Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-11-23
MOUNTAIN NANNY.


n NnhfhCNersAkPtCh.
One evening, three years ago, after n dread
| fully hard march down the western side of
one Of the most difficult passes through the
Rocky Mountains, our small party emerged
| from the rough trail into the open savaunas of
Middle Park, and camped beside u companion
party that had preceded MS. Approaching
their fire, we met, coming up ut leisurely
lope from the opposite direction, large, lean
| sorrl horse that showed good points but
seemed to have been roughing it quite as
much as his rider Tho horse bore Il gnyly-
rigged rangers saddle, behind which was
! slung the carcass of black-tailed deer. whose
! Tapping head and heels seemed not to disturb
him in the least. and in the saddle sat 4 re-
markable mana person of medium height.
but of so powerful build that his breadth of
| chest and massive loins seemed better fitted
for giant His hair and beard werS curly
and yellow as corn-sik his face fiery red
! through incessant exposure to the sun. and
| snow. and alkali-dust but his eyes We're blue
| AS the little LycPHd butterflies fitting in thou
sands over the blossoming prairie. Across
| his shoulder he balanced heavy double bar
! relied rife his waist was girdled by a red
white-and-blue cartrdge-belt; from his boot
! leg protruded the horn handle Of n hunting
knife. and a siN-shooter was strapped to the
pommcl of his saddle. He was dressed through
out in buckskin, from every seam of which
depended siX-inch fringe Of the same mate
rial but his hat was colorless somjr,I0,
badly crushed
This was Mountain Harry" Iouut and his
horse Texas He was professional hun
ter; and when last summer he was with us
three months in the wilds Of Western Wyom-
ing, | became well acquainted with him, Il
notable man. who is almost as foreign to the
types of the Eastern States as native of ia
pan.
Yount's parents were Swiss hut he was
born Mt Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. ard so
came by double right to his deep affection for
the mountains. When he was "A child his
father moved to Kansas introducing the boy
at an early nge to pioneer-life. But wearying
of the Plains, when eighteen years old Harry
joined an emigrant-train and pushed out to
Pixies Peak, driving oxen. Gold mining
however was not his vocation. and stimulated
by his innate passion for the freedom of un-
fenced Nature. Nount quickly abandoned the
rocker for the rifle, and began the wild and
lonely career he la, since led At that time
such life was far more lonely than at pres
ont, notwithstanding that he was able to get
his game much nearer the main settlements
than is now possible. Yet the towns twenty
years ago were far between and wanderers
among the snowy ranges or interior parks
We're very few. Harry hunted principally in
the Medicine Bow Ranges. the snowy crests
of which are about the only Peaks Of the
Rocky Mountains the Traveller on the Union
Pacific railway catches a glimpse of after
Cheyenne has been left an hour behind. Here
roamed the mountain buffalo the broad ant
Tered wapiti the agile black-tgil, the shy COW
ert-lovng Virginia deer every valley was
haunted by antelopes. and all the crags Were
homes of the mountain-sheep. Where there
was so much tender flesh. of course many
beasts of prey were present Harry once un-
eXectedly stepped into n convention Of seven
griZZlies-and hard experience with these
creatures added deliberate courage to the
skill learned from seeking wary deer and trap
ping the small, shrewd game whose furry coats
were covered To find out all the passes and
game trails through these unknown mountains
| all the resources of ivingalone anywhere and at
any season, to elude or conciliate the Indians
all of whom were to be dreaded, and most of
all to become thoroughly acquainted with the
distribution and habits of the animals and
birds, was the task before this young hunter
and one looked forward to with eager pleas
ure. He was armed with stout hands, keen
| powers of observation. and strong enthusiasm
| Never killing for sport all his energies were
directed toward making every grain of his
! costly ammunition yield a profitable return
! He shot buffaloes for their robes and what
meat he could send wagon after from the
nearest mining g-camp. many time slaughter
ing whole herd by keeping himself con-
cealed while he shot them one by one. or rid
| ing them down in IA long chase on Texas
| back. Antelopes he hunted for the flesh
| They were abundant on the Plains everywhere
and his method was to drive a span of mules
and wagon to some point and hunt in "A cir
Gle around it, killing load and then driving
| back. There is far more skill than appears in
| this kind of work. He once shot seventy an
| telopes in one day in n match with a crack
| shot from the East. who was nightly skillful
| in scoring bulls-eyes, but found hitting n MINI
| ble pronghom an entirely different matter
| Difficult as this defeat was, and much credit
as it reflected upon him, Harry was always
ashamed of it, 1t went against his heart to
| kill so many innocent creatures only for glo-
ry.
From May TO September it is not possible to
do much profitable hunting The hair is being
shed and replaced, so that the coats of the
| valuable fur-bearers are useless the females
| of the deers are isolated, caring for their
young, and the males are hidden, renewing
| their horns while the flesh of all animals is
| in Il lean and inferior condition. During
these months, therefore, Yount would go
| prospecting-w considerable success ON the
whole-work in mines or b0come an amateur
| "bull- -whacker" ON some of the freight-trains
| between settlements. For the last few years
| he has spent his summers rs hunter and mule
! teer for one or the other of the parties of the
United States Geological Survey in charge of
| Dr. Hayden. But as soon as the September
/ frosts begin, when the first fuuies of snow
whiten for day or two the far-away gleam-
ing submits, then Harry prepares to bid
| good-by to civilization
These are the most beautiful weeks of the
whole year in the Rocky Mountains. The air
is clear and bracing, without the warmth of
July mondays or the dampness of August
nights The flies are gone, the streams are
fordable, and the snow has disappeared, leav-
| ing the upland bogs firm. Young grouse and
sage-hens are full-grown and whirring, the
fawns are able to keep pace with their parents,
and the fattening deer are aggregating into
herds and slowly moving to their winter re-
sorts. The elk and black-tail bucks now strut
out upon some projecting crag, or march into
the centre of a valley, calling in loud, clear
trumpeting an invitation to the does to flock
TO their standard, and challenge to rival
bucks to meet in deadly tournament.
"Ah," says Harry, tits finer music to lis
ten to that old bull-elk squealing up at the
head of the canon than TO hear the Prussian
| band !"
II is better music, 1t arouses all the poetry
of his nature, and he possesses not little.
Then he will creep up within range, perhaps
cleyerly initiating the sOnorous whistle to draw
the foolishly proud buck on, drop ON one
| lrnaa and Gra ,,lanksnn, HE hullat Gahtn1 tls