Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-10-12
A Nights Adventure.
BY W. S. HURLEY.

y A N}SntS Adventure.
....., BY W. S. HURLEY.
Reader, were you ever lost in forest
and compelled to pass the night there, with
no companions except a prowling wolf and
the stealthy panther2 yI,e4 ms
Tbs not an agreeable feeling to be thus
situatcd-far from it.
Though years have elapsed, and my
hair is white with age; the recollectious
Of such night passed in the wilds OF the
far West, are still fresh in my memory.
1t was the summer Of lS---, that | had
occasion TO cross the Sierra Nevada, via
Mobiles Pass. Our party consisted Of
nearly twenty, and up tothe time of which
| am about to speak We had met with but
it l. stirring id enture. unless chase al
ter a griAaly, ana the shooting of few
buffalo might be so termed.
1t was delightful afternoon, on the
10Th of August, that we halted at the foot
of "a high bluff, aud after ricketing our
horses, proceeded 10 cook our supper. The
greater part Of the day had been speut
hunting a small herd Of eks but with very
poor success, however.
To be sure we had wounded two of
them, but not severely enough TO insure
thoig capture. They had, nevertheless.
shown unmstakable signs Of weariness
when we last saw them, and Bill Arnold,
an old and experienced hunter Of our par
", expressed his Willingness to bet 'a
pile" that they were sgiiI in the vicinity.
81 guess I'll take short run from the
camp while you fellers are busy getting
grub ready, and see il | can't stir some OF
them up" he suggested, as we commenced
anpacking.
"All right, go ahead" replied Bob
Smith, our cook, "only mind and not be
gone long"
"Never you fear," rejoined Bill, and
shoulderng his rife, he marched off,
singing "Old Zip Coon" at the top of his
voice.
Half an hour later, and just as Bot
summoned us to supper, the hunter made
his appearance around the side ofthe bluff
"I've seen 'em, boys" he calculated, as
soon as he came within speaking distance
The y're just the other side of that patch
of timber yohder, aid purity nigh tucker
ed out, too" .t tC5H Hl eallo
We waited to hear no more, but started
for our horses. We lost no time in getting
ready, aud leaving Bob to see to ,thlng'
during our absence, mounted and rode
away.
Ten minutes later we entered the tim
ber. where we halted, and after freshly
printing our rifles, again moved on. We
had scarcely gone thirty yards before We
emerged from the trees, and beheld the
open country stretching away for miles
before us, while just out Of the opening
quietly feeding on the rank prairie grass
were the elks. naf..
They Immediately discovered us, however
and with wild sDorts Of alarm turned anc
galoped off, Without pausing a momen
we dashed away in pursuit, and being al
we'll mounted, We flew over the ground a
rate truly astonishing. We gained up
on them, slowly but surely, and belor'
the FIRST mile had been run, we were with
in easy rifle range.
Selecting one OF them, a monster bull
as ''my meat" refined in my horse, threw
up my rife, and taking hurried aim, fired
| [ saw him stagger forward, and thought a
first my shot had proved fatal; but recov
eriug himself suddenly he broke fioh
among the others, and went tearing owe
the plain, as if Satan himself was aite
him. 3i
pressed the spur to my horses flank
and with tho reins restingon my left lin
gers. and my rife thrown crosswise, gal
lopped after him, filed with wild excite
ment that such an adventure imparis. "A
VIC flew along | could not help observin
the beauty Of the scene. 1m
The sun was just sinking in the golde
west, throwing spanglcd sprays of cflmso
light on the canopy of heaven. III
mountains were tiugcd with an annbe
light, and the quartzose crystal sparkle
on tho peaks of the Southern Sierras'