Butte record., 1856-03-01

ertions, and dropping OH one Dy one
we returned to the camp.
We fell down around the fires in sui
len silence. Carey continued pacing
bak and forth, now glancing up at the
SKY, and at times kneeling down, and
running his hand over the surface Of
the snow. At length he approached
the fire, ard in his slow, drawing man.
ner remarked
cts gwine to friz, rekin."
"Well! an if it does?'' asked one
Of his comrades, without caring for an
answer to the question.
"Wall, an " it does," repeated the
trapper, ''we'll walk out o'this hyar
jug afore sun up, an upon good hard
trail too
The expression Of every face was
changed as if by magic. Several leap
ed to their feet. Code, the Canadian,
skilled in snow craft, ran to a bank
and drawing his hand along the comb
ing, shouted back
''C'est ayqi! u je'e; IL jeleN-
(|'That's true. it freezes; it frcezes')
! A cold wind soon after sprung up,
and chcerod by the brigteng prospect,
we began to think of tie fires that du-
ring tie last moments Of our reckless
indifference, had been almost suffered
to burn out. The Delawares, seizing
their tomahawks, commenced hacking
at the pines, while others dragged for
ward the fallen trees, looping OF their
branches with the keen scalping knife.
At this moment peculiar cry at
tracted our attention, and looking "a
round, We perceived one of the Indians
drop suddenly upon his knees, striking
the ground with his hatchet.
"What is it? what is it'' shouted
several voices, in almost as many Ian
guages.
''Yam-ycm! yam-ycm" replied
the Indian, still digging at the frozen
ground.
"'rhe Injun's right; It's mcn-rcot!"
said Carey, picking up some leaves
which the Delaware had chopped
off.
/ recognized a plant well known to
the mountain mana rare, but Won
derful convolyus, the Iponia ieptophyl-
la. The name of ''man-rot" is given
to it by the hunters, from the simlari-
ty of its root in shape, and sometimes
in size, to the body of a man. 1t is
esculent, and serves to sustain human
life.
In an instant, half dozen men
We're on their knees, clipping ard lack
ing the hard clay, but their hatchets
glinted off as from the surface Of a
rock.
"Look hyar!'' cried Carey; "ye're
only spoilin' yer tocle. Cut down a
vLeen o these saplins, and make a
fire over HIM"
The Lint was instantly followed,
and, in few minutes a dozen pieces
Of pine were piled npon the spot, and
set on fire.
We stood around the burning branch
es with eager anticipation. Should
the root prove ''full grown man," it
would make a supper for our whole
party; and with the cheering idea Of
supper, jokes were ventured upon
the first we had heard for some time;
the hunters, ticklcd with the novelty
of unearthing the ''old man." ready
roasted, and speculating whether he
would prove "a fat old hoss.''
A hollow crack sounded from above,
ike the breaking of a dead tree. We
looked up. A large object-an ami
mal-was whirling outward and down
ward from ledge which projected half
way up the cliff. In an instant it had
struck the earth, head foremost, with
a loud bump, and bound to the height
Of several feet, came back with sum-
mer-sanlt on its legs, and stood firm
ly.
An Involuntary ''hurrah!'' broke
HUN tllc HuiltCIS3 NHO al iSIo1iiACu
at glance, the "Carnero Cimmaron,
or s.bighorn" He had cleared the pre-
cipice at two leaps, lighting each time
on his huge crescent-shaped horns.
For moment, both parties, hunters
and game, seemed equally taken by
surprise, and stood eyeing each other in
mute wonder. 1t was but for mo-
ment. The men rushed for their RI
fles, and the animal recovering
from his trance of astonlshment, toss
ed back his horns, and bounded across
the platform. In dozen springs he
he had reached the selvidge Of the
snow, and plunged into its yielding
bank; but, at the same instant several
rifles cracked, and the white wreath
was crimsoned behind him. He still
kept on however, leaping and breaking
through the drift.
i We struck into his track, and fol
lowed with the eagerness Of hungry