except the echoes of the forest. Seeing- I
could do nothing- in that way, I tried firing- the rifle, and
though every tree and shrub seemed to carry its detonations
afar, I listened in vain for the welcome answer. After travel-
ling, shouting, and firing for three hours, and trying to retrace
my footsteps, a feat which was beyond my power, owing to
the various directions in which they led, I sat down near a
small lake, as I was somewhat faint from hunger, and I
wanted to think out, if possible, how I could extricate myself
from the perilous situation in which I was placed. After a
short rest, and a delightful drink of water, which revived me
very much, I commenced exploring the lake to see if I could
find a canoe upon it, or any indications that it was visited by
man, even at a remote period. My explorations were futile,
however, for I did not find a vestige of a human being in any
direction. Thoroughly disheartened, I sat down once more to
indulge in another painful meditation, and while musing on
my disagreeable situation my heart gave a tremendous bound,
for I heard afar o(f the call of the moose, and knowing it did
not cry in the day time, I felt it was the signal of my com-
panions. Noting carefully whence the sound came — for woods,
owing to their echoing character, are often deceptive — I started
towards it at a brisk pace, and answered it occasionally by a
loud halloo, and after walking about half an hour had the
satisfaction of hearing it closer to me. I then commenced
firing my rifle as I advanced, and, in a short time, heard an
answering shot. This was a most delightful sensation, and
with an elastic step I strode through the forest, and in twenty
minutes after, guided by shouts and rille reports, I found
myself shaking hands with my friends.

A short conversation informed me that I had wandered over
ten miles from camp, and that if I had not moved in a circle
I would probably have been irretrievably lost in the unknown

IN THE FAR WEST. 219

forest, unless I met, by the merest chance, some hunting1 party.
They had been out searching for me since morning, and had
tracked me up to the place where I turned to the right the
previous night, while chasing the moose. When they reached
that point they saw trails of blood and followed them up for
some distance, thinking I had followed the animal directly, but
not finding my footsteps they concluded that I had halted
there and awaited daylight to return to camp. When I did
not return, however, they sallied out again, presuming I had
been lost, and knowing how men will act in such a situation,
they quartered the woods, and used the moose call, as it could
be heard a long distance off. Were they not provided with
that simple instrument, it is doubtful if they could have
found me, and I might now be in another world. Returning
to camp, about three miles distant, I made a hearty breakfast
of the moutle of a moose, and some cakes baked before the
fire, and soon felt as jovial as if I had never strayed from it.

After bringing in the animals that were first killed, we
started in quest of the cause of my woe, and had little difficulty
in tracking him by his slots and the drops of blood, until we
reached the spot where he had lain down. From that point
we followed him easily, and were soon beside him. A
hungry puma had been feasting off him, however, while I
had been away, for a large portion of the throat and
shoulder were eaten off, and scarcely a drop of blood remained
in the body. As he was too far from camp to be hauled there,
he was skinned, and the carcass left for the use of carnivorous
birds and quadrupeds. I learned on my way back that my
hunting companion had also been charged by an infuriated
wounded bull the previous night, and only escaped by having
the Indian come to his aid just in time. We had, therefore,
killed four moose on that occasion ; no bad result for one
night's work.

"Calling" moose is certainly exciting sport, and is full of
incidents, some of which may not, as in my own case, be very
pleasant for the time being, yet they are interesting to recall in
after-years. To still-hunt the moose successfully, a person
must resort to the same means employed in stalking any other

220 SPORTING ADVENTURES

wary animal, but if he docs not know their habits, he will, in
the majority of cases, or at least in a large percentage of them,
get only his pains for his labour, unless he has unusual good
luck, or is favoured by accident.

Running- them down is practised only in winter, when the
snow is deep on the ground, and this requires endurance and
perseverance on the part of the hunter rather than skill. It
is resorted to principally by Indians, who want meat, or by
white men who want the skin, and as they can travel on snow-
shoes at a rapid pace, while the poor moose are constantly
sinking1 into the drifts, if the crust is not strong enough to
support them, the latter are of course soon exhausted, and
bleeding from wounds in the legs. To kill them in this way
is only butchery, as they can neither resist nor escape. Hunting
the animal with hounds in winter is a more spirited sport, but
in this case also it is brought to bay through exhaustion, and is
slaughtered as easily as a cow, for while its attention is engaged
with the dogs, all the hunter has to do is to knock it on the
head with an axe, or blow its brains out with a rifle or revolver.
The Indians, and some white men, frequently follow it for two or
three days at a time on snow-shoes, and finally run it down, as the
deep snow through which it must flounder fatigues it readily, and
each day's chase only renders it more easy of capture the next.

During one of my days of idleness I accompanied a snow-
shoe party who were going out on a moose-hunt. We had
several dogs of all breeds, from terriers to fox-hounds, with us,
and one mongrel that was a combination of bull-dog and grey-
hound. This individual would not only run down but boldly
attack a moose, hence his fame was great, and many were the
laudations he received. Our route led through a heavy forest,
where the ground was deeply covered with snow having a hard
but rather light crust. "\Vhen we reached a favourable situation
we scattered out and commenced searching for " signs/' and
quartered in every direction to the windward. After beating
a tract of four or five square miles, we struck a large yard
that was surrounded by a wall of snow three or four feet
deep, and was traversed in every direction by well-beaten
paths. This must have had an area of two or three square

IN THE FAR WEST. 221

miles, as the trails led into a dense thicket of foliaeeous trees,
which \ve subsequently found to be three miles from where we
first met the yard. On reaching this most welcome spot,
the dogs, which had been kept to heel before, were now set to
work, and in a few moments we heard a tremendous howl in
many keys directly in front. We knew then that the game was
started, and away we sped in pursuit at our best pace. As I
was not very proficient in the use of snow-shoes, I found the
run exceedingly laborious, and often sent myself sprawling
on the hard snow by my awkwardness. I also collided against
trees occasionally, and brought their white covering in showers
over my person. These might be pleasant enough if a portion
did not go down my neck and back, and make me shiver as if
I had been dipped in ice-water. The suddenness of the
showers also took my breath away sometimes, but the effect of
the shock was soon dissipated by streams of perspiration.

The baying was rapidly waning in the distance, and my
companions had all vanished, when I concluded to halt to
tighten one of my shoes, which had become loose. While
engaged in that endeavour, I saw a splendid young bull
approaching, evidently on his way back to the yard, and
the only dog in pursuit was an active, wire-haired terrier
that was too busily engaged in snipping at his heels to have
time to give tongue. The bull went right through the deep
snow at every plunge, and the result was that he was almost
pumped, while his legs were bleeding from the wounds inflicted
by the crust. The terrier on seeing me began to wag its
tail and to bark and gambol around the unwieldy creature
that could not resent its annoyance, but when it placed
itself in front and commenced to growl and show its teeth
and snip at him, the maddened moose made several dashes at
it with his horns. This pestering prevented him from seeing
where he was going, so he floundered into a large drift nearly
deep enough to swallow him up, and whilst he was struggling
to extricate himself from that position, I approached and shot
him through the head; but after I had done it I did not feel
very proud of my exploit, as it resembled too closely the
shooting of a bound bull. He was so deeply mired that

222 SrOR TING AD I DENTURES

even when dead lie did not fall over, but stuck in his position,
an inanimate statue.

Before I had decided what next to do, one of the party, who
had been following- his tracks, arrived, and with his aid, and a
sturdy bough, we prised him out on the crusted surface. Some
of the others were equally successful, and our day's sport — if
sport it could be called — netted us eight cows, calves, and young
bulls out of probably fifteen or twenty that were in the yard.
This is a specimen of nearly all runs in the snow, so one may
see how much real hunting there is in it.

A moose drive as conducted by the Indians is a veritable
slaughter, and is about on a par with a pheasant battue, but
with this exception, that those taking part in it must exert
themselves to a certain extent, and display a knowledge of the
haunts and habits of the animal. Previous to commencing
the drive a grand moose dance is held, in which all the so-
called braves join ; and when this is ended they, accompanied
by their families, dogs, and horses, and all the paraphernalia
of an encampment, start for the forest in September or
October, when the moose have left their woodland recesses
and are running boldly about in search of mates. Selecting
a locality where the animals are numerous, they form a lai'ge
cordon, and by beating and shouting drive them towards a
common centre, where they are slaughtered indiscriminately,
and not only them, but all four-footed game they meet. In
this manner they hunt the forest for miles, and sweep it almost
clean of all. edible quadrupeds ; and if they can manage to
bag a grizzly, great is their joy thereat.

At other times they place men in concealment in a mountain
pass, or one that leads to water or connects two lakes, and the
remainder drive the moose towards them. When the animals
enter this gorge or pass of death they cannot well advance or
retreat without running past a line of fire, and the result is that
hundreds fall in a week. The moose arc skinned by the
squaws after the drive is over, and their flesh is made into
pemmican, or eaten fresh, viscera and all. The meat is
generally excellent, but is sometimes tough ; the fat part
is delicious, however, at all times. The nose or moufle is

IN THE FAR WEST. 223

very good, and is much like the tail of the beaver in flavour.
Many persons consider this the best part, and are extravagant
in its praise, but I would always prefer a good sirloin off a
two-year-old cow in good condition.

The moose of the North-west, unlike their congeners in the
eastern portion of the United States and Canada, do not
yard, as a rule, but travel in pairs, or at most four or six
together. They are more abundant, however, and less cautious,
owing to their immunity from the rifles of skin-hunters ; hence
a good shot ought to be able to make a good bag in the
wooded mountainous regions of Idaho, Montana, Manitoba,
British Columbia, and Alaska. They are very common on
the Yukon River in the latter Territory, and are useful to
the Indians, as their bones supply them with arrows, needles,
spear-points, and knives; their skins are used for clothing and
for making wigwams ; and the flesh is eaten fresh, or made
into pemmican.

The western species is larger than the eastern, I fancy ; at
least I have seen some there that in height, and in the
width, length, and massiveness of their antlers, excelled any
of their kindred I saw in the forests of Maine or Canada. One
of the largest pair probably ever brought to London had the
following dimensions : — outside measure of horns, sixty-two
inches; across the blade, points not included, twenty inches;
circumference above burr, seven and a quarter inches; length
of the blade, thirty-nine inches.

To hunt moose successfully requires the display of the
highest qualities of an Indian Nimrod ; for cautiousness,
patience, perseverance, endurance, acuteness of vision, and a
knowledge of woodcraft and the habits of animals, are far
more requisite than bravery and expertness with the rifle.
Whoever, therefore, is a good moose-stalker may claim to have
reached the highest pinnacle of the venatic art, and may
safely compete with any man as a forest-hunter.

224 SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER IX.

THE ELK OR WAPITI.

The wapiti — Its range, haunts, habits, and gaits — Fierce contests between
the males — How they may be detected by the "shaking" — Courage of
the elk — Two men charged by a couple in Oregon — The escape — Novel
mode of killing it in the North-west — -Thousands never saw man —
When started said not to stop until it crosses water — How herds run
when in flight — Their speed and endurance — The elk as a roadster and
saddle animal — Hide-hunters — Great slaughter of the animal — Why
hinds lead the columns — How to hunt it successfully in the forest and
on the plains — Dr. Carver's great feat — The best weapons — How to
shoot on horseback — The most exciting run lever had alter it — Bagging
a stag — Pursuit of a hind, and why she was captured — Escape of a
fawn — Surprised by Indians — The assembly — Our plans and stratagems
— A running fight — Loss of the Indians — Find refuge in a chasm —
Death of one of our men — He is mutilated and burned to death — Our
retreat — Sutler from hunger — Loss of our camp and escape of the camp
guard — Where we found safety — A scalp dance — Unusual abundance of
large game — We kill sixty elks in Colorado — Lassoing fawns — Visions
of the sport.

THE so-called elk, or wapiti, (Cerrus canadensis] is found in
every grand division of the region west of the Rocky Mountains,
its range extending1 from California in the south, to British
America in the north, but it is most numerous between the
parallels of thirty-eight and fifty-two, where, in many instances,
it was formerly seen in herds numbering from fifty to five thou-
sand. It is more abundant in the Coast Range, where it passes
through Oregon and Washington Territory, than in any other
section, so far as I could learn; yet, it is also common in the
wooded portions of Northern California, Idaho, Montana, Utah,
Wyoming, Dakotah, British Columbia, and in the beautiful and
extensive natural parks of Colorado. Being exceedingly grega-
rious in habit, where one is found there are sure to be others; and
in many places they spread over the country like small herds of
domestic cattle. This antlered monarch of the forest stands about

IN THE FAR WEST.

--5

as high as a horse, and often attains a weight of eight hundred
pounds. Having- strong, though lithe limbs, a full body,
large, dark eyes, and a splendid head, which is adorned with
magnificent branching antlers five or six feet in length, and
bearing from five to seven prongs each, it is, in my estima-
tion, the finest specimen of its family on the Continent. It
has a proud, defiant, yet graceful mien, which makes it one of
the most superb adjuncts to a landscape, and its very gait is
enough to arouse the ardour of the most unimpressible sports-
man, it being the acme of easy yet vigorous motion. Its
antlers, which are highly prized for adorning dining-rooms,
frequently weigh from fifty to sixty pounds, so that they are
fit trophies to grace the proudest baronial halls. They some-
times assume eccentric shapes, for it is no very unusual sight
to see a burly stag with one of his antlers largely pal mated,
and the other curving downward, instead of upward, so that it
resembles the bend of the horns so marked in the mountain
sheep. Such antlers are deemed to be unusually valuable,
as their eccentricity is highly prized by collectors and ardent
lovers of the chase.

During the summer the colour of the wapiti is a reddish-
chestnut, but it becomes darker in the autumn, and in winter
the hairs are tipped with a pale brown. The male has long
hairs on the neck and breast at all seasons, except the summer,
but these the female never possesses. The former has a bell
of hairs on the throat that frequently attains a length of five
or six inches, but it seems to be longest on the largest species.

The sexes differ considerably in size, the female being much
the smaller, and, unlike the antelope, she is devoid of antlers,
yet one has been known occasionally to possess these useful
appendages — a thing by no means uncommon in the deer family.
The animal ruts in September, but the "season being short,
the sportsman will find the stags in good condition about the
latter end of November, and ready to test to the fullest his
powers and endurance. Many of them are shot during the
running season by red and white hunters, as their melodious
whistles, when calling for the females, readily indicate their
presence, and lead the Nimrods to their quarters, when the

226 SPORTING ADVENTURES

slaughter is commenced. Their whistle is most peculiar, and
differs widely from that of all other deer; indeed so strongly
marked is it that a person having" heard it once would recognize
it amongst the voices of a thousand animals. I never knew
a person who could imitate it well, and this has prevented
hunters from calling them as they do the moose and
other deer. The difficulty in imitating the call is due to its
varied character, it being composed of several parts. The first
part consists of a shrill and prolonged whistle, which some-
times sounds afar off, although the animal uttering it may be
very near a person, and this is followed by four or five deep
brays or grunts, which end in a low, soft, and musical
bellow, not displeasing to the ear, no matter how acutely
it may have been attuned to harmony and melody. I have
noticed as a faet that struck me as being peculiar, that the
bravest and largest wild animals always had deep voices, and
that they were generally melodious — full of music as it were —
while the small fry, which would run from a common cur, had
high, sharp voices. I have hunted with some of the bravest
men, the best scouts, and the most famous hunters in the
West, and I found that they also had heavy tones, as a rule ;
and I deduced from this that the highest order of animals,
those that were brave and daring, were always dee]) in voice,
and that their intonations never jarred on the ear. When I saw
that the heroes in an opera were the tenors, it struck me as an
odd idea that thin-voiced animals were seldom so courageous
in actual life as their deeper toned congeners, and this has
caused me to express it here, to see if it is in any way founded
on faet, or whether it is a mere artificial system of disnlav.

*J It.

If the males meet during these whistling tournaments long
and severe is the battle they wage, and the weaker often gives
his life to the stronger lor his presumption in rival gallantry.
The hinds bring forth their .young in May or June, but their
families are confined to one at a time, twins being unknown.
The calf, which is spotted like the lawn of the deer, is a
beautiful creature, and so active that it is able to run about
with its dam in the course of a few days after its birth. The
mother is very much attached to it, and fights bravely in its

IN THE FAR WEST. 227

defence, if necessary, with head and feet ; but the best pro-
tectors are the males.

The latter wander away from the herd during the spring
and early summer, and secrete themselves in the thickest un-
derbrush while they are growing their antlers; and their
presence is then readily detected by the shaking of the under-
growth, against which they are almost constantly rubbing
their irritated frontal appendages. They may be easily
approached from the leeward during that time, as the swaying
of the shrubbery produces noise enough to drown the hunter's
footsteps, and the animals are lost to everything but the
alleviation of their irritation. Many skin- hunters, that is,
those who hunt them for the hide alone, kill numbers of them
while engaged in the " shaking,'' as hunters call it, and leave
the meat to rot on the ground, or to furnish food to carnivorous
birds and quadrupeds.

The production of the horns makes a heavy drain on the
strength of the stag, and the result is that he is thinner and
weaker in July than the hind, which has been nursing her
young one for perhaps two months. By the latter end of
August he is in splendid condition, however, and his magni-
ficent antlers being then full grown, he roams through the
forest and over the plain in all his majesty, ever ready, like the
knight of old, to woo the gentle sex or to measure his strength
against every rival for the love of the deer ladies. How proudly
he struts ; how defiantly he stares at all foes except man ; and
how grandly he shows his strength and speed as lie takes his
long and measured paces over hill and dale, and through the
light coppice or dense forest ! During the running season he
seems ready to meet all enemies, not excepting man himself,
if pushed to it; and he generally comes off first best with any
quadruped of less importance than a grizzly. I saw a proud
fellow on one occasion engaged in mortal combat with a black
bear that must have weighed at least three hundred pounds; but
before the latter could use its great strength and powerful
claws to any advantage, the former pierced it with his magni-
ficent antlers, and after two or three charges left it dead on the
ground. Stamping upon it two or three times, with one of

228 SPOA TING A D VENTURES

his foreleg's, lie gave a snort and a defiant look around, as if
seeking1 for new foes, and finding none, he gazed once more on
the slain, than trotted off into the dam]), dense forest. I was
close enough to have shot him easily, but I refrained from
injuring sueh a noble, spirited creature, for the sake of the
pluck he had displayed.

That he will boldly face man when brought to bay I have
received the most authentic accounts. Two men in Oregon,
who were employed to carry the mail to a small settlement
with which there was no communication except by an Indian
trail that led over a high and thickly wooded mountain, or by
following the sea-shore when the tide was out, were arrested
on one of their trips by the presence of two elks, a male and a
female, that boldly barred the path in front of them, and
manifested no inclination to leave it. This path was bounded
on the upper side by huge crags which no four-footed animal
could leap or clamber over, and the lower by high, wooded
cliffs that rose perpendicularly upward from the boiling sea,
so that neither party could very well advance or retreat, or
move to the right or left without suffering a serious incon-
venience, or endangering their lives. The men being unarmed,
dared not advance, and the elks being- placed between the
two horns of the dilemma of which would be best, either to
face their most dreaded enemy or meet death by hurling
themselves off the cliff, hesitated about what to do. The men,
seeing that they were undecided in their purpose, yelled
loudly at them, and this startled them so much that they
wheeled about suddenly, broke over a rise of the mountain,
and disappeared from view. One of the men, remembering1
that the tide was full and that the animals could not cross a
small bay that divided two cliffs in the sea then raging,
predicted they would return and charge them rather than face
the surf, and the words were scarcely uttered before they reap-
peared over the rise, the male in advance. Lowering his
horns almost to the ground, he charged upon them at his best
pace, but they evaded him by swinging themselves out of his
course by means of two young firs, and when the hind passed
they resumed their march, thoroughly thankful for their escape

IN THE FAR WEST. 229

from an ignominious death. They took excellent care after
that to go armed, and this resolution saved their lives several
times from the attacks of wild animals. Under ordinary
circumstances, however, the elk is as timid as any member of
its family, and a cur will keep a herd in motion all day.

The usual method of killing it in the forests of the North-
west is by stalking, and where it is little hunted it may be
approached from the leeward to within easy rifle range, and
a herd almost destroyed before the survivors become alarmed
enough to seek safety in flight. I have killed five out of a
herd of twenty in the Coast Mountains before the remainder
got out of range, and I could have killed as many more if I
wished, by following them up, for they showed no fear of me,
and seemed to look upon me more as a strange than a
dangerous creature, if I should judge from their stupid stare
and their indifference to the reports of the rifle. Thousands
of them in Oregon, Washington Territory, Wyoming, Colorado
and Montana never saw man, and have no fear of him if he is
to their leeward, but let them once sniff him to the windward
and they would be off like a shot, nor would they stop until
they had placed many a mile between him and themselves.
If they are once started in an alarmed condition, hunters say
they will not halt until they have crossed a stream or lake ;
but while this is tme in many cases, especially in the open or
in sparsely wooded valleys, it does not hold good in the dense
forest, for I have routed the same herd three times in one
day ; and that it was the same 1 inferred from the presence of
two wounded animals, and the fact that it was led by a
splendid hind.

When a herd is started, the males throw their cumbrous
antlers far back on the neck, so that the nose is high in
the air. One might imagine that they could not see the
ground very well under these circumstances, but whether they
do or do not, they trot through dense shrubbery and over
fallen trees with the greatest ease, and never falter or break
their gait, no matter what ordinary obstacles thev may have
to surmount. Their pace is a long, measured trot, which
carries them over the ground at a rapid rate. Thev can, I tanev

230 SPORTING ADVENTURES

trot a mile several seconds under four minutes, and if pushed
might do it in three minutes. On open or rocky ground they
can put a good horse to his mettle to overtake them, if they
have a fair start, nor must he lag on closing with them if he
would keep them company. They seem to be able to move at
the same pace over all kinds of ground, and it appears to be a
matter of indifference to them whether it is one mass of stones,
ruts, and hillocks, or a level prairie. This is where they have the
advantage over horses, and why it is so difficult to run them
down in a rough country. I have done it, however, but in
nearly all cases I broke their trot first, and this fatigued them
so promptly that I was able to pull alongside and give them
the contents of a revolver or rifle. They can go twenty or
thirty miles easily without showing signs of weariness or
flagging, and, if forced to it, I am inclined to think they
could go a hundred miles over a good country.

The size, strength, and speed of the elk ought to fit it for
some useful domestic purpose. It could be trained to be a
valuable beast of burden ; and its speed is so great, and it has
so much power of endurance, that it could be used either for
drawing a carriage or to carry couriers who have to ride long
distances at a rapid rate. By treating it as geldings are, the
pugnacity and ill-temper it displays during the rutting season
could be readily overcome, and it would be rendered as docile
as a donkey. A friend of mine once owned a pair treated in
this manner, and he found that very little training was required
to fit them for drawing a carriage. When it came to road
driving, he saw that no steeds he met could even keep in sight
of his antlcred Pegasuses for any length of time. Their long,
trotting gait, which never seems to falter either in measure or
speed, makes them the perfection of carriage roadsters; but
they have this one great, drawback, that if they hear the cry
of hounds they will bolt immediately, and probably leave
carnage and driver behind them. The pair which I refer
to were startled suddenly one day while enjoying their
exercise by the baying of a pack of mongrels, and no sooner
did they hear the cry than they jumped over a high bank-
carriage, driver, and all — and landed in a deep pool in a river.

IN THE FAR WEST. 231

Making for the land with all possible haste, they soon battered
the vehicle into small pieces, while the unfortunate owner had
some difficulty in reaching- shore. By offering a large reward
he recovered his runaways the next day ; and, being a man of
determination as well as resources, he concluded to get rid of
their penchant for bolting at once. With this purpose in view
he put them into a field having very high fences, and kept
hounds yelling about it all day long. The elks were at first
thoroughly scared, but after running themselves nearly to
death, and finding no means of escape nor any result from
their great alarm, they gradually became indifferent, and
settled down to feeding. This experiment being repeated a
few times, their idle fears were allayed, and the owner suffered
no more mishaps from their impetuosity. How far they could
be made useful for carrying light couriers I cannot surmise,
but the probability is that they would be found unequalled for
such purposes in the wooded regions of the Far West.

It does certainly seem a pity that this animal cannot be
domesticated, and made into something more useful and
permanent than a means of affording the pleasure of shooting
to a few sportsmen or hungry hunters, or enriching " skin-
scalpers/'' whose sole idea of sport is to slaughter even the
pregnant hinds for the sake of the paltry sum they obtain for
the hides. It is estimated that over ten thousand elks were
slaughtered last year for their skins alone, and of these,
about four thousand were killed in Montana, principally in
the Yellowstone region, where the animal is, or rather was,
exceedingly numerous.

A skin realizes from two dollars and a half to four dollars,
according to the character of the coating ; and for this pittance
many men devote themselves to destroying indiscriminately
the most stately animal in the country; yet, nothing is done to
them, owing to the indifference of the legislators to framing a
law that would punish such Vandals. At the present rate of
destruction the wapiti will not be known in Montana, Colorado
and Wyoming in a short time, and persons must hie to the dense
forests of portions of Idaho, Oregon, Washington Territory, and
other distant regions, to enjoy a legitimate hunt after it.

232 SPORTING ADVENTURES

I have said that the animals were more numerous in the two
latter countries than in any other portion of the Continent, and
this I believe to be a positive fact, for I have seen them,
during the autumnal migrations, when they were fleeing from
the icy breezes of the mountains to the warmth and shelter
of the .coast, pass a runway in herds nearly all day long, and
had I remained I might, perhaps, have seen the same sight
for a week. They moved in long columns and in single file, and
each column was led by a sturdy stag or a matronly hind, but
the rear was always occupied by old males. When startled,
they would move at a tremendous rate through the thick
woods and matted undergrowth ; but they seemed to have no
special leaders, for in some cases a young stag, and in others
an old hind headed the fugitives, the young being in the centre.
The cause of this lack of a regular commander in a stampede
would seem to be that the males are often too heavy to lead
the van, and that, as with the buffalo, the lighter-footed females
are compelled to do it on account of their superior activity.

To hunt them successfully in the forest I have found a
breech -load ing shot-gun, well charged with buckshot, the best
weapon, but for open shooting I prefer a fifty calibre double
express that is accurate up to three hundred yards ; and for run-
ning them down on horseback few weapons are more convenient
than a heavy self-cocking revolver, that carries a bone-smash-
ing bullet and a large charge of powder, so that one shot at
close range may be able to disable or kill a fugitive. A good
breech-loading rifle, provided one has a trained horse, is pre-
ferable to a revolver, however, owing to its longer range,
greater accuracy, and more destructive power.

Pv. Carver, the celebrated rifleman, who has performed the
unparalleled feat of killing thirty-three elks in one straight
run, and two hundred and thirty in two weeks by running and
stalking, considers that any rifle less than fifty calibre is rather
light for hunting such heavy game, unless it carries a large
charge of powder and a long- bullet ; and he deems a revolver to
be of comparatively little use for general work, owing to its want
of accuracy, and its dangerous character in the hands of novices.
I have seen some splendid work clone with it, however, by

IN THE FAR WEST. 233

troopers, officers, regular hunters, and even novices, especially
when they had inexperienced horses that would not follow an
elk without the use of the reins.

If a man has a trained steed that will chase an elk or a
herd without any guidance from the hand, a rifle is by
far the best weapon. This should be lifted promptly to
the shoulder, and fired the moment it covers the object,
for any attempt to take deliberate aim when a horse is at
full speed is an impossibility, as the gun falls upon and down
with the strides. A slight glance along the barrel is gene-
rally sufficient, and a person will find after a little experience
that he can shoot as well that way as if he rested half a minute
on the sight.

The most effective and the surest shot is made quartering,
so that the bullet may pass through the ribs and lungs, and
possibly break the fore-shoulder. Another good one is to
strike the animal in the back so that the spinal column may
be broken ; this is not so easily made as the previous one, how-
ever, as the target is not so large. A capital weapon for
general shooting on horseback is the latest model of the Win-
chester or Sharp rifle, the former being especially convenient,
owing to its magazine and the rapidity with which it can be fired.

Few sights are more stirring than to behold a herd of elks,
numbering from five hundred to a thousand, with their branch-
ing antlers, looking like a brash thicket at a distance, and their
graceful forms, scouring over the plains in wild confusion.
When startled they bound away in a body and keep so close
that they soon become enveloped in clouds of dust, through
which is heard the clashing of antlers, and the heavy,
measured tread of many hoofs. When hard-pressed, they
break up into small groups and run in every direction; and to
prevent this, persons ought to keep about twenty or thirty
feet In-hind them, and rake them from the flanks. To get
within this distance and stay there for any length of time,
fast and vigorous horses are required, for an elk can outrun any
ordinary horse if the ground is at all rough, and can keep up
its pace for a distance of seventy miles or more with apparent
ease. It is no unusual incident, therefore, for a spirited steed

234 SPORTING ADVENTURES

to fall dead after a long chase; and to be knocked up for life
is quite a common occurrence.

If the animals are driven towards a canyon, a person may
tumble over half a dozen as they emerge on the opposite
side; but the most effective means of making a large bag is
to bound suddenly into the midst of a herd and open a rapid
lire at once. This demoralizes them so much that they jump
wildly about or stare stupidly at their foe, yet do not attempt
to flee; but when once they get it into their heads that
something is wrong they wheel about and soon disappear in
the horizon. This interval is sufficient, however, to enable a
good shot to kill from four to a dozen of them, and if he is
well mounted he may claim as many more in a run of seven
or eight miles. This chase is most exciting, and he who has
once taken part in it will say that few sports can eqiial it, as
it brings into action both equestrian power and surety of aim.
Having stalked the animal, pursued it with hounds, and run it
down on horse-back, I prefer the latter to any other method of
hunting it, as it gives both the hunter and the hunted an
opportunity of displaying their best qualities.

The most stirring gallop that I have had after it was in
the Wind River country, in Wyoming. There were at the
time to which I refer no settlers in the region where the
chase came off, and I doubt if there are any now, as it was
occupied three or four years ago only by wild animals and
wilder Indians. I entered it with a party of miners who were
going there on a " prospecting" expedition, it being reported
that some of the hills there contained large deposits of gold
and silver, and several small lakes of soda, besides other valu-
able mineral treasures. The leader of our party was a veteran
scout and Indian fighter who had lived in the country for
many years, and when he was the only white man to be
found there, if I except an occasional visit from a few trappers
employed by the fur companies. He had had so many contests
with the Indians that he was known by name or person to
every tribe in the Territory, and great was his fame among
them; so great in fact that few of them would care to meet
him in combat, or attack any bodies of men led by

IN THE FAR WEST. 235

whether they were soldiers or civilians. He had also some
influence with them on account of his being married to two
squaws, and this induced us to hope that they would not
molest us. In order to be prepared for all contingencies, how-
ever, we armed ourselves with the best bowie knives, rifles,
and revolvers we could procure, and being- provided with two
good American horses each, and a small pack train of mules
to carry our baggage, we started from the Laramie Plains for
the unknown Eldorado, about one hundred and thirty miles
distant, just as the sun was about setting. We chose this
time so as to prevent persons from knowing where wre were
going, and also to get well on our way before any prowling
Indians could guess at our destination and lay a trap for us,
for few red men can withstand the temptation of lifting a
lot of fine horses and some attractive scalps at the same time.
We marched principally at night, and rested during the day,
generally in a chasm or piece of woods where we could find
shelter and concealment, for we did not want to run any risks.
We were even careful not to build any fires, except what was
sufficient to boil some tea or coffee, and broil a piece of bacon,
as we feared the smoke would betray our presence.

After marching for five nights over treeless plains and
pine-clad mountains we reached our destination, and pitched
our camp on the top of a wooded hill that both concealed us
and gave us a commanding view of the surrounding country.
The day after our arrival it was resolved to lay in a stock of
fresh meat, as we had none, and we desired to provision the
camp, so that all our time could be devoted to the object of
the expedition. This did not seem to be a very difficult matter,
for the tracks of deer were numerous everywhere, and the
woods fairly swarmed with hares and several species of grouse.
The latter were not deemed worthy of the powder to be wasted
upon them, however, so we made preparations for an onslaught
on the large game. Having saddled our horses and armed
ourselves in the most careful manner, we sallied from our forest
home and marched towards an extensive valley to our ri<>-ht,
which was hemmed in on all sides by high, wooded mountains,
and contained several coppices of cottomvoods, alders, ami

236 SPORTING ADVENTURES

willows, which skirted the borders of streams. It was covered
with a luxuriant growth of herbage and wild flowers, and
looked as beautiful in the morning sun as any spot could
possibly be. It was the ideal of repose, yet its surnmndings
were full of activity and motion, and gentle picturesqueness
was contrasted with sublime grandeur.

Always careful and cautious, the scout, who had gained his
experience by many a hard and dangerous lesson, would allow
no one to enter it until he had carefully reconnoitred it from
two or three directions, for fear any Indians might be lurking
there. While he and two others were out scouting, I surveyed
the valley with a field-glass from a commanding eminence, and
saw that large throngs of antelopes and numerous herds of elks
and deer were grazing over it, or playfully running about.
When the leader returned he stated that he could find no
indications anywhere of the presence of the red men, and that
it would, therefore, be safe to enter the place. As we wished
to get as much meat as we could in as short time as possible,
we concluded to run the elks, as they would afford us the best
sport and meat, and our chances of success were greater with
them than if we went after the smaller deer or the prong-horns.

Moving forward slowly, we were soon to the leeward of
two herds of elks which were grazing on the outskirts of a
coppice, and when we got near enough to them to undertake
a dash with some assurances of success we charged them
boldly. That seemed to be the first time they had any
suspicion of our dangerous character; but when once assured
of it they broke away singly or in groups, and headed directly
up wind and across the valley. Each man singled out his
quarry, and in a short time the hills and mountains were
echoing with the reports of rifles and revolvers. I selected a
burly stag that had magnificent antlers, and in a run of less
than half a mile was near enough to cause him to break his
trot, and fall into a fast, ungainly gallop. Knowing that he
could not keep that pace very long, I urged my horse forward at
his best speed, and kept him at it until the quarry resumed the
long and rapid trot for which its family is noted. The ground
being good, T had every advantage over the fugitive, as my horse

IN THE FAR WEST. 237

was both fast and enduring1. After a run of two miles or more I
drew along-side his Hank, and placing- my revolver close enough
to his back to burn the hair, I fired, and broke his spinal column.
He fell headlong- on his antlers, but before he reached the ground
I got in another shot in the head, and he tumbled over dead.
As he lay outstretched before me, I fairly gloated over him,
for he was one of the largest and handsomest stags I ever saw.

On looking around for my companions I saw several of
them pursuing the animals in every direction, while others
were dismounted, having evidently been successful in the
run. Having marked the position of my victim, I was re-
turning to join a group of two or three of my comrades,
when I met a hind and her fawn coming towards me
in the most unsuspicious manner. I dashed at them, but
instead of running up wind they cut across it and headed
for a coppice of cottonwoods three or four miles distant. I
pursued them at a rattling pace, but my horse being quite
pumped I could not get them to break their trot, so the chase
continued for a couple of miles, when the hind fell forward sud-
denly on her head, as if shot ; but before I could overtake
her she was off again. I noticed in a short time that she was
running in a peculiar manner, as if one of her legs were
injured, yet I could not close the distance between us. After
awhile she showed signs of faltering; her pace was becoming
unsteady, and the fawn, which had kept by her side all the way
shot ahead of her. IVeling assured that she was injured, 1 did
not press my horse v.sry hard, as I was hoarding his strength
for a final dash. As every step she took seemed to weaken
her more, I finally made a spurt, and was beside her in less
than ten minutes, and putting my revolver to her head I
shot her dead. The fawn broke away in an opposite direction
on seeing me close on it, and by this means escaped. On
looking at the hind, I saw that one of her fore-legs was
broken near the fetlock, the result of stepping into a prairie-
dog hole, yet she must have run at least two or three miles
more after that accident.

Having extracted the viscera, I marked her position, and
started back to where two men were left with our extra

238 SPORTING ADVENTURES

horses, as the animal 1 rode was quite done up, and covered
with foam. While returning1, I noticed that the elks and
antelopes which we had driven towards the mountains were
scurrying- back, as if they were being1 pursued, and this caused
me to halt and closely scan the landscape. I, fortunately,
carried my field-glass slung over my shoulder, and taking it
out I made a survey of all that portion of the valley which
the animals \vere leaving. After a careful scrutiny I could
see a column of mounted men moving along the edge of a
heavy copse, and when it passed the wood, it seemed to open
out like a telescope, and dark dots could be seen moving
rapidly to the right and left and suddenly disappearing, as if
the ground had swallowed them. "Indians, by Jove!"
thought I ; so I hastened at once to find our veteran com-
mander to see what could be done to escape the serious danger
that threatened us. After going at full gallop for about a
mile, I was startled by hearing my name called out of a tree,
and on looking up saw the leader perched on the branches
of a fir, and his horse tied to its base. Reining up abruptly,
I was going to tell him what I had seen, but he anticipated
me by coolly remarking, " Seen 'em, didn't you ? I knowed
it as soon as I saw you stopping but I saw 'cm long afore
you did. That aire machine o' yourn isn't as good as my
eyes after all. I reckon I can tell an Injun as far off as
any telescope." This statement, which was yelled at me as if
the whole thing was a joke, was followed by the rapid descent
of the speaker ; but on reaching the ground he changed his
tone of voice, and said that we were in for another sort of
hunt, and that he feared we should have to play the part of
the elk. " There's more'n a hundred Injuns in that crowd
near the mountains/' said he, " and there's more'n fifty in the
woods towards which you were running after that last elk,
so we've got one hundred and fifty against twelve; mighty
lively times we'll have of it afore long, I tell you, and if
any of us can scratch our head to-night we'll be mighty lucky,
you bet your boots."

Asking him what he thought ought to be done, he replied,
that there was nothing to be done just then except to collect

IN THE FAR WEST. 239

our forces, mount fresh horses, and fight for a passage
through the mountains in front. To attempt to reach camp,
which was left in charge of two men, he considered to be
a piece of folly, inasmuch as the Indians must have seen
whence we emerged into the valley, and made their prepara-
tions to check us in that direction, for the first principle with
a warrior is, that a white man retreats on the same line that he
advanced, so his first move is to block that route, and depend
on a surround and the demoralizing effect of yells and charges
to win a victory. Most of our men had little fear of our foes,
however, in anything like equal numbers, for they were used
to a rough and ready life among a lighting people with whom
a word too often meant death.

While we were conversing together another member of the
expedition rode up, and he being made acquainted with the
condition of affairs, we resolved to summon our party together
at once, and fight the Indians in the copse, and if we defeated
them to dash for the mountains and reach the settlements if
possible. The Indians felt so sure of us that they were in no
hurry to open the battle ; and we wished them to infer that
their presence was not known, for fear of forcing the issue
before we were ready. We decided, accordingly, that we
should chase an antelope in the direction where our spare
horses were held, and there hold a council of war. Acting on
this idea, we tore away from the copse at our best pace, and
meeting hundreds, I might say thousands, of antelopes on
our way, we pretended to pursue them, but we took excellent
care that those we followed went in the direction we wished
to go. A run of two miles brought us to where our extra
horses were held, and pretending that we had done some-
thing extraordinary, which pretension we made manifest
by firing our rifles and revolvers, we shouted in our most
stentorian tones " hoo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-oo-ah," as if we were
overjoyed at an unusual piece of success.

I was sent out on the plain to fire my revolver in rapid
succession in order to attract the attention of the remainder of
our company, while our veteran leader rode in another direction
to watch the manoeuvres of the Indians. Our signal was

24o SPORTING ADVENTURES

successful, and in less than ten minutes the whole of our party
was assembled. I had, in the meantime, saddled a fresh, and
my best horse, and felt so thoroughly confident of outrunning
any Indian that I was almost anxious to race with any one of
them. AYhcn the position of affairs was explained to the men
they were all animation at once, and though the news was
exceedingly disagreeable, not one showed the least sign of fear.
All displayed in their features the seriousness of the coming con-
test, but though their faces might have been a little blanched,
yet there was an expression of a thorough determination to
fight to death if necessary.

Some — and myself amongst them — put a revolver into
their boot legs, intending to kill themselves with it if they
were captured, or so sei'iously wounded as to be unable to keep
with the remainder of the party. After a brief consultation
our plan of operations was decided upon. This was, that it
would be worse than madness to retreat to camp; and having
no other recourse left, we concluded to make for the only passage
in the mountains in front, and resort to every strategem we
could think of to lead the foe away from that. All were to obey
the leader's motions, or take the consequence ; and no person
was to leave a wounded comrade until it was evident that he
could not escape the red demons, and he was then to be shot in
case he could not do it himself. That matter being understood,
all mounted fresh horses, and deploying into a long line, so as
to prevent the effect of a fusillade, we moved forward as if we
were going on a grand drive. The Indians in the coppice in front,
on seeing us advancing, sallied out promptly to meet us, and we
feigning to be surprised, faced about at the command of our
leader, and retreated in the direction whence we came. They
dashed after us at once, and when they got within rifle range we
let them have a volley which tumbled over some men and horses.
Our fire was answered by a fierce yell of defiance and a fusillade
that looked dangerous enough, but all the bullets fell short.
After a contestof five minutes, wegalloped in an oblique direction
to the right, in order to lead them away from the route we in-
tended to take, and this ruse was successful, for instead of closing
on us, the larger number rode as rapidly as they could to head us

IN THE FAR WEST. 241

off from camp, while the others spread out so as to completely
surround us. A ride of a mile or two showed us that we hud
drawn nearly all the screaming braves from the rear, and that
we might therefore be able to break through the thin line that
covered the mountain pass we were anxious to reach. We
decided, accordingly, to face about, and put our horses to
their best pace and make it a veritable race for life, but
before we could act on this idea a line of mounted warriors
rose out of the ground about five hundred yards ahead, and
gave us a rattling but harmless volley. We returned the
fire hotly for a few moments, and saw several men fall. Not
caring to do more to them than show that they could not
attack us with impunity, we wheeled about suddenly, and
moving obliquely to the left, where our foes were least
numerous, we gave our horses a free though firm rein, and
sped over the ground at a pace that was soon carrying us away
from the fire of the main column. It was not until we dis-
persed the Indians in front that the others had any idea of
what we were about; but on divining our purpose their yells
of defiance turned into screams of rage, and they commenced
firing aimlessly, and trying to surround us, but this they found
a difficult matter, as they were too widely scattered. The race
continued at a slashing rate for five or six miles without any
injury to us, when we suddenly met another group of warriors,
and a fight then commenced that lasted for three miles. We
did not waste a moment in halts to take aim ; we merely
placed the rifle to the shoulder and banged away.

To shoot at distant objects with any degree of accuracy
when a horse is at a full gallop is an impossibility; hence we
did not expect to do much harm. We did, nevertheless, have
the satisfaction of seeing a warrior fall occasionally, but he
would scarcely touch the ground before two of his comrades
would run on each side of him and lift him on his horse, or drag
him out of the range of our fire.

As we approached the pass in the mountains the Indians
redoubled their efforts to head us off, but we had the inner line,
and intended to keep it. Seeing that they could not check us
in that direction, they opened on us from every quarter, and

242 SPORTIXG ADVENTURES

bullets went whizzing1 or droning past us, while the fierce
screams of the prairie braves were fairly demoniacal in their
intensity. Had they been less careful of their persons they
could have annihilated us in a few moments, but, Indian-like,
they wished to destroy us without any injury to themselves;
hence they kept beyond the range of our rifles except for a few
minutes at a time, when they tried their useless system of
charging. The stirring combat was kept up uninterruptedly,
however, until we saw the gap that yawned in the mountain
and offered us our only refuge. This caused a thrill of joy to
pass through both body and mind, and we, for the first time,
answered the shouts of our foes by hearty cheers. A few of
the more daring and best mounted warriors made a bold and
determined attempt to charge us, but they were glad to relin-
quish that system of fighting in a very short time. A little
later, and we were dashing into the rocky pass or chasm, and
once inside we halted, and climbing promptly to an eminence,
gave our pursuers as defiant a shout as ever issued from human
throats. We were horror-struck, however, to see a group of
the fiends dancing and yelling about some object, and on
inquiring if any of the party were missing, found that a man
named Evans was not seen after the head of our column
entered the pass, he being the last in the line. This loss
affected iis very much and we were almost enraged when we
saw the way in which he was being tortured, for the cowards
were evidently wreaking their revenge and losses on him.
Much as we felt inclined to save him or his remains from the
mutilating hands of his captors, we felt that we were powerless
to do so, and that we might be risking our own lives to no
purpose. The Indians did not, of course, dare to follow us into
the pass, so we pursued our journey unmolested. We stib-
sequently learned from friendly Indians that our foes were
some of Red Cloud's renegade band, and that we had killed
and wounded fifteen of them. They captured our camp, how-
ever, but the men in charge escaped by leaving it as it
stood, and fleeing towards the settlements when they saw us
retreating.

After resting a short time in the chasm we resumed our

IN THE FAR WEST. 243

retrograde movement, and continued it for three nights, when
we reached an army post, where we were kindly treated and
hospitably entertained by the officers. We suffered a good
deal from hunger and thirst during our retreat, as water was
scarce, and the only food we had was the flesh of the sage hare
and sage cock, and that, though tender, is anything but pleasing
even to the palate of a hungry man, as it tastes as if it had
been steeped in a decoction of quinine, gall, and bitter almonds.
We were so thankful at escaping a terrible death, however,
that we grumbled but little at our diet ; yet we were very glad
when we exchanged it for something more palatable.

Several months after this affair I happened to be at the
Sioux reservation, and there learned the full particulars of the
horrible death of poor Evans. The murderers who had been
out devastating the country during the spring and summer,
and slaying men, women, and children in the most merciless
manner, returned to the reservation to rest during the winter,
and grow fat on the generous rations supplied them by the
Government, in order that they might be in good condition
to resume the slaughter of innocent whites the following
spring. Having nothing to do except to eat, time became
rather heavy on their hands, and to escape this dulness they
instituted a round of their various dances, some of which were
kept up for a fortnight at a time, night and day. I witnessed
their hideous scalp dance, in which the scalps were placed on
long wands, which were held by women in the centre of a
large circle, while the sanguinary braves yelled and jumped
around them like so many lunatics, and each related in the
most boasting manner imaginable how many scalps he had
taken ; how he secured them ; and went through horrifying
pantomimic gestures with hands and face and body to show
how he acted in the terrible contest that had made him such a
famous warrior, and furnished him with so many gory trophies.
AVhen one assassin finished relating his tale, all present uttered
a guttural "wach" of approbation, as a certificate of his truth-
fulness; and after some more stamping, yelling, and hideous
grimaces, another leaped into the circle and told his exploits,
and so it was continued until all had proclaimed their martial

R 2

244 SPORTING ADVENTURES

deeds, and elevated themselves into tlie greatest of heroes.
I noticed that one scalp aroused two of them into the greatest
state of frenzy, for they screamed and roared, barked, yelped,
stamped with their feet, snapped their teeth, distorted their
facial muscles, and hissed as they pointed at it, and brandished
their arms and weapons in the most frantic manner, to show
how hard its owner had struggled to keep it on his head.
When they had finished their wild harangue an unusually
loud and prolonged "wach" from all announced that it was
a great feat indeed; and when the braves left the ring an old
chief told the audience how many men they had lost in trying
to get that scalp.

I did not understand a word of what they said, but I could
readily comprehend their gestures, and deduced from them
that one of the greatest deeds ever performed by the tribe was
to secure that scalp. Turning to the French half-breed who
\vas with me, I asked him to translate their speeches for me,
and he said that the scalp was that of a white man which
they had taken in the Wind River region a few months pre-
viously. The party of whites of which he was a member had
killed or wounded fifteen of their men, and then escaped in the
great chasm ; but that he, being the last in the line, had his
horse shot under him, and he fell to the ground. He mounted
another, however, in a moment, but before he could escape one
of the two braves stunned him with a shot in the head, and
then pulled him off his horse, while the second shot him
through the right arm with an arrow. On recovering con-
sciousness, the white man drew his revolver, and shot three
warriors as they were crowding round him, but before he could
inflict any further injury he was seized by the two terpsk'ho-
reans, unarmed, bound, and tied to a tree, where he was
burned alive, after being terribly mutilated and having his
body filled with arrows. He bore his fate with Indian stoicism,
and this and his bravery had induced his captors to consider
him a great warrior,, and his seal]) to be therefore unusually
important. When I heard the tale, I felt as if I should like
to see the whole murderous, boasting1 throng shot like dogs ;
and so anxious was I that they should be punished, that I

IN THE FAR WEST. 245

left the savage scene, with its ghastly accessories, and
hastened at once to the house of the agent or sub-agent,
and told him of the incident, and asked him to see that the
murderers were punished.

He, however, treated the matter rather indifferently, say-
ing that it would be difficult to bring those engaged in the
brutal deed to justice, as none of their own people would testify
against them, and a scalp could not be identified or produced
in evidence to prove their guilt. When I told him that those
present had told the tale themselves, he said that was nothing,
as they would deny it all in a body if questioned about it ;
and he thought it was better to let the matter rest, as the
dead could not be called to life, and any attempt at punishing
his murderers would only create a useless disturbance, and,
probably, send a portion of the tribe on the war-path.

Seeing that nothing could be done, I relinquished my efforts
at having them punished, and the next week I went to see
another dance of the braves. This was like the preceding, except
that the scalps were not held up by the women ; but I noticed
that several were employed to fringe the garments of the
warriors, and that they pointed to their dress instead of to
wands when they were relating their great deeds and the
number of scalps they had taken. I tried to buy some of these
garments, but found they were deemed invaluable, and that
neither money nor ammunition could induce their owners to
part with them. I have been in that country since I was so
unceremoniously hunted out of it, but I never think of it
without recalling the horrible fate of Evans, and feeling
thankful for my own escape from an ignominious death.

The abundance of the elk in some of the unpopulated
regions beyond the Rocky Mountains is almost incredible.
I have seen in a valley in Colorado, near the Ute reserva-
tion, at least four thousand in one herd, and I have fre-
quently seen them in throngs numbering from fifty to five
hundred in various sections extending from Oregon to British
America. I once formed one of a party in Colorado who were
exploring a region that contained few settlers, and they were
often far apart ; hence game was as plentiful as if the entire

246 SPOR TING A D VENTURES

country were a park, and was as closely preserved as a Scotch
deer forest. Elks, deer, and antelopes were scattered over the
plain as far as the eye could see, and they were so unused to
the presence of man that they seldom fled before us when
we approached them from the leeward until we were quite
close to them. During the two months that we spent there
we captured about sixty elks by running them down with
horses, and we could have slain five times the number, I
believe, if we cared to do so, or preferred wanton slaughter
to sport. We also lassoed some calves, but the greater num-
ber were let loose after we picked out the best for the larder.
Lassoing them is a very interesting amusement, especially if
a person is well mounted, as they run well, and twist and
turn rapidly when being overhauled, and a young buck will
sometimes, especially if much blown, charge the horse, and try
to pierce him with his tiny antlers. Visions of those scenes
arouse the most buoyant feelings of one's nature, but with
them comes the sad thought that in a few years one of the
finest game animals on the Continent will have disappeared
before the advance of civilization and the knife and rifle of
the skin-hunter.

IN THE FAR WEST. 247

CHAPTER X.

THE MULE DEER.

The mule deer — Its haunts and habits — General characteristics — Origin
of name — Weight, size, and appearance — Why it is called the jumping
deer — Fire hunting— Herding of bucks — Hunting with hounds — Stalk-
ing— Migrations of the animal — Large numbers killed by hunters —
A hunt in the Bitter Root Mountains — Wailing of squaws — A visit
to an Indian cemetery — Disappearance of the mourners — A retreat —
Wolves — Sit up all night — Fear of Indians — A visit from them in the
morning — Our preparations for their reception — Mutual recognition —
The trapper's story — Visit the Indian camp — The pipe of peace —
Speeches — A buffalo dance — Revisit the burial-ground — Mode of bury-
ing the dead — Mourning songs of squaws — Change camp — Number
of deer captured, and how we bagged them — Wolves attacking a stag
— Death of five of them — Change quarters — Hunting does and fawns
— Why these keep to the foot-hills — Our success with them — Another
visit to the Indian camp — An aged couple deserted — How Indians treat
old people — Their fate.

THE mule deer (Cariacus mac rot is : Gray) is a denizen of the
vast area lying between the Bad Lands of Dakota and Ne-
braska and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges. It is
virtually the deer of the mountains and plateaus, as its con-
geners are of the forest and lowlands, for it is seldom found on
the plains, unless they are closely surrounded by rugged hills
or steep mountains, and even then only rarely, for the lowest
points to which it seems to descend voluntarily are the foot-
hills that jut out from the main ranges. Its favourite haunts
are near the summits of mountains having an altitude of from
one to five thousand feet, and there, free from many foes, it
leads a life of comparative ease and security. It always seeks
shelter in the timber during the day, but in the morning and
evening it frequents the more open grounds near the moun-
tain crests to graze on the tender and dainty grass that ig
nurtured during the spring and summer by the melting snow

248 STOX TING A D I 'ENTURES

on the higher pinnacles. In these retreats, notwithstanding
the fact that wolves and cougars are comparatively scarce, it
exercises the most scrutinizing vigilance, and the hunter that
would approach it undetected must have the caution, cunning,
and patience of an Indian. Like all mountain animals, it is
very keen of scent and easily alarmed, yet when it is not
hunted much, and persons approach it from the leeward at a
snail's pace, and halt frequently, they may get a shot at it, for,
like all its family, its vision seems to be so defective that it
is able to distinguish objects only when they are in motion.
Those who would be successful in stalking it should, therefore,
move slowly, tread lightly, and use their eyes instead of their
feet. The great point is to see the quarry before it sees you,
and as its coating closely resembles the grass and leaves, and
it is generally concealed in dense shrubbery during the day,
the only way in which this can be done is to peer sharply
in every direction and let the gaze rest steadily for a few
moments on spots where it is supposed to lurk. One should
work to the windward under all circumstances, for the
keen nostrils of a deer will detect the presence of a hunter
several hundred yards away, and it would be off in the most
noiseless manner before he even knew that it was about. Its
hearing being also excellent, the breaking of a branch, the
rustle of the shrubbery, or the crackling of a rotten bough
under foot would send it scampering away in a hurry ; hence,
the general advice may be summarized in a sentence — keep
your eyes open ; walk very slowly and lightly; and work to
windward. If a deer passes a person's front while he is out
stalking, he may cause it to halt long enough to get a shot by
giving a sharp whistle or call, as its curiosity is so strong that
it wants to know the meaning of every unusual sound and the
character of every strange object, even when the hounds are
in full pursuit. I have shot several that would have (lashed
past me in lull Might but for this ruse, and I remember few
cases in which 1 failed to cause a halt by its means. The
stop might be onlv for a second or two, vet it was lon<>-
enough to give a good opportunity for firing. Cautious as the
mule deer is, it will halt on hearing the signal, even in the open,

AV THE FAR WEST. 249

and with the hunter in plain view, for if it is one of the
most vigilant it is also one of the most inquisitive of its
family.

This fine animal, which seems to be the connecting link
between the wapiti and the smaller deer, derives its name from
the length of its ears and the form of its tail. The ears,
which are eight or nine inches long, are well bent forward and
are constantly in motion, as if trying to catch every sound ;
and the tail, which is about the same length, is rendered
conspicuously prominent by the fact that it is thin and rat-
like, bare of all hair beneath, but well covered with white hair
above, while the outer tip is decorated with a tuft of black
hairs two or three inches long. This deer attains a height
of from three and a half to four feet, and weighs from 180
to about 300 pounds. The body is round, and generally full in
outline, and the legs are so long, slender, and graceful that
they seem scarcely strong enough to carry the heavy body
which they support ; and one would certainly never give them
credit for the power they display in making the stupendous
bounds which have made the animal famous as the "jumping
deer/' I have seen it leap over matted trees and branches
which must have been all of twelve or fourteen feet in height,
and on one occasion it bounded over a fallen monarch of the
forest, a gigantic pine, which we found by measurement to
have a circumference of twenty-four feet at the base, and to be
elevated four or five feet from the ground by the quantity of
soil attached to its roots. Its ability to leap is a favourite
theme with old hunters, and some of the tales told by them
approach closely on the marvellous.

Another distinguishing feature in its appeara.i.r is the mag-
nificent antlers the staff bears. The lower beams in these- are

O

well set back, and the prongs jut straight upwards. The num-
ber of points frequently amounts to fifteen or sixteen, but the
usual number in an adult is ten, and if it exceeds this they
appear clumsy and are irregular in position. When seen from
a front view they look very striking and stately, and cause a
person to sigh for them and their owner. During the rutting
season, which eumniences about the last of October or the first
of November, thev are used to good advantage in the cmnbat^

250 SPOR TING AD VENTURES

between erotic males, and they sometimes become so entangled
that they cannot be separated, and both animals, as a conse-
quence, die of hunger.

The syrens whose voices lead the gallants to destruction
bring forth their young in June. These number one or two at
a birth, and while they are in their infancy the mother keeps
them concealed in the most inaccessible thickets, in order to
protect them from hungry foes. She remains with them until
the commencement of the next rutting season, then leaves
them to shift for themselves, while she goes careering and
whistling through the woods in search of lovers. The cry of
the females and the defiant snorts of the males may then be
heard in the usually silent forest, and these sounds give it an
air of life and animation most pleasing to the lurking hunter.
Should he then be engaged in " fire-hunting " during the
night, he may feel assiired of bagging many a stately stag and
graceful doe, as their whistling makes their position known,
and they are attracted so much by the blazing torches or
gleaming jack-lamp that they may be approached from the
leeward to within a few feet, and killed as easily as cows in a
farmyard. Aim is always taken between the large, soft, and
glistening eyes, and, as the bullet goes crashing into the brain,
death is the immediate result.

The mule deer is seldom, so far as I could learn., hunted with
hounds in the Far "West, owing to the rugged character of its
haunts, and its habit of dashing for the mountain peaks and
concealing itself, if possible, in rocky ravines or steep
precipices. It always selects the most stony and difficult
ground it can find, and where the scent cannot lie well ; hence
it escapes in the majority of cases. When the bucks isolate
themselves to grow their horns, they assemble in small groups
occasionally, and frequently use the same bed several nights
in succession, especially if they are not hunted much. Think-
ing I could avail myself of this characteristic to bag some, I
tried to run them with hounds on one occasion, but soon
found I could do nothing, as they separated at the first signal
of the dogs, and ran in different directions towards the sum-
mit. Presuming some would return on what I supposed to
be a regular runway, T posted myself there, but I waited in

IN THE FAR WEST. 251

vain, for none came near me, as they kept a straight course
and led the pursuers a merry race among rocky pinnacles,
where the line was soon lost. I heard the hounds giving
tongue at intervals among the peaks, but as they seemed to
remain in one spot I sounded the recall, and they came back
with an evident air of being nicely outwitted that time.

Thinking I might be able to capture one after all, I made a
cast on a new line, but before the dogs had run what I should
imagine to be a mile they became silent. I followed their
tracks as well as I could for three or four miles, and found
them pottering about, in the most indecisive manner, amid
ledges of trap rock and a grassless soil that would scarcely
retain the odour of a polecat. I then learned that their apparent
proximity was due to the resonant echoes of the mountain and
forest, and that I had had a hard tramp for nothing. On
looking for the slot or seal of the deer they had been pursuing,
I saw that it led into a ravine, and on entering this I detected
the wily character of the animal immediately, for when it
entered the rivulet it did not emerge on the other side, but
waded downward with the current. Not caring to go on a
wild goose chase, I retraced my footsteps, and went back to
town without a trophy. That was my first and last attempt
at hunting the macrotian creature with hounds ; though I
would not presume to infer from this failure that it cannot be
pursued to good advantage with dogs in a less difficult region
than the one I was in.

The best time for hunting it is when the early snows of
winter force it to descend to the foot-hills in order to secure
food and shelter. One may stalk it then rather easily, if it lias
not been hunted mueh, as it seems loth to leave its coverts,
and is not so liable to head for the steep summits on the first
alarm. If one can secure a good position in a frequented run-
way, during this annual migration, he may reap a large deer
harvest, for the animals come trooping down rapidly in single
file, and seem more anxious to reaeh their destination than to
avoid danger. It' the hunter should have a rifle that carries a
small charge of powder and a heavy ball, he is more likely to
be successful than if he were armed with the usual hunting
weapons, as the report is not so great as that of thr latter,

252 SPORTING ADVENTURhS

nor are the woods so prompt in echoing1 it. It sounds more
like the crash of a branch than an indication of danger, hence
the deer are not so readily alarmed by it. T heard of a man
who killed over a hundred on one stand in a mountain pass
in Colorado, and he would have probably slain as many more
had he not been injured seriously by the charge of a furious
buck he had wounded, and disdained to avoid, until it was too
late to escape a thrust.

It is nothing- unusual for an experienced hunter to bag from
two to five deer in a day if they are at all numerous ; and I
heard of a hunter who killed ten between sunrise and sunset,
and I knew a French half-breed to claim the death of fifteen
after an absence of fifty-six hours.

The number killed in a week by those who supply the mar-
ket or hunt for others under contract, is almost incredible to
persons whose greatest exploit has been to bag a stag in a
week perhaps, or who do not know how abundant deer are in
portions of the West. Were they told that a man has killed
230 wapitis, 80 deer, and several buffaloes in two weeks, they
would be likely to consider the matter for awhile at least before
giving it credence, yet it has been done, I understand, by Dr.
Carver; and I knew a stock-raiser who was said to have killed
thirty mule deer from Monday to Saturday in Idaho Countv,
Idaho Territory ; but there the animals were numerous indeed,
and, according to his statement, ie were almost as thick as flies
in June/' This is one of the best game regions in the West,
as nearly every large quadruped peculiar to the country may
be found there.

One of the most interesting week's sport that I had in the
West was in that section of country. The party was limited
to two, as our purpose was to devote our attention specially to
the mule deer, which was said to be very abundant, and little
hunted, My companion was a veteran Nimrod who had, in
former years, lived by trapping, but who, when the country
began to get settled up, and gold and silver were discovered
there, turned miner, only to change after awhile to a stock-
raiser and rancher. His career had been one of arduous toil
and bold adventure, and he had had more than one contest
with Indians and wild annuals, vet. notwithstanding his hard

IN THE FAR WEST. 253

and unsympathetic life, his heart was as tender as a woman's,
and he had a species of chivalry, which, though rude, was
founded on as high principles of honour as those which
governed the conduct of the most famous knights of old.

Bold and daring, and ready to meet any man with deadly
weapons in a moment, should he give him cause therefor, yet
he would be the first to help him afterwards if he were worthy
of it. Strong in friendship, generous in character, tender and
true, he was a fine type of those men who formerly lived on
the wild frontier, but who are now passing away, owing to the
settling up of the country and the cessation, comparatively
speaking, of the fur trade in regions where no other business
was once known. Hunter, trapper, and Indian fighter, it
could be well said of him as it was of one of his prototypes :

" And the happy, careless rover,
Through the wilds he wander'd over,
Told his deeds by glade and cover
All along the wild frontier.
Oft the squirrel, listening near,
When long-parted comrades greeted,
Heard the wondrous tales repeated ;
Heard that when the game was started,
Sped their fortunes well or not,
He was still the lightest-hearted,
And the surest rifle-shot."

Under his guidance I wended my way to the Bitter Root
Mountains, and as I have cause to long remember the scene of
our hunt, I have entered into unusual details to show what
manner of men are often met with in the West.

We took with us a small tent, a generous supply of food and
tobacco, a full equipment of arms, and a large mastiff to act
as camp guard. Each rode a hardy mustang, and we had two
mules which acted as pack animals. A march of twenty miles
brought us to the hunting-ground late in the evening, and
there we pitched our camp, near a rivulet, and in a dense
thicket of firs, pines, and larches.

When supper was finished my companion fell to relating
reminiscences of his life, and so interesting were they to me
that it was past one o'clock before we retired to our humble
couch on the ground. We had been asleep half an hour per-

254 SPORTING ADVENTURES

haps, when I was awakened l>y the loud wailing1 of a woman,
and this sounded so strange in that wild region that I jumped
to my feet at once, and listened attentively for a few moments
in order to find out the direction whence the crying emanated.
I supposed at first that the moaning was that of somebody in
distress, but before I had decided what to do, my comrade,
whom I supposed to be asleep, said, " That's nothing ; only a
squaw crying about some of her dead relations."

" How came the squaw here?" said I.

" I don't know," was the laconic reply, " unless there's a
camp somewhere near us."

As I was rather anxious to know positively the cause of the
wailing, he arose, and both of us having armed ourselves, we
started in the direction whence we heard it, I, for one, feeling-
somewhat alarmed, as I feared something was amiss. A walk
of five minutes in the dense forest, through which the moon-
beams could scarcely penetrate, led us into a small glade in
which several trees grew in a clump ; and on reaching this
place we halted, as the wailing seemed to issue from that thicket.

As I could see no camp there, nor any signs of one, I was
rather dubious about the correctness of my friend's surmises,
and told him so ; but he cleared my doubts in a moment by
saying that the coppice was a burial-ground of a band or tribe
of Indians, who often camped there during the summer when
they were out gathering roots and berries, or on the march for
the buffalo grounds of Montana or British America.

As the moon was then shining brightly, I expressed a strong
desire to visit the cemetery, to see what it looked like ; he
objected at first, saying that Indians did not like to have white
men intrude on such sacred ground ; yet when he saw how
anxious I was about the matter, he complied with my wishes,
and we entered the copse together. We had scarcely done so,
however, when the crying ceased, and a moment later we saw a
squaw gliding through the trees like a shadow, and before we
could assure her of our friendly character she disappeared as
suddenly as if the ground had swallowed her up.

When he beheld this, he said in the most laconic manner
possible, "That means trouble for us I fear."

IN THE FAR WEST. 255

"Why? "said I.

" Because she'll tell her people, who can't be fur off, that
there are white strangers here ; and as they are naturally of a
suspicious disposition they may think we have some designs
against them, and if they do not attack us they may try to
steal our animals."

"What ought to be done then?" said I.

" Get out of here as quickly as possible/' said he ; " and go
to camp and put out the fire, so that they cannot find us by
its light. They won't attempt to harm us now, as they have
a superstitious fear of making a night attack ; and if they try
to hunt us up in the morning we know that they mean mis-
chief, and we also know what we ought to do."

This state of affairs was not pleasant to contemplate, and I
chided myself for my stubborn curiosity, but when I saw that
my companion displayed no change in his looks or demeanour,
I felt reassured, and hoped I had not placed him in any serious
predicament.

On reaching camp we found it surrounded with gray wolves,
but they were too cautious to make a raid on our edibles or
animals, owing to their fear of the mastiff, which was tied
near the tent and barking loudly. The mules seemed to be in
the greatest state of alarm, for they strained at their pickets
and plunged and neighed with fright. Fearing that our steeds
would break away, and that we might be left to the mercies
of all foes if we did not drive off the wolves, we were com-
pelled, much as we disliked to make any noise, to open fire on
them, and after the second volley from our shot-guns they
disappeared in the gloom like magic, leaving three dead and
two mortally wounded behind them. The latter two were
finished with our hunting knives, and throwing their carcasses
on a tree, we put out the blazing fire by scattering it, and
covering it with wet leaves and branches.

We then loaded our arms and waited patiently for daylight,
for it was our intention to be the first to make a movement if
the Indians came to hunt us up or make any hostile demon-
stration.

We could not have slept, even if we desired to do so, as the

2 s 6 ST OR TING A D VENTURES

wolves were howling- fearfully all night long, and their cries,
which sounded more weird and dismal than even those of the
squaw, were kept up so uninterruptedly that they would seem-
ingly awake the seven sleepers.

About five o'clock the first streaks of dawn appeared, and as
soon as it was light enough to move about we emerged from
the tent, and taking the dog with us, concealed ourselves in a
dense thicket about two hundred yards away, so that we could
watch the movements of the Indians should the}' approach the
camp. We adopted this measure instead of retreating for the
reason that we did not know how they would treat us. If
they intended to do us any injury wf> surmised that they could
readily overtake us ; if they did not, we thought it unnecessary
to change our quarters until we desired to do so ; neither did we
wish to show them we feared them — a most dangerous thing
to do; — but, besides this, was the fact that we knew we could
escape from them more readily on foot than on horseback in
that region of woods and chasms.

In the course of half an hour we heard the mules kicking
and plunging and neighing with fright, and guessed from
their actions that our anticipated visitors were near the camp,
for a mule can wind an Indian when no other quadruped would
be aware of his presence, and, as it has the greatest fear of him,
it is by far the best sentinel known to announce his coming.
Peering from amid our foliaceous retreat, we saw ten armed
braves boldly advancing towards our mustangs, as if about to
seize them. My companion, who was as cool in his demeanour
as if he were in his own house, said he would be hanged if
some of them would not pay dearly before he left them if they
touched his animals.

" "We can wipe 'em out in two minutes with our Win-
chesters/' said he, " and if there are any more of 'em, we
can mount and make a run for it, as I don't feel inclined to
try my legs in running over these mountains from a pack of
redskins, but if there ain't any more, we have the field to
ourselves/'

Before they reached the horses, however, another figure
appeared on the scene, not twenty yards away from us. He

IN THE FAR WEST. 257

was a stout, medium-sized man, about fifty years of age, and
was dressed in a glaring scarlet blanket, leggings of the same
material, and a hare-skin cap covered his head. He was
evidently a personage of importance, for he walked with a
certain air that indicated he was a chief, or at least a sub-
ehief. My companion, who was waiting for some overt act to
be done before commencing the battle, scanned him closely,
and after a scrutiny of a few seconds, said : " Why, I know that
old buck well ; that's Bannock Jem ; and I think he ought to
know me. I've made a fool of myself this time anyway.
Let's get out of here at once; but we mus'nt go the front
way, as they might think we were afraid and were hiding from
them, and we don't want any Injuns to think that."

We therefore retreated for some distance, then struck to the
right and approached the camp in a roundabout way, to lead
our visitors to infer that we had been out hunting, yet we took
excellent care to have our rifles ready for instant use. When
we reached our head-quarters we saw some of the Indians un-
loosening our packs of provisions, and helping themselves to
some of them, but on seeing us they stopped their work
immediately, and looked at us with an air in which there was
not a little fear and suspicion.

When my companion saw the chief, for such he proved to
be, he advanced towards him, held out his hand, and said
" How," and the salutation was promptly and, for an Indian,
earnestly returned. Both then conversed together for ton
minutes or more in the Indian language, the remainder of the
parly being wondering spectators; and when it was over mv
comrade gave the chief some tobacco, buckshot, tea, coffee, and
sugar. The others received a present of tobacco, but nothing
else, as the donor said he had not food enough to last while we
intended to be out. This seemed to satisfy them, for on going
away all said " How " to both of us, and a few moments later
vanished in the forest.

I asked my companion who the Indians were, and how he
happened to know them so well ; and he, in response, told me
the following story : —

"'Bout twenty years ago I was trapping in the Blackleet

25 8 SrOR TING A D VENTURES

country 'way north-east, and as I wasn't doing much I con-
cluded to go into the buffalo country, and try my hand a hit
at shooting, in order to get food for the winter, and a few
hides to provide myself with tobacco and powder and shot.
While on my way there I met the band of Injuns commanded
by this Jem you've seen, but he had some other name then
which I don't now recollect. He isn't a real Bannock, and his
band was then, and is now, made up of renegades from several
tribes, and they never count for much, as they won't stop on
the reservation, and they acknowledge no law but their own.
Well, when I struck their camp, I was so mighty hungry that
I didn't care what I did, and I'd have fought the whole of the
tribe for a piece of meat — for I tell you a man doesn't care
much for bullets when he is starving and food is near. So I
entered their camp boldly. They were as surprised as Injuns
can be when they saw me riding down between their tepees,
but they made no effort to injure me, for Injuns always like
sand in a man, even if he is their foe — and none of the Injuns
were then overfond of the whites.

" When I saw the chief's tent, which I knew by its size, I
jumped off my mule and walked in. I found this Jem and
his whole family, wives, children, and dogs inside. The women,
children, and dogs wore all eating together, so I knew he hud
finished his grub, for the braves never eat with the squaws and
youngsters, and the only company these have are their flea-
eaten curs. When they saw me they looked kind afraid, but
they never said anything, nor did I ; and walking towards a big
iron pot — which they must have stolen from the whites — I
I looked into it, and finding it full of meat I helped myself to
some, and after I had stuffed myself full — for every person can
help himself in an Injun camp to any grub he sees there — I lit
my pipe and offered a smoke to this ere Jem, who was lying down
on a buffalo-hide near the fire, and he took it mighty quick I
tell you, for I think he was out of tobacco. When he finished
he gave it back, and knowing by his looks that he wished he
could have a few more puffs, I took out my pouch and gave
him half I had, and he grabbed it as quickly as a starving
man would a piece of venison.

L\ THE FAR WEST. 259

" Well, I stopped in camp that night, but not in any tepee, as
I had plenty of blankets of my own, so I slept under a tree.
Next day I traded some powder and balls for a large chunk of
elk, and slinging1 this on my saddle, I marched out of camp
without saying a word to anybody. I travelled about five
miles that day, and seeing beaver signs plenty, I concluded to
try my luck there. I made a nice wickiup in a thicket of
cottonwoods, and after that was built I placed my traps in the
creek until I got within two miles, may be, of the Injun
camp, for I saw the Injuns weren't working it, because,
perhaps, they were after scalps not beavers.

"'Were you not afraid of being so near them when alone?'
said I.

" No/' was the answer, " because I knew they wouldn't
hurt me so long as I had made a friend of the chief, and that
he was a friend I guessed from the way in which he took some
matches from me. He didn't know what they were, except
that they would light when struck ; and as this seemed to be
great medicine to him, I knew he would put them in his
medicine bag and worship them ever after, and I, of
course, would always be respected by him for giving him the
medicine.

" Well, I stayed in camp there two days, but I wasn't idle, for
I killed four deer, in order to have plenty of meat for a week
or two. On the third day I visited my traps, and when I
got to those near the Injun village I heard a tremendous
yelling, and, on looking about, saw a dozen of the redskins
running out of a piece of woods, not seventy yards away from
me, and about fifty more legging it after them and shooting
arrows at them in a lively style.

" I knew at once that it was a surprise by the Blackfeet, and
as I did not care to be jumped by them, I dodged into the
sage brush and threw myself flat on the ground. Very soon
after, I saw three Injuns running across my front, and on
sitting up a little found that the first was this Jem, and that
the other two were big Blackfeet, who were screaming like
the steam-whistle of a cotton-mill. Now, Jem having been
good to me, I didn't care to see him double-banked, and as 1

260 SPORTING ADVENTURES

had no great love for the thieving1 Blackfeet, I drew a bead
on them and tumbled them both over in two shots as dead as
a sardine-box,

"When Jem heard the report of the firing1 he turned round, and
seeing that the Blackfeet had somehow disappeared, he guessed
what had become of them. I jumped up at the same time
and beckoned to him to stop, which he did, and we both ran
for eamp together. I told him by the sign language what I
had done, and, though he said nothing, I knew he was mighty
thankful, for it was more than likely that if 1 hadn't been
round there his scalp would have gone to the Blackfeet nation ;
and he knew it.

" Well, when we got to camp all the braves had turned out
to fig-lit the Blackfeet, but before they were driven oil' I had a
chance of trying my old ( long torn ' on them, and I reckon I
plunked four or five of them badly, if not for good.

" After the old thieves had dusted out of sight, I learned
how they had surprised the Bannocks, and a nice trick it was,
I tell you. Two of them, dressed in the skins of the black bear,
came out on a knoll in sight of the camp, and began to act
as cuffee does, by raising themselves on their hind-legs,
hanging down their paws, and tossing their head as that coon
does when he is playing. The Bannocks saw them, and
about twenty went out to capture them, intending to have
lots of fun, but before they had gone a mile from the village
they ran into a pile of Blackfeet, who were in ambush in a
ravine, and these bounced 'em at once and killed seven of them.

When the Bannocks learned of their loss the squaws and
children set up the most tremendous piece of howling and
crying I ever heard, and kept it going for two or thiv.- days,
while the boasting skunks, who had run away like scared ante-
lopes, told of the great deeds of those who were scalped,
though I doubt if they did anything more than scoot for
camp as fast as they could.

" When the wild howling was over, the village moved north,
and I went with them, trapping and hunting wherever I had
a chance. I learned their language in a short time, but as
I wasn't dead in love with their company I left them as soon

IN THE FAR WEST. 261

as I had a load of peltries, and went back to the settlements
for three months.

" I saw Jem again during the Snake War, as I was a
Government scout, and did him a good turn when the Injuns
were whipped ; I have also met him several times since
then, and always treated him kindly, so that he ought
to remember me, and if he didn't do me a kindness, I should
consider he was meaner than a rattlesnake, or a tarantula and
a skunk put together."

While this tale was being told he was preparing breakfast,
and when we finished that, he proposed that we should visit
the Indian camp and call at the cemetery on our way back.

A walk of twenty minutes brought us to their village, which
was picturesquely situated on the banks of the rivulet, and on
the edge of the forest. When we entered, the chief met us

~ '

and led us to his wigwam, and we were soon reinforced by
several others, who had come in to meet the friendly strangers.
As soon as all were seated, the chief drew a long and large
black slate pipe out of a dirty bag, and filled it with tobacco ;
and while he was doing this my companion told me it was
intended as a sign of welcome, and that when it was passing
around I should not speak a word, as even a whisper was con-
sidered to be bad medicine, and sure to bring them ill-luck,
and to break its spell the pipe would have to be refilled and
the same ceremony gone through with ab initio. " I know
you don't want to keep that pipe long in your mouth/' said
he naively, " for it's old, foul, and dirty." I promised com-
pliance with his request, and the ceremony commenced. The
chief first took a few whiffs in the most grave and formal
manner, then handed the pipe to my friend, and when he had
taken two or three pulls it was handed to me, and so it went
all round the squatters. When all had taken a puff, the
chief told them in short, broken sentences, which were vigorous
though solemn, how kind a friend my companion had been,
and when he finished his oration there was a unanimous
" uch " of approbation, which proved how thoroughly the
friendship was appreciated.

The guest answered them sententiously, and explained to

262 SPORTING ADVENTURES

them his purpose in coming into that region, and another
" neh " followed, to prove that his statements were deemed
correct and everything comme il faut. A young brave then
arose, and said they were very sorry for disturbing our camp ;
that they would not have done so had they known who we
were ; but, that though friendly to the pale-faces, some bad
whites frequently stole their horses, and they did not know
but we might be some of these bad people, as none of
the regular settlers ever visited that section. More grunts
followed this vigorous explanation, then all dispersed, as they
were anxious to recommence the buffalo dance which they had
been indulging in for several days, in order that they might
have good medicine or luck in their buffalo hunts; for they
were then preparing to go on their annual chase in Montana
or British America.

We witnessed this dance, but it differed in no way from their
ordinary rude jumping and stamping in a circle, except that
the warriors wore masks made of buffalo-heads, or the
skins of the animal thrown over their shoulders, while they
sung, or rather yelled, some rude refrain, the leading part being
taken by the medicine man.

All carried their rifles or bows and arrows in their hands, and
went through the ceremony of shooting and cutting up
imaginary buffaloes, and offering the best pieces to the Great
Spirit. When a warrior became fatigued he retired, and his
place was taken by another, and so the ceremony was continued,
perhaps, for days at a time.

After looking at it as long as we wished, we left the camp
and moved towards the burial-ground, and on approaching it
we heard loud wailing again. This cemetery was certainly
novel if not interesting to look at, for several mummy-like
bodies, which were tightly wrapped in old clothes or buffalo-
hides, were placed on poles or trees, and a number of skulls
and bones were strewn over the ground. The feet of all pointed
towards the rising sun, and beside them were placed bows and
arrows, old rifles, camp utensils, and such other articles as they
were supposed to need in the happy hunting-grounds. The
skins -oi mustangs and dogs were placed on tall poles in some

IN THE FAR WEST. 263

places, these useful companions being intended to accompany
the braves in their wanderings through the unknown land.

They do not always get rid of their dead in this manner,
however, for if they are on the march they stick the body into
any hole they meet, covering it lightly with stones, branches,
and dirt, and a squaw or unimportant personage does not even
receive this rude sepulture very often, but is left to rot on the
ground, or is tumbled into a precipice, to be devoured by wild
animals. A chief or famous brave is always buried with much
barbaric pomp, and food is carried to him for several days, so
that he may not want for pabulum on his long journey to his
everlasting abode. The squaws often visit the remains of their
kindred in the regular cemetery, and moan and wail by the
hour beside them, calling them endearing names, and asking
their forgiveness for any wrongs done them in life. Such a
scene certainly appeals to a person's sympathy ; but from what
I could learn I should fancy that the ceremony was one of
formality rather than of feeling.

We found two squaws in the burial-ground who were alter-
nately crying loudly, or crooning a mournful chaunt, in which,
according to my companion, they wei'C calling upon their
departed husbands to look with pity and kindness upon them,
as they had ever tried to be good and dutiful wives. They
also bemoaned their loss, as they had no person then to supply
them with food, to kill the shaggy buffalo, or to speak kind
words to them.

It is a custom, it seems, among some of the tribes, that a
widow has no standing, and unless her own kindred provide
her with food and shelter she might starve for what the
majority cared.

When we left the Golgotha the women were still wailing,
and so intense was it that it rung in my ears for several days
afterwards.

When we returned to camp we decided to pack up and move
some miles further, as we did not expect to be able to find
much game in that quarter, owing to the presence of the
Indians. By live o'clock we reached a splendid camping-
ground in a thicket of graceful black pines, and convenient to

264 SPORTLVG ADVENTURES

water. After supper we retired to rest in security, and awoke
the next morning1 before daylight, and after breakfast started
towards the summit of the mountain, intending to beat
downwards — always the best plan to be followed in stalking
the mule deer. In the course of half an hour we entered
a most picturesque glade, which was clad with the greenest
of grasses, and dainty, bright-lined sub-alpine flowers, and
there saw two stags grazing as serenely as if they did not
have a foe on earth. After a brief consultation we concluded
to separate, and while my friend worked to the windward I
crawled tediously downward from the leeward, taking care not
to even tread on a decayed branchlet. When I reached to
within what I deemed to be sixty yards of them, Iraised my head,
and peered cautiously forward, and when I saw they were still
there my heart gave a throb of joy, for I felt almost sure of
one at least, but before I could raise my rifle they were off
like a flash, and running past me up the mountain. I fired
at random, and almost simultaneously with my report came
another from the left. Rushing into the glade, to see what
the result of the fire was, I met my companion, and we
both commenced searching for some signs of blood, and
though we followed up the slots, which were readily discer-
nible in the grass for half a mile, in the most careful manner,
we concluded that both had missed, and we blessed ourselves
accordingly.

As the characteristic of a true hunter is to never get dis-
heartened under any circumstances, we resumed our journey,
and began crawling and 'peering as before. We had not
proceeded far before we saw four or five in a group near a
ravine, and these we tried to stalk at once. I went up the moun-
tain to head them oil', and on reaching a favourable position for
a running shot, I gave a long but not loud whistle, as a signal
to my companion that he might open the ball, lie answered
promptly \\ith his rille, and on hearing it I jumped behind
a tree and placed my gun to my .shoulder. In a lew seconds,
I heard a crashing through the bushes, and on looking out saw
a splendid stag c<nne bounding towards me at an easy gait. I
waited until he came to within a few yards of me, then gave

IN THE FAR WEST. 265

a sharp whistle. He halted at once to learn its import, and
gazed in the direction whence the sound emanated, but before
he could decide what it was I planted a bullet right between
the eyes, and he fell forward on his face, stone dead. " Hoopee,"
yelled I in the most joyous manner, and a little later I heard a
voice issuing from the forest and calling out, " Have you got
him?" "Yes," said I; "come and see what a fine fellow he
is." The owner of the voice was soon beside me, and using
complimentary terms for bagging " such a fine critter." He
was evidently full grown, for his antlers, which were large and
wide-spreading, boasted of sixteen points, and his body was as
plump as that of a stuffed pheasant. We drew his viscera at
once, and tried to suspend him head downward on the bough of a
large fir, but as he was too heavy to be pushed up conveniently,
I was compelled to climb the tree and help to haul him up on the
stub of a huge branch, by means of a stout piece of twine that
was fastened to the hind-legs.

That matter being finished satisfactorily, I descended, and
asked my companion what success he had met with, and he
replied in the dryest manner possible that he reckoned his deer
was making fun of him on the other side of the ravine, but he
hoped to be able to laugh at it in a short time. " I'll make
that there critter pay for wagging his tail and kicking up his
heels at me," said he, "and treating me with as much eon-
tempt as a horse-thief would a Justice of the Peace."

Further inquiry revealed the fact that he had fired and
missed, although he thought he had made a hit, and that the
animal had been making fun of him by wagging its tail
violently as it disappeared down a canyon.

As he presumed that the group had not moved far off, we
returned to where they had been started, and followed their
slots into the chasm, thence across it and up on the other
side. We had scarcely emerged from its depths before we
saw the animals trotting quietly away; but they did not
move more than a hundred yards ere they stopped to ga/e at
us. The range was a long one, all of three hundred yards,
but my companion concluded to try a shot nevertheless, so he
picked out a large stag that presented a three-quarter view, and

266 SPORTING ADVENTURES

taking- deliberate aim, he fired at the heart, and when the
smoke cleared away we beheld the herd scampering off at full
speed. When he saw his quarry going as fast as the others
he burst into a vigorous expletive, and said he was sure the
buck must be an enchanted one, or he would not have missed
him twice in succession.

As every hunter knows a stag that nothing can kill, and
defies every stratagem planned for his destruction, I was rather
amused at his apparent sincerity of expression, and asked him
if he had ever known or heard of an enchanted stag-; and he re-
plied that while he did not believe in enchantment, except when
exercised by woman's eyes, he was positively sure that there
was an occasional buck that no person could hit with an
ordinary rifle, and he felt certain that this was one of that
class. While this conversation was taking place we were
moving rapidly after the runaways, but before we had pro-
ceeded five hundred yards he gave an exclamation of surprise,
slapped his right thigh vehemently, and said in the most
emphatic manner, " By Jerusalem ! I've got him ; he aint
enchanted after all." On looking at the ground I saw several
large drops of blood, and following them up we came upon the
stag in a clump of bushes. He was perieetly dead, and by
the manner in which he lay we presumed he had received a
wound in the heart. An examination revealed this fact, and
also that a rifle-ball had struck the under portion of his tail, as
it was cut, though not deeply, from the tip to nearly the root.

After my friend had exhausted his joy at having killed such
a tough customer, he said he would pardon him now for waving
his tail at him, for that almost any critter would hoist his flag
when it was stung like that. We treated this one as we had
the last, but, instead of hanging it we cached it on a huge
boulder, to keep it safe from wolves and bears.

Our next move was to clamber towards the summit of the
mountain, but always beating to the windward, as we did not
want to lose any chances, and the deer were apparently so
plentiful, and so little hunted, that we were anxious to secure
venison enough to last for some time. We trudged along for
an hour or more, but saw none, though their sluts were visible

IN THE FAR WEST. 267

iu many places. On reaching a small, basin-like turn we
scanned its banks closely, and descried on the opposite side a
group of half a dozen or more stags, which were slaking- their
thirst in its bluish water.

While we were standing in the shade of a tree we noticed
that they took only one long draught before raising their
heads to survey their surroundings, and that some one of them
was always peering about. While watching them with keen
interest, they made a sudden plunge into the water, and swam
rapidly towards us; and on looking for the cause of their unex-
pected alarm we saw a young stag struggling bravely against
a dozen or more wolves, but as his hamstring was evidently
cut by the cunning prowlers, he could do nothing more than
use his horns vigorously, while they harassed him on every
side.

The poor fellow was snorting and plunging and scattering
the leaves and fallen branches about in his mad efforts to
escape ; but before we could learn his fate our attention was
attracted to the animals approaching us. When they readied
to within a few yards of the bank we fired at them in rapid
succession, but we killed only two, the remainder escaping by
swimming towards another portion of the bank. I have found
it rather a difficult matter to shoot deer in the water when
they were moving from me, as only a small portion of the
skull is seen ; hence, though we fired at them several times,
I doubt if we hit one severely enough to cripple it. The two
in the lake were pulled ashore by my friend, who dragged
them after him one by one until they were in water so shallow
that we could both pull them on terra firma together.

When they were landed, which required no small effort to
accomplish, we turned our attention to the wolves, and ran as
fast as we could round the lake in their direction. When
we reached to within one or two hundred yards of them we
halted to watch their actions, and to get a shot at them if
possible. A momentary glance revealed to us the fact that
they were fighting and snarling over the slain animal, but we
could see nothing of it, so closely were they grouped about it.
"\\ e therefore concluded that we might bag one or two, owinu1

268 SPORTING ADVENTURES

to their heedlessness to all things but the feast they were
enjoying so we nelvaneed towards them as stealthily as possible,
and got to within fifty yards of them before we were detected.

They showed little fear of us, however, for they did not
attempt to eseape, and, as we intended to make hay while the
sun shone, we opened a rapid fire on them, and kept it up for
several seconds. When we ceased the majority of the pack
were gone, but they left five of their comrades dead and
wounded behind them. Two were killed outright, and the
other three were so badly crippled that they could not escape,
and these we soon finished with our revolvers. They made
no effort to show fight, and we could have kicked them with-
out apparently, eliciting any more display of feeling from them
than a howl of pain.

Having had a most unexpected and unusual, if not extra-
ordinary morning's sport, we decided to place all our game
together in a secure cache, and to take home only one buck
for fresh meat. It took us four hours of hard walking and
steady toil to accomplish this, and when we finished we were
as weary a pair of hunters as the country could produce that
day. When we returned to camp we found its faithful
guardian dozing near the fire, and received from him a joyous
greeting.

While my comrade attended to the preparations for supper
I went for water to the rivulet, and there I found a splendid
yearling doe lying dead, her throat being cut open and torn
from the jowl to near the chest. I supposed at first it svas
the work of a cougar, but on tilting up the legs I saw the
blood run out, and knowing the habit that animal has of
drinking up the life fluid before it touches anything else, and
then dragging the body away to a place of concealment, I
concluded I had guessed wrongly that time; yet I knew it
could not have been wolves that had killed her, or they would
have eaten her in the twinkling of an eye. I was sorely
puzzled to account for her death, and when I returned to camp
I told my companion of the fact. " It must be Dick's work,"
said he, "and if it is we'll soon know it." Calling the dog,
we returned to the rivulet, and when we approached it that

AY THE FAR WEST. 269

intelligent fellow ran forward and commenced worrying the
animal — a proof that he had seen it before ; so we decided
that he was the hero of the occasion.

When we carried it back we cut it up and cooked a portion
of it for dinner, and I must say it was the tenderest and
most succulent venison I had ever tasted. We hung- what
we did not use on a tree ; but its smell brought so many
wolves about the camp during the night that they annoyed
us sorely, and we had to use our rifles and shot-guns occa-
sionally on them, always taking aim at the shining eyes
which were illumined so brightly by the fire that they seemed
to glow. We killed seven of them before eleven o'clock, and
after that time they gave us a rest, though their melancholy
howling rung in our ears all night long.

My companion told me during the evening that he had
never seen a deer so easily captured by wolves as the one in
the morning, and he attributed it to his being surprised.
Deer always rush for the water, it seems, when pursued by
these animals ; but he never knew the latter to follow them
through it, though he had seen them head one off in a lake,
and finally capture it by keeping it swimming until it was so
exhausted that it could make no defence against them.

We hunted in this section for two days with splendid
success, then descended to the foot-hills, in order to bag some
does and fawns, for the latter rarely go as high up on the
mountains as the males, as they think they enjoy greater
security by hiding in the thickets than in bounding over the
rocky pinnacles. Another reason advanced by hunters for
this characteristic is, that when the fawns are young they
have not the sense of smell, so that they are more likely to
escape their many foes when concealed in thickets than if they
had the sense fully developed, and kept to open ground. Dams
also prefer such places to secrete their youngsters while they
are out grazing; so that it is evidently a wise choice on their
j art to keep to the foot-hills. The ground being wet, we
decided to make a bed for ourselves that would lift us out of
the reach of rheumatism, and this we did by driving four
crotches, sharpened at one end, into the ground and placing

2/o SPORTING ADVENTURES

stout boughs upon them. Wo then put branches across the
main supports in the same manner as slats are in the ordinary
wooden bedstead, and these we covered with a generous supply
of the branchlets of pine, fur, and larch, until we had com-
pleted a fragrant couch fit for the gods. Over this we spread
our blankets ; and after pressing it once or twice to see that
it was soft, we were perfectly contented with it, and enjoyed,
in anticipation, a stretch upon it after the toils of a day's
hunting. Having partaken of a hearty dinner, we set out in
quest of deer ; but after a tramp of two hours we saw nothing
at which to fire, except some coveys of blue grouse, but as we
did not care to waste ammunition on them just then, we
allowed them to rest in peace. "While loitering along on our
way back to camp my friend called my attention to the outline
of a deer's head, which was visible through the shrubbery
about thirty or forty yards away. The animal was evidently
looking at us with the greatest curiosity, and trying to decide
to what species we belonged. As we were at a halt, and to
the leeward, it did not become alarmed, and I do not know how
long it would have remained staring at us had not my com-
panion asked me to fire at it. Taking deliberate aim, I pulled
the trigger slowly, and when the report ceased I heard a heavy
crashing in the undergrowth. On reaching the spot we found
a handsome doe lying dead, the ball having entered the skull
near the top, and come out at the back part. She was such a
handsome creature that I felt almost sorry for killing her, and
I actually wished her alive again. On looking at her I could
not help noting the ridiculous contrast which her huge,
awkward-looking ears and rat-like tail presented to her line
body and graceful limbs, and this caused me to think that
Nature must have some special purpose in view in com-
bining the graceful and the ludicrous in the same animal or
thing.

Leaving her where she fell, we commenced beating down
and across the wind, and soon espied two docs and their fawns
a short distance ahead, but before we could fire at them they
went scurrying to the right, up the hill. Still onward we
toiled, but though we saw several fawns and their dams they

IN THE FAR WEST. 271

were off like a flash the moment they espied us. I always
found it an exceedingly difficult matter to approach does when
their fawns were with them, as they fled immediately on
beholding any strange object, and the crackling of boughs or
the brushing of leaves caused them to stampede even before
the hunter appeared in sight. Their long ears catch sounds
a great distance off, and their sight is also fairly sharp, so that
one has to move in the most circumspect manner, and halt
frecpuently, if he would bag them. We found it a much easier
matter to stalk the stags than the does, so we concluded that
we had not improved our prospects much by a change of camp.
We kept up our hope, however, and toiled away until near
sunset, when we came suddenly upon a group of does and
fawns as they were drinking in a ravine, a few feet below us.
We approached them so cautiously that they did not hear us,
and it was not until we stood over them that they detected
our presence. On recognizing us, however, they were off like
a shot, and as they dashed up the opposite side we let drive at
them. Following in rapid pursuit, we found one dead within
a distance of three hundred yards, the ball having entered the
spinal column at the root of the tail, and from traces of blood
seen further on we deduced that another was wounded. We
followed the trail at a rapid run for a mile or more, but not
seeing anything of the injured animal we returned to the slain
one, and carried it to camp by slinging it on a pole by the
hind-legs, and placing the pole on our shoulders. The first
doe killed was brought in a little later, and all our trophies-
were then placed togethei*, after the viscera were drawn.

We hunted in these mountains seven days, and killed twenty
deer, a few wolves, and several brace of pine hens ; but we
could have done much better if we had kept to the peaks
instead of the foot-hills, for the stags, cautious as they may be,
cannot be compared in this characteristic with does having
fawns by their sides. Our departure homeward was hastened
by having a polecat invade our camp, an intrusion which the
dog resented, so he killed it, but not before he received such a
shower of perfume as made him the bane of every person he
came in contact with for a week or two afterwards.

272 SPORTING ADVENTURES

Our stock of venison was so large that we had to transport
it in detail on the hacks of the mules and mustangs to the
valley, and this required two days to accomplish, for sonic of
the deer were so heavy that one was an ample load over rough
ground. When all were together we cached them in a ravine,
and while my friend went home after two waggons to take our
trophies hack, I remained behind to keep guard over them,
and to spend a day by myself in the mountains.

Mounting1 my mustang early in the morning, I rode towards
the Indian camp, and reached it in three hours, but where all
had been barbaric revelry a few days before, nothing was now
to be seen except old poles and piles of bones and offal. While
wandering carelessly through it I was startled to see two
creatures, which bore a strong resemblance to revivified mum-
mies, seated under a loickiup made of a few fir branches; and
on drawing near them I found they were a squaw and a buck,
who were so aged that their skin was one mass of flabby
wrinkles, and so decayed that their features looked like old
and crumpled parchment. They were so blind that they could
not see me, though only a few feet distant, and it was only
when I spoke that they recognized my presence, and gave me to
understand by the sign language they knew I was a white man.

The only food they had was a few pieces of dog meat, which
were hung from a pole near them, while a feeble fire of wet
boughs was the only heat they had to warm their stagnant
blood. Though I could not speak to them, I knew what their
fate was, for it is a common custom among the Indians to
leave the aged and decrepid behind them when they go on a
long march or on a hunt, because they are considered to be too
much of a burden, to be taken along, and are deemed to be of no
greater use than to feed wild animals, which they sometimes do,
or to eat up the substance of the young, which they are not often
allowed to do. They expect to meet this fate, and do not grumble
at it, as they say they acted towards their forefathers in the
same manner, and they cannot expect any different treatment.

On seeing their condition, I built a rousing fire for them,
left wood within their reach, and soon brought them in a
young wolf, which I cut up and left near them, so that they

IN THE 1'AR WEST. 273

might not bo compelled to make any efforts to obtain it.
After this J returned to camp, and I had scarcely done so
ere a violent storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning1,
burst forth with the greatest fury. The rain seemed to come
down in black lines through a yellowish atmosphere ; the
lightning darted like flashes of electric light across the sky;
and the mountains seemed to fairly vibrate beneath the shocks
of thunder that growled, spluttered, and roared without much
intermission nearly all night long. When I awoke the next
morning the air was so clear and bracing that I concluded to
have a walk before breakfast, but, on emerging from my tent,
I was surprised to see volumes of dense smoke hanging over a
portion of the mountain in the direction of the Indian camp,
and to note the occasional appearance of a tongue of lurid
light as it shot skywards.

I realized the situation at once, and as the flames appeared
to be approaching my position, I struck tent in the promptest
manner, and then awaited the arrival of my companion most
anxiously, for I was very much afraid that if he did not
hasten, the trophies of the week would be lost to us. lie did
not disappoint me, as he arrived at an early hour, and after
placing the teams and venison in a place of safety, we tried to
enter the forest in the direction of the Indian camp, to see if
we could rescue the poor creatures who had been left thoro; but
we found all our efforts unavailing, owing to the density of the
smoke, which blinded and partially suffocated us, and the terror
of our horses, which nothing could induce to charge through
the black clouds. Finding we could do nothing further, we
wheeled about and rode back to our cache, but not a moment
too soon, as the fire had broken out so closely behind us that
we were just able to flank it without being compelled to get
any nearer the crackling flames than to barely feel their heat,
though the smoke was thick and choking enough to make us
gag a little and to bring the tears in streams to our eyes.
Had we been a little later in getting away, we should have
been forced to leave our horses to their fate, as we could not
have ridden them across a chasm that approached our position,
closely on the left, and which would have obstructed our
passage had. we not been able to Hank it by our timely retreat.

T

274 SPORTING ADVENTURES

On reaching- the teams, we started for home at our hest
pace, and arrived there in good time, much to the delight of
the housewife. While discussing the events of the morning
and our narrow escape, my host said that the fire was un-
doubtedly caused by a thunderbolt striking an old tree, and
that this soon communicated the flames to the grass and
shrubbery, so that a large section of country was in a blaze
in a short time. As the Indian camp was evidently one of the
first places to catch fire, it was an easy matter to guess at
the horrible fate of the two poor wretches who were left
there, and this led the host to indulge in the most vigorous
denunciation of the humanity of the red race. The fire raged
for a week or more before its fierceness began to wane, and
when I left that section of country a large portion of the
forest was still enveloped in clinging- clouds of smoke.

The mule deer, which is known as the Inrro or jackass deer
among the Spaniards and Mexicans of California, was for-
merly so abundant in Montana that out of 1500 deer killed
by three men in the Judith Basin, in less than six weeks, the
larger number was supposed to belong- to this species. These
were destroyed for their hides alone, and as each hide did not
probably realize more than a dollar, one can understand how
many valuable animals were slaughtered for a paltry sum. This
ruthless destruction is producing the most disastrous results,
for where mule deer were so plentiful in LSG8 that they could
be seen by the hundred in a march of twenty- four hours,
scarcely a dozen could be seen in the same region in 1877.

The reckless skin-hunters are mainly responsible for this
waste of life, for the Indians, much as they live by the fruits
of the chase, are careful to utilize the meat, whereas the
others allow it to rot in the sun or be devoured by predatory
animals. Where these men have not commenced their ne-
farious work the mule deer is still plentiful, and of these
regions I do not know any that are better than portions of
Montana and Idaho, the eastern divisions of Oregon and
Washington Territory, especially in the wooded mountainous
parts, and the Coast Mountains in California. To these might
be added some of the more sparsely settled sections of Colorado,
and the hilly sections of Manitoba.

IN THE FAR WEST. 275

CHAPTER XI.

THE BLACK-TAILED AND VIRGINIA DEER AND THEIR VARIETIES.

The black-tailed and Virginia deer and their varieties — Range of the
black-tail — Misapplication of names — Si/e, speed, and jumping power —
Character of its flesh — Its abundance — Great numbers slaughtered
annually — Objection of pot-hunters to hounds — Best kind of dogs for
hunting it in the forests — Packs in the North-west — Use of deerhounds
— Where to find the black-tail — The white-tailed deer — Its haunts
and habits — Difference between it and the black- tuil when running
before hounds — Its intrusive character and abundance — How fanners
keep it away from their crops — Antipathy between sheep and deer-
Fondness for salt and sulphur springs — Best weapon for hunting it —
The spotted and white deer — The former a great pet — The latter
supposed to be a wandering spirit by the Indians — Where found — The
Virginia deer — Its feeding-grounds — Best time for stalking it — How
to stalk it — The dwarf deer — Its haunts, habits, and numbers — Diffe-
rent methods of hunting deer — A day's hunting in the woods with
hounds — Number captured — A fortnight in the forests of Washington
Territory — Our camp and hunting experience — Extraordinary abun-
dance of fur, fin, and feather — Incidents of sport and camp life —
Merry times — Attacked by a buck — Lost in the forest — Actions of a
man when lost — How I reached camp — Excursions after fin and
feather — Homeward bound — A grand hunt ball — -The ball-room and th<>
people — An original band — The Terpsichoreans, and how they were put
through their figures — Ball-room scenes and repasts — A hunt dinner —
Rambling once more — A pleasant reminiscence.

THE black-tailed deer (Cariacus columbianns : Gray) is con-
fined to the region lying between the Sierra Nevada and
Cascade Ranges and the Pacific Ocean. Its range extends
from Alaska and British Columbia to Mexico; hence it is
found in Washington Territory, Oregon, and California, and
large numbers frequent the dense forests of these regions. I
never heard of it or saw it in the interior plateaus lying
between the above chains and the Rocky Mountains, the so-
called black-tail of that vast area being the mule deer. This
indiscriminate application of names causes much confusion to
persons seeking a knowledge of the distribution of deer, unless

T -Z

276 SPORTING ADVENTURES

they kill and examine the animals themselves, or receive their
information from some competent authority; but as there is
no work, thus far, that describes the mammals of the United
States they must, if they have had no experience, depend on
a local naturalist for their facts.

Having- made the acquaintance of the true black-tail on the
shores of the Pacific, and having1 never seen it east of the
Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, in California, Oregon, or
Washing-ton Territory, I was rather surprised to hear of it in
Utah, Wyoming1, Montana, and Colorado, but on killing- the
species called by that name, I found it to be the true C.
macro/is.

The black-tailed deer receives its technical name from the
Columbia River, and very justly I should infer, for it is found
in greater numbers along the wooded portions of that stream
than in any other part of the Pacific Coast. It is a true
denizen of the woods, its favourite haunts being amid the
deepest and dampest recesses of those gigantic forests of firs
and spruces which extend for hundreds of miles along the
shores of the Northern Pacific Ocean.

It ranks next to the mule deer in size, being much larger,
fleeter, and heavier in frame than its eastern congener, the
Virginia deer. I have known some full-grown stags to attain
a weight of over 250 pounds, but the does are, of course, much
lighter. I would also feel inclined to assert that it has few among
its kindred that can excel it in running and jumping, for I have
seen it clear a corral wall ten or twelve feet high, and I have
often been astonished at the ease with which it bounded over
fallen trees and their high, bare branches. I made some notes
of leaps which I have seen it make, but as they have been lost
I can only speak from memory; and, depending on that alone,
I would say that it can clear a fourteen-feet wall or fence.

It is not so highly prized, from a gastronomic point of view,
in the Far West as the mule deer, as its flesh is less succulent
and more fibry. It is, however, in my estimation, equal to
any of its European congeners, and when it is not. injured by
hard running, any epicure might gloat over a haunch of its
flesh and have lew criticisms to make on its daintiness. Some

IN THE FAR WEST. 277

persons consider the meat dry and somewhat leathery, but
that has not been my experience, and I doubt if any one
could find fault with a buck or doe in good condition. Fawns
are not fit for the table before the October or November after
their birth, that is when they are about six months old, for pre-
vious to that time their flesh is insipid and devoid of much fat.

The black-tail is found from the wooded plains to nearly the
snow line on mountains in some portions of the West, and in
California it frequents thickets of undergrowth ; hence it is
also known as the mountain and the brush deer, besides its
ordinary appellation, according to the character of the country
which it inhabits. It is so abundant in certain portions of
the Pacific Coast that I have heard of market hunters who
killed five and six hundred in a season by stalking alone, and
it was reported to me in 1874 that over three thousand were
slaughtered within a period of five months in a region having
an area of less than two hundred miles, and that most of
them were sent to market and sold at four cents, or two pence
per pound. The retail sellers charged from ten to twelve cents
per pound for the venison, so that they realized more than a
hundred per cent profit on their investment.

Great as the slaughter is, the animal is still very abundant,
especially in the densely wooded regions north of California,
and for years to come it will probably be looked upon as a
nuisance by some pioneers in that country, as it frequently
injures or devours young crops of growing cereals, and tram-
ples down strawberry and vegetable beds. Its profusion may
be judged from the fact that a person need not go three miles
from any town in Oregon or Washington Territory to meet
one, and perhaps a dozen. It is, I understand, the most nume-
rous species of deer in California, for thousands are slaughtered
there annually by market hunters, pot-hunters, and sportsmen.
This is specially true of the more northern region of the State,
where the forests are still heavy and extensive, and settlements
are scarce, compared to the more southern parts.

Many of the ranchers depend largely on wild game for
their fresh meat, and of this the flesh of the black-tail forms
the most prominent portion.

278 SPORTING ADVENTURES

A person can seldom visit a cabin hidden in the forest
without finding a deer or two suspended outside the door,
while he may see dozens of splendid mountain trout, a barrel
of fresh salmon, or the whitefish of the Pacific, inside. The
consequence is, that some persons live there in almost Oriental
idleness, for many might say, as one said to me, " Why,
what's the use of working ? 1 can kill all the meat I want in
the woods, and catch all the fish I want with a grasshopper,
and grow all the wine I want in my back garden, and all the
fruit and vegetables 1 want in that patch behind the house,
and I can kill deer and bears enough to supply me with
clothing and whisky. Now, why should I work hard, when
I can get everything I want without it ? "

I learned from this man that he had earned over a hundred
dollars by selling deer-skins alone in one winter, but as he
could not realize more than fifty cents or a dollar for each
skin, he must have slain one or two hundred of the animals
to obtain that amount. I asked him how he managed to kill
so many, and he replied that he never allowed a hound to run
a deer in his district, and if he found one doing so he either
poisoned or shot it. These pot-hunters never allow hounds in
what they call their own country, if possible, as they say that
the deer are driven off by the baying and running, and if
pursued much that they desert the region for good.

In Oregon and Washington Territory, however, the animals
are largely hunted with hounds of all grades, from the half-
bred mongrels to harriers, fox-hounds, curs, and Indian dogs.

The best dogs, and those most prized for the general pur-
poses of hunting in that country, are those that are rather
small, keen of nose, and have a rich, musical voice.

Large hounds would be of little use in many parts of that
densely wooded region, as they cannot well force their way
through the matted shrubbery and heavy fern brakes without
much severe labour, whereas small ones can easily pass under
the entwining branches, or scramble through the tangled
mass. They are not so liable either to get footsore or leg
weary as ihe others; hence one can hunt with the same pack
dav after day by dividing it into detachments.

J •/ *,

IN THE FAR WEST. 279

When a grand hunt is organized in a neighbourhood, the
farmers who are on friendly terms with each other unite into
one company, each bringing his own dogs with him ; and in
this manner an excellent working pack is soon assembled,
though in looks, voice, and breeding its members might not
bear the criticisms of judges of canine excellence. If the hunt
is to last for a week or two, the hounds are divided into
groups, and those that run one day are left in camp the next,
and when rested in this manner they are able to work uninter-
ruptedly for three or four weeks at a time, and to run from five
to twenty deer in a day. Those persons who relish the cry of
the hounds as much as the haunch of venison, keep seven or
eight couples of good dogs and run them together, and their
sweet voice causes the forests to ring with melodious strains
from morning till night. There are few more pleasing sounds
than the cry of a clear-voiced pack amid the woods and moun-
tains of the country, as every note is echoed and re- echoed in
stentorian tones over an area several miles square, and this gives
one an idea that thousands of dogs are giving tongue at the
same time. Another advantage that a slow-going pack has
over a swift one is, that the deer are not driven at such a pace
as to injure their flesh, and that the hunter has a better
chance of killing them as they move past his stand.

One of the greatest annoyances attending deer-hunting in
the dense forests of the North-west is the number that escape
after being mortally wounded, as they seek shelter in the
heaviest shrubbery, where it is almost impossible to find them,
let one be even argus-eyed. This is specially true in stalking
or still-hunting, for a deer will often carry away a large
quantity of lead before it falls. I have known one to be shot
in the heart and run a long distance ere it fell, and another to
escape for good although its foreshoulder was broken. This
was killed a year later, and when skinned it was found that
the leg was ns stiff as a bone, while the flesh had become as
hard as leather, owing to the paralysis of the muscles. Shots
in the abdomen and ribs are not likely to bring it down
promptly, and I knew one to receive a load of buckshot in the
neck and escape;. I have, on the contrary, seen one tumbled

280 SPORTING ADVENTURES

over with a buckshot that struck it in the root of the tail, or
in the forehead, and I have killed one myself with a charge of
No. G shot.

To hunt the black-tail with any degree of success, persons
must resort to a dense part of the forest, and if the country is
hilly, so much the better is the opportunity for sport, for the
animal seems partial to a somewhat rugged habitat. It roams
to an altitude of three or four thousand feet in summer, but
late in the autumn it descends to the lowlands, and in the far
North-west it is fond of frequenting the regions near the Pacific
Ocean to enjoy the thermal currents of air that flow towards
the interior from the Sea of Japan. Hundreds of deer and
wapitis may then be found close to the shore, and if a person
is any kind of a shot he may kill many of them by exercising
ordinary precautions.

The white-tailed deer (Cariacus leucurus: Gray) is not so much
attached to the forest depths as the preceding, for its favourite
halilat seems to be glades or the coppices which skirt the borders
of small prairies. It is not so large nor so swift as its black-tailed
congener, and many persons consider it to be inferior in flesh.
This animal, which seems to be a variety of the Virginia deer,
the difference between them being very slight, is known as
the long-tailed, the white-tailed, and the valley deer. Its
range on the Pacific slope extends from the Rocky Mountains
to the ocean. In the interior basins lying between the
Cascade and Sierra Nevada Ranges and the above mountains,
it is distributed geographically over the same area as the mule
deer; but west of the Sierra Nevadas the latter is compara-
tively scarce, while the other is abundant. It has, in fact, the
same range over the Far West that the Virginia deer has in
the East, and the habits of both are almost identical.

AVhen pursued with hounds it docs not head for the hills,
and double and twist, as its black-tailed congener does, but
dashes straight for rivers or lakes, let them be even several
miles distant. It alwavs follows one of the numerous trails
which leads to its watering-places ; and should it be checked
on its route, it will sometimes turn back and run until it is
caught by the hounds. Its jumps are shorter and quicker

IN THE FAR WEST. 281

than those of the black-tail, and it also seems to tire more
readily, for I have known it to be captured by rather slow
dogs in a run of three or four hours.

This species is so abundant in many parts of the North-
west as to be also considered a nuisance, and ranchers are often
compelled to scatter poison over a portion of their young
crops to keep it away, especially if their farm is situated in
the dense woods, and the animals are not hunted much.
During the rutting season the male becomes very bold, and
does not hesitate a moment to leap over a fence to lead his
chosen mate to the dainty young cereals that the pioneer has
planted near his house. It destroys these very frequently ;
hence, those persons who live close to forests have to keep
dogs to drive the intruders away. I knew a man in Wash-
ington Territory to kill several one evening with a rifle from
his bed-room window, and I have shot three myself in a gar-
den within an hour on a moonlight night.

When its numbers become less, some pioneers in that
country will be glad of it, for at present many consider it too
numerous, and to do more harm than good. " If I had my
way/' said a pioneer to me, " I'd pizeu the whole pesky lot of
'em in this deestrict, for my heart is broke try in* to keep 'em
away from my young crops of wheat and vegetables. It's no
use tryiii' to kill 'em off, for them thar women deer have two
or three kids at a time, and the youngsters are jest as bad as
their mothers in a couple o' months after they're born ; and
as for them bucks, I think they're the most tarual, impident
critters that ever lived. Why one of 'em charged my little
gal when she went to drive him and his mate away ; and but
for the dog runnin' up to her, he might a hurt her."

This man did not have any feelings about the enthusiasm
of the chase, and he looked upon a deer more as a nuisance
than as a game animal. He thought a sheep was of far more
use than the antlered beauty, and that its flesh was also more
palatable; and he supposed that one deer would eat as much
as two sheep. He had discovered that the former would not
graze wherever the droppings of the latter were found ; ami
that it would assuredly leave any region over which sheep
roamed, so he drove his flock through the woods in various

282 SPORTING ADVENTURES

directions, and made a circuit with them for several hundred
yards about his small farm, and he found after a while that
the deer, much to his satisfaction, deserted the immediate
neighbourhood and let his crops grow without attempting1 to
molest them. I have heard of other forest ranchers who
adopted the same method of protecting their gardens, and they
found it successful. This antipathy between deer and sheep
is so strong that the former will even avoid salt licks and
sulphur springs, of which they seem madly fond, if the latter
graze about them or leave their droppings near them.

Hunters who are in the vicinity of these springs or " licks"
kill more deer than they could elsewhere, as the animals fre-
quent them both morning and evening, and revel in the
dainties they afford. If a person is well concealed, and to the
leeward, he may slay many a fine buck or graceful doe
during the evening or early morning, near these places, for
they do not readily take alarm at the report of a rifle or shot-
gun. The latter is by far the most effective weapon for forest
shooting, as the woods are so dense and the shrubbery so
matted that a rifle-ball is readily deflected from a straight
course by intervening bushes, whereas some of the buck-shot
is almost sure of reaching its destination. A ten-bore, weigh-
ing about ten pounds, would prove a capital arm for deer
shooting, as it is good up to a range of ninety or one hundred
yards ; and it is seldom that one can see an animal beyond that
distance in the forest, or fire at it with any degree of success.

I have tried both rifle and shot-gun in these North-western
woods, and found that I made my best bags with the latter,
and where I made two misses with one I made none with the
other. For shooting in the open, however, the rifle is much
the better, as the deer, if hunted much, are shy and vigilant,
and, unless surprised, rarely allow a person to approach them
to less than two or three hundred yards, except by the most
careful stalking.

The white-tail, which is largely pursued with hounds in the
far North-west, affords many a splendid run to both dogs and
hunters, for the latter must not allow the grass to grow under
their feet if they would get a shot at it as it dashes through
the woods. Its numbers enable nearly all persons, even in a

IN THE FAR WEST. 283

large party, to bag some, and if one has his wits about him
he may score three or four in a day sometimes.

Two other varieties of deer are found in Oregon and
Washington Territory, but they are most numerous on
\Vhidby Island in the latter region. These are undoubtedly
hybrids; but they are, nevertheless, the prettiest specimens of
their family, and are great favourites with the inhabitants,
who frequently keep them as pets about the house. Even the
unromantic skippers of the small trading-vessels that ply on
Puget Sound have one aboard very often, and its bright and
prominent colours contrast strongly with the woods or vege-
tables that cover the deck of the craft.

The most abundant variety boasts many dillereut hues, and
this fact has given it the name of the spotted deer. Some
that I saw had reddish cheeks and a white face ; the sides
were sprinkled over with large patches of brownish-red and
white ; the under parts and tail were white ; the legs below
the knees were of a chestnut colour, tipped with white, and
the muzzle was very black. The fact that nearly all had
white tails caused me to think it was an albino of the white-
tailed species ; hence I classified it as C. leucurns, variety
variatus, and this classification was adopted by the Museum
of Natural History in Portland. I learned from a very com-
petent authority that these animals were the prevailing type on
\Vhidby Island ; that they associated together and produced
their young spotted like themselves ; and from this I deduced,
though perhaps without sufficient authority, that the variety
was permanent, and therefore worthy of being distinguished
from its kindred by a varietal name.

I saw several eases of albinoism in the countrv, but the
specimens differed from the preceding in their markings. One
captured on a range of hills in Oregon had the front part of
the face, near the antlers, of a pure white, while that near the
nose was a dark chestnut tipped with grey. The cheeks were
white; the ears were white inside and a reddish-brown outside ;
the sides were a dark chestnut mixed with greyish-white; the
belly and flanks, and the legs, as far as the knees, were a pure
white; the lower portions of the limbs were rufous; and a

284 SPORTING ADVENTURES

broad, white dorsal band extended from the ears to the tail.
This seemed to belong- to the blaek-tailed species, as the eauda
was black above and white and black beneath.

A snow-white deer is also found on Whidby Island, and
high up on several of the mountain ranges. This is also said
to keep its hue permanently, and to herd together in groups
varying from five to a dozen or more. A man in Washington
Territory had four of them abotit his house for three or four
years, and he reports that they never changed their colour,
except that the white seemed to brighten in winter. This
variety is said to be new to the country, and Indians report
that it was not known until a short time previous to the advent
of the white man. "When first discovered by the Indian hunters
they were astonished, and refused to kill it, thinking it was
the wandering spirit of some man or woman transformed into a
deer for transgressions committed while on earth, and many
of them even now hold the same opinion, and would not injure
it on any account. When the medicine men and prophets
heard of the new animal they began their incantations to learn
what it signified, and some of them deduced therefrom, that a
white race of men would soon appear, and that, like the white
deer, they would be cautious, vigilant, and hard to kill, and
would finally prevail by numerical superiority. This legend
is distributed among several tribes in the North-west, so it
would seem that it has been in existence for many years. The
creature, for all that, is rather scarce, and has by no means kept
pace with the increase of the race of men to whom the red
prophets have allied it. It is more abundant in the Siskiyou
Mountains, which separate Oregon and California, and in the
Cascade Range than in any other portions of the country, its
favourite haunts being the higher plateaus of these chains.
Very little is known of its habits, but they, apparently, do not
differ from those of the other deer.

The Virginia deer, the typical species of the Atlantic States,
is abundant in some portions of the AVest and South-west, and
large numbers are killed annually bv Indians, market and pot-
hunters, and sportsmen. These are stalked, hunted witli
hounds, or shot from stages erected near the trails they make

IN THE FAR WEST. 285

during1 their migrations from one section of the country to
another. Some naturalists consider this and the white-tail to
be the same species, the difference between them not being-
sufficient to entitle them to particular distinction ; hence, the
latter is considered to be only a variety of the former, if it is
not the same animal changed a little by climate and the
character of country it frequents. The difference is so slight
certainly, that it would be best to keep them in the same
species, for zoology is already rendered too cumbersome by
elevating varieties into the dignity of species ; and this causes
a confusion whic'i it would seem well to avoid.

The antlers of both animals are almost alike in form and in
the number of prongs or points they display. "VVhcn these are
shed the stags retire from the herds and seek the closest
thickets, venturing abroad in search of food only at night ; yet
in regions where they are little hunted they may be seen
browsing during the day. They are very active on moonlight
nights in summer, and one may then kill them without much
trouble if he will only work cautiously, and move to the wind-
ward ; and if on elevated ground he should in all cases work
down, not up, as the animals seem somewhat afraid of open
ground and the regions below.

The best time for stalking them is in the morning or even-
ing, as they are out feeding- at those times. They may be
found on the sunny side of a hill in the morning, and near
water in the evening-, as they then go to drink enough to last
them for the night. In an open and level country they con-
ceal themselves in the coppices skirting streams or lakes during
the day, and remain there until near sunset, when they move
out to allay their thirst and hunger. When started by hounds,
they head for the water at once, by following a well-known
and well-worn runway, and if a hunter is posted there he may
tumble one over easily with his double-barrel gun loaded with
buckshot.

Another variety of this animal, and probably the smallest
of its family in the United States, is found in Arizona.
This is designated as C. / irg Inia nus, variety Coiiesii, in honour
of Pr. Coues, of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington.

286 SPORTING ADVENTURES

It is a dwarf compared to the others, for the bucks seldom
weigh over seventy pounds, while the does range between forty
and sixty pounds. It has small ears ; the hoofs and false
hoofs are black ; the tail has a total length, hair at tip included,
of eight inches ; the largest antler is about seven inches long ;
and the general colour of the body is a pale fawn. It is light
and graceful in movement, and rather proud in nspect when
gazing at an object.

It is very abundant in Southern Arizona, where it frequents
the coniferous forests of the mountains. The bucks often
wander as high as three or four thousand feet, as they obtain
plenty of food at that altitude in the bunch grass and tender
shrubbery. The does keep to the thickets while their young
are with them, but during the running season they scamper
about in every direction. These dwarfs are so little hunted,
and so numerous, that they show no fear of man unless they
scent him to the windward ; hence, they may be approached
to within fifty or sixty yards, and a group shot down before
they become alarmed enough to flee.

As they feed abroad during the day-time, owing to their
immunity from foes, they may be readily found at all times,
and this gives the Imnter an opportunity of making a larger
bag than he could probably boast of in any other part of the
world.

By summarizing the various species of the deer family found
in the West and South-west we find, excluding the caribou,
which rarely comes south of the 54-th parallel, that there are
five distinct species, and five varieties, allowing that the white-
tail is a variety of the Virginia deer. The species are the
moose, wapiti, mule deer, black-tail, and Virginia deer; and the
varieties are the lurro or jackass deer of California, the dwarf
deer of Sonora and Arizona, the white-tail, and the spotted
and the white deer. It is evident, therefore, that the Cerv'uhv
are well represented in the country, and as for numbers, they
cannot be equalled in any portion of the Continent.

The methods employed in the West for hunting deer are
confined to three, and these are stalking, driving, and still-
hunting at night with a lamp or a torch. The two first are

hV THE FAR WEST. 287

considered legitimate sport, but the latter is tabooed by all
true lovers of the gun, as it does not give the animals any
chance for their life, and they are shot as easily as a cow tied
up in a barn. When the poor creatures see the light they
stare at it in stupid amazement, if the person carrying it is to
the leeward, and keep staring until a bullet, fired at a distance
of a few feet or yards, goes crashing through their brains.
This is, literally speaking, cold-blooded assassination, and is
only fit for hungry men or starving Indians ; it is certainly
unworthy of sportsmen ; yet I am sorry to say that many
persons who call themselves by that name resort to it, and
actually boast of the number they have slain in a night.

I heard of a band of Indians in Washington Territory who
killed forty in one night by using torches of pines, and I
knew two market hunters who said they had averaged eight
a night for several nights in succession. The deer were of
course very abundant to permit such slaughter ; but as they
are considered too numerous to be agreeable, in some of the
wooded portions of that country, no persons objected to this
seemingly wanton destruction.

In still-hunting, patience and perseverance are two essential
qualities to ensure success. It is tedious work though, and
one which galls on a restless, sanguine nature. Practice
dispels the ennui, however, and the most impulsive person may
become the most skilful hunter after awhile. One thing every
person ought to practise, and that is to keep the eyes on the
alert, and to step high when walking, so that the foot, when
it comes to the earth, should not make much noise, and that
the ball might touch it first.

Novices, as a rule, walk too rapidly, cover too much
ground, and use their legs instead of their eyes, so the result-
is too often a failure, and they return home comparatively
dispirited. Experience corrects such mistakes, and they soon
learn that the less they walk in a country where deer abound
the more successful they will be. The stalker would find a
deer-hound of great use in the forests of the West to bring
wounded animals to bay, otherwise he is liable to lose several,
or to tramp after them for miles when he is so weary that he
can hardly move. If over there was a country where that

288 SPORTING ADVENTURES

noble animal would be of use, it is out there; in fact his
services would be invaluable to those who hunt much, and
nearly everybody there seems addicted to the sport.

Stalkers should also remember that when a deer is startled
from its retreat it bounds away as silently and rapidly as
possible, keeping1 the head very low, as if it would utilize the
undergrowth to protect it from being seen by the hunter;
hence, his gaze should be directed some distance in advance,
and he should turn the head from side to side slowly, so as to
sweep the ground in front of him. He should also scan the
ground for signs, and note where the grass or leaves are
trampled, or the dew brushed away from the shrubbery. If
his dress is of a neutral tint, and he walks slowly, he may
approach a deer to close range from the leeward, as its sight is
somewhat defective, and it seems to recognize objects only
when they are in motion.

It may be stalked to good advantage on moon-light nights,
as it is then out grazing, but one may be sure that he will not
see many during the day after such expeditions, as they keep
concealed in the densest thickets.

Driving deer is a favourite sport with those who have good
horses. This is a very sociable affair, and is participated in
by, probably, all the farmers in a neighbourhood. After the
meet they take their dogs into a piece of woods which the deer
are known to frequent, and the pack is left there under the
care of an improvised huntsman who knows where to look for
the game, while the company seek the runways, and wait until
the canine chorus announces that the quarry is afoot. Those
whose steeds will stand fire remain in their saddles, but those
whose animals are not so well trained, dismount, and tie them
to trees, while they keep watch on foot. The former have the
best chances of getting- a shot, as they can dash about and
head off the game sometimes, whereas the latter have to
depend on its passing their stand, with the probabilities
strongly against them too often, owing to the number of
mounted men present.

When the deer is started, if a black-tail, it heads for the
hills, generally keeping1 to the roughest and stoniest ground,
and following the course of ravines as much as possible; it

IN THE FAR WEST. 289

docs not dash boldly upwards, however, but swings around
the hill, generally moving from right to left, and doubling
when necessary, and if hard pressed it makes for some con-
venient river or lake. Then it is that the hunters have an
opportunity of firing at it, and if they are at all expert with
the shot-gun they may tumble it over with a dozen buckshot
as it flees past them, or they may cause it to halt by a whistle,
and kill it while it is trying to analyze the import of the
strange sound. If it reaches open ground some persons pursue
it on horseback, and if their steeds have any speed worth men-
tioning they are sure to get within shooting range of it, for a
deer is by no means the ideal of swiftness which it is often
assumed to be. Even when fresh, a good horse will push it
hard on fair running ground; but in a rugged country it has
all the advantages in its favour, as it seems to run as well on
one kind as on the other.

When the quarry is killed, a joyous shout or a blast on the
mellow horn announces the event, and dogs and men assemble
to gaze on the trophy. The successful Nimrod is congratu-
lated ; a dose of something stronger than tea is generally
partaken of in honour of the event ; and the pack is sent out
to make another cast, when the same hurrying and scurrying
to and fro is indulged in until the quarry is either slain or
escapes to the water. If it takes to a river, it floats down
with the current for a short distance, and scrambles out on the
opposite bank ; but if it has been driven hard it frequently
stays in the water under the shelter of friendly branches, even
if the hounds are giving tongue within a few feet of it. Its
head is all that is visible on such occasions, so he who would
detect its hiding-place must carefully scan the water. If the
wind is blowing from its direction, experienced hounds will
follow it in the river almost as well as the)- would on land,
and they frequently kill it there. On such occasions the stags
fight bravely for their lives, and often kill some of their
assailants and escape, but when they are overpowered by
numbers they soon become exhausted, and are killed, or
dragged helplessly ashore by the hunters, when they are
finished at once.

290 SPORTING ADVENTURES

The favourite method of hunting the an tiered beauty in
the North-west, is to organize a party, and take tents, cooking
utensils, commissary supplies, and teams into the forest, and
encamp there for a week or two, changing quarters according
as the deer are hunted out of a district by the dogs. It is
not often necessary to change camp, however, for the animals
expelled from a region one day may return to it the next, if
they have not been alarmed in the interval; hence, as long as
they are not all killed off, persons may find good sport in any
place they are known to frequent, if they get a rest for a short
time.

Five of us bagged forty deer in less than four days in a
section of Southern Oregon, although there were several
hunters and their packs in the field at the time, and eight of
us killed sixty in a week in Western Washington.

I have sometimes shot two and three in a day in Idaho,
Wyoming, Montana, and other fresh fields, although the
pursuing pack seldom consisted of more than two or three
couples of slow hounds. As a specimen of what deer-hunting
in the forest is, I may cite two hunts which came off in the
North-west, as they will be sufficient to show the excitement of
the sport, the manner in which the deer run, and the jolly
life one can lead in the woods, away from all the trammels of
society and civilization.

I was at one time visiting an army post, and, while there,
the officers decided to go on a deer-hunt, a proposition with
which I felt much pleased, as I had not used riile or shot-gun
for six months, and I longed to roam in the woods once more.
After spending the night among congenial companions,
whose hospitality is proverbial, I retired to the simple couch
in use among bachelor officers, and slept soundly until the
boom of the cannon aroused me in the morning. A hasty
breakfast was soon despatched, and we were ready for the
sport which promised so much buoyant, virile pleasure. Our
party was composed of five persons, including an orderly, who
had charge of half a dozen hounds, and a French half-breed, who
acted as guide. In the course of half an hour after leaving camp
we were in the midst of a deiise forest of those gigantic firs for

IN THE FAR WEST. 291

which the North-west is famous, and a few moments later the
dogs were set to work on a fresh trail. They soon gave tongue,
and their melodious tones rang through the silent woods with
a clearness I had never before heard equalled. This was the
signal for a scurrying race to get to some convenient points in
order to have a shot. The guide placed me on a promising
runway, and I had scarcely taken my position ere a mag-
nificent black-tailed stag (C. colnmlianus) broke cover not
twenty paces from me. His head was high in the air, and
his antlers were thrown back, so that he appeared in his
most majestic mien. I gave him a low whistle; he halted
to learn its import, and ere he could decide upon moving I
planted a load of buckshot in his neck and shoulders. Before
I could give him the second barrel he was bounding through
the shrubbery with those long, high jumps for which he is
noted, and the last I saw of him was an erect cauda clearing
the branches of a fallen tree. I was of course much piqued at
my bad shooting, and still more so when I was rejoined by my
companions, who commenced chaffing me most unmercifully,
and predicting that we should have no luck that day, as I had
missed the first deer. The feeling of chagrin was bad enough,
but to be taunted good-naturedly with spoiling the day's
amusement was the acme of depressing pride. I insisted that
I had wounded the animal so seriously that it could not run
very far, but this only elicited a sarcastic laugh, and the query
if I did not think I ought to challenge certain redoubted
hunters to engage in a week's contest to test superiority. My
victory soon came, however, for the guide, who was sounding
a mellow cow's horn to recall the pack, reported that they
must have overtaken the quarry, or they would have returned
in answer to his peremptory summons. This induced two of
us to follow the trail, which we did quite readily by noting the
condition of the fallen leaves, and we had not proceeded half a
mile ere we came to a brook, and on its bank we found the
animal lifeless as a stone, and the hounds grouped about it.
A joyous halloo from our party soon brought the others, and I
was the recipient of theatrical congratulations, which were
given demonstratively, as an antidote to the previous wounds.

u Z

292 SPORTING ADVENTURES

We dressed the stag- in a few moments, gave the entrails to
the hounds, placed the carcass on the limb of a tree, and then
resumed our sport.

The dog's were next sent into a dense fern brake that
reached nearly to our necks. They were there about a minute
when a simultaneous cry from all startled us, and ere we could
recover our wits two does of the white-tailed deer species (C.
leucurus) bounded into our midst with such suddenness that
before any one thought of shooting them they were twenty
yards away. It was then too late, as the shrubbery was so
dense that no shot could penetrate it, except by mere accident,
and as each person seemed anxious to have some excuse, we
contented ourselves by expressing our surprise at the unex-
pected appearance of such visitors.

" We can get them yet, sir," said the half-breed, " for they
are white-tailed deer, and after running a short time they will
make for the river, and we can get there before them."

To the river we accordingly ran at our best speed, but that
was slow enough, owing to the quantity of fallen timber that
strewed the ground, and the tropical luxuriance of the salmon
and whortleberries, which were entwined together in thick,
tangled masses. We were there, however, and had taken up our
posts before the musical chorus of the pack began to approach
us. Every eye then peered vigilantly into the gloomy, silent
woods, as if they would penetrate the leafy coverts, and all
assumed an air that indicated a thorough determination not to
be caught napping again. The cry now became loud and
clamorous, and so close, that every weapon was held near the
shoulder. Bang ! went a gun in the glades, and bang ! went
another to my right. These were followed by a joyous " hoo-
pee," which indicated that the Nimrods were successful. On
arriving on the ground we found both animals dead, and their
slayers proudly gazing upon them. Congratulations of all
grades, from the cynical to the serio-comic and tragical, were
bestowed on them, and these they received as a matter of
course, and in a modestly becoming manner. One curious
incident about the run was that both animals kept together
from the start, for nothing of the sort had ever before come

IN THE FAR WEST. 293

under the notice of our experienced guide. The only way
in which he could account for it was that they were pressed
so closely by the hounds, which were famous for their fleet-
ness, that their wits were scattered, and they were therefore
unable to employ their usual stratagems. They were, be-
sides, rather young, so that their inexperience, as much as
any other circumstance, was the means of leading them to
death. One fact in connexion with the running of the two
species of deer common in Western Oregon and Washing-
ton Territory is, that the black-tail heads for the hills and
ravines the moment it is started, and makes for the water
only when all other stratagems have failed ; while the white-
tail prefers to run on the lowlands and in the forest, and resorts
to a brook or river as soon as it can get the opportunity.
Hunters avail themselves of these characteristics, and act
accordingly ; and so quick are they in detecting which species is
started that the pack will not be in motion perhaps five minutes
ere they hie either to the hills or the stream. The white-tailed
deer also runs in a more direct line than its congener, as if it
would outstrip the dogs by its fleetness, but the other doubles
like a hare, and chooses the most rocky and difficult ground, as
if it knew that the scent would be lost more readily in such
places, and that its means of escape would therefore be better.
The former has also the greater speed, but lacks the endurance
of the blacktail, which is a splendid type of cervidean strength
and power, and, in my opinion, one of the best of its family
for giving the dogs a run that will test their pace and staying
power.

Having cleansed the last animals, we suspended them from
trees and left that section, as we presumed that the dogs had
scared away all the deer iu the immediate vicinity. We had
not proceeded half a mile, however, before a fine buck leaped
out of a glade in front of us, but the guide brought him down
before he had gone thirty paces. A little further and another
full-grown stag bounded from his fuliaceous retreat and dashed
away with the hounds in full cry behind him.

" No use running after him," said the guide; "he'll go for
the hills, so we had better wait here until the dogs lose him,
and then go for another/'

294 SPORTING ADVENTURES

We sat down accordingly, like men who were powerless, and
devoted half an hour of our time to discussing the points of
each dog- according as we distinguished its rich notes echoing
through the soughing forest, and the merits of cigars that
would not burn. In a short time we heard new canine Rich-
monds in the field, and as they were approaching us we jumped
to our feet and eagerly ran for cover, for we expected the quarry
at any moment. We waited about five minutes, when a buck
dashed past, but ere he could disappear, four barrels had sent
their contents into his palpitating sides, and he fell, crying
piteously. Before we could reach him the hounds had throttled
him, and were fighting for a mouthful of his tender flesh.
We soon appeased their hunger, however, by giving them the
entrails, and they threw their wearied bodies on the ground
beside their prey, while we prepared it for transportation.

As the day was declining, we concluded to return home, for
we were well content with our day's amusement, which enabled
us to enjoy some fine runs, and at the same time to reap the
reward of vigilance. As soon as our own dogs were assembled
we hired a farmer's waggon to take the trophies to town, and
in the evening, over a dish of savoury venison, washed down
with some Veuve Clicquot, we discussed the events of the day,
and brought from the perspective of memory recollections of
former hunts which had long laid dormant.

I spent a fortnight at one time in the forests with a party of
genuine hunters, and jovial, hospitable fellows, and never, to me,
did two weeks pass more rapidly and pleasantly. Each man
furnished his own bed-clothes, and a proportionate share of the
food, but a large tent sufficed to hold all ; and though our bed
was lowly, and composed solely of straw, no king on his couch
of state ever slept more soundly or contentedly than we did.
We had three waggons with us, and one of these contained a
generous supply of fodder for the horses, so that we should not be
compelled to employ any person to herd them during the day.

After inarching fifteen or twenty miles into the forest, we
reached a low chain of hills, which had an altitude of four or
five hundred feet, and on the summit of one of these we pitched
our camp, under the shade of an old and wide-spreading fir,
and close to an abundance of water, for a beautiful tarn and a

IN THE FAR WEST. 295

crystalline river were only a few paces from us. When the
tent was erected, each man devoted himself to some special
object ; thus, while one cut up wood, another brought it in ;
some laid in a supply of water, and others attended to preparing
the dinner; while still another party went after grouse in the
woods, or to catch trout in the lake, and these soon returned
with more than enough to last for twenty-four hours. I was
among the anglers, and was fortunate enough to catch two
dozen splendid fish that averaged about four pounds each, in
less than three hours, with no better bait than a grasshopper.

Our dinner party that evening was a merry one, although
our repast was anything but epicurean in character, as it con-
sisted of cold beef, fried bacon, grouse, fish, potatoes, and
bread and butter, and these were eaten off tin plates. Our
dessert was confined to rosy apples and a cup of coffee, and
after that came the rude loving cup, composed of punch that
was hot, strong, and sweet. When this was finished we
devoted ourselves to puffing pipes or cigars and relating hunt-
ing reminiscences, until we retired to our pallet of straw,
where each man rolled himself up in his blanket. The pillows
were not very soft, as they were composed of our boots over-
laid with coats, waistcoats, and other articles of attire. If
not downy they were not very uncomfortable, and were appre-
ciated accordingly.

We were awake by three o'clock, and after partaking of
a hearty breakfast, a feat which was rendered possible by
the glare of the fire, we started off in a body towards the
lake, while a half-breed took the hounds to the left, so as
to run the deer down towards a large stream that brawled
through the woods half-a-mile below. He had not proceeded
twenty yards from camp before the pack started a splendid
stag, which came bounding towards us as if he had no fear
of man ; and before he could detect our dangerous character
the contents of two shot-guns were planted in his sides, and
he fell headlong on his antlers. " Good luck for this day,
anyhow," yelled the enthusiast of the party ; and, to see
that his prophecy was carried out, he commenced a series of
mock incantations and an Indian dance about the slain, and
wound up with a loud and piercing yell that would have done

296 SPORTING ADVENTURES

credit to a Sioux brave in a charge. His ludicrous antics
elicited roars of laughter from the spectators ; and several
were shaking1 so violently from their cachinatory exercise that
they could not shoot a buck ten paces away at the time.

After the ceremony of a mock baptism of the stag-, and feed-
ing- the hungry hounds with the viscera, we started towards
the river, as runways were exceedingly numerous, and all
showed that the deer had used them the previous night,
judging by the freshness and direction of the sluts. Long
before we had taken our stations, which were several yards
apart, the musical chorus of the hounds was heard amid the
forest depths, now here, now there, until it finally burst into
a full and thrilling cry, which the trees and rocks and hills,
and even the lowliest shrub, seemed to take up, and to echo and
re-echo in such stentorian tones that the whole country in
front appeared to be occupied by enchanted packs numbering
many thousands. The dogs coursed about the hills for some
time, until the quarry became weary, when it headed for the
river. This brought the pack towards us, but we could not
tell in what particular direction it was running, owing to the
sonorous echoes that resounded from every quarter.

While anxiously waiting on a well-worn runway, I espied
a splendid doe come bounding through the forest. I intended
at first to fire at her before she got too near, but I thought
my chances would be better if I allowed her to come so close
that I could get a shot at her sides ; and acting impulsively on
this idea, I reserved my fire until she came within a few paces
of me on my left. I then pulled the trigger, but before the
shot reached her she was a stride away, and when I turned
round to give her the second barrel she was screened by a net-
work of fallen trees and bushes, which she had cleared with a
tremendous bound. I was so incensed at myself for missing
such an easy shot that I was fairly crestfallen ; but before I
had much time to think over my chagrin, a report to the right
attracted my attention, and this was soon followed by a joyous
shout, a proof that somebody had been more successful than
myself.

As the baying of the pack still sounded in the distance,
instead of answering the summons for aid, I concluded 1 had

IN THE FAR WEST. 297

better keep my post, in hopes of being able to retrieve my
lost luck. I waited an hour in vain ; and though the time
seemed long, yet I was not uneasy, for newts and salaman-
ders crossed the trail with their slow pace, the little pewec
intoned its soft, musical notes amid the towering firs, wood-
peckers drummed on the trees in every direction, and coveys of
grouse went whirring by in a state of great alarm, while nume-
rous small birds whistled and chirped or sang in the heavy
shrubbery. The forest was sometimes as silent and gloomy
as it could well be, and the only sound that disturbed its
brooding stillness was the occasional echoing melody of the
dogs, which sounded afar off, and was wafted towards me by
tree and zephyr.

While sitting listlessly on a fallen fir, and paying much
more attention, even though it was mechanical, to the sights
and sounds about me than to the purpose for which I was
there, I heard a tremendous crashing in the shrubbery a
short distance to my left. This caused me to jump promptly
to my feet, and to grasp the gun firmly in my hands, and
when I saw the bushes swaying I put it near my shoulder
ready to fire at once. When the undergrowth parted, how-
ever, instead of seeing a deer emerge, out bolted the French
half-breed who acted as guide, in a state of trepidation. On
seeing me he rushed forward impetuously, and said that he
had been pursued by a cougar for a short distance, and that
he had met a bear so suddenly that it had scared all his wits
away. I asked him what brought him from that direction,
and he replied that the hills were full of deer ; that the dogs
had divided on a dozen or more of them ; and that they were
now making for the river. After telling me to keep my
stand, and not to leave it on any account, he dashed away
through the woods, intending to take up a position on my
runway near the river. He had scarcely been gone ten
minutes before a full-grown stag bounded out of the verv
track he had been following, but before the noble-looking
creature could cross the road I shot him dead. Hearing
another crashing to my right T looked in that direction, and
saw a doe leap clear across the truck ; but before she could

298 SPORTING ADVENTURES

disappear I gave her the contents of the second barrel. I
knew I had hit her, yet she did not fall, so after her I went
at my best pace, now clambering over fallen trees, anon stum-
bling- through matted shrubbery, or tearing1, with eyes half
closed, through dense fern brakes. I travelled in this manner
for two miles as rapidly as I could, the only halt I made being
a short one to load my gun, and finally emerged on a splendid
wild meadow that skirted the stream. While heedlessly
passing over this, for I saw no deer tracks, the doe I had
wounded started up about twenty yards to my right; but
before she could get as many feet away I planted a load of
buck-shot in her heart, and she toppled over after running a
short distance. I gralloched her there and then, and started
off towards my old stand, but as I could hear firing in every
direction I decided to halt to learn its import. Shots were
heard detonating through the forest for several seconds, like
explosions of fire-crackers, and as soon as they ceased the
long, mellow tones of three or four cow's horns, which are
there used for hunting-horns, were heard ringing through the
woodlands, as a signal for an assembly.

Before I started to answer the summons, the half-breed
was at my side, and so noiseless was his approach that 1 did
not know he was near me until he spoke. He, the best
hunter of the party, had killed nothing, owing to his desire to
do too much, and deserting his stand, so he helped me to carry
the doe to where the other victim lay, and we placed both
together. The guide then sounded his horn, and as his blast
was well known, and it was supposed he had some new
project in view, the party began to straggle in from every
direction, some emerging suddenly from the undergrowth,
while others strolled down the runways. When all were
assembled I learned that twelve deer had been killed inside
of three hours, and that the hounds must have driven twenty
more at least towards the river, judging from the number
that passed on either side of the men on the stands.

Knowing from this that the animals were very abundant, we
concluded to hunt that section all day, and to place some of the
party on the runways that led up towards the hills. All the

IN THE FAR WEST. 299

slain were then collected together and placed under the care of
the oldest member of the company, who found the exercise of
the morning1 too severe for even his hardy frame, as he had
been compelled to run a good deal. While moving towards
the hills the hounds started two deer, but instead of running
upwards they broke for the river at once, and the dogs soon
lost them there, at least we presumed they did ; but the guide
attributed the cause of their speedy return to the fact that
they had been fed too much on the viscera of those captured,
and they, therefore, did not feel much in the mood for running.
On resuming our march two fawns were started, and the
hounds went in full cry after one ; but the second, having
scented us, dashed for a fern brake close by and concealed
itself there. We beat it up in a short time, however, and it
was tumbled over by one of the party with his first barrel.

The dogs having run their quarry to water, rejoined us,
and they were given over to another huntsman, who was
requested to go as high up on the wooded hills as he could,
and beat downwards, so that the deer might be driven to the
river at once, and as soon as he started for his destination the
party deployed in various directions, and each took position
on a promising runway.

We had scarcely taken our stands, however, before the rain
began to pour down in torrents, and this necessitated our
taking shelter under some of the huge firs whose soughing
tones and gloomy hues accorded so well with the bluish-black
rain and heavy, murky sky. All living objects in nature
seemed hushed into silence except the trees, for even the
chattering squirrels sought their cosy retreats, and remained
there in mute repose. I waited an hour or more in my
shelter without hearing any sound save the melancholy
sighing of the acerose foliage and the loud patter of the down-
pour, and was becoming moody myself out of sympathy with
the gloom that reigned all round, when I was fairly startled
into an excited condition by hearing a loud snort or whistle
a few feet away. On looking for its cause, I noticed a proud
black-tail stag gazing intently at me with the greatest curio-
sity, and expanding his wide nostrils as if trying to judge by

3oo SPORTING ADVENTURES

those sensitive organs to what species of the animal world I
belonged, and whether I was friend or foe. I permitted him
to stare for a few moments, then brought the gun to my
shoulder, but I had scarcely moved my arm before he was oil'.
I fired at him as he was disappearing in the undergrowth,
giving him both barrels in rapid succession, and when I went
to seek him I found him lying dead within one or two hundred
yards of where he had vanished from sight. lie was hit with
only one buckshot, but that reached a vulnerable part, the end
of the spinal column. He would have fallen at once in all
probability were it not for the pace at which he was running,
and that momentum carried him to where he fall. I gralloched
him in a few seconds, and dragged him after me to my original
stand, where I resumed my weary sentinel duty.

After being there half an hour longer I heard the stirring
cry of the hounds far in the distance, and this produced a most
welcome feeling of animation, for I knew by the clamour that
the 'mme was afoot. The chorus sounded exceedingly musical,

O O •/ *

for the echoing hills and forests modulated every tone to a soft
silvery strain, and wafted it in so many directions that phantom
canine voices seemed to issue from every tree, shrub, and rock.
The cries were heard all over the hills, apparently far away,
but they soon began to approach, and I became on the alert
immediately. In what seemed to be only a period of ten
minutes, the chorus swelled into a grand volume that echoed
through the forest from end to end, as if hundreds of dogs were
giving tongue at the same moment. Onward it rolled like
the peals of some organ in a massive cathedral, now far, now
near, now here, now there. While listening to it, in the most
interested and anxious manner, I was surprised to hear it cease
suddenly; and was wondering what could have caused it, when
the detonations of several rifles and shot-guns, which came
crackling through the forest, gave me the explanation. A few
moments later and the hounds emerged on my runway, weary
and bedraggled ; and I could see by this that they must have
chased more than one deer during their long absence.

Several of them were missing, and thinking they would
soon come up, I waited half an hour or more for them, notwith-

'IN THE FAR WEST. 301

standing the many horn blasts that came echoing towards me,
as a signal for a rally. Finding there was no immediate
prospect that they would appear, I started to rejoin my
comrades, but I had not proceeded half a mile before a full-
grown doe started out of a clump of hazel and dogwood
bushes, not ten yards in front of me. She made for the river
at once, with the hounds in full cry behind her, and I started
after them, taking every advantage of cross cuts to try and head
her off. When I reached the stream I could hear the hounds
baying a short distance below, and, on drawing near, I saw
them grouped around the quarry in the water, and worrying
her. Having a forty-one calibre pocket revolver in my belt,
I put it in my mouth, undressed myself, and swam towards
the growling hounds, which were fastened to the poor bleat-
ing freature in every available part ; and placing my weapon
near her ear I killed her with the first shot. With the aid
of the dogs, which still held on to her, I pushed her ashore
with one hand, while I used the other for swimming; and
on landing I dressed in a hurry and ran as fast as I could for
several hundred yards in order to warm myself, and take
away the chill, for the water was very cold. I left the animal
where it lay on the bank, and started to join the remainder of
the party, and these I soon found, as they were following the
cries of the dogs, not so much in hopes of getting a shot at a
deer, as to keep the choristers from straying too far. With
their aid the doe was taken back to where the buck was lying,
and the two were carried to a central position, where others
were placed with them. I then learned that the cause of
the sudden silence of the dogs was due to the death of the
animal they were pursuing, and that four others had been
started out of a fern brake and all killed.

As we had had plenty sport for the day, having bagged
fourteen deer, we returned to camp, and while some attended
to cooking dinner, others took two waggons to bring in the
slain. We feasted that evening on venison, fresh trout, grouse,
and our own edibles, but the chief dish was a stag's head,
roasted whole in the ashes.

Notwithstanding our hard day's work, all were in excellent

302 SPORTING ADVENTURES

condition, and as soon as the punch was finished, the en-
thusiast of the company took a large accordion out of a
box and began to play all the jigs and reels he knew with
such spirit that he made some of the more impulsive jump
from their outstretched position before the fire, and go tripping
the light fantastic toe for dear life, amid the numerous
branchlets and leaves that strewed the ground. They went
bounding about like rubber-balls or terpsichoreans at a country
fair, and yelled and swung each other about in their joyous
excitement and enthusiasm. It was certainly a scene of good-
natured jollity, and one could readily understand from it how
Robin Hood's merry men could make life tolerable amid the
depths of Sherwood Forest. The music was followed by sing-
ing, and this was kept up so long that it was past midnight
before we retired to rest.

We were awake before daylight the next morning, and had
breakfast finished by five o'clock, when we resumed our day's
sport, as fresh as if we had not been out of camp for a week.
We found the deer as numerous as they were the previous day
by going two miles further on, and scored many a kill, but the
number bagged was only a fraction of what escaped to the hills
or sought safety in the river.

We had magnificent weather, some splendid runs, and
mingled with the soul-stirring music of the hounds were the
song of birds, the screams of the wild cat and puma, the
growl of the bear, the lively chatter of squirrels, the startled
whistling of the deer, and the gentle monotone of the sough-
ing trees, as their tops and leaves swung to and fro in response
to the cooling zephyrs. The forest was full of life and anima-
tion, and its varied sounds made one forget that there was
such a thing in existence as trouble and tribulation.

The whole day long was one scene of good luck in hunting ;
hence, when the party returned to camp at night, nearly every-
body was in the best of humour. Two incidents occurred during
the day, however, to prove that there is no bliss without alloy ;
no success without its consequence ; no rose without a thorn ;
nothing in fact, whether for good or evil, that does not seem to
have its correspondence on the opposite side, to either check or

IN THE FAR WEST. 303

alleviate its full significance. The first was, that one of the
most courageous and experienced of the party wounded a stag
so severely that he was overtaken by the hounds in a short time
and forced to fight bravely for life for fifteen minutes or more.
While engaged in a contest with his canine foes, the hunter
approached to give him a finishing shot, but he broke away
from the dogs so suddenly, and charged his human adver-
sary so vigorously, that the latter was taken by surprise, and
before he knew what to do he was knocked down and seriously
injured in the chest and abdomen by the antlers of the
infuriated beast. Fortunately for him, succour arrived promptly,
and he and his assailant were taken to camp together. This
is no uncommon thing for stags to do ; hence persons should
be cautious in approaching them when they are wounded.
The hunter was sent home to receive medical assistance, and
was soon himself again.

An incident which occurred to myself the same day is one
I shall not readily forget, as it taught me a useful lesson.
Having heard what I supposed to be hounds belonging to
some other hunters a short distance away from my post, I
started towards them in hopes I should get a shot at the
quarry, but after travelling two miles or more through the
dense forest, I could see nothing of them, though their
voices were audible among the hills. As the evening was
getting late, I decided to go no further, so I returned
towards where I supposed the camp stood. I wandered
about until dusk in various directions, but I could find no
traces of it, nor could I see any footsteps of men or dogs, a
proof positive that they had not been in that direction. Feel-
ing that I was lost, I commenced an examination of the
branches of the trees to see on which side they were longest,
and where the moss grew, but as I had not taken any notice
of the situation of the camp, my knowledge of woodcraft was
of little use. I then climbed a tree to note the appearance of
smoke anywhere, but the lateness of the evening prevented me
from seeing it. Not knowing what else to do, I commenced
blowing the cow's horn which I carried slung over my shoulder,
and kept it up until my lips were sore. I was moving all the

304 SPORTING ADVENTURES

time, but I did not know where I was going1, for I sometimes
found myself back at a point from which I had started half an
hour before. I finally reached the bank of a precipice, through
which a turbulent stream loudly brawled, and there I heard
the welcome notes of an answering horn, seemingly to my left.
This joyous sound nerved me amazingly, and gave me the
strength of a giant, apparently, for I blew a blast that caused
the forest and chasm to resound with it for miles. I then
stumbled through the canyon, crossed the stream in some
manner that I cannot now recall, for it was deep and swift in
places, and, emerging on the other side, I commenced runningat
my best speed, halting only long enough to give a loud halloo
or to sound the horn. I received answering shouts and blasts
at intervals, but they sometimes sounded afar off, and at other
times very near. After travelling for an hour I reached a
morass, and a small, deep stream, and these I crossed on fallen
slippery trees with a dexterity I could not again equal.

While passing through a part of the foi'est so deep and
gloomy that even the stars were not visible, owing to the
density of the shrubbery, I started a bear from its lair, and it
went growling and tearing through the bushes ahead of me.
Nervous and excited as I was, I could notice everything passing
about me in the keenest manner possible. The weird hoot of
the owl, the whistle of the startled deer, the howl of the wolf,
and the loud whirr of alarmed coveys of grouse impressed me
at once; and, though uneasy in mind, through fear of getting
lost in the untrodden forest, yet I felt a sort of pleasure in
the dark and strange scenes, and the wild animals that sur-
rounded me.

Another hour's travelling led me through three chasms>and
these I crossed in hot haste ; but finding I was getting no
nearer the answering shouts and horn-blasts, I commenced
firing my shot-gun. This was responded to by a rattling
volley, and then for the first time did I get the true bearings
of the sounds of succour. I hastened rapidly towards them,
firing as I advanced, to show my position, and finally came to
a steep cliff, up which I clambered with the nimbleness of a
"•oat. "NVhen I reached the summit I heard human voices

IN THE FAR irxsr. 305

approaching me, and a few moments later I was amidst five
of my companions who were out searching for me. I learned
from them that I had been travelling in a cirele, and that
instead of crossing four or five chasms and two streams as I
supposed, I had only crossed one, my movements having led
me to the same chasm and stream every time.

This chasm had taken up the shouts and the blasts of the
horns, and echoed them in so many directions that I was de-
ceived, and led hither and thither, and forced into a veritable
Will o' the Wisp chase for which there was no necessity. The
sharp detonations of the shot-gun not being so well adapted to
produce an echo as the other sounds, I was enabled to hear them
distinctly in the direction from which they issued ; and were it
not for these I would undoubtedly have been compelled to sleep
that night without shelter in the damp forest. I have slept
there alone since then, but under different circumstances, and
after experience had taught me what to do; hence I felt no
alarm about my safety.

When we reached camp I was hailed as the prodigal, and
many a witty joke was cracked at my expense as a woodsman ;
but the persijiac/e was atoned for by a thoughtful, considerate
kindness that would have done credit to tender-hearted women.

We spent a fortnight in the woods in the most pleasant
manner possible, and were almost sorry to leave our wild, free
life for the labour and conventionalism of civilization. All
our days were not devoted to hunting the lordly stag, however,
for we made excursions to interesting scenes in our neighbour-
hood, explored lakes not even known to local geographers, and
spent many a pleasant hour angling for the delicious trout of
the streams and tarns, and in shooting wild fowl, or searching
for grouse among their leafy coverts.

When we turned our faces homewards we had three waggon-
loads of venison, a bear, two otters and three beavers, the two
latter species of animals having been shot during moonlight
nights while they were out enjoying themselves. The
abundance of trout in these streams and lakes is something
wonderful, it being nothing unusual for one rod to capture a
hundred pounds in weight in a day. Winged game was so

x

306 SPORTING ADVENTURES

abundant in the region in which we were encamped that one
gun brought down a hundred ducks or geese on morning and
evening flight shooting alone, and I heard of a hunter there
who killed over two thousand ducks in eleven days with :i
muzzle-loader. I have brought in twelve brace of grouse for
a morning's work myself, and when out after hares I did not
find much difficulty in bagging from twenty to twenty-five in
a day.

Game animals were so abundant in fact, that the whole
country seemed one preserve, and a person might shoot there
day after day for months without seeming to affect their
numbers. One cause for the profusion of small game,
whether fur or feather, is the absence of foxes in the wooded
districts, so that having few enemies, except wild cats or
wolves, and having a mild climate and plenty of food at all
seasons, they multiply in the most rapid manner. We had
our choice of all of them, and if ever men feasted on the
best of wild game we did.

When we returned home the venison was distributed equally
among all the party, my share being given to the gentleman
in whose house I was temporarily residing. To cap the
climax of our fortnight's fun, the musical member of the
expedition decided to give what he humorously called
" a grand hunt ball/' and to this all the neighbours were
invited.

A large wooden barn, which was used as a store-room for
wheat and other grain, was emptied of its bins, and turned
into a sightly and capacious ball-room by entwining the roof
with evergreens, and hanging garlands of the same from side to
side and decorating them with rosettes made of vari-coloured
paper. The seats were made of barrels on which wooden planks
were placed, but those who preferred softer material were re-
quested to bring chairs with them. The ball was an important
event in that quiet neighbourhood, and caused much pleasurable
excitement among the young people ; it even proved a pleasant
topic of conversation among the old; hence, when it came off,
it was attended by the beauty and chivalry of Blank Prairie.
The former were perfect specimens of rustic life, and the

IN THE FAR WEST. 307

latter were typical representatives of the ideal pioneers who cared
little for "biled" shirts, and tripped it away gaily without
coat or waistcoat, while some of them had their trowsers tucked
inside their heavy cow-hide boots. The gentle sex evidently
never paid much attention to the fashions, for the dresses of
the majority consisted of simple calicoes, which clung to their
forms with the tightness of a porous plaster.

The band consisted of one fiddler, who was perched on a
chair that rested on two planks surmounting some barrels ; and
though his position looked precarious,he seemed to pay no atten-
tion to it, and to think of no such thing as a backward tumble.
When the company were assembled, the band scratched his
fiddle violently a few times, caused it to give several excru-
ciating screams, and after producing several cat-like flourishes,
he ordered all who wished to dance to form on the floor for
a "country " dance.

When the lines were in position, he shouted out something
like the following : " Now, any of you who don't know how to
dance Money Musk had better get off the floor and sit on the
planks, because I don't want you to spile the fun of all the rest."
As nobody seemed inclined to move, he turned to a young
man near him, and said, " Jem Coffee-pot, do you know how
to dance this?"

Jem replied that he did.

" I don't bleeve that/' said the band, "cause I've seen you try it
on before and you couldn't dance worth a cent. But never mind ;
drive ahead now, as I see Susan Bumpas is your partner."
" All ready ? "

" Yes," shouted several voices ; and with this he commenced
scratching away for dear life, while the terpsichoreans went
rushing up and down the floor and bumping against each
other so vigorously that the weaker were frequently sent
reeling against the wall.

Everything was done in the greatest hurry, hence what the
dance lacked in grace was atoned for in strength, and boisterous,
laughing confusion. Half of those on the floor did not know
the first principles of the figure, so they went rushing wildly
about, while a dozen others were calling off the movements.

308 SPORTING ADVENTURES

The more stupid couples were frequently seized bodily by
some man near them and pushed through certain parts of the
figure, but no amount of impromptu instruction could teach
them what to do, and the result was that all were soon mingled
up in the most perplexed manner.

This seemed to make the self-sufficient band angry, for he
yelled out authoritatively, —

" Stop ! stop ! Not one of you knows any more about dancing,
than a coyote ! Now do as I tell you ; and those who don't
like to do it can find a seat on the boards, where they be-
long."

"Jem Coffee-pot, no foolin' ; and you, Hezekiah Sheep-
shank, needn't spile the set by knowin' more'n you do. You
weren't made for a dancin' master. I could get a herrin' knows
more about it 'n you do."

"You ladies needn't keep swingin' so long; a ball-room ain't
no place for showin' your feelins'."

"Now, all ready?"

" Yes," shouted several.

" Fire away then," was the answer.

"Now, Tom Fryin'pan, take Susan Fish by the hand ami
bow to her politely. Bow all. Up and down the centre Tom,
and swing. Lead off and make it lively. Scoot to the 'ind
agen and back here. Come, make it lively; none o' your
waltzin' airs here. Swing opposite couples until you get to
the 'ind. Make it lively; one might think you were goin' to
a funeral. Now balance all and swing partners. That's the
way to do it. Tildy Fatt take Dandy Tim through the same
manceuvres the others did."

" Hefty, isn't she Dandy ? your biled shirt '11 be wet if you
swing her much."

" Now swing opposite sides."

" You'll knock the dust out o' the floor, Tildy, if you peg it
away like that. It'll do you good though. All balance and
swing partners."

"That's life for you; that's dancin'. Even the barrels
under me are dancin' so lively that I'll soon be off. Nothin'
like good music. All promenade. Jerusalem ! what a dust !

LV THE FAR WEST. 309

I'm nearly clicked. Fire away though ; never mind me if
any of you have anything like 'stone fence ' about you."

With such comments as these, many of which were so ludi-
crous that the terpsichoreans were roaring with laughter, he
sent all through the figure, and when it was over they were
panting loudly, while their faces were steaming and covered
with perspiration.

The dances consisted principally of quadrilles, but an occa-
sional polka or varsovienne was introduced, much to the delight
of those who knew how to " show off with them/' as the band
expressed it.

These exhibitions of strength were kept up almost uninter-
ruptedly until morning, the only interval of any consequence
being that devoted to refreshments at midnight.

These refreshments were as solid and hearty as the terpsi-
choreans themselves, for they consisted largely of boiled beef,
pork, or mutton, bread and butter, and, for desert, sweet-cakes,
cold tea and coffee, and rosy apples. Each family party brought
its own provisions, and ate them off improvised tables made of
knees. The only seats the majority had were the planks of
the floor, so that they lolled in various attitudes, several of
which were so ludicrous that they would make the fortune of
a pantomimist who knew them.

The hunting party had an excellent dinner, however, in the
host's house, the piece de resistance being venison cooked in
many styles, while the fluids were confined to home-made
currant wine and "stone fence," the latter being composed of
old cider and whiskey. It is a drink that soon produces a
strong effect, and leaves a person the next morning with a
splitting headache, should he exceed the most moderate bounds.

AVhen the dancing party dispersed in the morning, few there
were who did not look thoroughly fagged out, yet all were
delighted with their night of pleasure.

I left the neighbourhood shortly afterwards, and though it is
many a day since I was there, few trips that I have made
in the West are so distinctly marked in my memory as the
fortnight I spent in the forests of Washington Territory, and
my tarry among its hospitable inhabitants.

310 SPORTJXG ADVENTURES

CHAPTER XII.

THE ANTELOPE on PUOXCIIOKX.

Tlio prongliorn — Tts haunts, range, and abundance — Character of its
food — Its fear of woods — Its position in natural history — General
characteristics — Strange growth of its horns— Its glandular system —
Is easily tamed — Sterility when domesticated — Its speed — Coursing it
with greyhounds — Vigilance of the animal— A herd on guard — Best
means of stalking it — Croat curiosity of males — Weeps when wounded
—Twenty-four killed by one dog— A day's coursing on the Laramie
Plains — Lassoing fawns — The best dogs for the chase — How ex-
perienced hounds hunt the antelope — Stalking and its result — Playful
lawns — Stags and wolves — Fate of the antelope.

THE American antelope or pronghorn (Anfilocapra americana]
is found all over the open plains of the West, but is never
seen in wooded regions, nor at any point east of the Missouri
River. It was formerly very abundant, and thousands covered
the plains as far as the eye could see, but it is fast disappear-
ing now before the onslaughts, and the precise, long-range
rifles of red and white hunters.

This very interesting animal was first made known to the
scientific world bv Lewis and Clarke, who found it on the
Upper Missouri lliver in 18U-1-, and met it in large numbers
from that point westward as far as the Cascade Range. It-
does not cross west of that great chain in Oregon and A\ ash-
ington Territory, owing to the wooded character of the region,
but it crosses the Sierra Nevada Range, in California, and small
herds may now be met with in several parts of that State.
It is still numerous in British America and the sections south
of it on the Pacific slope, and is found extensively in all
the Territories, as their population is very small at present.

Us favourite Imhttat is the open, undulating, and treeless
plains which have a light gravelly soil, and produce such succu-
lent vegetation as the buffalo and the bunch-grass. The cause

IN THE FAR WEST. 311

of its limited range may be attributed to its cautiousness,
extreme fear of forests, and its peculiar taste in food. Its
aliment is entirely herbaceous, and, unlike some of its kindred,
it cannot be induced to partake of arboreous food even when
suffering- from hunger. The only time when it can be per-
suaded to enter timber is when the old bucks wish to seek
seclusion from their associates during the growth of the horns ;
but they will not seek refuge in it even then, if it is any way
dense, and is not surrounded by prairies. When startled there,
instead of trying to conceal itself in the undergrowth it breaks
away at once for the plains, as if it depended more on speed
than any other quality for safety. It is a fine specimen
of grace and nimbleness, and, when in motion, is an ideal
representative of a quadruped in flight.

It is interesting to naturalists from the position which it
occupies in the animal world, it being the only species of its
genus thus far discovered. It might really be called a combi-
nation of the deer, antelope, and goat, for it has some of the
characteristics of all three. It differs from the true antelopes
in having a branch or snag on its horns, in having no lachry-
mal sinus, and in being destitute of the posterior or accessory
hoofs. It is smaller than the ordinary deer, an adult male
seldom exceeding four feet four inches in length, and three
ieet in height at the shoulder, while the weight rarely exceeds
seventy pounds. The head is rather short and broad ; the ears
are small and erect ; the neck is short and erect ; the body is
short and round ; the tail is so small as to be scarcely visible
at any distance ; and the legs are long, thin and tapering.
The horns, which are its most characteristic feature, and which
cause it to differ widely from all other ruminants, are worn by
both sexes; but they are little more than rudimentary in the
female until she is full-grown, and even then they seldom exceed
three or four inches in length. I have known them to measure
fourteen inches on the male, by following the curve ; to have
the snags five and a half inches from the base of the horns,
and to be over twelve inches apart; whereas the horns, where
they rise from the skull, are only from three to three and a
half inches apart. The great peculiarity of these corneous

312 SPORTING ADVENTURES

appendages is, however, that while they are hollow, like those
of the goat, the cow and other ruminants, they are deciduous
like those of the deer. This fact, which was acknowledged by
the scientific world only after receiving overwhelming evidence
of its truth, has given the animal a niche to itself, and it now
seems to be accepted as the connecting link between the
Ccrv'uJcB and the Capridcc — another proof that Nature abhors a
vacuum.

The male, when born, has protuberances where the horns
are to grow, and by the time he is six months old these are
developed into sharp-pointed little stumps capable of doing in-
jury in an assault. They grow about an inch the first year, and
are cast in January^ but all succeeding horns are cast a month
or two earlier, until the creature reaches maturity, when they
are cast after the rutting season. Thus we have the peculiar
and interesting fact of an animal that sheds and produces
perfect hollow horns in a few months, whereas, in all other
ruminants that have the same style of horns,, the growth is
slow and gradual, and takes some years to complete. Here
then we have the missing link between those animals that
have hollow and persistent horns, and those which have solid
and deciduous ones. In its dental formula it is also a link
between the two families mentioned, for it has no canine teeth,
btit it has eight incisors in the lower jaw, and boasts twenty-
four molars. In its glandular system and salacious disposition
it resembles the goat, but it differs from it in the fact that,
while the former is the most indiscriminate of feeders, the
most active of climbers, and a lover of rocks and mountains,
the latter is the most particular of creatures in its choice of
food, one of the least able to clamber amid crags and precipices,
and is at home only on the broad, treeless plains where all
objects are distinctly visible. It has the coat of the deer and
the eye and foot of the antelope, but it has the habits of
neither in any particular degree, so that it may say, like
Shakespeare's personage, —

" I hiivo no brother,
I am myself alone."

The hair of the antelope also differs from that of nearly all

AV THE FAR WEST. 313

ruminants, but it is most closely allied to that of the deer. It
is coarse and tubular, and therefore fragile, except at the points,
where it is solid, and, as a result, tenacious. It differs in
quality in various portions of the body, that on the face and
abdomen being the toughest. The general colour of the
animal is a yellowish-tawny, but the lower part of the
sides, the belly, and a large patch on each flank are white.
The mane, which is quite conspicuous on the male, is composed
of long, firm, and erect red hairs.

An important feature in the animal is its glandular system,
which closely allies it with the true deer. Ten of the glands,
all of which are dermal, are in pairs, and emit a pungent
odour which is more marked in the adult males than in the
females and young, and is stronger at certain seasons than at
others, being most powerful during the running period.

If taken young, and treated kindly, this interesting creature
is easily tamed, and being of an affectionate disposition, and
intelligent withal, learns to follow a person about like a dog in a
short time. It is a great pet in several parts of the West, and
a dozen may be seen at a time running about some farmyards.
It does not breed in domestication, however, and I doubt if it
lives long, as I did not see one older than a year or two any-
where. If it does not join its wild companions some mysterious
disease, not unlike a poisoning of the blood, carries it away
suddenly; and when it is severely indisposed it weeps copiously,
as if it were in deep affliction. Even in its natural condition,
and amid its favourite haunts, it is often attacked by a malady
that destroys it in a few days, and this frequently becomes
an epidemic so sweeping that i'ew are left alive in a large
tract of country. The result is, that the animal is very
abundant one year and exceedingly rare another; but in this
it only follows some hidden law of nature relative to the deer
family in general. The last great epidemic occurred, as near
as I can remember, in 1873 or 1S74, and that swept away so
large a number that one section of the country was almost
cleared of them.

The rutting season commences in September and lasts until
November, and during that time the males engage in severe

314 SPORTING ADVENTURES

contests, which arc waged with horns and legs ; yet I never
saw any fatal results from them.

The females breed when a year old, the period of gestation
being about eight months. The young are dropped in June,
the number at a birth being one or two, and never more, so far
as I could see or learn. They are able to move about briskly
in a few days after being born, and at the end of a fortnight
may be seen out grazing with their dams. Their worst foes
are the wolves, and to protect them from these prowlers the
mothers often seek shelter in places which they could not be
induced to frequent at other times.

When startled suddenly, an antelope makes several leaps or
buck -jumps straight upwards, and stares stupidly and wildly
about for a short time before it attempts to flee ; so if a number
are grouped together that is the time for the sportsman to do
his best work, for he may pour in half a dozen shots before
the herd gets beyond range. Even after being fired at, ante-
lopes will often run only a short distance before they halt,
wheel about, and stare in a vacant, startled manner, at the
hunter, and this gives him another opportunity for planting a
few bullets in their midst to good advantage. AVhen they
break away, however, there is no more " ringing up," for they
will not stop, in all probability, until they have placed a goodly
distance between themselves and the object of their suspicion,
and this they do in a short time, for they scarcely seem to
touch the ground when in full flight; so all the hunter sees are
numerous legs bobbing up and down as rapidly as if they were
worked by a ten-thousand-horse steam power. They present
a graceful aspect in motion, and when a large herd runs tog-ether
the scene is very spirited. Although the animals are very
swift for a short time, and have fair staying powers, yet they
are by no means so fleet of foot as some persons have given
them credit for. I have seen good horses keep up with them
long enough to enable hunters to empty their revolvers into a
herd, and I have myself kept close enough to them, when
mounted on a fleet American horse, to bring down a few with
a rifle in a run of three or Four miles. They have, however,
a decided advantage over a horse in a rolling country, as their

IN THE FAR WEST. 315

long hind-legs enable them to dash up a hillock with, perhaps,
greater speed than they can show on the level ; but where the
undulations of a plain are not very marked, or hillocks
are far apart, I am inclined to think that a fast horse can
fairly compete with them for a short distance. A good
dcerhound or greyhound would make short work of them if
they did not get too much of a start; but if that exceeds one
or two hundred yards the dog must be fleet indeed that can
pull down a full-grown stag in a dash of a mile or two.
Coursing them with greyhounds is now the most popular
means of capturing them in the West, and most exciting sport
it is, as persons can follow the chase on horseback, and, if
well mounted, they ought to see all its turnings. Several
officers of the army, and even rough-and-ready fanners and
stock-raisers, keep dogs specially for hunting them, as the old
system of stalking them is rapidly dying out amongst true
sportsmen.

To approach a herd undetected requires the most careful
working, as sentinels are always on duty on elevated knolls,
and as they command a broad view of the surrounding country,
their eyes and noses are keen enough to discover the approach
of any hunter, unless he is well concealed by bushes, hil-
locks or ravines, and beats towards them from the leeward.
Their hearing is also very acute, so the stalkers must be care-
ful to make as little noise as possible. I have often thought
them to be as defective in vision as the ordinary deer, and to
be unable to identify objects unless they were in motion, for I
have frequently sat on the prairie to the leeward of a group,
and seen several approach me without any sense of fear, the
only indication they gave of recognizing my presence being to
stare at me at intervals. They have often come near enough
to give me a shot at them while in that position ; but the
young were the most incautious and unsuspicious. If I made
the least visible movement, however, they would scamper away
at once, and circle around me at a distance, as if trving to
solve what my designs were towards them.

When shot at, I have known them to make several jumps
before leaving for safer quarters, they seeming to have no idea

316 SPORTING ADVENTURES

that the smoke, noise, and hissing- of bullets about them referred
in any way to themselves. I fired five times one day at a year-
ling1 without hitting1 it, owing1 to defective cartridges, or some
other cause, and although the balls tore up the ground beside it,
or whistled about its head, it made no effort to leave until I, dis-
pleased with my shooting, attempted to approach it, and then it
vanished out of sight in a second, taking a large herd with it.

One of the surest means of stalking the animal success-
fully is to arouse its curiosity by waving gently, or allowing-
the \vind to blow, a handkerchief or a piece of bright-coloured
cloth. On seeing this it approaches cautiously, halts fre-
quently, and stares in the most inquisitive manner, and having
finally decided that the object is something worth knowing1,
advances boldly and by circling movements, until it comes
within rifle range, when the hunter drops it. The male, in
contradistinction to the usual rule, is far more vigilant and in-
quisitive than the female, and the first to be attracted by the
deceptive lure ; and if a herd is together the largest stags take
the lead in approaching, and they are followed by the females
and the young, which are ranged at respectful distances
behind them. It is amusing to see with what ludicrous
gravity all go through the same movements almost at the
same time, and the mingled expression of astonishment and
caution they display. This propensity of the lords of the
herd proves of use to the hunter, for he can pick out the best
of them, and by one or two shots get more meat than he could
by three times as many if he had to take the animals indis-
criminately.

The sportsman cannot get many shots at them, however,
unless he is well concealed, and in such a position that they
cannot get his wind, for their curiosity would vanish in a
moment did they sniff his dangerous character.

The most interesting mode of capturing them is to chase
them with trained greyhounds or deerhounds; and some
exciting fun can be enjoyed by lassoing fawns, for if a person
is mounted on a good horse he can run down the latter in a
mile or two, and have a bucking youngster at the end of his
lariat. I have killed both old and young from cover; I have

IN THE FAR WEST. 317

shot them from horseback with a rifle, and tumbled one over
occasionally with my revolver, by bounding suddenly into the
midst of a herd, but I prefer coursing1 them with greyhounds
to any other means. If a person is not accompanied by these
interesting companions, however, he can have some pleasant
sport, if mounted, by jumping suddenly from cover upon a
herd and firing away until he has knocked over several, for
they become so thoroughly frightened on seeing their human
foe that they dash wildly about in circling movements, and
do not attempt to flee until a dozen or more of them, perhaps,
are stretched on the ground.

I have heard Dr. W. F. Carver, the famous rifle-shot, say that
when he lived by hunting he frequently loaded a waggon with
antelopes by surprising them in this manner, and that on one
occasion he killed a small herd before they recovered their wits
sufficiently to break away beyond range of his deadly ride.
Few men can boast such a feat, however, and it would, perhaps,
be safe to say that the best scout or hunter in the West has
never done anything to approach it.

It is rather disagreeable for a man of feeling to approach a
wounded antelope, as the poor creature weeps copiously, and
looks so appealingly towards him with its large and beautiful
eyes, that he is fortunate if their glance does not affect him so
much as to prevent him from putting it out of its misery. The
same is somewhat true about lassoing fawns, for when cap-
tured their eyes are often overspread with tears, especially
if they have been driven hard, as if they were suffering1 the
greatest pain. In many cases they are, no doubt, for thevcut
their fore-legs badly when closely pressed, because, according to
old hunters, they cannot, when tired, get them out of the way
of the hinder fast enough ; and the result is that the skin
is worn away from above the knees to the hoofs, and this of
course causes much suffering. To capture them without doing
them any injury, they should be run down in as short a time
as possible, and, when caught, be placed in a waggon, so
as to prevent any necessity for dragging or forcing them
along.

As a proof of how greyhounds can compare in speed with the

3i8 srORTLVG ADVENTURES

fleet-footed antelope, I may say that General Stanley's dog,
Gibbon, captured twenty-four unwounded pronghornsin 187-3,
and that a hunter near O'Fallons Bluffs, in Nebraska, owned a
couple of hounds that allowed few to escape if they did not
have too much of a start. I have seen a brace of greyhounds
that could overtake the swiftest stag in a run of two or three
miles, if he did not have a leading- start of more than three
or four hundred yards; but if it exceeded that distance they
became discouraged sometimes, and gave up the chase.

One of the pleasantest days I ever spent among the prong-
horns was on the Laramie Plains of Wyoming, which was then
probably the best antelope grounds in the West. Our party
consisted of half a dozen gentlemen, and a scout who acted
in the double capacity of guide and cook, one of those men
who are unknown in any other portion of the world, and who
combine in themselves the qualities of hunter, naturalist,
soldier, and Indian detector.

Our first movement was to hire a waggon for the purpose of
taking our tents, clothing, and provisions to the camping-
ground ; the next, to secure the best horses we could find in the
hamlet of Laramie; and the third, to arm ourselves with heavy
rifles, revolvers, and long lariats. When all preparations were
completed, the cavalcade marched out on the plains just as
twilight was appearing, and moved rapidly onward until
midnight, when it halted on the bank of a small stream which
the antelopes were known to frequent in large numbers in the
morning. The night being fine, we did not pitch our tents,
but rolled ourselves in heavy blankets, and slept until day-
hght. I may add that we were accompanied by three mag-
nificent types of the Irish greyhound, having some mastiff
blood in them, as they were kept specially for antelope
coursing, the latter blood being infused in their veins for the
purpose of giving them that combativeness and tenacity of
purpose necessary not only to chase, but also to throw the
agile and timid creature. Some pure-bred animals of the
race, if trained when young, will not only pursue, but also
pull it to the ground; but, as a general rule, some cross
blood, either of the mastiff, dcerhound, or bloodhound,

IN THE FAR WEST. 319

is considered an improvement, in order to give staying1 powers.
I believe, however, that the unmixed race is thoroughly
adapted for the work, provided it is educated at an early age;
but that idea would be a rather difficult matter to impress
upon those whose experience is entitled to the fullest con-
sideration.

After three hours of fitful repose we arose from our hard
couch, fed our horses, drank our dark coffee, partook of a
slight breakfast of smoked beef and bread, then vaulted
into the saddle. Our steeds were in excellent condition, so
we felt that they would give us no cause to deplore our want of
good fortune. Moving from the streamlet to the high rolling
plateaus back of it, we could distinguish by the dim morning
light several groups of antelopes quietly grazing. Stealing to
their lee to avoid being detected by their keen nostrils, and to
seek the cover of some hillocks, we approached one herd to
within fifty yards ere we were discovered. The dogs having
been put in leash for the purpose of giving us an opportunity of
trying to ride down a few animals, and tumbling them over
with our rifles and revolvers, we put spurs to our horses as
soon as we saw the creatures in motion, and were soon in full
pursuit. Our steeds were given a free rein, and each person
picked out his own quarry. I selected a dam which was ac-
companied by a brace of youngsters t\vo or three months
old, and pursued them onlv a short distance ere I came
close enough to get a shot. This I delivered with my re-
volver at the fore-shoulder of the dam, and when the ha/y
smoke cleared away I had the satisfaction of seeing her tumble
over on her side. Leaving her, I followed the youngsters,
which were running wildly about, as if daxed with fear and
the loss of their guardian, and in a few minutes had mv
lasso about the neck of one. Taking a quick turn of the
lariat about the pommel of the Mexican saddle, I dismounted,
and left the well-trained mustang to hold the quarry while I
tied its legs. This done, I went in quest of its mate, and
soon descried it on a knoll, gazing wistfully about for its lost
companions. A run of two miles or more after tin's also placed
it in the noose of my lasso, but it was more difficult to
capture than the previous one, as it coursed and turned

320 srOR TING A D VENTURES

with the agility of a hare, and the morning' breeze, which
hud just begun blowing1, sent the lariat wide of its mark in
several instances. I had to throw at least a dozen times before
I was fortunate enough to accomplish my purpose. Tving a
rope behind the fore-shoulders of this creature, I led it nolens
volens to where I had left its comrades, and finishing1 the
dam with a shot in the head, I gazed with pleasure on my
spoils. I was so lost to everything1 but the excitement of the
chase that I paid no heed to my companions, and it was only
when I heard the hunter's call, " Hoo-oo-pee-ee/' delivered in
a sharp, high falsetto tone that I was reminded of their exist-
ence. I responded to the cry, and in a few moments more
the party came dashing on, yelling1, "Victory! Victory!
Hoop-la !" A brief consultation was held on meeting, and
it was decided that as our horses were too fatigued to run
again for a while, that we should g-ive the dogs their share
of the amusement for the remainder of the day. That matter
having been settled, the waggon was sent for, and we went
around picking up the slain animals, which amounted to only
four. I was the only person who was fortunate enough
to lasso any of the numerous progeny that followed their
guardians, so they were given to me to dispose of as I
pleased.

Leaving that section, from which all the animals were
driven by the reports of the firing, we marched five miles and
entered a small knoll-bound plain, along whose crests we
could see several herds quietly grazing, but every few mo-
ments a sentinel would raise its head to survey the landscape,
as if fearful of the approach of some enemy. In all my expe-
rience I never saw this animal feeding on any ground that
did not allow abroad range of vision, and if, by chance, a herd
should frequent a valley, several are always kept on the look-out
on the summit of the highest pinnacles, and if the fears of these
sentinels are aroused, they give a sharp warning note, and in a
moment after the entire column is scampering at its best pace
for the ridges, whence they can survey their adversary. On
reaching the valley we decided to drive a portion of the herd
across it, in order to give the dogs a fair run, and to give
ourselves an opportunity of witnessing the sport. With

IN THE I'AR U'KST. 321

tliis purpose in view, four of the party made a detour
of a mile around the vale, and then dashed in among
the startled groups from different directions. The sud-
denness of the attack caused a dozen adults and twice
as many fawns to bound into the valley not a hundred
yards from where two of us were trying to conceal our-
selves. As soon as they struck the lower ground the dogs
were unleashed, and away they went in pursuit at their best
speed. As soon as the frightened animals became aware of
the presence of their enemies they seemed to fairly fly over
the ground ; but the sturdy hounds, extending their noses
and bending their bodies until the abdomens apparently
touched the ground, gradually closed upon them. One burly
stag, desiring to test his powers alone, broke to the right from
the herd, and he was selected by the hounds. Running
together, both dogs kept as close as if they were yoked, but
when they reached to within twenty yards of the quarry they
deployed and ranged themselves one on each side of it. Find-
ing itself out-run, it attempted a double, but. being checked,
resumed its former course, then tried a sharp turn to the
right; the experienced hound on that side was too swift for it,
however, and with a bound he leaped at its throat, and fasten-
ing his fangs deep in the flesh, brought it to the ground.
The second dog, having quite a detour to make, was just
in time to help to stifle the pitiful death-cries of the poor
creature. While this run was taking place, the third and
youngest dog was pursuing a fawn, which he captured in a
few minutes after some pretty turnings and good bursts of
speed. When the hunters saw the stag overthrown they
"•ave an enthusiastic cheer, as the chase displayed to good
advantage the swiftness and tactics of both the pursuers and
the pursued ; so, heedless alike of prairie dog villages and the
opportunities presented for shooting some terrified fawns that
ran wildly about in every direction, they dashed over the vale,
and were in soon after the death of the quarry. The efficacy of
the cross- blood in the dogs was proved by the fact that they
killed the animal themselves, while their training was mani-
fested by the mode in which they hunted ; for none but
experienced dogs would run in couples and select one quarrv

Y

322 SPOR TING A D VENTURES

from the herd. Did they not adopt these means of pursuit,
they would he apt to receive only pains for their labour ;
for if an antelope receives more than a few yards of a start
it is likely to leave the hounds far in the rear unless they
possess unusual strength, fleetness, and staying powers.
Some hunters in that region who live by the fruits of the
chase have the finest antelope dogs I ever saw, they being
long and strong of limb, lithe of body, and having heads
both long and broad. They are not only useful in the
field, but also about the house, as they are exceedingly vigi-
lant and apparently fierce, for they rush at a stranger with
flashing eyes and distended jaws. They are much hand-
somer than the pure-blooded varieties, as they display both
strength and gracefulness of outline, while they are also
taller and longer.

In many cases they scorn to chase a hare, and if trained
specially for deer or antelope, will not do it at all ; otherwise
they would be of little comparative use to their owner. In
running, they hug the ground closely, and keep the head
rather low, as if they were prepared to leap at the throat at
any moment.

After watering the dogs we left the valley, and moving to
the north, trotted across a series of wave-like ridges, where
we expected to meet some sturdy males that would test to
the utmost the speed of the dogs. We had not proceeded
half a mile ere we encountered a solitary and burly old fel-
low grazing in a gully. As soon as he saw us he gazed at the
unusual apparition for a few moments, then broke away at a
slashing gait. The young hound having strayed off a short
distance, managed to get on his line of flight and to turn him
to the left, and this movement enabled the larger dogs to get
a short cut by which they closed rapidly upon him. Break-
ing away in a straight line, he made for the streamlet near
which we encamped in the morning, but the hounds clung to
him, and for a distance of two miles forced him to his best
pace, so that they did not seem to gain an inch. Our party,
who were quietly seated in their saddles, were preparing1 to
follow the chase, as it was rapidly retreating from our range
of vision, when it suddenly appeared on the right, the crafty

IN THE FAR WEST. 323

stag having decided to seek safety among the higher ridges ;
but the determined pursuers had closed the distance so much
that ere he could seek his retreat he was compelled to double
and turn in every possible direction. This was the prettiest
bit of a run I ever saw, for quick as were the twists of the
fugitive those of the hounds were not less so, and they lost
little ground in the doublings. Within an area of one mile
the animal was turned twelve or fifteen times perhaps ; but
overcome by fatigue and the presence on every side of some
one of its pursuers, which left it no means of escape except out-
running them, it began to slacken its pace until it was finally
dragged to the earth by its merciless foes. When we reached
the quarry it was alive, the hounds being too weary to kill it,
so a revolver was put to its head, as it was injured so much
as to be unable to live any length of time. Were it not for its
injuries, the gallant creature would have received its life for
the sake of the amusement it afforded and the display of
speed it manifested.

As the dogs were too fatigued to run any more for some
time, we went in quest of fawns, and, meeting many, we
spent the greater portion of the day in lassoing them, but
we secured only three, as our party were not much used to
that mode of hunting. We returned to camp about four
o'clock in the afternoon and partook of a hearty dinner, of
which antelope-steak was the most prominent portion. The
meat was by no means pleasant to the taste, being both dry
and leathery ; but as we wanted sport and not pabulum we
cared little for that, and ate it only because it was a novel
dish to some of us. After smoking our cigars we again
started out, but this time each carried a long staff, to which
was attached a red piece of cloth, as well as our rilles. Hiding
about two miles from camp, we struck a herd, but, instead of
chasing them, we dismounted, and planting our pennants
in the ground at a distance of several yards from each
other, we tethered our horses and lay down near our
gaudy banners. The antelopes, which were startled at our
first appearance, began to circle around us while engaged in
this preparation, as if trying to learn what in the world it
meant. Finding that they were not molested, they commenced

v °
i .--

324 SPORTING ADVENTURES

to draw closer gradually, until a dozen finally came within
range of the riiles. A sharp series of reports followed, and
four fine animals were tumbled over. This was as much as
we expected to accomplish that evening, so we collected our
spoils, and, throwing- them across our horses, wended our way
towards camp.

The system of still-hunting is the one most in vogue among
the Indians and pioneers, but it lacks all the spirit and
excitement of the chase, and is in reality only fit for pot-
hunters. The sons of the forest were the first to make it
known to the white hunters, for, with their usual sharpness of
observation, they noticed that curiosity was one of the prin-
cipal faculties in the Ccrrida, and acting on this knowledge
they made that faculty the means of luring them to destruc-
tion. Were the pleasures of antelope-coursing more generally
known, it would become what hare-coursing is in the British
kingdom, and with this greater advantage, that it affords
much keener amusement, and gives hounds, horses, quarry,
and hunters a better opportunity of testing their speed, power,
mettle, and endurance.

The Scotch deer-hound would, in my estimation, be an
invaluable dog for chasing the antelope on the plains of the
West, yet that splendid creature is scarcely known there, for I
saw only three of the pure-blooded species in the entire region
beyond the Rocky Mountains, though mongrels and crosses
were not rare. Many of the best hunters in the country know
little or nothing about the various breeds of dogs useful in the
chase, hence they take no pains about procuring them, and
seem to be content with anything in the canine form so long
as it will chase an animal.

In stalking the antelope I have sometimes killed three and
four in a few hours, but I have on other occasions been out
all day without getting more than a fawn. I have found that
it will allow a person on horseback to approach it nearer,
without taking alarm, than it will one a loot, and that it will
often give a man a good opportunity for an excellent shot if
he walks slowly and halts occasionally, provided he is to the
leeward, as its curiosity rather than its fears are then aroused.
A Sharp's ride of forty-live calibre and carrying one hundred

LV THE FAR WEST. 325

grains of powder is an excellent weapon to use in stalking it;
and if a person is only careful in his movements, is not in
too much of a hurry, does not walk too rapidly, and hunts
to windward, he will find that the supposed great difficulty
of killing the wary pronghorn will soon vanish, and that
he may place it among his trophies of the chase without
much difficulty.

It is an easy matter to get fawns at almost any time, ns
they are rather tame and unsuspicious, and so fond of playing,
that if they have none of their o\vn companions to romp
with they make imaginary playfellows out of clumps of weeds
or grass, and indulge in all sorts of gambols about them.

Even the adults may be brought within rifle range if a
person stands still or sits down, provided they do not wind
him, as they become accustomed to the strangest objects,
which are stationary, in a short time.

The males keep by themselves from spring until the running
season commences in September, when they rejoin the females
and the fawns. They may be found near water in the evening,
but during the day they frequent the uplands, as they feel
more secure there, owing to the extent of country they can
survey at a glance.

A wounded stag, unlike his cervidean kindred, the moose,
wapiti, and mule deer, shows little combativeness, yet he will
occasionally charge a hunter, and, if he can, use both horns
and legs upon him. He will boldly face a wolf, however, when
brought to bay; but his opportunities for such a display of
courage are rather scarce I fancy, as I never saw his lupine foe
able to overtake him in a straight run ; and ;< :x months old
fawn can get out of the way of a pack of pra; »e wolves before
they could ask where it was going.

This interesting animal, like some others, is destined to
disappear in a short time from the list of the American fauna,
for it cannot live in a thickly inhabited country/and its favourite
haunts are now being occupied so rapidly by stock-raisers that
their herds and flocks are pushing- it further into wild and
inhospitable regions, where it often falls a victim to cold and
hunger, or the attacks of stronger foes-.

326 SPOR TING AD VENTURES

CHAPTER XIII.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.

The rocky mountain goat — Position in Natural History — Its classifi-
cation— Supposed to be a goat-antelope — Its appearance, haunts
and habits — Character of its hair — Vigilance of sentinels — Its
nimbleness — Fear of the lowlands — Getting scarce — Flocks in flight
— First introduction to the goat — A march with Indians — A stalk in
the Cascade Range — Its result — Disappointment — A ram killed — Skin
spoiled by a fall — A hunt in Montana — Sharp terriers — Their use in
stalking — Trophies and tramping — Opinion of an old hunter on goat-
shooting — A successful stalker's faculties — Charging goats — The use ot
dogs in hunting them.

THE wild goat indigenous to the United States is one of the
most interesting animals on the Continent to either naturalists
or sportsmen, for being- the only species of its family found in
the country, and making- its home amid the gloomy chasms
and rocky fastnesses of the great mountain ranges that traverse
the Pacific Coast in every direction, a certain air of mystery
clung to it which made it doubly interesting as a trophy of
the chase. Many skilled hunters were, therefore, anxious to
bag it, but, considering its numbers, few have been slain,
owing to the difficulty of reaching its retreats, or surprising
it. The Indians have thus far proven to be the most success-
ful in its pursuit, as they have a knowledge of its haunts and
habits, and are patient and persevering in stalking it.

Among some tribes in the Far AVest the skin has been
largely used for making caps and other articles of wearing
apparel, but it seems to be most popular as a lining for other
garments.

This anima has received so many different technical appel-
lations that it is difficult to know which to adopt, but 1 should
suppose that Apluccrus man tan its- was quite appropriate,

IN THE FAR WEST. 327

besides the fact that it is the one most generally used in its
designation.

Being a member of the Cavicornia, or hollow-horned family,
some naturalists assume that it is deficient in some of the cha-
racteristics of a true goat, and to be so closely allied to the
antelope as to be in reality a goat-antelope or antelope-goat,
or whichever is the true name to apply. Prof. Gray, of the
British Museum, has placed it with the European chamois and
the mountain goat of the Himalayas in a particular group
which he calls goat-like antelopes, and he has given it the
specific name of Mazama americana, while he has classified the
group under the generic name of Mazame. Unlike the Ameri-
can antelope, it does not, however, shed its horns, and it may
therefore be assumed to be the connecting link between the
antelope and the goat families. In looks and habits it is a
true caprus, a fact which one may soon learn by teasing a tame
youngster. The head and face are unmistakably those of a
goat, but the body seems heavier, deeper, and less rounded than
that of the common species. It is about the size of the
domestic sheep, and on account of its resemblance to the
merino breed, it is often called the mountain sheep in portions
of the West, while the true mountain sheep is known as the
big-horn.

There is some excuse for this mistake on the part of those
who have no knowledge of Natural History, for its fleece, which
is snowy white, hangs down on the sides like that of an
ordinary sheep; yet it may- be readily detected from wool by
the fact that, though long, it is straight and coarse. It is,
however, much finer and softer than the covering of the
domestic goat. The inner hair, which is about one and a half
inches long on the adult, is fine, soft, fleecy, and tenacious,
and is not unlike that of the Angora goat. The outer covering
is abundant on the neck, back, shoulders, chest, throat, and
thighs, but rather thin on the lower part of the limbs. The
tail is short, and though generously clad with long hair, yet
it is almost concealed by that which covers the flanks and
contiguous parts. A long white and pointed board adorns
the chin and completes its capridian appearance. It is purely

328 SPORTING ADVENTURES

white throughout, except the hoofs, horns, lips, and the margins
of the nostrils, which are black, so that it is a true denizen of
the snow-peaks in line.

Its nose is strongly ovine ; the cars are pointed, and lined
with long hair; the eyes are small, and are evidently intended
more for length and intensity of vision than a broad range ;
and the limbs are thick, short, strong, and sinewy. It has no
tear-bag or muffle, so that it bears no resemblance to the deer
family in that characteristic. The horns, which are about six
or eight inches long, and are " ringed" half-way upward from
the base, are sharp-pointed, somewhat recurved at the upper
extremities, and of a darkish hue. The hoofs, which are full
in outline and very hard, arc of a deep black colour, and
are deeply grooved on the soles; and the small posterior hoofs
do not touch the ground.

Its range, so far as my knowledge goes, extends from Southern
California to Alaska, and from the Cascade and Sierra Nevada
Ranges to the Rocky Mountains, these mighty chains seeming
to check its habitat on the west aixl east. It is much more
alpine in its character than the big-horn, and frequents regions
which the latter seldom visits. It is a daring climber, a nimble
leiipcr, and bounds over crags and dangerous places that
nothing less than a bird could apparently attempt with safety.
It loves the higher pinnacles, where the daintiest vegetation
grows, and where nothing but the eagle, snowy ptarmigan,
and a few small creatures arc its companions.

It generally moves in flocks of from a dozen to fifty, but
the former number is the most common, as one leader is sufli-
cient, and therefore any combats to decide which is to be com-
mander is prevented. The young, which generally number
two at a birth, are brought forth early in June amidst the
lower ranges, say from five to six thousand feet in height, and
when they are old enough to leap about briskly their faithful
guardians lead them to the higher peaks, where they are safe
from nearly all foes except man or the daring eagle. They
seldom fall a prey to prowling bear or panther, owing to the
facility with which the latter can procure food in the wooded
regions below; hence they have few enemies to disturb the

AY THE 1'AR U'EST. 329

peaceful solitude of their lives. While grazing, a flock has a.
sentinel to stand guard and give notice of the approach of an
enemy. The sentinel is always a male, and when he detects
the presence of man or dangerous heast he sounds an alarm in
a few short, peremptory calls. This brings his companions
huddling to his side, and when all are assembled, the mothers
and their offspring being in the centre, they dash for the most
inaccessible peaks at their best pace, and never stop until they
have placed a goodly distance between themselves and the
object of their suspicion. Once on safe ground, they throw out
vedettes again. These occupy some huge crag or elevated knoll
that commands a view of the surrounding country — which is
generally treeless — and this enables them to see all transpiring
within range of vision.

Since the settlement of the Pacilic Coast the animal has
been driven to the very highest mountain ranges to iind food
and security, and it is only near snowy pinnacles that it may
now be found. Judging from the conversations of an old Indian
in the Walla Walla Valley, in Washington Territory, it formerly
occupied the peaks of the Blue Mountains, a range having an
altitude of only five thousand feet, but 1 doubt if a specimen
can be found there now. The Indians, to whom it was known
as the wow, state that it was very difficult of approach owing
to its vigilance, keenness of scent, and the extensive view which
the sentinels, always on duty, had of the surrounding country.
Their most successful mode of hunting it was to drive a flock
towards a canyon, where a party was concealed, and to shoot
them as they dashed up or down the binds. They succeeded
sometimes in bagging one by means of pitfalls and traps, but
they placed little dependence on such means of capture,, owing
to the caution of the leaders. In many places where it was
formerly quite numerous it has disappeared entirely, but not
through the war waged upon it so much as its natural inclina-
tion to keej> away from the haunts of man, and especiallv,
according to Indian tales, of the white man, whom it seems to
fear more than any other foe. An old chief, known among
his tribe on Puget Sound as 3[<>w/ch, or the "deer," from his
success as a hunter, informed me that the gout w;is more

330 SPORTING ADVENTURES

abundant than ever along- the snowy crests of the Cascade
Range, especially in the vicinity of Mounts Baker, llainer,
and St. Helen's, owing to the cessation of peltry hunting, which
was so vigorously prosecuted by the North- Western Fur Com-
pany, and the gathering of all but a few vagrant Indians on
the reservations. This would seem quite probable, not only
in that region, but in every other section that it has been
known to frequent ; so that it would be quite safe to state that it
is more numerous now than it has been for many years. From
inquiries among hunters, both pale and red, I should deduce that
it may now be found in the mountains of Manitoba, Wyoming,
Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington Territory;
but I should infer that it was more numerous in the latter than
in any other section of the country. Some years ago a few
were to be seen in a domesticated state at Deer Lodge, Mon-
tana; and I heard of an Indian family on the Lumni River,
Washington Territory, having, what is most unusual for the
red race, a brace of kids in their tepee so tame that they would
follow the children around like the spoiled and playful members
of the domestic species.

To hunt goats with any degree of success requires patience,
perseverance, an unusual degree of caution, and a contempt for
arduous toil; and he who is willing to display these qualities
need not fear a failure. A white hunter informed me that a
couple of active terriers, trained to drive the animals from their
lairs, or to keep them at bay until the arrival of the Nimrod,
would be the surest means of bagging them ; otherwise one
could only hope to get a shot at them by accident, or unusual
good luck. They are not, in reality, any more difficult to
hunt than the big-horns, except, perhaps, that they are scarcer,
and frequent higher latitudes ; and in some respects the bag-
ging of a few would seem easier, as they lack the speed of the
latter, and, as a rule, run obliquely to the right and upward,
even if the wind is blowing in that direction.

A good idea for a hunting party would be to send some men
above a flock, keeping well to the leeward, and for those below,
if they have no dogs, to move to the windward, and advance
rapidly so as to surprise the quarry. This would send them

IN THE FAR WEST. 351

scampering in the direction of those concealed above, and
result in an opportunity for a few good shots, as they dash for
crags or the mountains without any apprehension of danger
from that direction. Should they be checked even, instead of
turning back, they would break to the right and left, and try
to reach the highest pinnacles, owing to a blind instinct they
have that all their danger lies in the regions beneath, which
they so scrupulously avoid.

The best time for hunting the animal is the early morning
or the dusk of the evening, when it is out feeding in some
rocky vale, as it is then more readily seen, and the hunter is
enabled to approach it with greater facility by keeping to the
leeward, and in the shelter of crags, until an opportunity for a
shot is presented. It is very difficult to find during the heat
of the day, as it lies concealed amid dangerous ledges or gloomy
precipices, and any attempt to track it would lead to the
detection of the hunter before the hunted, for its hearing is
as acute as its nasal power. If pursued at all at this time, it
should be with the aid of keen-nosed terriers, as they are
sagacious enough to find any four-footed animal running wild,
and to chase it, too, whether it be bear, puma, goat, or
weasel.

From many inquiries, and a limited experience, I am rather
inclined to think that where it is little hunted it shows no
great fear of man if he approaches it from the leeward, and
does not alarm it by rapid movements. To stalk it successfully
he must, therefore, move slowly and cautiously, halt frequently
if he thinks he is seen, make as little noise as possible, and use
every available cover presented by rock or shrub.

My first introduction to this mountain sprite was in Wash-
ington Territory, and that taught me that the tales related by
hunters of the difficulty of killing it were little exaggerated.

I joined a party of Indians that were moving into the eastern
division of the Territory, their chief having kindly consented
to let me accompany them, on the ground that I sympathized
with the creed which they had been taught by a self-
denying Christian missionary.

Our route led us through those dense forests that cover an

332 SPORTING ADVENTURES

area of nearly seventy thousand square miles of Oregon and
the region mentioned, and grand and gloomy they seemed in
their silence and magnificence. We followed a trail known
only, so far as I could learn, to the red men, and this led us
away from all vestiges of civilization, for not a house or a white
man did we see until we entered the great plains of Eastern
Washington.

We moved onward by easy marches, halting for a day or
two to enable the squaws to gather some of the innumerable
berries of many species with which the woods teemed, and to
give the men an opportunity of killing game. This, fortunately,
was quite plentiful, and the hunting parties returned each day
with a stock of meat which embraced every variety, from the
bear and deer to the hare, squirrel, and showtl.

As we approached the snowy summits of the Cascade Range
the forest became less dense, and we caught glimpses of open
mountain dells, as picturesque as any the mind could conceive,
which were covered with a luxuriant growth of tender grass,
green mosses, and dainty sub-alpine flowers, or we gazed on
those stupendous boulders — veritable mountains of bare rocks,
which were the haunts of the mountain sheep and goat.

Having halted one day to have a hunt among these animals,
I was allotted as a companion a handsome — for an Indian —
young fellow, known to his tribe as Itsoot or the Bear, from
the fact that he had once killed the plantigrade single-handed.

Leaving the others, we moved towards the snow-fields, and
after trudging half a mile obliquely upwards we struck goat
" signs/'' and these induced i;s to halt to reconnoitre. My com-
panion, after glancing at them some moments, told me in classi-
cal Chinook that they were fresh, and that we should soon meet
a colony of the capridce if nothing unusual occurred. Advancing
slowly and silently, and glancing cautiously about, we entered
a deep ravine, and to our surprise and disgust found, ere we had
been there many seconds, that the colony had detected us, and
were hastening up the cliffs, some yards beyond, at a tremen-
dous rate. Clambering up the steep binds the best way we
could, now stumbling forward, then threatening to fall into
the chasm below, we finally reached the upper world only to see a

IN THE FAR WEST. 333

small cloud of "•oats disappearing in the distance. I \vas angry
at our ill-luck, but the red man was as stoical as a statue and
showed no signs of emotion, not even a word or facial thought
escaped him. We toiled on once more until we got among some
loose shelving and snow, and after scanning our position we
saw three goats a short distance below us standing in an attitude
of vigilance. They looked proud and enticing, and as we wanted
them badly we attempted to stalk them. Bending low, at a
signal from my cicerone, we moved downwards, now dodging
behind rocks, now creeping almost on the ground, until my back
seemed ready to break, we at length reached a convenient covert
behind a huge crag, but on peering out to get a peep at our
quarries we saw them moving up to the right. I was so dis-
gusted that I fired, but the only result was to see one give a
sudden bound, as if wounded, and dart around rocks that
hung over a precipice — and where a cat could hardly find a
foot-hold — with remarkable ease and celerity. I followed it,
but I dared not do more than attempt to peer towards its line
of retreat for fear of having my head made dizzy by the depth
and terrifying character of the chasm below.

Nothing daunted at this failure, we commenced beating
again, and after working two or three hours came upon an old
ram that was promenading on the edge of a deep canyon in
which we were walking. The Indian fired after taking delibe-
rate aim, but instead of seeing the old fellow come tumbling
down, he merely sent down a shower of loose stones,
while he bounded away to less alarming quarters. The " Son
of the Forest" got disgusted then himself, for he gave a
grimace, and started for the summit as if he considered goats
perfect nuisances, or Wills o' the Wisp. After toiling all day
we came back to camp with only one poor marmot, known as
the " whistler," from the quaint noise it makes, and I killed
that as a specimen.

Our return was awaited with some interest by a few of the
old men, who expected that my repeating rifle would accom-
plish wonders, and that it would be able to supply the
encampment with goat's meat for several days; but when
they saw us come back almost as empty-handed as when we

334 SPORTING ADVENTURES

started some of them looked disappointed, but they said
nothing1. One of the party killed a full-grown ram by
stealing upon him, but before delivering1 up the ghost he
tumbled into a chasm, and that fall broke the horns, and
mashed the body so much that the skin presented a sorry
appearance. I took the measurements of the animal, but
having lost my note-book I cannot now recall them. I
ate some of its flesh during the evening, but I could not
consider it to possess high gastronomic qualities, it being
rather dry, and goaty in flavour.

The most successful hunt among the goats that I ever
enjoyed was in Montana. During one of my excursions in
that fine game region I was fortunate enough to meet a
pioneer, who, in the early days of the country, before it was
overrun with gold-seekers, procured his meat by hunting, and
in his company I spent two days in one of the mountain
chains that trend to the north and west from the town of Deer
Lodge.

Our only companions, besides the pack animals that carried
our camp equipage, were two rough-coated terriers that were
trained specially for driving goats and mountain sheep from
retreats where the hunter could not well follow them. The
first morning after our arrival at the scene of operations we
were awake before daylight, and ere the earliest rays of the
sun topped the highest pinnacles we were clambering amid
crags that reduced us to the most dwarfish human dimensions.

Keeping well to the lee of a spot which the animals were
generally known to frequent, we struggled upward for a
couple of hours, but not a sound, except our heavy breathing,
escaped us. We kept our eyes steadily engaged, however, if
we did not our tongues, in order that the expedition should
not prove barren of results through any want of vigilance on
our part.

A short time after daylight we reached a small plateau that
enabled us to survey the horizon on every side, and here I
brought my glass to bear, but no goats loomed within its
range. " There must be some on 'em here though/'' said my
companion, "for I never yet knowed this place to fail me; so

IN THE FAR WEST. 335

I'll bet my boots we'll get a crack at one in less than twenty
minutes." The words, which sounded unusually strange at
such an altitude, owing to the rarity of the atmosphere, had
scarcely passed his lips ere a group of about a dozen, the
greater number of which were kids and their dams, broke
from the cover of a huge crag not fifty paces from us, they
having been routed by the active little terriers. " Fire
quickly/' shouted the ready scout ; and without waiting to
take more than the most cursory aim, I fired at the fleeing
flock thrice in rapid succession, while my comrade sent four
bullets whizzing in the same direction. Before I could get
another shot, the terrified animals had vanished in a precipice
at, apparently, one bound. Following their line of retreat to
see what the result of our fire had been, we were gratified to
find within an area of fifty yards a dam, and two kids about
six weeks old. " Fust-rate shootin' that," said the reticent
guide; "so it seems to me we'll have good luck to-day, and
make a reg'lar haul ; but we needn't expect to git such good
shots again, as they never allow one to get so close as that to
'em." I asked him at what range he generally shot them,
and he replied that it averaged at least from two to three
hundred yards, and that he considered himself very lucky if
he killed one in motion, owing to the difficulty of shooting
any object that bounds in an irregular manner. " I'd rather
bet on killing five deer than one goat," said he, with the cold
tone of an experienced hunter; " for I know how the deer will
go, but nobody knows which way a goat will jump, and, besides
that, he generally covers himself with rocks when he can."
Experience has proved the correctness of his assertions, for I
have found that one who would slay the animal must steal
upon it unawares — a difficult feat to perform — and fire at
the first opportunity, or the nimble creature may flee beyond
reach.

After "drawing" those we had slain, we placed them on a
crag, which we marked by bearings, and went in quest of
more, but after trudging through deep gullies and over rock-
bound plateaus until noon, we were compelled to return to
camp, the guide having concluded that we could do nothing

336 SPORTING ADVENTURES

in the heat of the clay, as the animals concealed themselves
after the morning- repast until evening- again. After reaching
our primitive quarters we cut off a portion of the kid and
roasted it, but it did not prove as palatable as one would infer,
for, though tender, it was dry and insipid. I did not try the
flesh of the adults, being- willing to accept the judgment of
the guide, who stated that it was tougher than Leavenworth
boarding-house steak. Throwing ourselves on the bunch of
boughs and leaves which answered for a couch, we dozed unlil
five p.m., when we again sallied forth. Taking a direction
opposite to that which we had followed in the morning, a walk
of half a mile brought us to a perfect little paradise of a valley,
which was covered with green, luxuriant herbage, and watered
by a pretty stream that took its rise in a granitoid formation,
and was therefore never dry. Being surrounded by stupendous
crags of igneous formation, the guide felt assured that we
should meet some goats, so we prepared for the event by filling
up the magazine of our Winchester rifles and half-cocking
them. After a careful scanning of the boulders, we espied a
group of half a dozen animals in a niche far above us. Making
a detour to the right, where a chasm yawned, we got to
within a quarter of a mile of them, but finding ourselves to
the windward and in a spot where we could get only one shot
ere they might disappear, the guide took up one of the dogs
and showed him where the goats were browsing. Wagging his
t:.il to indicate that he understood his mission, he started off
at his best speed, followed by his companion, while we hastened
back to an isolated mass of rock that skirted the vale on the
north-east. The dogs having a wide detour to make in order
to get above the goats, we were concealed before their sharp bark
announced that they had found the quarry. As soon as the
animals were started they came bounding down into the
valley, in contradistinction to their usual manner, closely
followed by the active pursuers, which kept up an incessant
yelping. I was so interested in watching the daring leaps
and nimble clambering of the flock that I forgot all about my
purpose of tumbling one over, and it was only when the guide
slated that we would have " to run for a shot " that I was

IN THE FAR WEST. 337

recalled to it. Running at our best speed towards a series of
boulders that marked the line of a canyon, we reached there
in time to see the Hock bounding upward again, but ere they
disappeared we managed to get a rather indifferent shot at a
couple in the rear, at a distance of about one hundred yards.
We did not expect to claim any prizes from that etl'ort ; but
we concluded to search, nevertheless, in hopes that we might
have wounded one at least. Great, therefore, was our satisfac-
tion to find a handsome kid stretched dead on the ground, and
a trail of blood a little further on, a proof that another had
been seriously wounded. Following this gory pathway for a
distance of several hundred yards, we reached a clump of
dwarf pines, and there found a yearling ram in the last throes
of dissolution. An examination revealed the fact that he was
shot through the heart, so we were not a little surprised at his
tenacity of life. Shouldering the slain, we returned to camp,
and feasted that night on tender kid. Having satisfied to
the fullest an ambition of mine, we broke up our quarters,
and four days after were back in Deer Lodge, I, for one, being
highly pleased with our good fortune.

To hunt the mountain goat successfully one must be
cautious, patient, and persevering, and he who can exercise
these faculties need have little fear of not placing a few among
his trophies of the chase. lie may have to dare crags and
chasms, but as sport means exercising a person's mental and
physical qualities against those of wild animals, few care for
dangers and annoyances in comparison to the success achieved.
This goat will, it is said by old hunters, charge its human foe
if it thinks it cannot escape otherwise, and display its butting
power to as good advantage as the domestic species. It prefers
to seek safety in flight if it can, however, and does not hesitate
a moment to plunge into a precipice to escape threatened
danger. Fabulous tales are told about its immunity from
injury in these terrific leaps, yet it is no more daring than
the ibex or chamois, nor is it superior to them in passing
over pendent crags, vaulting gloomy precipices, or clambering
up the most stupendous ascents. Hunting it is much the
same in character as pursuing these animals, except, perhaps,

338 SPORTING ADVENTURES

that it is less cautious, where it is not hunted much. He
who would follow it, however, must learn to be patient and
daring1, and care little for disappointments, for he is likely to
have many of these unless he is more than ordinarily fortunate.
It might, I think, be hunted to good advantage with sharp
terriers or sheep dogs, as they would keep it at bay until the
sportsman arrived on the scene, when he could easily finish
the work, and then boast of something more tangible for his
day's labour than a view of majestic mountain scenery.

IN THE FAR WEST. 339

CHAPTER XIV.

THE BIGHORN OR MOUNTAIN SHEEP.

The bighorn or mountain sheep — Its haunts and habits — Characteristics
required to hunf it successfully — Its caution and vigilance — Order of
a flock in flight — Hunters' tales of its nimbleness — Pugnacity of tho
males — Contest between a wolf and a bighorn — Si/e of rains — Measure-
ment of horns — The rutting season — Flocks of old rains — Best time for
hunting them — Stalking exercise — A good rifle — Usefulness of a field-
glass — Indian " Sheep-eaters " — Pemmican — My first hunt — A kill —
Stalk a flock — Detected — The assembly — Result of a fusillade — Tedious
chase after an old rain — I get butted over — A tardy capture — Flavour
of wild mutton cutlets — Dogs for sheep-hunting — A hunt in the War
Eagle Mountains — Our success — A cougar scared — " Dancing" sheep —
Bighorns waiting for their leader — Adventure of the guide with a war
party of Indians — Defeat of the latter.

THE only species of the Ovldtz found wild in the United States
is the so-called bighorn or mountain sheep (Ovis moutana],
which is confined geographically to the mountainous regions
of the Far West. It is closely allied to the Or/.? atiimon of
the Himalaya Mountains, and differs from it mainly in size,
being about one-third smaller, and the corrugations of the
horns are also somewhat different. Amid the many-shaped
crests of the western mountains this nimble creature loves to
dwell, for there it finds an abundance of dainty food in the
tender alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, and is free from
nearly all foes except an occasional red or white hunter. A
rather active warfare has been waged upon it lately, however,
in certain portions of the Territories, especially in Colorado,
Wyoming, and Utah; hence it is getting rather wild and
scarce in these regions; but in Montana, Idaho, Oregon,
Washington Territory, and portions of British America it is
almost as abundant as ever, and in some places more so, as
the Indians can now procure pabulum in an easier manner

/ 2

340 SPORTING ADVENTURES

than by laboriously following1 it amid the snow-enshrouded
mountains which it selects for a home. The amateur hunter
who would, therefore, slay a large number, must move to the
distant regions of the North-west, and there he will find little
cause to complain of ill-luck. Few creatures are more difficult
of approach than the bighorn, for, like all mountain animals,
it is exceedingly keen of scent, unusually vigilant, and so
cautious that it carefully reconnoitres a country from an
elevated stand-point ere it presumes to advance towards it.
The Nimrod who would, therefore, place the heads of many
among1 his trophies of the chase must be not only of an active
and vigorous form, to bear steep mountain climbing and a
rarified atmosphere, but he must also possess the qualities of
patience, perseverance and hardihood, for its pursuit may
lead him through deep and gloomy precipices, over ground
so stony and rough as to seem impassable, and amid pinnacles
whose towering altitudes and craggy sides make their ascent
almost as difficult as many of the famous peaks of the Alps.
In early summer, however, it may be found at elevations of
only four or five thousand feet above the level of the sea, but
from May to September, or as soon as the lambkins are aide
to travel, it moves higher up, for the greater safety of the
young, and to secure the dainty vegetation that grows in
every available spot as soon as the snow disappears.

Though the favourite habitats of this animal are rugged
hills and mountains, yet it will also thrive in a rough and
broken country where the herbage is not only coarse but
scanty, provided there are rocky steeps and dark chasms within
convenient distance to which it can retreat when alarmed, or
when it is pursued by foes. AVhen a (lock is migrating to
pastures new, the sentinels or leaders carefully scrutinize the
country before them from every commanding position, and
when they are satisfied with its appearance the whole party
advance boldly, and having made it their head- quarters, throw
out vedettes, generally males, which mount guard on elevated
crags or hillocks, and vigilantly survev their surroundings
until their companions have dined, when all seek shelter amidst
crags, small pine or fir coppices, and inaccessible shelves of

IN THE FAR WEST. 341

rock or sombre canyons, where no ordinary enemy can follow
them without making- its presence known.

When a sentinel detects the approach of a suspicious object
he sounds an alarm at once by a few loud and peremptory
hissing snorts j this brings the flock huddling together, the
ewes and lambs being in the centre, and when the column is
formed, all dash for the highest ridges at their best pace, and
never stop until they have sought a safe refuge amongst crags
or chasms. The advance is always led by a sturdy ram, one
that is generally looked upon as the leader, and the rear and
flanks are carefully guarded by the young males. When flocks
of old rams congregate together, which they always do after
the running season is over in December, the first one in an alarm
that moves off is the leader, and all the rest, like the domestic
sheep, follow him heedlessly, in a bunch, until a halt is made,
when sentinels are again posted, and the source whence danger
is expected is carefully watched.

In regions even where they are little disturbed, they
raise their heads every few minutes while feeding, and
survey their surroundings; and as they are both sharp
of eye and keen of scent, it requires the most careful
stalking to approach them within shooting range without
being detected. They will get the scent of a hunter to the
windward seemingly half a mile away ; and when that terrify-
ing odour is made known to the flock they display the greatest
symptoms of terror, and dash wildly for the highest pinnacles,
now leaping nimbly from crag to crag or vaulting dark and
narrow chasms with the greatest ease, anon plunging head
foremost into precipices apparently deep enough to shatter
them into fragments should they strike the ground ; nor do
they stop until they have placed a goodly distance between them-
selves and their most dreaded foe. They hurl themselves from
giddy heights into the depths below with such readiness that
one is liable to give some credence to those tales related by red
and white hunters, which specify that they would prefer death
to an encounter with man ; and that their horns are so strong
and elastic that they can fall upon them on a crag several feet
below, and rebound to their feet none the worse for the con-
cussion. The latter statement may be taken with a large grain

342 SPORTING ADVENTURES

of salt, for though I have seen them make some terrific
plunges, and some which I thought would result in their in-
stantaneous destruction, yet they escaped uninjured, not, how-
ever, because they alighted on their horns, but on their feet,
and these being- enveloped in a corneous and elastic covering,
capable of bearing a severe shock, they were able to scamper
away as easily after their bounds as if they had never made
them. The broken tips of the horns, and the often scaled or
split character of portions of their outer rind, are supposed by
old hunters to be the result of falling on them constantly;
but this is evidently a mistake, and is due to the habit the
animals have of using their appendages to aid them in
climbing steep and stony places. The rams also use them
freely enough in combats, and this undoubtedly causes the
scaling or splitting, for they must be hard indeed if they can
resist uninjured the terrific force with which two warriors,
weighing from one to over two hundred pounds each, strike each
other. These combats are waged according to the rules in
existence among the domestic species, but, owing to the
closeness of the horns and their forward projection, the
animals do not suffer so much from headache after the contests
as the latter; nor do they seem to be so fond of causeless
warfare.

Both sexes are adorned with head appendages, but they are
rather light on the females, those of a veteran great grand-
mother not being larger than those of a two-year-old male.
They are also less recurved, being more like those of a goat;
yet they are most effective weapons in an assault, as prowling
foxes, wolves, and wild cats have learned to their sorrow. I
once saw a wolf trying to make a delicious repast off a lamb
three or four months old, which it caught in a bit of wood
during the temporary absence of the mother; but ere it could
kill it the latter arrived, most unexpectedly? on the scene, and
charging the bandit with the greatest vehemence, gave it such
a crushing blow on the ribs that it was glad to beat as rapid a
retreat as its stomach-ache would permit, while mother and
lamb trotted off up the mountain.

The skulking brute, which looked thoroughly disappointed,
sore, and heart-sick, was not through with its troubles, how-

IN THE FAR WEST. 343

ever, for in its hungry meditation it paid no heed to surround-
ing- objects, so found itself unexpectedly among- a small flock
of rams, which had just emerged from a ravine, where they
had been drinking. "When it saw these new foes it looked
thoroughly scared and crestfallen, and attempted to flee from
the threatening eyes and heads, but before it could decide upon
its line of retreat the flock charged it from various directions
in a body, and one burly fellow, having horns on him like a
gnarled oak, struck it in the ribs with such terrific force that
he doubled it up, and sent it flying two or three yards away
with a velocity that must have scattered its wits, and caused
it to deplore the day that its love of mutton had induced it
to try and feast on lamb.

13efore any of the others could assail it in flank it managed
to collect its sore and sadly dispersed faculties, and placing its
tail between its legs, it got up and dusted down that mountain
side at a higher rate of speed than ever it did before ; and
right glad it seemed, when it found itself beyond the
reach of those powerful battering-rams. I was so much
interested in the scene, and laughed so heartily at the discom-
fiture and terror of the runaway, that the flock got beyond the
reach of my shot-gun before I recovered myself sufficiently
to think of attempting to shoot one. Had I tried it, however,
it is doubtful if I would have been successful, as I did not
expect to meet them in that quarter, and they were so vigilant
that it would have been only by the merest chance that I could
have approached them near enough to get a shot. Although
these animals are exceedingly timid in the presence of man,
and wildly flee before him, yet they will not hesitate a moment
to face any ordinary foe and to render a good account of them-
selves in a combat. In their usual haunts they are, however,
free from nearly all enemies except man, and what few they
have they can easily elude by their vigilance and caution, and
the inaccessible character of their country.

The bighorn bears very little resemblance to the domestic
species; but it is almost a perfect copy, except in size, of the
Asiatic wild sheep (Ocis ammoii), and it is also like it in
character. It is, in the first place, more like a deer in outline

344 SPORTING ADVENTURES

and colour of body than a sheep, its ovine face, taste of flesh,
and habits being1 the qualities that ally it to its domestic con-
gener. It is much taller, fuller, and more spirited in action
than the latter, and all its movements are characterized by
a lithe grace, a rapidity of movement, and a prompt agility
that the farm-yard variety never possessed. The height of a
full-grown male varies from thirty-four to forty-one inches;
length from forty-four to sixty inches ; length of caudal ver-
tebra) from one and a half to three inches ; and length of
face, from base of horns to tip of nose, from ten to twelve inches.
The heavy recurved horns which adorn both sexes also make
a marked difference between it and the domestic species; and
in place of long, tine, and soft wool, it is covered with coarse
tubular hair of a yellowish brown colour, which changes to a
dull line of white on the posterior side of the fore and hind
legs, and to a white patch on the flanks and abdomen. The
outer hair, which resembles somewhat that of the caribou and
antelope in character, is not very coarse to the touch, and the
inner is fine and soft. The coat changes according to the
seasons, being lighter in the winter and spring than in the
summer. Some old males are almost hoary in early spring,
owing to the rubbing away of the black tips of the hair; and
when in that condition they looked like grizzled veterans.
The horns of the latter are magnificent appendages, and well
worthy to adorn the finest dining-halls. They measure, along'
the curve, from thirty to thirty-eight inches, and in rare
instances even forty-two inches; their circumference at the
base varies from ten to fifteen inches; and the width between
the tip of one to that of its fellow ranges from sixteen
to twenty-seven inches. I have found the measurement of
several horns examined to vary much, but it was generally
in their length and distance apart, the difference in their cir-
cumference at the base, when full grown, seldom exceeding1

t CJ •> C5

three inches. The hollow part of the horn of a large ram will
hold two gallons of fluid ; but it is so inconvenient and
awkward that even the Indians rarely use it as a water vessel.
The males sometimes attain a weight of three hundred and
fifty pounds,, but the average lies between two ami three

IN THE FAR WEST. 345

hundred pounds. The females are somewhat smaller than the
rams, and their appendages, though lacking1 in massiveness,
are well formed and graceful, and do not give the head
the stunted appearance of the males. The face, which is
narrow, is thoroughly ovine in appearance ; the eyes are large
and full, and are intended for breadth as much as intensity
of vision ; the legs, which are long and tapering, yet sinewy,
are evidently intended for both leaping and running ; and
the body, when in good condition, is round rather than
deep, and this gives the animal a graceful, active, and vigorous
aspect.

The running season, which commences in the early part of
December, does not last very long, and though contests between
the mules are often waged then, yet they seldom prove serious,
for one, on finding that it is worsted, yields the field at once to
the sturdier rival, and seeks elsewhere for a mate. The selec-
tion of companions is not so easy a matter as it is among the
domestic species, and the weaker members have often to pay
dearly for the affection they have won. "When the running
season is over the old rams congregate together in bands of
from eight to thirty, while the younger keep with the lambs
and females, and act as their escorts and guardians.

The lambs are dropped in May or early in June, according
to the climate of the country, among the lower foothills; but
as soon as they are able to travel, which is generally at the end
of two weeks, the mothers commence working gradually
upward, according as the atmosphere becomes warmer and the
vegetation more abundant, until they reach the snow-line, and
there they remain for some time, feasting on the small and
succulent herbage that sprouts wherever it can raise its head.
They tarry there until the lambs are able to move briskly
about and take care of themselves if necessary, then they
scour the hills in every direction, going wherever fancy leads
them, and revelling in the freedom and delights of their moun-
tain home. The lambs are old enough to make delicious
mutton, and to furnish excellent hunting at the end of three
months; and as their dams and sires are also in the best of
condition at that time, say about the middle of August, he who

346 SPORTING ADVENTURES

would feast on wild cutlets should then seek them amid the
crags and chasms of their exalted retreats.

The best time to hunt them is early in the morning- or
late in the evening1, as they are then out feeding- and playing-,
or searching- for water, and, as they are prominent objects in
a landscape, they may be seen by the contrast they present to
their surrounding's, or they may be tracked by their "signs"
or droppings. There is only one way in which they can be
hunted with any degree of success, and that is to stalk or
"still hunt" them up wind, taking- care to use every rock and
shrub for shelter, to move as noiselessly as possible, as their
ears are as sharp as their eyes, and they are very suspicious of
the least disturbance of the mountain stillness ; and not to be
too anxious for a shot, as impatience is apt to lead to many
disappointing- and weary tramps. They should be stalked from
above, if possible, as they do not expect any dang-er from that
direction, all foes being supposed to come from below. If
alarmed from above, instead of running down, they scamper
obliquely upward and against the wind, and this habit often
leads them to death, as hunters conceal themselves behind
boulders, and as the terror-stricken flocks rush past they pre-
sent an excellent opportunity for close shooting1. The best
weapon that I ever used against them was a Winchester
magazine rifle, as it enabled me to fire in rapid succession, and
its charge of powder, which might be considered too small for
larger game, was strong enough to send a bullet crashing
through the body of a bighorn at a distance of three or more
hundred yards. As they arc rarely stalked under one hun-
dred hards, except by unusual fair fortune or accident, a
good and accurate rifle is an indispensable necessity to sue-
cess in hunting them. The novice would find a field-glass
an excellent aid in discovering them among ledges ; and
should he be accompanied by a guide he may, through its
advantages, get several shots to the other's one, as it is
seldom that two hunt close together, and he who has the best
range of vision is the person most likely to see them first, and
to be the first among them. As they are quite numerous
in Montana, Idaho, and in Klamath Basin in Oregon, any

IN THE FAR WEST. 347

amateur may class them among his trophies of the chase,
provided he is willing to bear the toil and expense of visiting
their haunts. They are common also in Wyoming, and one
peak is called Sheep Mountain from the numbers which
formerly frequented it. A small remnant or band of Indians
who dwell in its vicinity are known as Sheep Eaters, from
the fact that they lived principally on the llesh of the big-
horn, and that they are more partial to it even now, though
they have partaken of the foods used by the white man,
than to any other class of meat. Several Western tribes
make the flesh into pemmican, and consider it superior to
that made from the buffalo, while they use the fat for
making candles. These give a bright flame, and burn like a
wax candle. The whites even consider wild cutlets a rare
delicacy, for the flesh of a bighorn in good condition brings
iifteen cents a pound, whereas venison sells for five cents, and
often for less.

I first became acquainted with mountain sheep in Oregon,
in which State they are still quite numerous along the eastern
slope of the Cascade Range, and especially in that vast
zoological garden known as the Klamath Basin ; and I felt
prouder of the first one I killed than I did of all that has since
fallen to my lot. The friend in whose company I hunted on
that occasion lived in Eastern Oregon, and cultivated a fertile
farm at the base of a high and long spur of the above
Range. Starting out from his house by half-past three a.m.,
one fine morning in autumn, a long and toilsome climb led
us to the summit of a mountain spur; and working our way
slowly to the windward along this, and peering about every-
where for " signs," an hour's tramping carried us into a small
and green vale, which was buried deep down in the mountain
side. It was covered with the greenest and most luxuriant
of grasses, and was hemmed in by dark basaltic crags, sloping
terraces, and funereal pines and firs that soughed in the
morning breeze. A fairy-like tarn nestled in the centre, and
reflected the shrubbery that margined its banks with mirror-
like fidelity. Passing through this vale we reached the steep
ascents on the further side, just as the blood-red morning sun

348 SPORTING ADVENTURES

began to peer above the mountain, and this revealed to us in
a weird light the vast panorama of hill and plain, which
stretched out before us in all its grandeur. Magnificent as
the scene looked, and much as we should have liked to have
gazed long and earnestly upon it, time forbade us such plea-
sure, so we were compelled to commence clambering once
more, and to strain our eyes in quest of " signs."

After beating about for an hour we came suddenly upon
them, and they were so fresh that we knew the sheep must be
somewhere in our immediate vicinity. Moving as noiselessly
as we could, taking advantage of every shelter furnished by
shrub or rock, and peering about us with the greatest cautious-
ness, as if we feared that the movements of the head would
startle the quarry, we advanced very slowly, so slowly in fact
that it was painful to me, as my heart seemed heavy with sup-
pressed excitement, and my breathing was short and laboured.
After crawling to the windward in this manner for
half an hour, I approached several huge boulders that
towered upward from the ground to a height of thirty or forty
feet, and on rounding one of these I came suddenly upon live
sheep, which had evidently only commenced their matu-
tinal meal, as one of them was just arising from its couch
when I arrived on the scene. Their sudden and unexpected
appearance was as great a shock to me as my presence was to
them, and for a second or two we both stood still and mute,
when they with a loud snort dashed for the summit at a rate
of speed I would not have credited them with. Their move-
ment aroused me also, and taking a hurried aim, I fired at
them when passing in a bunch through a rocky gateway in
the dell ; but I did not have the satisfaction of seeing any
fall. Deeply chagrined at my bad shooting, I hurried after
them as rapidly as I could, and was soon rejoined by my com-
panion, who felt as keenly about my want of success as I did
myself, as he feared we should not be able to get another
shot during the morning, and perhaps not during the day,
owing to the noise created by the tiring, which would send
them all scampering towards the highest pinnacles, where it
would be difficult to pursue them. Alter pursuing them for

IN THE FAR WEST. 349

about two bund red yards we came upon spots of blood, and tin's
brought us the joyous assurance that one at least was wounded.

Following up this trail until it led to a large piece of
shelving formed of loose stones, which overhung a deep
but very narrow chasm, I commenced scouting over it,
while my companion worked to the right among some young
firs and large crags that skirted a ravine. I lost it sud-
denly, however, and though I quartered in every direction
I could find no trace of it. Returning to where I first
lost it, I saw that some of the small stones were over-
turned very recently, evidently by the stamping of an
animal in pain, and this caused me to look at their under
side, and that I found freely sprinkled with blood. Turning
up those that were disarranged, I followed their course for a few
feet until I came to a small wall or terrace, which was scarcely
two feet high, and ran along the outer end of the shelf.

Not daring to advance to that treacherous foothold, I gave a
lusty shout to arouse any game that might be concealed there,
and the mountains had scarcely taken up the echo before a splen-
did ram bounded from the shelter of the wall and attempted
to leap the chasm ; but I was ready for him that time, and he
had scarcely risen in the air before a ball went crashing
through his sides, and sent him headlong into the canyon ;
but, very fortunately, instead of being dashed to pieces on the
rocks below, he fell into a fir that grew on a most convenient
ledge, whence I was able to drag him to a more eligible
locality, where I could gloat over him in comfort. My com-
panion joined me half an hour later, he also having succeeded
in killing one by coming suddenly upon several that were
grazing amongst huge boulders ; and, much to my satisfac-
tion, as 1 wished to secure the heads of both sexes, I heard
it was a female about two years old. By cutting two stout
branches olf a pine-tree, we made a litter, and placing the
ram upon it, carried him to where the ewe was concealed.
Both were then despoiled of the viscera, and a long pole was
placed under their hind-legs, which were tied, and they were
pushed high up against a tree, to prevent them from being
devoured by any prowling quadrupeds.

350 SPORTING ADVENTURES

Continuing- our course upward, and still against the wind,
we scrambled and stumbled about for about an hour, and
finally reached a small plateau which gave us a commanding
view over a large area of the mountains. Sweeping it in
every direction with a glass, I could see no traces of sheep
there ; but not so my companion, for he called my attention
to some irregular specks that loomed against the horizon
far to the north. After watching them carefully for several
minutes I discovered they were groups of sheep that were
migrating to pastures new ; so we made preparations to inter-
cept them, Hunning toward them with all possible haste, we
got so near in less than an hour that we commenced stalking
them. Moving towards the summit, we gained a position a
little above them, at a distance of perhaps two hundred yards,
before our haste caused us to be detected by a vigilant old ram,
whose eyes seemed to be ubiquitous, for we were often com-
pelled to throw ourselves flat on the sharp stones to avoid his
piercing gaze, when we supposed he was interested in his food.

As soon as he announced our presence by a hissing snort the
animals, which were widely scattered, ran together in a bunch,
but before they decided upon moving we fired at them four
times in rapid succession, and when the smoke cleared away
we saw two young rams and a lambkin on the ground ; but
we inferred that we had wounded others, as we found drops
of blood on their line of flight. Being too well satisfied with
our good luck to follow the fugitives, we turned our attention
to preparing our captures for transportation homewards.

It seems to be a characteristic of the bighorns that
when they are first startled they rush together and remain
bunched up for a short time previous to their flight, as if
they were dazed, and that is the best time to shoot at them,
as one shot then is worth half a dozen when they are
fleeing. While moving down the mountain we espied
a sturdy ram stalking about, as if he were monarch of
all he surveyed, and his stately mien and vigorous action
caused me to long so much for his horns that I resolved to
capture him if possible. Leaving my companion with the
"drag "of mutton, I crawled carefully towards a clump of

IN THE FAR WEST. 351

pines, where I expected to be within range ; but on reaching
that point I saw the object of my ambition quietly strolling
over a hillock, several hundred yards away. I felt severely
disappointed at this unexpected movement, but as I was still
anxious to procure the horns, I concluded to have them if I
tramped after him all day. Moving up the mountain once
more, and taking every advantage afforded by boulders, decli-
vities, and trees — and where these were not to be found bend-
ing low to the ground — I crawled along as if my back were
built on the right-angle principle, and my legs were intended
to make an obtuse angle from the knees downwards ; while
my forehead was a mass of wrinkles, and one eye was con-
stantly turned skyward, as if the quarry were up in that direc-
tion. After half an hour's tedious running and crawling, I
halted, and craned my neck slowly from behind a small crag,
to see if I could detect the ram. Yes, there he was, not two
hundred yards away, gazing proudly about him, and survey-
ing the noble landscape visible in every direction with a
critical eye, and in an attitude of vigilance. I crouched
behind my shelter when I saw his glances bent in my direc-
tion, but when he turned them away I lifted my head care-
fully and gradually above the rock, then pulled up my rifle
as slowly as if its movement through the air could be heard,
and taking deliberate aim at the body, I fired, and felt a great
sense of relief on hearing the detonation. When the smoke
cleared away I saw him bounding away to the north at a tre-
mendous rate, and evidently thoroughly scared, if not hurt.
T was almost sure I had hit him, but his pace seemed to give
a contradiction to my thoughts, and I felt anything but
pleased with myself. After gazing mechanically at his re-
treating form for a few moments, I saw him lie down on a
treeless plateau several hundred yards away, and I then
inferred that he was wounded. I therefore concluded to try
another stalk, and commenced that tedious operation once
more. By crawling carefully on my hands and knees, and
halting occasionally, I got within one hundred and fifty yards
of him, and seeing his horns peering above some rocks, I aimed
and fired at his head, or rather where I supposed it to be.

352 SPORTING ADVENTURES

The report was followed by a violent scrambling, whieh led
me to believe be was breaking- away; but be had scarcely
emerged from his place of concealment before he pitched
forward on his horns, as if he were dead. On seeing this,
I advanced towards him, and laid my rifle on the ground
within twenty feet of him, as I intended to use mv knife
for cutting his throat; but what was my surprise to see
him bound suddenly to his feet when I drew near him, and
break away for a mass of crags that rose abruptly upward
from the mountain a few yards away ! I was taken aback so
much at this unlooked-for movement that I merely gazed at
his retreating form in blank amazement until it disappeared
amid the rocks. The meditation that I indulged in after he
had vanished would never take me among the angels, for I
was actually disgusted at my own bad shooting and stupidity;
but I became calmer after awhile, and then resolved to have
that ram if I followed him for a year and a day.

Starting out again, I crawled through the grass, wriggled
past rocks, and craned my neck until it ached, and iinally
reached a shelter from which I could see the horns once
more. Taking a most deliberate aim at the lowest portion of
them visible, I fired, and not hearing any noise after the report,
I concluded I wras successful that time, and felt delighted
accordingly. Advancing boldly, I saw my tough old brave
lying on the ground, and seizing him joyously by the horns,
I turned the head around to have a look at his grizzled
features; but I had no sooner done so than he scrambled to
bis feet, and giving me a dig in the stomach that doubled me
up, and sent me sitting, in the most violent manner, on
some of the sharpest stones I ever remember resting upon,
scampered away, and vanished behind a huge boulder like a
spectre.

I sat on the ground for a short time after the bump, in order
to practise a-few wry faces; then arose calmly and deliberately,
and after indulging in a few orisons ! for the welfare of the or/tx,
and rubbing myself vigorously, 1 seized my rifle, and strode
forward with the most determined idea of making that ram
pay dearly for so unceremoniously oifering me such a seat,

IN THE FAR WEST. 353

and causing me to practise shampooing- when there was no
necessity for it. I was fully resolved to have him at the next
shot, even if he bore an enchanted life, so I put my teeth
tog-ether and grasped the rifle firmly in my hand. On round-
ing the boulder behind which he had disappeared, I scanned
the rocks around me, but I could see nothing of him. This
was another surprise and disappointment, for I knew he was
so severely wounded that he could not run very far without
being compelled to lie down and rest. Supposing he had
headed for the mountain, I moved forward, but I had not gone
twenty paces before I saw him lying, face downward, behind
a few shrubs, and as dead as a door nail. My work was over
then ; all disappointments had vanished like magic ; and the
memory of the stomach-ache and the rocky seat only re-
mained; but these were atoned for by making a chair of the ram
for a time. After a short rest, I made a drag of a bough, and
hauled my victim down the mountain side as proudly as if I
had captured several hundred. This feeling was the result of
youthful exuberance and inexperience, and was probably
natural, so I only refer to it now to merely say that one hard-
won success is more highly prized than many won with ease.
It is no easy matter at any time to bag a bighorn, unless cir-
cumstances are unusually favourable, but I never saw one
which gave me as much trouble to capture as this one, so it
remains indelibly marked in my memory.

When I reached my companion I found he had cached all
the animals, as he did not know when I would return, and he
feared to leave them to the mercies of bears or wolves. As we
did not expect to be able to find any more sheep until evening,
when they would come out to graze, we decided upon return-
ing home, as we had been more successful than the most
sanguine could have anticipated, and we cared more for sport
than the pot. It is always a difficult matter to make a big
bag of sheep, owing to their inaccessible haunts and their
timidity and vigilance, especially in regions where they are
hunted much, so we were not a little pleased with our good
fortune. We attributed it, however, to the abundance of the
animals, the excellence of the ground for stalking them, and

A a

354 SPORTING ADVENTURES

the Aict that they were not hunted much, rather than to any
excellence on our own part, for I have known some of the best
hunters to tramp hard all day and not kill one, although
numbers might be roaming over the snow-fields or the rocky
crests.

We dined that evening off wild mutton cutlets, but, except-
ing that they had a somewhat gamey flavour, and were by no
means succulent, they tasted like the flesh of the domestic
species. In hunting over that region afterwards we used
mongrel dogs, and found them excellent adjuncts in the chase,
as they would not only run, but attack, the big-horns, or hold
them at bay until we got within shooting range. They were
not strong enough to kill the animals alone, and they had a
wholesome fear of the head appendages, but they were very
useful in more ways than one. I should fancy that trained
dogs would be found of great advantage in sheep hunting, but
my experience is not extensive enough to form an opinion on
the matter.

One of the most interesting and successful excursions after
sheep that I ever enjoyed came off in the snow-capped War
Eagle Mountains, in Idaho. Being full of small circular
valleys that teem with graminaceous verdure, and are watered
by numerous streams, this chain affords an ideal residence for
the lordly bighorn ; and that its advantages are appreciated
is evident from the large number that frequent it at all seasons.
The party which I accompanied consisted of three sturdy
miners, a sporting merchant, and a captain in the cavalry who
was enjoying a short vacation. The miners were experienced
" tramps " and veteran Nimrods, having often been compelled
to depend on their rifles for food while out on " prospecting "
tours ; so we left the provisioning of the detachment and the
selection of the route entirely to them.

Starting out from a mining hamlet early in the morning,
the evening of the same day found us encamped at the base of
the mountains; and, as we had to be astir before dawn, we
retired to our hard couch on the ground quite early in the
evening. Long before the sun began to appear above the
eastern peaks the next morning we were laboriously clamber-

IN THE FAR WEST. 355

ing up steep ascents or picking our way through cavernous
precipices, whose gloomy walls recalled most forcibly the
plutonic regions.

By five o'clock we had reached an altitude of four thou-
sand feet, according to the aneroid ; and there the principal
guide informed us we were to remain while he went in
search of " signs/' He returned in about half an hour, and
stated that he had discovered a flock of a dozen or more a
furlong above us, but that we should be compelled to make a
wide detour to get to their lee, in order to approach them un-
detected. Our hearts beat wildly at this piece of good news*
at least mine did; so we examined our rifles carefully and saw
that they were perfectly clean and properly loaded. I was
armed with a Winchester rifle, which carried several bullets in
the magazine, and I was resolved to shoot them all at one
animal rather than permit it to escape. At the command we
moved forward, and after an hour's severe struggling ap-
proached the flock to within three hundred yards, under
shelter of some gigantic boulders of basalt, without being
discovered.

To shoot from that distance would be risking too much,
yet we could get no closer without revealing ourselves to the
sentinels, which lifted their heads every few moments to survey
the landscape. As they were feeding toward us we concluded to
wait their nearer approach ; but the minutes dragged heavily,
and each moment seemed a torture. After waiting patiently
for about half an hour, though it seemed treble that time, four
sheep and three rams advanced about a hundred yards further,
and as our patience was becoming unbearable, the guide gave
us permission to fire. This was a joyous moment, and we re-
solved to profit by it. Each selected his quarry, and at a signal
all fired simultaneously. "When the smoke cleared away great
was our joy to behold three males and one ewe stretched upon
the ground, and two sheep leaping wildly about as if badly
wounded. Hushing from our place of concealment, we delivered
several shots in rapid succession at the now thoroughly alarmed
flock, which were making for the rocky summit at a break-
neck pace ; but the excitement having somewhat unstrung our

356 SPORTING ADVENTURES

nerves, the fusillade brought us only one yearling1, which
seemed too dazed to break away with the others.

We followed the retreating flock up the steep mountain side,
but found in a short time that the old proverb of a stern chase
being- a long- one was especially true in this case, so we relin-
quished it in about half an hour. Knowing- that two sheep
were severely wounded by the manner in which they acted, and
having- failed to discover them among those that escaped, we
deployed and commenced searching1 in every direction for some
trails of blood. It being- a characteristic of this species to head
for the mountains under all possible circumstances, we moved
toward the summit, but after working- for an hour we could find
no trace of them. We then returned to our slain quarries, and
cutting- them open made a cache in a small, fir-tree and placed
them upon it, to prevent their being- unceremoniously appro-
priated by some prowling- boar or coug-ar. This important
duty finished, we resumed our exploration for the wounded
animals, and in less than a minute came upon a trail that
plainly indicated the severity of their injuries, as the blood
formed a miniature stream in some places.

Following- that for half a mile, we came to a deep, broad chasm,
and down this we clambered, or rather stumbled, for we were
sliding- more frequently than walking-. Reaching- the bottom,
we found that one of the sheep had followed its course upward
and the other down, so a party went in each direction. I was
with the latter, and was fortunate enough to get a shot at a
cougar that was quietly preparing- to make a meal off one of the
wounded animals, which it had captured and slain. I don't
know whether I hit it or not, but I am thoroughly sure I scared
it a little, from the way in which it dashed through the canyon.
It certainly acted as if it had forgotten something lower down,
and was in the greatest possible hurry to get it. The sheep
on which it was preparing to feast was little injured, it having
had only time to cut the throat before it had orders to leave.
Making a litter of two fallen boughs, we placed the slain
creature upon it, and in this way managed to get it to the
upper world. The other party were unsuccessful in their
search, but as we could claim one animal for each member of

IN THE FAR WEST. 357

the expedition we did not repine much ut their ill-luck.
Leaving this spot, we moved obliquely to the left and upward
in quest of more game, and, after travelling two or three miles,
came suddenly upon a flock of twenty or thirty, but before
we could recover from our surprise they were dashing away.
"We fired at random, little expecting any result from it; but we
were fortunate enough to get a splendid male, which was hit
right on the skull, and one ewe. This piece of good fortune
we attributed more to the numbers of the flock rather than to
any markmanship, so we felt little pride in our achievement,
for no one could tell who killed the animals.

Our experience of the morning having taught us the follv of
a direct pursuit, we stored the game and moved on along the
original line of route. We had not proceeded more than a mile
before we met another flock; but as they were on the opposite
side of a precipice we could not approach them undetected. They
were at least five hundred yards away, and knowing we could
have little chance of killing any at that distance, we concluded to
test the range and accuracy of our rifles upon them. Selecting
a huge crag for a shelter, one of the miners fired, but his bullet
passed over them. Another tried it and he planted the ball
directly in their midst. This seemed to arouse them, as they
all jumped from the ground at the unusual apparition, then
stared wildly about. Several more bullets were then sent
among them, but instead of attempting to run away they only
began to stare and jump, and dance a queer sort of jig as the
balls whistled over, or tore up the ground beside them. One,
at length, got struck somewhere near the flank, and that
caused it to think the locality disagreeable if not dangerous,
so it gave a startled jump and dashed away, closely followed
by the others. As they were moving off we saw a sturdy ram
hastily run up the precipice and bound after them. "We could
not understand why the flock waited to be shot at several
times, but the unexpected presence of this veteran soon gave
the proper explanation. It was his privilege, apparently, to
lead all movements, and being absent in the canyon, perhaps
for the purpose of allaying his thirst, his charge did n<>t know
what to do without him ; but, like all sheep, when one moved,

358 SPORTING ADVENTURES

the remainder followed without thinking- of the ceremony of
waiting1 for the commands of the chief. If we did not reap
much profit from this bit of shooting- we enjoyed a good share
of quiet amusement, for it was quite ludicrous to see the heavy-
horned creatures give a startled hound, then gaze stupidly about
in search of the cause of their annoyance. Having been more
successful than the most sanguine could have expected,
we concluded to return to camp with our spoils, as the
hot August sun was becoming disagreeably intense, and it
was so late in the morning that we could scarcely hope
to meet any more sheep until the cool breeze of the evening
appeared.

On reaching our caches we made a drag of the heaviest fir
and pine boughs we could break off by our united weight, and
placing the game on this we hauled it down the mountain
without any very laborious efforts.

Arrived at camp, those unused to the heavy climbing of the
day were soon so stiff as to be scarcely able to move; but the
rugged minei's seemed to consider it a mere nothing, and
laughed heartily at the " drawing-room hunters." The suc-
cess of the expedition had been so great, however, that they
condescended to say that the " drawing-room hunters " were
not bad shots. I have been out among bighorns frequently
since then, but never did I see such good luck attend a large
party the first day.

That evening, while discussing the merits of wild mutton
cutlets and the contents of a couple of bottles of " Chateau
Lafitte," the principal guide related an adventure which befell
him on the first occasion that he had hunted bighorns on
the scene of our morning's exploits. He and a companion,
who were " chums/'' in prospecting for gold, being out of
meat concluded to kill some mountain sheep, not having
any other means of procuring it, as there were no settlers in
that section of the country at the time, except a few miners.
The Indians, who had been very troublesome in other
quarters of the territory, had let them alone, and from this
they supposed that there were none anywhere near them. In an
hour after starting they came upon a flock of bighorns, and

IN THE FAR WEST. 359

killed two fine ewes; and while engaged in preparing them,
another flock suddenly appeared on the opposite side of a
chasm near which they were standing, and were preparing to
cross it when they were arrested by the foe in front. As they
stood still for a few moments, the hunters threw themselves on
the ground and fired ; but simultaneously with the reports of
their own rifles came others directly behind them, and several
bullets passed over their heads. Alarmed by this unexpected
fusillade, they jumped to their feet and leaped behind a crag
just in time to escape another shower. Looking up, they
saw a short distance above them a party of Indians, in all the
hideousness of war-paint, preparing to fire at them a second
time. Without waiting to see any more, they discharged
their rifles at the group and fled at their utmost speed down
the mountain side. The Indians followed in hot pursuit,
yelling like panthers, and sending either a bullet or an arrow
after them whenever a good opportunity presented itself. The
fugitives rarely gave them the chance, however, as they dodged
among the crags, and bowed low when they scurried through
or past any sheltering bushes. The chase lasted for a distance
of four miles, when they fortunately struck a canyon, and into
this they plunged with a suddenness that nearly carried them
to the bottom at one bound. Along this they ran with
renewed energy, and in fifteen minutes after entering it were
delighted to find that the Indians had lost their trail or had
been outrun. They reached their cabin late in the evening,
but, instead of resting, they mounted their mustangs and
went around among the miners, arousing them to the danger
that threatened them. Being always prepared for warfare,
those daring fellows were soon armed and assembled at a com-
mon rendezvous under the command of our guide. They
advanced against their foes the next morning, and, meeting
them at the base of the mountain, dispersed them after a few
volleys, which placed one-sixth of their number /tors <le couilat,
while they escaped scatheless themselves. This summary defeat
kept the treacherous red men away from that region ever after.
Thanking the raconteur for his story, we retired to our pallet
of hay, and early the next morning returned to the mining

360 SPORTING ADVENTURES

hamlet, where we were received with many congratulations
on our good fortune. I have had some adventures among-

~ O

the big1- horns since then, in nearly all sections of the North-
west, but none which equalled in pleasurable excitement my
introduction to them among the rugged pinnacles of the
War Eaa'le Mountains.

IN THE FAR WEST. 361

CHAPTER XV.

FOXES.

Foxes very numerous in the West — Hunting clubs — Various species and
varieties of foxes — Difference between the American and the European
red iox — Size, colour, characteristics, and value of fur of the prairie,
cross, black, silver, swift, and arctic foxes — Difference between the
red and the grey fox — The latter trees, but rarely runs to earth — A
true woodland animal — Its food — Is being superseded by the red species
— The dwarf or island fox— Lives on insects — Fearlessness and numbers
— Cause of its diminutive size — Value of fox-skins in commerce.

FOXES are very numerous throughout the West, as many a
farmer and stock-raiser knows to his sorrow ; but instead of
utilizing them as objects of the chase, and getting madly
enthusiastic over the runs they afford, they destroy them in a
more practical manner by spreading strychnine over meat and
placing it where it will do most good ; by capturing them in
traps made of steel, and by shooting them as they take to
their familiar runways when roused by the baying of many
mongrels.

Grand battues are sometimes held, and a section of country
is then almost cleared of them, for few can escape the circle
of hunters that drive them towards a centre, and shoot
them down as they run about in a bewildered manner, or
catch them by the neck or tail and knock their heads against a
tree or a rock. These people have no time to waste on senti-
mental dashes and the music of the hounds, and a fox is to
them only a midnight assassin that preys on their poultry.
" Gone away/' is not a pleasant sentence to them, as it means
that they have lost four or five dollars-worth of fur, and that
their farmyard will soon be in mourning for defunct fowls, which
arc considered of more value than all the living foxes in the
neighbourhood.

362 SPORTING ADVENTURES.

Fox-hunting-, as carried on in Europe, was a favourite
amusement with the Southern planters before the war, and
many a genial assemblage followed reynard all day to the
music of hounds and horns ; but the loss of their wealth in that
great struggle has forced them to devote their attention to
business of late, so that fox-hunting, according to the old style,
has become almost a memory in some places.

The establishment of fox-hunting clubs and packs of hounds
in New York and a few other places may have some effect on
the remainder of the country, and cause kennels to be established
in various cities, but this does not seem very probable at
present, at least to any extent, as the people are too much
absorbed in commercial pursuits to have much time to devote
to following reynard. The sport as carried on in Great Britain
can hardly become general under present conditions, owing to
the wooded character of the country, and the high and crooked
wooden fences which are even more dangerous than the stone
walls of Galway and Iloscommon.

Although there are several varieties of foxes in the country,
there are really only two distinct species, and these are the
common red fox, V. vulgarls, and the gray or Virginia fox, the
Urocyon cinereo-argenfafus of Coues. The former is larger
than the European species ; it has a shorter and more pointed
nose ; the ears are shorter ; the legs are not so robust ; the
eyes are nearer together ; the feet and toes are more densely
furred; the brush is larger; and the fur is softer, finer, and of
a brighter hue. It is equally as swift and cunning, and bears
out in the most marked manner the traditional character of its
family.

One of the principal varieties of this species is the long-tailed
or prairie fox (V. macrourns), which has a beautiful fur and
brush, the latter being very hairy ; and the pads of the feet
are concealed by hairs. This animal has a length of from
thirty-three to thirty-five inches, while its brush often exceeds
twenty-two inches. The next is the cross fox, variety (Icciis-
salus, which is readily recognized by its having a dark band
along the back, which is crossed by another on the shoulder.
This has a heavy, long, and bushy tail, which gives it a very

IN THE FAR WEST. 363

pleasing aspect. Its skin is valued at five dollars in the mar-
ket. The black fox and the silver fox are highly prized for
their fur, the peltries being worth from twenty-five to fifty
dollars.

The Kitt, or swift fox (V. velox], which is not found west
of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, is smaller than the
red or gray; its limbs are short and robust; and its inner fur
is full and close. Its pads are covered with hair to such an
extent that they are concealed from view. Its head is shorter
and broader than its specific red congener ; and its ears are
also smaller. It has a length of two feet or more, and its tail
is from nine to eleven inches long. It does not, it seems to
me, deserve the nnme it bears for speed ; for it cannot, so far as
I can judge, excel its larger kindred in pace and endurance,
and a good fox-hound can run it down, with a fair start, as
easily as it can its European congener.

It is very prolific, and brings forth from four to eight
young in its burrow, about the latter end of March.

The arctic or stone fox (V. lagopus} is very common in
Alaska and the northern parts of British America. It is con-
sidered to be the most valuable member of its family when
attired in its winter coating of white, its skin being valued all
the way from fifty to two hundred dollars, and sometimes
more.

The most common colours of this specimen in summer are
blue, gray, and white, the former predominating. This
handsome creature is one of the most prolific of its family, its
litter often numbering from ten to fourteen youngsters.

It has been introduced on several of the large islands on the
Alaska Coast by the Russian American Fur Company, and
they take excellent care that it is not destroyed without their
consent.

Its striking and strange hue seems to be a slate colour
tinged with darkish purple, and this is one reason why its fur
is so highly prized; but, besides that, is the fact that it is also
very fine, soft, and dense, and therefore makes excellent lining
for cloaks or beautiful carriage robes.

In its island home this creature lives on sea-birds and their

364 SPORTING ADVENTURES

eggs, and the carcasses of seals or fish washed ashore by the
waves.

A fox that differs in many ways from its kindred, the red
species, is the gray or mane-tailed fox. It differs from it in
fact more than the latter does from the wolf.

The common red fox has a thoroughly canine skull, a long
muzzle, and a tail uniformly haired : but the gray has a com-
paratively short muzzle, a short and broad head, and the brush
has a hidden mane of stiff hairs along the upper side. AVhile
it is as large as the common species, it is more stoutly built,
and its tail is not so cylindrical. It may be readily known by
its grayish colour, even if a person did not notice its peculiarity
in form, physiognomy, and its rounded skull. It is literally a
woodland animal, for it carefully shuns open ground. Its
favourite haunts are in the Southern States, but it is very
common in California, Oregon, and other northern wooded
regions. It has a length of from twenty-seven to thirty
inches; its brush varies from thirteen to eighteen inches in
length; its ears project about two and a half inches above
the skull; and it has a height of from twelve to fifteen
inches.

It does not burrow like the red fox, but if it does go to earth
at all its den has only one entrance, so that it is easily driven
out. Its favourite places of concealment are in thickets or the
hollow of fallen trees; and if started from these it seeks safety
in rank herbage or in the densest part of the forest. I have
hunted it sometimes, but I never saw it run to earth, its usual
means of escape being to leap on an inclined tree and jump
from branch to branch. Though having no retractile claws,
yet it can climb small trunks by hugging them, much as a
bear would; and it can get to the topmost branches almost as
quickly as a raccoon.

When pressed by the hounds, it is treed as surely as the
red fox is run to earth, and is generally brought down
from its lofty pinnacle with a riile or shot-gun, as its skin is
valued at five dollars. The old fable about the fox that had a
thousand tricks with which to bailie its pursuers, while the cat
had only one, and that to climb a tree, would not hold good

IN THE FAR WEST. 365

on the Pacific slope, for the gray is not much behind \\\c fells
in its power to get among the branches. They tell of a Cali-
fornian youth who was sent to a university in the Atlantic
States to complete his education, and who corrected his teacher
(a native of Europe) in Natural History about the ability of
the fox to climb. " What \" said the irritated tutor, "do you
mean to tell me an untruth, and say that a fox can climb a
tree?" "It aint an untruth/' said the other, "because I've seen
him do it." The teacher appealed to the class to know if any of
them had seen such a phenomenon, and they all replied in the
negative. The daring student was then escorted to the President
to learn what should be done with him for his impertinence, and
making the statement he did, but that worthy individual,
turning to the tutor, said, " I think, Mr. P., that in future
this young man might help you to teach Natural History to
the class, as he observes for himself, while you accept every
statement because it is uttered by a Professor, who probably
never saw the animal. Now, I have seen gray foxes climb
trees myself, so that he is right, and you owe him an apology."
The crestfallen birch-wielder returned to his duties with a
much less exalted opinion of himself, but he solaced his pride
after awhile by telling a friend that he was not supposed to
know how animals acted in America, being a stranger there ;
but he was positive that students, presidents of colleges, and
foxes at least differed from their congeners in any other part
of the world.

The creature which caused this dispute is disappearing before
the advance of population, for, as the forest is cleared away, it
has to seek other quarters to find food and shelter. It lives
almost entirely on birds and small quadrupeds, and seems in-
different whether it feasts on a grouse, hare, squirrel, wood-rat,
or field-mouse. As it recedes from settlements, its place is
taken by the red fox, which finds shelter convenient to the
farmyard in a deep and tortuous burrow, whence it can make its
nightly raids on the poultry. It is, therefore, a much greater
enemy to the former than the other; hence every effort is
made to exterminate it with rifle, trap, and strychnine.

One of the most curious specimens of the rufpidfc to be found

366 SPORTING ADVENTURES

on the continent is a variety of the gray fox called the coast,
island, and short-tailed fox, and known to science as the Urocyon
littoralis. It is the smallest member of its genus, a full-
grown male not being larger than a house cat. It resembles
the gray or woodland fox in every characteristic except size,
but it would seem to have been formerly as large as that
species, and to have been reduced to its dwarfish proportions
through many generations of half-starved ancestors. It is
found only on the islands of San Miguel, Santa Cruz, and
Santa Rosa, off the coast of Southern California. It lives
almost entirely on insects, grasshoppers forming the largest
portion of its food; yet it sometimes manages to catch a sea-
bird, and to enjoy an unusual feast of meat. It also makes a
raid on the nests of gulls, cormorants, guillemots and kindred
birds, but they are generally too cautious to place their eggs
within its reach, so make their domiciles amid the most inac-
cessible crags.

This fox is supposed to have been isolated from the main-
land by the advancing sea, which covered a large area of
country, and placed a strait sixteen miles wide between its
home and the region where pabulum was plentiful. Being
unable to find any bone-making, nourishing food, its remote
ancestors began to dwindle gradually in size until, in succes-
sive generations, the present limit was reached. Were these
insect-eating dwarfs transferred to the mainland, where food
is abundant, their posterity would probably regain the original
size in the course of years.

They may now be seen loitering about all day long, turn-
ing over stones and plants in search of insects, and, when found,
devouring them with the greatest avidity. Several have been
dissected, but nothing was found in their stomachs except
grasshoppers and kindred insects. Their habits have been
even changed by isolation, for, instead of prowling about at
night and fleeing from man, they roam abroad at all hours,
and have no more fear of their human foe than they have of a
shrub. They will scarcely move out of his way in many
instances, and they may look up into his face with a gaze that
expresses curiosity more than fear. The reason for this sim-

IN THE FAR WEST. 367

plicity of nature is, that man has long been a stranger to
them, though he is more familiar now, as some persons have
occupied the island as sheep ranges.

These say that the creatures are perfectly harmless even
to lambs, but that would seem to be an open question, as it
does not look probable that they could have lost all their
carnivorous propensities by even an insect diet. They are so
numerous on the islands that a person may meet twenty of
them in an hour's walk, and on Santa Cruz Island, which has
an area of one hundred and fifty square miles, they are very
abundant. The skins of the adults are often lined inside
with cactus spines, which enter through the fur and become
arranged in layers; and so thick are they frequently that
a knife-blade cannot be inserted between them. Some become
soft and flexible from age, but others are as stiff and hard as
if they were in full vigour on the plants.

This species whelps in early summer, and brings forth its
young in a rocky crevice or a simple burrow, the family being
generally large. The males range from thirteen to seventeen
inches in length, and the tail and legs are equally small, the
latter being very weak.

While the foxes of the West do not afford sport as their
European kindred do, yet they form no small part of the wealth
of the country, as their skins bring good prices, and many
thousands are sold annually by the trappers and hunters. If
their total value was placed at 1,000,000 dollars per year, it
would not, I think, be overstating the matter.

368 SPORTING ADVENTURES

CHAPTER XVI.

HARES.

Hares — Their abundance — The "jack rabbit" — Mark Twain's opinion of
its speed — Marvellous tales of pioneers — What constitutes an Oregon

mule — Coursing clubs — California greyhounds Characteristics of

the water-hare — Swims like a retriever — How it escapes its pursuers —
The swamp-hare — Its peculiar appearance — Measurements — The Wash-
ington, prairie, California, wood, and sage-hares, and the smaller
varieties — Peculiar character of Baird's rabbit — The males suckle the
young — Dissection by a surgeon — How Indians and whites capture
hares.

HARES are so abundant in the Far West and South-west that
they are considered nuisances in many sections of the country.
Their numbers are actually incalculable in several places, and
any ordinary shot can easily kill from twenty to fifty in a day
without much trouble, and in many cases he may bag1 one
hundred without travelling" more than two or three miles. No
person who has not been in the country can possibly compre-
hend how profuse they are, nor how little fear they have of
man. I have hunted them with a shot-gun, but I found that
after a while to be mere butchery, and was compelled, for the
sake of sport, to use a rifle, and to try and shoot every one in
the head, or not consider it a fair kill. When the creatures
stand within twenty feet or less of you, and look at you as
thoug-h you were no more dangerous than a shrub, it is proof
positive that man is a strang-er to them ; yet this I have seen
frequently.

The great hare, and the species most characteristic of the
Far West, is the Lcpus callotis, known as the mule and the
jackass rabbit ; yet it is no more a rabbit than any of the
European hares, for it does not burrow as the L. ciniiculus of
Europe does, nor is it so prolific, neither is it cannibalistic in

AY THE FAR WEST. 369

character. It has its " form " amid long grass or thickets, or in
the crevices of rocks, and produces its young above ground.
Mark Twain, in his " Roughing It," has credited this species
with unusual speed and describes one as bowling along easily
at the rate of a mile per minute, but, when startled, to send
away at such a pace, that it could be heard whizzing through
the air long after it was out of sight.

Strangers to the Pacific slope frequently indulge in ex-
clamations of surprise on seeing it the first time, but if
they give vent to their feelings in the presence of veteran
pioneers they are sure to be stuffed with a lot of marvellous
talcs about its size, fleetness, and the length of its legs and
ears.

An immigrant to Oregon could not find adjectives enough,
without indulging in expletives, to express his surprise at
the ungainly aspect of such a hare, but he was soon shocked
to hear an old hunter assail greenhorns in the most vigorous
terms for not knowing the difference between a hare and a
mule. "Why, isn't that a hare?" asked the immigrant.
" Certainly not," was the response ; " that's a mule, and any
one but a fool from the States ought to know it." " But no
mule can run like that," said the other. " Oregon mules can,"
was the answer, " for they are sprung from coyotes and Indian
mustangs." The immigrant looked at the speaker in blank
amazement, but when his assertion was gravely backed by
other settlers present, he could only yield, and say that the
Pacific Coast did indeed contain many wonders. He wrote a
description of the new " mule " to an Eastern newspaper under
the dictation of the pioneer, but, unfortunately for him, the
journal published it with comments so pointed that he was
afterwards known as the Oregon mule.

This long-eared creature affords much sport to those army
officers on the frontier who keep greyhounds, and many a
pleasant day have I had with it myself both with dog and gun.
"When started it heads for the highest ground at once, and
manages to lead the hounds a jolly run ere it is caught. Not-
withstanding its long hind legs and light body, I doubt if it
is as swift as the English hare ; at least I have seen few escape

B b

3/o srOX TING AD VENTURES

a good brace of greyhounds on open ground ; but I should
fancy it had more endurance.

In California, that land of keen sportsmen, its representative
there is hunted regularly with greyhounds, that being the
only portion of the United States where a coursing club exists.
It is governed by the same rules as similar clubs in Great
Britain, and its meets are reported with as much detail as
those held at Altcar. The victorious dogs are also made much
of, and their progeny commands a high price in the market.
It is said that dogs imported into the country increase in si/e,
speed, and staying power; and if that is the case it would be
worth while to match its best representatives against those
of Great Britain at some important meeting, such as the
Waterloo.

I have heard it stated that English dogs when first imported
are beaten in the majority of cases by the native bred, but
that they improve so rapidly under the influences of the
invigorating climate that they are able to render a good
account of themselves in a short time.

Notwithstanding its apparently large size, the mule rabbit
is smaller than the European hare, especially in the body. Its
enormous ears, — often six inches in length — which have given
it the name it bears, arc long and broad, and are nearly one-
third longer than the head. It has a length sometimes, when
full-grown, of thirty-three inches or more, and its hind legs are
very long. Its general colour above is a yellowish-gray, blotched,
and lined with black. The upper surface of the tail is black,
and, beneath, grayish-white ; the legs are ashy, and the tip of
the posterior surface of the ear is black. There is much varia-
tion in hue, according to age and season, yet no one who has
ever seen it would mistake it at any time for another species.

While this creature is seen in almost every character of
land between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range,
yet it seems to prefer a rolling country, where hill and vale
alternate.

It is fair eating, and I have often found it a most useful
addition to a camp larder.

The opposite to this in every way is the L. aquai'icus, called

IN THE FAR WEST. 371

in some places the swamp and the water rabbit. The latter
is the more appropriate name, for it is almost amphibious in
its habits ; and is remarkable for the size of its head, compared
to its body, and the shortness of its ears. The head is very
large ; the ears are scarcely half the length of the head ; the
hind feet, which are shorter than the head, are pointed, and
the claws are uncovered. The tail is about the same length
as the ears ; the hind-feet look slender, owing to the depth of
the pads, and they are pointed at the toes instead of being
blunt. The shortness of the ears and the size of the head
give it a peculiar appearance, especially as the former art-
broad and round at the apex, and are heavily covered with
long hairs. The colour above is a yellowish-brown, closely
lined with black; the sides are grayer; the tail and legs are
a rusty brown ; the tail beneath and the abdomen are very
white ; and a black spot is found on the forehead. The fur is
coarse, bristly, and harsh, and is of little use in commerce.

This creature is found principally in the South-western
States, and is one of their most peculiar fauna. It is rarely
seen on high grounds or prairies, but is always found near
streams or lakes. It takes to the water as readily as a
retriever, and may often be seen swimming about in search of
the water-plants which it loves. When startled by men or
dogs it goes for the water at once, and generally escapes, as
its scent is lost immediately. It is not considered edible by
hunters, as it is very often attacked by a red bug which pro-
duces sores, and these soon breed maggots that fairly eat it
up alive.

The male attains a length of twenty inches ; the tail is nearly
three inches long ; and the hind feet are from three to over
four inches in length.

The next species allied to this is the true swamp hare (L.
jiftlusfrift], whose head and incisors are disproportionately large.
The ears are not more than two-thirds the length of the head :
the hind feet are shorter than the head; the toes are pointed,
and the nails are visible. This, also, is one of the most peculiar
of American hares, owing to its short and thinly-furred feet,
its wide head, and small, weak legs, especially the hinder. The

R b :>

372 .S7'G> A' TL\G A D J 7LY TURES

tail is short, being1 scarcely half the length of the ear; and the
fur is coarse and bristly. It changes much in colour at various
periods, but its usual summer coating is a grayish yellow-brown
above, and a grayish beneath.

One striking peculiarity between the Western hares is, that
while the skull of the mule and the large California!! hare is
narrow, the width being less than one half the length, that of
the others is broad, the width being about half the length.
The European rabbit, L. cunicnhis, would seem to be the
connecting link between these two classes, so far as the
form of the skull is concerned, as it occupies the medium posi-
tion.

One of the largest, if not the largest, hare in the North-west
is the polar hare (L. glacialus] , which is very abundant in
Alaska and portions of British America. Its cars are four-fifths
the length of the head, and its tail is proportionately long. It
turns completely white in winter; but in summer it is a
yellowish-brown and gray above varied with black ; and the
ears are a glossy black outside.

The L. washingtonii takes the place of the common American
hare, of which it is a variety, west of the llocky Mountains,
and is there very abundant. The ears are shorter than the
head, but the hind feet are longer, while the tail is very short.
The back, sides, and throat are a reddish-brown ; the abdomen
is pure white ; and the tail is a lead colour above and a rusty
white beneath. It is a handsome specimen of its family, and
occupies a position between the Lcpus americanus and the
wood hare, L. sylvaikus ; but it is readily distinguished from
the latter by its smaller size and shorter ears, which are reddish
externally. It turns white in winter.

The Lejms campestris, or prairie hare, is one of the largest of
the American LejMridte, and is the only species of the long-eared
hares that turns white in winter. Its ears arc about one-lifth
longer than the head ; the tail is as long as the head, and the
hind feet are longer. Its summer colour is a pale } cllowish-
gray above, a white beneath, and the tail is all white. It
attains various degrees of weight and length, according to its
habitat ; but it is no unusual event to find one over two feet

IN THE FAR WEST. 373

long, and having; a tail exceeding five inches, while its
weight reaches from ten to twelve pounds.

The California hare (L. califoruicus) , which is hunted a
great deal with greyhounds, is also very large, the ears and
the hind feet being longer than the head, while the tail is as
long. Its colour varies much, but in summer it may be said
to be a bright cinnamon red, mixed with some black, the
under parts being a pale cinnamon. The tail is black above,
and of a light cinnamon hue below. It attains a length of
twenty-five inches, and its hind foot is over five inches long.

The ubiquitous cotton-tail, or gray rabbit (L. sylvaticus) ,
has ears two-thirds the length of the head. It is the largest
of the short-eared hares, its length often reaching eighteen
inches, and its weight varying from two to three pounds.
The coating is of a lead colour, the extreme tips being a
blackish-brown, and the under part of the tail a cottony
white.

The sage rabbit (L. artemtsia] is one of the most abundant
species in the West and North-west, and is found in immense
numbers amid the so-called sage plains, where the artemisia
(A tridentata) prevails ; it may, in fact, be counted by the
thousands in many places. Indians, wolves, foxes, badgers,
and other carnivorous animals, live on it largely in the regions
bordering the Columbia River and its tributaries, and the
former eat it with apparent relish, notwithstanding the fact
that its flesh has a rank taste, owing to the character of its
food, which is composed almost entirely of the wild sage,
purshia, or greasewood, linosyris, and kindred shrubs. This
disagreeable flavour may be obliterated, however, by "draw-
ing'"' it the moment it is killed, and placing an onion and a
piece of lemon in the abdominal cavity when it is about to be
cooked. The man who could not eat it then must be fas-
tidious, and anything but hungry.

This creature, which is among the smallest of the hares, has
ears as long as the head, and its feet are heavily clad with fur.
Its general colour above is a mixed black and brownish-white,
but the hue changes so much in different sections that this
colour cannot be called permanent. It is rcadilv known from

374 SPORTfXG ADVENTURES

its haunts, and the way in which its feet are furred ; it also
turns white in winter.

Audubon's hare (L. andi'.lionii}, which is confined to the
Pacific Coast, is smaller than the wood hare. It has long ears
and short leg's, and the tail is from two to three inches in
length. It is very common in California, but is not much
thought of as an animal for sport, owing to its size and lack
of fleetness. The fur is close, and marked with black and
grayish tips.

The L. troicbridgii, another California species, has a small
head, and a tail that is almost rudimentary. The ears are as
long as the head; but the hind-legs are unusually short, so
that its gait resembles a series of jumps more than running.
In colour it is a dark-brown above, and a plumbeous gray
beneath ; it may be readily distinguished from Audubon's hare
by having no black edging on the tip of the ear, in being less
of a pure white beneath, and in having a shorter tail and hind
feet. It attains a length of from twelve to fifteen inches, and
a weight of one and a half pounds or more.

One of the most curious species of the Lepori/la- found in the
Far West is the little rabbit or hare known as L. la/rdti, which
is a llocky Mountain variety of the L. amcricanns. This seems
to be the result of a new departure in Nature, or at least a
desire to prove that her general laws are mutable. The iirst
specimen of this extraordinary creature was caught by Dr.
Ilayden in the Wind River Mountains in June, 1*00, but it
has since been found from Wyoming to nearly the head-waters
of the Yellowstone River. Five specimens were captured in
1872 by the surveying party under the Professor's charge, and
it is from these that the remarkable traits of the creature have
been discovered. These are, primarily, that all the males
have teats and help to suckle the young. This has been
assumed from the fact that four out of the five specimens cap-
tured were adult males; that all had large teats full of milk;
and that the hair around the nipples was wet, and stuck to it,
showing conclusively that they were nursing the leverets. As
the party found no females, they thought their captures might
be a hermaphrodite form ; and to jud^v lor themselves the truth

IN THE FAR WEST. 375

of their suspicions, they got Dr. Curtis, one of the company, to
dissect a large one. He found it to be a perfect male in
every way; but, to be sure that it was not exceptional, he dis-
sected others, and this assured him that he was right. Hav-
ing seen no females, he could only say that he supposed both
sexes took part in suckling the young. The doctor certified
this report publicly in Washington, by stating that he had
carefully examined the specimens in the field, and found they
were males, yet gaveexternal signs of being suckled. To satisfy
himself, he carefully dissected one which was unmistakably
marked, and found conclusive evidence that it had been
suckled for some time previous to its death. The milk was
abundant in the teats, but, excepting this, it had uo other
characteristics of the female sex, all the male organs being
perfect.

Those mentioned are, so far as I know, the various species
of true hares in the Far West and the South-west, if I exclude
the common hare (L. amcncanus), which is abundant in portions
of the country adjoining the Missouri River, and the Texan
variety of the jack-rabbit. All resemble their European con-
geners in habits, for they feed at night principally, have about
the same number of young at a litter, and, like them, do not
burrow. There is not, in fact, a specimen of the true rabbit in
the country, if I except the descendants of the European
species that may have become wild.

The hares are so profuse that they are shipped by the tons
to the markets of the Atlantic States, and sold at prices so
cheap that they could not, apparently, pay for the ammunition
wasted on them. They are hunted in various ways in the
West. One method is to run them out of covert with slow-
hounds, and shoot them as they flee past a stand ; another is
to course them with greyhounds, but this affords little sport
except with the mule rabbit; and the next is to trap or snare
them. The latter is the favourite means of capturing them
with market hunters and Indians, for by it thousands are
caught in a day sometimes.

The grand drives of the Piute Indians of Nevada have
often yielded them from three to ten thousand heads in a week,

376 SPORTING ADVENTURES

and had their traps and nets been more perfect they could have
probably doubled the number. 1 have shot twenty in a day on
the sage plains of Idaho, without walking two miles ; and I
could have shot many more if I wished to. Hares, or rabbits
as they are called, are in fact so abundant that they are
nuisances in some places, so that the sportsman need have
no compunctions of conscience about killing them.

IN THE FAR WEST. 377

CHAPTER XVII.

THE RACCOON, OPOSSUM AND SQUIRREL FAMILIES.

The raccoon, opossum and squirrel families — Number of species — How
hunted— Two negroes and a coon stew — Best way of shooting squirrels.

AMONG the smaller game which often afford pleasant sport to
the lovers of the gun are the above animals, especially when
pursued with dogs, as they frequently give one an exciting
run, and the coon struggles bravely against its canine foes
when captured. The first two are hunted principally at night,
as they are nocturnal in habits, and are generally killed amid
the leafy retreats of trees and shrubbery, where they take
refuge. I have seen coon-hunts which were scenes of excite-
ment and laughter, and which produced more ludicrous situa-
tions and mirth-provoking incidents than any other sort of
sport I ever witnessed.

There are two species of raccoon in the West, the Procyon
lotor, and the Mexican or black-footed raccoon (Procyon
hernandezii), which is found in the regions bordering the Pacific
Ocean, from British Columbia to Mexico. Both are alike-
in general character, being cunning thieves, nimble tree clim-
bers, and one of the most inquisitive, restless, and mischievous
of pets when domesticated. Nothing is safe from them if they
break loose in a house, and they try to devour everything they
can find, from stale bread to hair-oil. They are as bad as
monkeys, but they differ from the latter in the fact that they
will obey no order unless it is accompanied by force.

Adult males weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds, and when
cornered they not only light bravely, but often wound several ot
their assailants, for their jaws are large and powerful, aiul
their claws are sharp and curved.

3/3 SPORTING ADVENTURES

This species brings forth from four to eight young at a time,
in the hollow of a tree ; and while the mother remains with
them she is a terror to bull-frogs, fish, and even bii'ds and their
eggs. She has also the fondness of the bear for honey, and
will even risk an encounter with a dog to obtain it. Both
sexes pay much attention to cornfields and orchards, and revel
in the milky kernels or the juicy apples and pears. I have
frequently hunted a brace of them out of an apple-tree, and
when they reached the ground the dogs and themselves
generally had it out, unless they gave indications of being
able to get away, when a shot-gun brought them down.
Bull-terriers or large Irish-terriers, would be capital dogs for
hunting them, as these have the combativeness and strength
necessary to engage in a fair fight with them. For trailing
them in the woods the latter would be the better, owing to its
keenness of nose and endurance, and the readiness with which
it learns the habits of the creatures it pursues.

The raccoon is hunted principally on moonlight nights, and
pleasant sport it is if one is with a jolly party, and the dogs
are large and brave enough to relish a struggle. When the
animal is treed, the tree in which it has sought refuge is
generally cut down, and should it attempt to escape it is shot,
or is killed by the dogs.

The negroes of the South are the greatest coon-hunters,
and they spend many an hour of the night in the woods with
dogs and guns to obtain the animal, whose flesh is considered
by them to be unexcelled in delicacy of flavour. Coon-stew
is a favourite dish with them, and so highly is it prized that I
heard a negro preacher say that " Heaven is sweeter dan a
coon-stew, or cabbage biled wid a hog's back-bone."

As a specimen of how fond they arc of it, the whites relate
an anecdote about two of them who were out until morning
in search of their beloved game, but captured only one. AYhen
they returned to the house, they were very sleepy; but Jem
told Sam that if he would sleep for a while and then relieve
him, both could have a nice nap before the coon, which was in
the pot, could be cooked. Sam complied with this, and was
soon last aslerp and snoring loudly. As the flesh of the coon

LV THE FAR WEST. 379

began to get digestible, the pot-watcher commenced tasting it
and drinking the soup, and so interested was he in his work
that he forgot all about the sleeper, and devoured every
bit of the animal. When that was done, the fear of the
consequences caused him a great deal of tribulation, as he did
not know how to escape from his difficulty. Finally a bright
idea struck him, and he carried it into effect at once. He rubbed
Sam's lips with some fat, placed all the bones and the pot in
front of him, taking care that a bone was also put into his
hand, and then retired to rest, conscious of the efficacy of his
stratagem. When Sam woke up he was amazed at the con-
dition of affairs, and his huge eye-balls rolled in astonishment
as he gazed first at the bones and then at his sleeping com-
panion. He, at length, became both bewildered and angry,
and laying his hand heavily on the shoulder of the sleeper,
yelled out, " Come, Jem, none ob you foolin' wid dis chile ;
what's you done wid de coon ? "

Jem stared at him with a look of blank surprise, and said,
" Why Sam, is you crazy ? Dat coon ! why you eat it all up
in you sleep, and you wouldn't gi me a moufi'ull when I axed
it, cause you said you was asleep." " Go way now, Jem, none
ob you foolin' wid me; I want my shae ob dat coon."
""Why," said the other, " dere's all de bones and de pot bel'o
you, and dere's you mouf all smead wid de fat, and now you
say how I eat it." Sam felt his mouth, and finding that it
was besmeared, he became calm, and begged pardon for his
suspicions; but, placing his hand on his very empty stomach,
he said, "I say, Jem, 1 spose 1 did eat dat coon; but it was
the smallest and worsest one I eber seed, for 1 don't feel him
here a bit." Jem was so delighted with his stratagem, that he
told it to his friends, and the result was that he and Sam soon
dissolved partnership in coon-stews.

The opossum, which is the only member of the marsupials
indigenous to North America, is found all over the South and
South-western States, and extends into Southern California
and Arizona. It has a total length of about three feet, and of
this the tail takes up fifteen or sixteen inches. Its hair being
white, with brownish tips, gives it a pale grayish colour. It

3 So SPORTING ADVENTURES

has rather a rat-like appearance, a resemblance which is in-
creased by its long-, round, and prehensile cauda.

The darkies are the great enemies of this little creature also,
and hunt it through woods, brakes, and briars, with mongrel
dogs that have been trained to the chase. Persimmon thickets
are favourite places for a meet, as the animal is very fond
of this acrid fruit, and frequents its vicinity during the
night. When the dogs have started the wily 'possum they
run it up a tree or sapling, and there they remain and yelp
until the coloured Nimrods arrive on the scene in a state of
breathless excitement. When the 'possum's position is known,
some one climbs to its retreat and knocks or shakes it down,
when the dogs finish it in a few moments. Its flesh is highly
prized by the negroes, and they would travel far to obtain it.
There is much fun to be gleaned from one of their hunts, as
they get wild over the baying of the dogs, and indulge in the
most grotesque remarks about their capture.

Squirrels may be counted by the millions in the West and
South-west, there being some twelve or fourteen species of the
Sciurns, about the same number of the Spermopkiles or ground-
squirrels, four of the Pteromys or flying squirrels, four of the
Tamias or striped squirrels, and two species of prairie dogs —
the common and the short-tailed. Add to these the Arctomys
or ground-hog, and the showtl (Aplodontia leporina), and it
will be seen that small game is abundant enough.

Although these creatures seem to be created for the
special purpose of feeding the larger carnivora, yet they
form no small portion of the food of the wandering Indians.
I have spent some pleasant hours in shooting them with
arrows, and my captures were eagerly sought by hungry
warriors or by chiefs with fierce-sounding names. The red
men coax the little animals out of their burrows by chirping
with the lips, and as soon as they appear at the entrance to
learn what the strange sound signifies, an arrow is sent twang-
ing into their skull with a force that sends it through from
side to side.

To hunt wood squirrels successfully, small curs or terriers
ought to be used, for the moment they tree one of the nimble

IN THE FAR WEST. 381

creatures they announce it by sharp yelps, and it' a person is
any sort of a shot he may then bring it down from its leafy
covert. If the squirrels are any way plentiful, one may bag a
large number by quietly sitting on a tree-stump and shooting
them as they scurry past, for they take little notice of a man
if he is not moving about. They are used for food in some
portions of the West by the whites, and are seldom absent
from the bill of fare of game dinners given by sporting clubs,
and even by private persons. 1 have eaten squirrels frequently,
and I can say that they are much better eating than persons
give them credit for. The ground-squirrels are such nuisances
in some places that the farmers have been compelled to resort
to every means to get rid of them ; but now, fortunately,
some enterprising men have discovered a poison so subtle and
cheap that it only costs ten cents to clear them off an acre ol'
land, while the poisoners realize a handsome sum from the
skins, these being their perquisites.

382 .S7 We TING A D I'/LV TURKS

CHAPTER XVIII.

Fun ANIMALS.

Haunts, hal>its, and mode of capturing the wolverine, mink, fisher, martin,
ermine, musk-rat, skunk, badger, land and sea otter, i'nr-seal heaver,
and showtl — An unpleasant adventure while after fur seals — Enormous
destruction of fur animals — Latest statistics.

ALTHOUGH the greater number of the animals known by this
name in the West are not game in the ordinary sense of the word,
yet they form so important an article in the commercial world,
and are sought after so much by some sportsmen, that I have
assumed that a little information about them might be accept-
able to those who wished to trap them, or to shoot a few for the
purpose of making a robe or a mat. Another reason for intro-
ducing them is, that some of them are comparatively little
known to the general reader, and that they possess charac-
teristics which make them interesting to those who have a taste
for Natural History.

As all the Mustelidee are known as fur animals, I mention
them first, and place at their head the wolverine (Gulo litscns},
whose mythical qualities have made it famous among hunters
and trappers, and even caused grave naturalists to endow it
with characteristics it never possessed. This fabulously gifted
creature receives its technical name from its supposed glut-
tonous qualities, and while it is true that its appetite is worthy
of a gourmand, it is by no means so great as some persons
have asserted.

The statements of old naturalists, that it generally ate so
much that its abdomen became swollen to such an extent that
it passed between two trees close together to reduce its dimen-
sions into something like decent proportions, is on a par with

IN THE FAR WEST. 383

their assertions that it killed deer by climbing a tree and
dropping- a piece of moss before it, and when the latter
stopped to eat the tempting1 morsel, to pounce suddenly on its
back and destroy it in a moment ; or those uttered by old
trappers, that no bullets could kill it, as it spat them out the
moment they entered the body, and that no man could
approach it unless he had the medicine bag- of a great Indian
chief about his person. The tales told about its courage,
cunning, daring, and nonchalance are indeed numerous in the
North-west, but it is hardly necessary to state that while some
of them are founded on a substratum of fact, the greater
number have no stronger basis than the imagination of super-
stitious and often ignorant trappers, and their congeners, the
half-breeds and Indians.

The animal whose fabulous characteristics have made it so
famous, look likes a small and clumsy bear-cub, though its gait
is not so plantigrade as that of bruin. It has strength without
activity, courage without caution, and energy without apparent
motive, but it has so many other excellent qualities that these
seem to be only the negative sides. It is certainly ungainly
in appearance, the body being thick and rather long, the legs
thick and short, the back arched and higher than the head or
rump, the eyes very small and wide apart, the ears low, the head
broad, with a short, pointed muzzle, and the tail being droop-
ing, of medium length, and very bushy. The feet are largo
for its size, and unusually furry, but the balls of the digits are
naked. In colour it is a dusky brown, with a perceptible band
of yellowish-brown along the sides. The under parts, tail, and
legs are blackish ; and the claws are white, curved, sharp, and
strong. It has an average length, excluding the tail, of about
twenty-six inches, while the tail ranges from twelve to fourteen
inches.

Like its family in general, it is not very odorous when
aroused by anger, as it secretes a fluid in the anal glands which
is very disagreeable when discharged. It is an arrant thief in
character, and neither traps nor caches are safe from its depre-
dations ; it will even steal the most useless articles, and hide
them with the cunning of a professional burglar. Camps and

384 SPORTING ADVENTURES

cabins are rifled in the most careful manner by this kleptoma-
niac during- the absence of the proprietors, and what it cannot
eat it destroys or conceals. It is caught very frequently in
steel traps or in dead-falls made of large logs, the bait being
generally a piece of meat or some small animal, such as a
rat or a squirrel, which has been sprinkled with castoreum.
It is one of the greatest enemies the trapper has, as it will
follow a line of martin traps for fifty miles, should they extend
that distance, and devour all the captives.

The young, which generally number four or five at a time, are
brought forth in burrows, and while these are sucking, the mother
is seldom seen ; but should she be encountered she would fight
as courageously as any animal living in defence of her cubs.

The fur of this creature is so highly prized for carriage robes
that professional trappers consider themselves fortunate if they
can get a few peltries, as they bring1 good prices, generally
from four to ten dollars each. These men say that it will
scatter its excretions over all food it may have concealed, to
prevent other animals from touching- it, and so foetid are these
in scent that even a starving wolf will not approach any object
under their protection.

The wolverine is probably one of the most ferocious animals
known, when attacked or wounded, and, for its size, it is also one
of the strongest, a fact which may be inferred from the ease with
which it will pull down a disabled deer. It is not only brave
but daring, for it will boldly enter a cabin when hung-iy,
and fight, if forced to it, for anything- edible in the house. It
has been known to ransack cabins while the inmates were
absent and to steal everything in them that was at all portable,
and to bury it deep in the ground. Such caches are often
found by the odour of the excretions, as these are strong
enough to be smelt several feet away.

The many tales told of its boldness, courage, and cunning,
prove that it is one of the shrewdest animals on the continent,
and one of the most difficult to capture, for, if old trappers
are to be relied on, it steals the bait from behind out of the
traps, so that it avoids all danger. In order to catch it, the
traps have to be covered with boughs, so as to make them

IN THE FAR WEST. 385

resemble a cache as much as possible, and the natural propen-
sity of the creature then induces it to steal whatever that
contains. No clumsy contrivance will do to catch it, however,
and if the trap be of steel and it is not well fastened, the
wolverine will probably walk away with it.

The animal will, it is said, shade its eyes with its paws on
seeing a man approaching it from the leeward, and gaze at
him intently, until he draws quite near, and it will then either
retreat or show fight, according to its disposition. It does not
climb trees, nor hibernate ; and its ordinary food is small
animals, or such offal as it may find. It is, on the whole, one
of the most interesting creatures in the country, and possesses
an individuality of character which none of its allies can
boast. It is probably the greatest enemy the fox has, as it
will open up the burrows of the latter and devour the cubs,
and their parents if convenient, in the most ravenous manner.
It is as destructive to reynard and all his offspring as the
latter is to the denizens of the farmyard, and the result is that
it destroys many young foxes in the course of the year.

Its allies of the Mustelina are very numerous in some por-
tions of the North-west, a fact that is evident from the large
number of peltries sold annually in Europe. The greater
portion of these are purchased for the French, German, and
Russian markets, where furs are largely worn, the finest quality
being generally shipped to the latter country. Of these the
mink, marten, and fisher are the most important, and they are
followed by the muskrat, polecat, and badger. These animals
are nearly all caught in steel traps or in garrotes or wooden
dead-falls, and it is anything but pleasant to approach some
of them, especially the mink (Putorlns visori), as it emits an
effluvium which is only exceeded in foulness by that of the
skunk. This has its use, however, for trappers employ the
fluid to scent baits, in order to make them more efficacious.
The mink is very abundant where rivers are few, as it then keeps
in colonies, and is not so widely dispersed as when the streams
are common. I have seen dozens of these creatures within a
distance of two miles in some portions of the North-west, but
I found it of little use to try and shoot them in the water, as

c c

386 SPORTING ADVENTURES

they dived on seeing- the flash of the gun, and even when hit,
they sunk, so that I could not secure them without more
trouble than they were worth.

The best means of capturing- them is to build a small enclo-
sure of stones in shallow rippling water, and place the trap
near its entrance, the bait being further in, and well saturated
with mink odour; and the animals, in trying- to get that, are
almost sure of putting- their leg or head in the trap. If they
are only caught by the leg- they often gnaw that away above
the jaws of the trap and escape, as they have strong vital
power, and the pluck and furious temper of their family.

They are as aquatic as the beaver, and spend most of their
time in the water, being to that element what the weasel is to
the land. They feed on rats, mice, the marsh hare, birds, fish,
crustaceans, and other denizens of the swamps and streams,
and they seem to excel all other animals in their attachment
to frog dinners. The mink, when tamed, is a pleasant pet
about the house, and is a far better ratter than the domestic
cat, but its odour is somewhat against it as a companion.

The fisher, or black cat (M. pennantii}, is found in nearly all
the mountain ranges of the West, and is quite common in
many places. Though called a fisher, it is not aquatic in
habits, but is thoroughly arboreous, its favourite haunts being
the dense and damp woods adjoining water, and in this it
differs from the marten, which prefers the driest parts of the
forests of evergreens. It receives its name from the fact that it
destroys fish found in traps, but it never angles for itself as the
mink does, and it seems to prefer meat to fish. It travels much
at night in search of its prey, which includes everything from
field-mice to squirrels, and as it fights fiercely, it is often able to
kill animals larger than itself. Its length varies from twenty-
four to forty inches, excluding the tail, which ranges from
twelve to twenty inches, and its weight sometimes reaches
from fourteen to eighteen pounds, so that it ranks next to
the glutton in size. It is very destructive to marten traps,
being almost as bad as the wolverine, and this causes hunters
to execrate its presence, unless it gets trapped itself — an event
which does not occur as often as they wish, for, being strong

LV THE FAR WEST. 387

and plucky, it can tumble down dead-falls, and even get away
with a steel trap unless it is well fastened with an iron chain.
Its skin is valued at from one to two dollars in the West,
but it brings much more than that sum in the market. It
is highly prized by some of the Indian tribes for making
arrow quivers, as it is showy, long, and durable. The fisher
has from two to four young ones at a time, and they are
brought forth in the hollow part of a tree.

The American sable or pine marten (Mustela americana) is
abundant where settlements are scarce, as it is very prolific, its
family generally numbering six or eight at a time. It is well
able to live in its forest home, for though not so insatiably
bloodthirsty as the weasel, yet it is exceedingly destructive
to birds and small mammals, so that it manages to secure
plenty of pabulum at all times.

An adult male has a length of about eighteen inches, ex-
cluding the bushy tail, which is about ten or twelve. Its fur,
which is in the best condition from November to April, is
often over an inch in depth, but it differs in quality, some
portions of it being finer and longer than others. Large
numbers of this animal are captured annually in steel traps
and wooden dead-falls, the traps sometimes extending for a
distance of forty or fifty miles in a certain direction, and num-
bering several to the mile. The bait consists simply of a bit
of meat, a bird's head, or even a field-mouse, for it seems to
have an appetite for all things edible from insects to eggs and
rats.

Like its congeners, it emits a strong effluvium at will, but it
is not so strong as that of the skunk or mink. This creature
is thoroughly arboreous in its habitat, hence it is seldom found
in clearings or near settlements, so that it does little harm to
the poultry -yard. It is an expert climber, most active worker,
and a shrewd little creature in many ways, and were it not for
its odour it would make an amusing house-pet. Its fur is in
such active demand that it meets a ready sale ; and this causes
trappers to capture it in large numbers during the winter.

The stoat or ermine (Putorius erminea] is very common in
Alaska and British America. This graceful, untiring, brave

c c 2

388 SPORTING ADVENTURES

and destructive creature has four or five young ones at a time,
their birth-place being generally the hollow of a log, a tree, or
a rocky cavity. The stoat certainly deserves its technical
name, for when aroused by anger or sexual passion, it emits a
vile odour which is almost unbearable, so that it is no wonder
that rats and ground squirrels ilee before it in terror, for,
omitting even its fierce and destructive nature, which induces
it to kill even when there is no necessity for it, the stench
alone which it exhales is enough to make its superiors in phy-
sical strength scamper away from it. Tt roams abroad prin-
cipally at night, but it is also often out in the day time.

This creature has a total length of about fourteen inches,
and its fur, which is soft, thick, and fine in the northern
latitudes, becomes white in winter, when it is in the best con-
dition for the market. This is a favourite fur on the Continent
for several purposes, hence it is nearly always in active demand.
There are two or three other species of the weasel in the
country, but they amount to little in the fur market.

Of the muskrat, polecat, and badger, little need be said, as
they are well known. The former is amphibious ; the second
is famous for its destructive character, courage, and perfume
bag; and the third is notorious for its combativeness and its
nocturnal habits. The skin of the skunk is now becoming so
popular that thousands of this animal are killed annually to
supply the increasing demand. The sooner they arc all made
into robes the better will the Western pioneers like it, for not
only is the creature offensive to the nose and the farmyard,
but its bite is often attended with fatal results, the symptoms
it produces being similar to those attending an attack of
hydi'ophobia.

The badger is so common in some portions of the West that
its burrows cover a large area of country ; and are so numerous,
that it is dangerous to gallop a horse in some places. As this
animal seldom travels abroad in the day-time, it is a rare thing
to see one, but should a person meet it accidentally and try to
head it off' from its burrow, it would probably pay no heed to
his presence, and attempt to enter, nolens volenst though he
might keep kicking it.

IN THE FAR WEST. 389

I have routed it out sometimes with terriers, uiid sometimes
by pouring water into its burrow, but as a game or a fur
animal I eould not see much in it to make its pursuit pleasant ;
though it may be profitable to trap, as its fur is in aetive
demand for making the cheaper class of goods. It is usually
caught with a No. 3 trap. This animal roams to a high
altitude on the mountains, often to a height of seven or eight
thousand feet, but its favourite habitat is the treeless plains,
where ground-squirrels are abundant.

The land otter is increasing in numbers in some of the
regions bordering the Pacific Ocean, owing to the cessation
there of trapping, at least to any extent ; but it is rapidly
decreasing in other sections of the country, especially where
the fur companies have depots. The system of capturing it
varies in different quarters, but, as a rule, the idea is to conceal
a steel trap in or near the water in places which it is known
to frequent, and these are readily detected by the slides which
it makes down an embankment to a stream or a lake.

The American otter differs from the European in a few
minor details. It is larger, has a shorter tail, and the fur of
the abdomen is as glossy as that of the back. The fur is very
fine, and somewhat waved, and in summer it is short and
nearly black, but in winter it turns to a handsome reddish-
brown. It resembles that of the beaver in character, but
seems shorter. The length of an adult is about five feet, and
the tail about eight inches. It is seldom seen during the day,
yet I have had a shot at one early in the morning and towards
sunset. Shooting it is of little use, however, for, unless it is
on land, the probability is that it will sink in the water and
be lost. Trapping it is, therefore, the only reliable method
of capturing it, to make its skin useful in commerce.
This animal has one litter of young in a year, and they are
brought forth in a burrow close to the water, about the month
of April. Were it hunted with otter hounds it would aii'ord
capital sport, as it is almost as common as the beaver in many
places.

The connecting link between the preceding animal and the
seal family seems to be the sea otter (Ea/tyJfa nitu'iii<i]} whose

390 SPORTING ADVENTURES

habitat extends from Alaska to California. This lover of
boisterous waves is probably the most valuable fur animal
known, its skin being1 worth from forty to ninety pounds
sterling1 in the London market, according- to its size and con-
dition. The latter price is paid only for the largest size and
the finest quality, those which show the whitish or silvery hairs
scattered through the denser black or blackish-brown.

This beautiful creature resembles its congener of the rivers
and lakes in outline, but differs from it in some particulars.
Its forepaws are larger and stronger, and the webbed hind feet
are covered with a thick coarse hair, so that its web is not like
that of the beaver. It possesses most formidable teeth, the
grinders being round, broad, and thick, to enable it to crush
bivalves and other hard substances with facility. It lives
entirely on the marine denizens of the sea, but its favourite
food seems to be the larger species of fish.

Though rarely found on land, except when it visits some
wild and wave-lashed rocky islet to produce its young1, yet it
is sometimes seen near the shore in salt-water inlets, and is
then readily caught by cutting off its retreat to the sea by
means of boats or canoes, and forcing it shoreward. Being*
exceedingly timid, it is readily alarmed, and dives immediately
on seeing1 any strange object approaching it in the water, hence
it is rather difficult to capture.

It sleeps in the water, generally on its back, and if the
female has her cubs with her, she may, on awaking from her
slumber, play with them in the most affectionate manner, now
holding them aloft in her paws, then rolling over and under
the waves with them in the most sportive way imaginable.
This animal generally travels in families, it being rare to sec
large shoals together, yet groups are met at intervals, though
they, apparently, have no common purpose in their migrations.
They are hunted regularly by the Indians when the opportunity
presents itself, but it is an unusual occurrence to see the whites
devote much attention to the business, as it is too uncertain
to please them. Some of the Pacific tribes go far out of sight
of land, probably fifty miles or more, in their pursuit, but
that is generally when they are known to be seeking the rocky

IN THE FAR WEST. 391

islands for the purpose of cubbing-. If the hunters are suc-
cessful in making- a good haul, a feast and a dance is the
result ; but if not, they think that the spirit of ill-luck has
worked against them, and, to appease that, they frequently
indulge in barbaric ceremonies and incantations to allay its
anger.

The animal was formerly shot with bows and arrows, but
since the introduction of fire-arms many of the red men have
discarded their own primitive weapons for the latter ; yet it is
doubtful if they are any more successful, as they are apt to
fire at too great a distance, so that if they even kill the otter
it is liable to sink and be lost before they can reach it.

Some are recovered, however, by diving for them, as they
do not go down like a stone as the seal does. Rifles are also
likely to frighten the animals by their noise, and thus make
them scatter more quickly than if the silent spear or arrow
were used. Several of the more northern tribes are skilful
otter-hunters, and it is really an inspiriting sight to behold a
fleet of their canoes riding the boisterous waves, as they ply
spear and arrow, or use the more destructive fire-arms in
pursuit of their game.

The Makahs of Washington Territory are the best otter-
hunters that I saw on the northern coast, south of Alaska; but
in the latter country the Aleuts, who make capital sailors, were
acknowledged to be the chiefs. I accompanied the former a
few times on a hunt after the otter and fur seals, but our luck,
on the whole, was only moderate, as the sea was often very
rough, hence we could not land on some of the islets in Fuca
Straits. Their mode of capturing their quarries was to
spread out in every direction and beat about, and whenever a
seal or otter was discovered it was chased immediately, and was
kept diving and swimming until its lungs became so full of
air that it could not dive again ; it was then promptly speared
or shot. The otter sometimes rose to the surface very near a
canoe, and the moment its head appeared, a spear, to which was
attached a large bladder, was driven into its body; and if it
was not then killed, and attempted to dive, the spear-point
and bladder came oil' the handle, and the creature had to try and

392 SPOR TING AD VENTURES

bear the pain of the one and overcome the difficulty of sinking
the other. When it had been planted with two large bladders
it could not go far beneath the surface, owing to their buoy-
ancy, so was made a prisoner in a short time. This is the
method generally applied by this tribe in hunting all marine
animals, and that it is successful is evident by the amount
they earn during the hunting season, that being often from
twenty to one hundred dollars a day per man, if the weather
and luck are at all favourable.

When the Indians intend to surprise a rookery of otters,
they generally select a tempestuous day for their enterprise,
as their chances of success are then the greater. Placing
provisions and short heavy clubs in their canoes, they land on
the islets as silently as possible, and when they find the
animals, the clubs are plied with such vigour that they fre-
quently kill from thirty to one hundred before the remainder
can seek refuge in the seething ocean.

Such enterprises are frequently attended with danger, for
many a red man finds a watery grave where he went to find
a treasure.

The peltries secured are, when dried, sold to the fur com-
panies, for sums ranging from thirty to one hundred dollars.
A good skin is about 6+4 feet, exclusive of the tail, as that is
always sold separately, it being generally given as a douceur
to the wife. Some otters attain a length of seven feet, how-
ever, but they are the giants of their family.

Large numbers of these animals were killed formerly, but
they have become so scarce of late, owing to the war waged
against them, that it would seem as if they must soon become
unknown.

Behring's sailors were most indefatigable in pursuing them,
as it seemed to open up an inexhaustible source of wealth ; and
the result was that nearly 115,000 skins were taken in the
eleven years from 1786 to 1797, so that many of the men
realized in this pursuit what was a fortune to them in Russia.
Not more than a fraction of this number can now be taken in
the same time, as they have been almost decimated in some
places.

IN THE FAR WEST. 393

Another fur animal that is hunted extensively by nearly all
the littoral Indians of the North Pacific Ocean is the fur seal,
and some of them at least find it a profitable business, judging
from the number of peltries to be seen in the markets of San
Francisco. The Russian-American Fur Company have the
monopoly of the trade in Alaska, hence the red men dwelling1
south of that region do much better with the animal than
their northern kindred, as they can kill it wherever they find
it, whereas the latter cannot.

An adult male seal has a length of about seven feet, and the
female of five feet. The former is polygamous, his harem
usually consisting of eight or ten of the opposite sex, and
more if he can get them, and for these he will fight desperately
against all rivals.

The lords of the harems and their spouses go ashore on the
islands in November to produce their young, and remain there,
as a rule, until the following May. "When the pups are born
they are blind, and remain so for some time ; but when they
are a month old, they are taken into the water by their mothers
and taught to swim, and after that they spend most of their
time in it. If caught when young they are easily tamed, and
soon learn to know a person's voice, and to expect his caresses.
They are very active in the water, and as they move through
it with great velocity, it is a most interesting sight to watch
them. Their gambols are very pleasing, especially when they
are leaping, as they can bound seven or eight feet into the air
with apparent ease.

They sleep on their sides while in the sea, and when they
go ashore they scramble and tumble over the rocks, until
sometimes an island is fairly black with them; while their
gruff barking is heard above the roar of the tempest and the
screaming of the surging waves, especially if the males are
fighting, as the females of their harems seem to encourage
them to the combat by persistent cries.

"\Vhen the Indians intend to attack these they drive them
inland slowly, allowing them to rest at intervals, and when
they have reached a good position, some of the herd are sepa-
rated from the others, and the red men eoinmence plying their

394 SPORTING ADVENTURES

sharp-edged clubs. One blow on the back of the head is
generally sufficient to produce death, owing- to the thinness of
the skull.

When the hunters have killed all they want, or opportunity
permits, the carcasses are skinned, the hides arc dried, and the
remains are made into oil, or boiled and eaten, so that no por-
tion is wasted.

This valuable creature, whose hearing- is very sharp, is readily
distinguished from the hair-seal by having flippers destitute
of hair, external ears, and only three nails, whereas the other
has five nails on the hind flippers.

It is, in fact, more closely allied to the sea-lion than to the
hair-seal, hence is classed with it in the genus Otariidcc, instead
of being placed in the Phocidcc. The allied kindred do not
seem to care much for each other's society, however, for the
sea-lion scrupulously avoids places occupied by the other, and
very properly, if it has a sense of smell, for the rookeries of the
fur-seal have anything but a pleasant odour.

I had an adventure once while out on a short cruise after
this animal that I shall not readily forget, as it came near
sending me over to join the great majority.

I was in a large canoe in Fuca Straits with a party of
Indians, who were out on a "sealing" expedition, and our
course led us to one of the small islands which dot that splen-
did body of water in many places. When we started from the
reservation the day was fine, but after being out a short time
the wind freshened into a stiff breeze, and the billows reared
up into foam-crested hills that presented anything but a
pleasant sight to us, and before we reached our destination
they were so huge that our frail craft threatened to be engulfed
every moment in the vale of waters.

By pushing the paddles deep into the sea on the starboard
side, and running across the waves to avoid their following us
and coming aboard, we managed to make slow headway, very
slow indeed, as we had to watch the seas carefully and to steer
right into the teeth of a land breeze, while another coining
from the ocean quartered us.

After a most tedious voyage of four or five hours we were

IN THE FAR WEST. 395

compelled to land on the first islet we met, and were only able
to do that through the thoughtfulness of a surge that carried
us i'ar up on the sloping beach and left us there high and dry.
Finding ourselves safe, we pulled the canoe shorewards in a
hurry, and had it beyond the reach of the waves before the
next one arrived. The islet on which we were stranded was
small, and contained scarcely anything interesting, except a
few breeze-torn firs, a meagre grass, and some humble flowers,
yet it was land, and it was therefore very important then. In
wandering about it I noticed several caverns through which
the seething waves dashed in masses of foam, and roared and
rumbled as if they were in the greatest distress. Mingled
with this thundering were the screaming of the wind and the
cries of many seals, sounds which seemed to be in harmony
with the boisterous elements of air and sea; and on looking
down through an opening in the basaltic crags I saw a number
of the animals lying on the rocks below, but they were beyond
the heavy blows of the billows.

Pointing this out to one of the men, I told him he had
evidently come to a good place; but he only gravely shook his
head, and walked away without uttering a word.

Towards evening the storm abated somewhat, but the
violence of the wind was followed by a heavy rain that caused
the sky to look like a black pall. To avoid this we sought
shelter in a cavern, yet that was not rain-proof enough to
keep us from getting a drenching. Our position was made
more uncomfortable by the want of food, for though the
Indians had some dried clams, which they ate with avidity, I
had nothing, as I expected to return to the reservation the same
day. I envied my dusky companions their stomachs and
appetites just then, and wished I had them for a short time,
as 1 was very hungry, and I kept wishing it so much that I
finally tried to eat some of their loathsome food, but I had not
eaten the second mouthful before I was seized with nausea and
its consequence. This made me so faint that I could scarcely
move, and when I thought of my situation, and dripping
garments, I wished myself back on the mainland.

The storm having decreased in violence by midnight, it was

39<5 SPOR TING AD VENTURES

decided to re-embark, if possible ; so the canoe was launched on
a receding- wave by two Indians, who were stripped to the buff.

I stepped in first, but I had scarcely entered before a large
wave struck the craft, and, lifting- it hig-h up, carried it and
the two men holding it shoreward with a rush, and as I had
not sat down I was pitched into the sea backwards, and made
to drink a large quantity of salt water. I remember distinctly
making some blind efforts to find a footing and attempting to
swim, but I do not know how I got ashore, except to suppose
that my struggles aided me somewhat, and that the wave did
the remainder.

I scrambled to my feet on the beach as rapidly as I could,
and made a dash for the interior as fast as my soaking garments
would permit, and was soon beyond the reach of the treacherous
combers.

Not knowing what had become of the remainder of the party,
I commenced shouting, and in a moment after, a lusty voice
could be heard above the roar of the storm telling me to come on.
The darkness was intense, yet I soon found the Stentor, and
on inquiring of him what had become of the canoe and those
who held it, he said they were all right, except that one of the
men had received a hard knock in the stomach from the craft,
and was temporarily laid up for repairs. On rejoining the
others a few moments after, I learned that the Indians had
saved themselves by clinging tenaciously to the boat, and
that when the wave receded their weight kept it from going
to sea, it being- cast high up on the beach.

After a short consultation, it was decided to remain on the
island that night and attempt to reach the mainland in the
morning, the sea then running being deemed too heavy to give
us much of a chance for our lives in the darkness. That night
was a most wretched one to me, and I gladly hailed the return
of the morning, as it enabled us to launch our canoe and reach
the mainland in safety. When we arrived there I learned
that the Indians considered the island to be the resort of evil
spirits, that it was their wailing we had heard in the caverns,
and that it was because we had intruded on their ground
that we met with the accident, as a warning not to go there

7AT THE FAR WEST. 397

again, or take the consequences. I accepted their interpretation
of our ill-luck, for that was the last time I visited the place,
as my duties carried me elsewhere ; yet I do not now regret my
experience on that lonely isle, which is sacred alone to water-
fowl and seals, the heavy clashing of waves and crags, and the
moaning or the screaming of the wind.

The beaver is becoming abundant in some portions of the
country, especially in the wooded regions bordering the Pacific
Ocean, as very little trapping is done there, owing to the
cheapness of the fur and the fact that people have a more
settled business, but it is decreasing in British America, owing
to the numbers captured annually in traps.

Another little creature found in the North-west, though not
strictly a fur animal, deserves mention, owing to its unique
position in the animal world. This species, which is known
to the Indians of the North-west coast by the names of
sewellel and showtl, is one of the most unique specimens of
the animal kingdom. It is certainly one of the least known
of the mammals of America, owing to its scarcity, peculiar
habits, and the want of opportunities to study its characteristics,
as its habitat is confined to a few isolated and barren sections
of the North-west, little frequented by the wandering tourist,
and rarely indeed by the scientific naturalist.

Its geographical range is limited, being bounded on the
south by Oregon, and on the north by British Columbia, an
area embracing probably some eight degrees of latitude ;
while its eastward wandering is checked by the high, rolling
plateaus that lie directly east of the Cascade Range. Unlike
most of the quadrupeds of the North-west, it crosses this
towering range; and here it differs widely from other mammals,
for that chain is the most arbitrary on the continent in its
separation of animal life, and in this feature is, in all proba-
bility, equalled by no other mountains on the globe except the
Himalayas. It has not yet been found in the Rocky Mountains,
nor, so far as I can learn, east of the Blue Ridge, which runs
in a general south-westerly direction through Eastern Orecron,

fj **

and Washington Territory. The probability of its being an
inhabitant of any other section of the continent except where it

3Q8 SPORTING ADVENTURES

has been already discovered,, is strongly in the negative, as the
soil and climate elsewhere do not seem adapted to its comfort-
able existence. Its favourite haunts are the small sandy
prairies adjacent to the rivers that run through the dense
forests of Western Oregon and Washington Territory ; for it
can obtain an abundance of food and water in such localities
at all seasons of the year; and it is comparatively safe from
enemies, especially those which are the most untiring in its
pursuit and destruction — the badger and the coyote, or prairie
wolf, whose habitat is the Eastern plateaus. The showtl
being an inveterate miner, the soft sandy soil enables it to
dig a home for itself in a very short time ; and this, and the
profusion of vegetation, combined with the equable climate
of the western divisions, are the very excellent motives that
decide it in selecting the prairies for its home.

Being the only species of its genus yet discovered, it pos-
sesses much interest for the scientific naturalist, and not a little
for the amateur who speculates on Nature's laws. In its
isolation it stands as an example in the animal kingdom ;
so the question now to be settled is, what purpose is it intended
to fulfil in the economy of Nature ? It was at one time sup-
posed to be a member of the spermophiles ; but Sir John
Richardson, after a careful anatomical investigation, proved it
to be not only a new species, but also a new genus, of the
sub-family Castorince, and to differ widely from the squirrel
family, especially in its dental formation. The molar teeth
being devoid of roots, he named it generically and specifically
Aplodontia leporina, from aplos, simple, and odons, a tooth.
Its special purpose therefore, so far as may be conjectured, seems
to be to unite the squirrel and beaver families; for while
it is distinct from both in many particulars, yet it greatly
resembles one of the spermophiles — the prairie dog — in its
range of food, domiciliary architecture, and social relations.
Like the latter, it is a strict vegetarian, a ceaseless miner, and
a provident commissary; for it is always careful to lay by
something for a rainy day. Unlike the prairie dog, however,
it does not seem to care for the sunlight, is as grave as an
owl, and seldom resorts to playfulness — at least above ground.

IN THE FAR WEST. 399

Nature seems to have fitted it specially for dwelling in com-
parative darkness, judging from the smallness of the eyes and
the form of the ears ; and that it loves its gloomy abode would
be evident by the care it takes to avoid the daylight, for it is
rarely ever seen outside its burrow before the approach of
twilight. I have seen it during fine days in March pottering
around among its stores, which were spread over the burrows
to dry in the sun ; but the moment it detected the presence of
any unusual object, it immediately darted inside.

In general appearance the showtl is not unlike a musk-rat,
but with this important difference, that the latter flourishes a
handsome tail, while the former is devoid of it, it has at least
none worth mentioning ; for the little fleshy protuberance that
terminates the spinal column can scarcely be called one, the
vertebra not being an inch long. A full-grown male averages
about fourteen inches in length and six in height; but it looks
taller than it actually is, owing to its general hump-backed atti-
tude. The muzzle is large and round ; the head full and well de-
veloped ; the ears are short, quite rounded, and covered on both
sides with fine, soft hair; the eyes are very small, and of a
dark-brown colour, and are situated midway between the nose
and the ears. The incisor teeth are exceedingly sharp, and
well adapted for cutting the roots, bark, and fibrous vegetables
on which the animal subsists. Like those of all the rodentia,
the longer they are in use, the more efficient do they become ;
for Nature has wisely made them of such material that time
and work only increase their effectiveness. The K'gs are short
and stout; the feet broad and strong; and the nails, which
are long, thick, and curved, are powerful mining implements.

I am not acquainted with any animal that can burrow a home
for itself in so short a time as the showtl ; and it is well for it
that it possesses this quality, else its life would be of short
duration, for it has numerous foes, and no means of defending
itself against their attacks except retreating to its subterranean
domicile. Its powers of locomotion are exceedingly limited,
owing to the peculiar conformation of the feet; and this
great disadvantage leaves it completely at the mercy of its
enemies when once outside its burrow. Its usual gait is an

400 SPORTING ADVENTURES

awkward, shambling1 run, and that is so slow that any animal
of greater speed than the porcupine could readily overtake it,
even when pressed to its best puce by fear.

Its fur is thick and tolerably fine. Its outer tinge is a
reddish-brown, but the inner approaches a bluish-grey at the
base. The density of its coating1 made it at one time an object
of pursuit by the Indians ; but since the introduction of civi-
lization and cotton goods they capture it mainly for its flesh,
which they consider to possess high gastronomic qualities.
The robe made of its fur gave the animal the name by which
it is now7 known to the majority of the hunters and the coast
Indians of the North-west. Lewis and Clark, who were sent
out by the American Government in 1804 to explore the
country between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean,
heard of it from the Clatsop Indians, and in their work they
mentioned that " it could burrow in the ground, and climb a
tree like a squirrel/' As they had not seen it, in all proba-
bility, they took their statements from the Chinooks; and
Indian assertions in matters appertaining to Natural History
are not always famous for their correctness. This tribe used a
robe made of its fur, which they called " she-wel-el," and the
explorers applied this name to the animal itself, although it
was not the one used by the red man. The Nisqually Indians
of Washington Territory call it the " showtl ; " hence the
application of both names in its denomination. The male and
female are exact copies of each other, except that the latter is
a little the smaller. She produces two litters a year, the first
appearing in spring, the other in autumn, and the number of
young at a birth is usually from four to six. The nest in
which they are nurtured resembles that of the rabbit in form,
and is usually placed in the darkest part of the burrow. The
first family is cared for by the parents until the second appears;
but, according to Indian tales, the members are expected to set
up housekeeping for themselves after that time.

The showtl is quite social in character, and, though not so
gregarious as the prairie dog, yet it seems very much attached
to its kindred in the colony. This colony generally consists of
from a dozen to a hundred families, and they, apparently, live

AV THE FAR WEST. 401

tog-ether in the most perfect harmony. They seem moved by
one common impulse, and that, as a rule, is to dig up the
ground as rapidly as possible. The result is that the region
adjoining their village is honeycombed in every direction, and
is covered with a mass of dead vegetation, for they do not
spare the root or bark of anything green that they can devour
or destroy. They are persistent seekers after food, and such
articles as they do not immediately dispose of they store away
in their labyrinthine cellars. This acquisitive talent causes
them to uproot a large tract of country in a short time ; and
when they exhaust the resources of one section, they move to
another. According to Indian tales, they migrate only at
night, and, in a few minutes after having chosen an encamp-
ment, they have their houses ready for occupation. They first
dig a shallow passage, then come to the surface, and work
down again. This system of mining is evidently intended to
relieve them of the necessity of forcing or carrying the exca-
vated dirt out of the burrow, so that they seem to have a good
idea of the economy of labour. All their movements being,
as a rule, performed underground, a study of their habits is
rather difficult, unless a large amount of time and patience is
wasted. They are so cautious about moving out of their
burrows, that it is only after they have carefully reconnoitred
their surroundings that they even presume to drink from the
rivulet near their village.

Their mode of felling shrubs and trees is to cut away at the
roots, and when the object of their attention is prostrate, all
work with a keen activity, as the share of each is only limited
by its power to carry it away. The camass (Camassia eseu-
lenla}, which grows extensively on the prairies, and is used as
an article of food by the Indians, seems to possess great
attractions for the showtl, and it is consequently looked on by
the red men as an impertinent rival. The result of this
enmity or rivalry is apt to be prejudicial to the longevity of
the rodent; for the Indian considers a dinner of roast camass
bulbs and showtl meat a feast fit for a Ca>sar, and he takes
every opportunity of enjoying it.

This little animal seems to be inditlerent to the lopograpliieal

i» d

402 SPOR TING A D VENTURES

conformation of a country, judging by my own experience, as
I have found it from the table-like prairies of the forest to the
snow-line of the rugged Cascade Range. It must, I infer,
partially hibernate during the winter on the higher mountains,
but in the valleys, where frosts even are not severe, it remains
in an active condition throughout the year. It may be seen
out on the Cascade Range as early as March, especially if the
weather is fine ; but murky days cause it to keep close to its
burrow, no matter whether its habitat is on hill, plain, or
plateau. Its fiercest enemy east of the Cascade Range is the
pugnacious badger, which pursues it with the greatest perti-
nacity, notwithstanding the fact that ground squirrels are
exceedingly numerous, and much more easily obtained. The
taxidea, like the red man, is, however, an epicure in its own
way, and both these products of the American continent evi-
dently consider the flesh of the showtl superior to that of any
other animal. The meat is certainly tender, and much less
rank in taste than that of the wood-hare, while it is more
succulent than that of the squirrel.

Whenever a badger gets among a colony, it plays sad havoc
with its members, and destroys them in the very wantonness
of its fury, much the same as a terrier would a lot of rats.
The result is, that it soon deprives itself of a most savoury
bonne louche, and it has then to content itself with sper-
mophiles and field-mice. The coyotes, or prairie wolves, also
prey on the defenceless rodent ; but it frequently eludes them
in its labyrinthine burrows, into which nothing can follow it
but the badger. This latter animal being unknown west of
the Cascade Range, the showtl lives in comparative security
in that division of the Pacific slope, for its greatest foe there,
the red man, does not slay it wantonly.

The Indians of Washington Territory have a tradition that
it was the first animal endowed with life, and the source
whence sprang the human race — the red portion at least, and
on this account they pretend to entertain a sort of reverence
for it; but that, like several other sentiments which they
profess, extends no further than mere expediency, for they
kill it whenever they get the opportunity, and devour it with

IN THE FAR WEST. 403

the greatest avidity. This barbaric bit of the Darwinian
philosophy I once turned to account to test the extent of an
Indian's reasoning- power; but I found that he checked all at-
tempts at argument by steadfastly adhering to the red man's
sole code of ethics — expediency. I wanted to prove to him
that he was a cannibal if he ate his remote ancestor, and he
answered me promptly by stating that his ancestor was good
eating, and should therefore be utilised in the only way in which
it was practicable to do so; but, besides that fact, he reminded
me that the human race had progressed so far from their original
source that both could not now be considered kindred by any
system of logic, and he, therefore, could not be considered a
cannibal. I yielded the point at once, much to his satisfaction, as
soon as I had proved to myself the mainspring of Indian action.

The showtl furnishes good sport to those who wish for exer-
cise with the bow and arrow. It may be brought out of its
hole by chirping for a little while, and the moment it appears
it affords an excellent target for a shaft. Even when running
toward its burrow it moves so slowly that it can be easily
killed or wounded with an arrow, if one is at all an adept in
the use of the bow. I have shot some in that way and found
it interesting sport, besides enjoying a pleasant bonne louche
when hungry.

I examined several specimens captured in this manner, with
the aid of a surgical friend, and found that they differed from
their kindred, the ground squirrels, in many particulars, but
specially in being devoid of the post-orbital process, and having
rootless molars. This latter characteristic allied them to the
beaver ; so the inference would seem to be that the showtl is
the connecting link between the squirrels and the beavers.
But why Nature should have produced, in opposition to all
her general rules, only one genus and one species of this
interesting creature — should have rendered it so defenceless,
made it so scarce, and confined its range to such narrow
limits — is a question to puzzle the minds of those unacquainted
with her great arcana.

The number of fur animals shot or trapped in America each
year seems almost incredible, yet by glancing at the list of fur

404

SPOR TING A D VENTURES.

skins sold in London and Leipzig- during portions of 1878-9,
we find that the enormous quantity of nearly nine and a half
millions were disposed of by auction ; but that does not by any
means represent the total amount, as several minor dealers
also got rid of their stock during- that time.

The large sales of American furs in London during- the
months of January, March, and September, 1878, and January,
March, May, and July, 1879, and during the mouths of May
and September, 1878, and May, 1879, in Leipzig, amounted to
the above figures, and were divided as follows ; but it should
be understood that the list does not include all peltries sold,
such as those of hares, and other animals : —

Musk-rat .
Raccoon .
Skunk

. . 5,402,720
. . 1,086,927
. . 782,955

Blue Fox . .
Opossum .
Lvnx

. . 5,898
. . 658,040
. . 46,563

Mink . . .

419338

Bav Lvnx

. . 7,890

Fisher

. . 13,729

Badger .

14,037

Marten . .

. . 128,817

Bear

27,540

Beaver .
Red Fox . .

. . 347,203

. . J41,408

Squirrel

Wolf . . .

. . 61,655
9,555

Gray Fox
Kitt Fox .
White Fox .
Cross Fox .
Silver Fox .

. . 52,235
. . 1 5,783
. . 12.133
. . 8,591
. . 2,333

Wolverine
Laud Otter .
Sea Otter . .
Fur Seal . .

Total .

. . 2,124
. . 32,312
. . 6,912
. . 140,478

. 9,497,176

During the months of March and September 1873, the

following furs

were imported into London alone : —

Musk-rat .

. . 2,942,845

Opossum .

. . 240,505

Raccoon .

. . 465,762

Lynx . . .

. . 7,7S5

Skunk

. . 263,343

Badger

. . 5,197

Mink . . .

97,458

Black Bear .

. . 13,736

Fisher

. . 7,155

Grizzly Bear .

. . 857

Marten . .

. . 97,808

Gray Wolf .

. . 7,006

Beaver .

. . 211,897

Dusky Wolf .

. . 2, 1 1 S

Red Fox . .

. . 64,052

Wolverine

2,136

Gray Fox

. . 26,750

Land Otter .

. . 19,'2-12

Kitt Fox

. . 9,205

Sea Otter . .

. . 5,471

White Fox .

. . 9,290

Fur Seal . .

. . 130,590

Cross Fox

. . 5,879

Hare

1(1,029

^ilxmi* n/^v

1 .648

onvui i u.\
Blue Fox

1,798

Total .

. 4, 6 H), 562

LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORIj

A TV' /~< IT1 I

L 006-331 5766"

UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL L68ARY f *O.mr

001263619 7