The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-04-07
/" Hard TO Hit"

stHard TO Hit"
The spring weather we sometimes
have in March reminds me, especially
in the evening, of some days passed so
high up in the Rocky mountains that
the summerwas left down In the valleys.
One such spring-Gke evening we camped
close to the tinber-limit, and I made
my first trip into the region above, in
which no trees grow. Having left the
spruce woods quickly behind, there
came some stiff climbing up lodges of
broken rocks, standing, elif-ike, to bar
the way to the summit. These sur
mounted, the way was clear, for from
the northeast-the side I was on-this
mountain presents smooth, grassy slope
to the very top; but the western side of
the range is series of rocky precipices,
scanned and shattered. This is true Of
many mountains in Colorado.
Just above the cliffs grew number
of dwarfed spruces, some of them with
trunks six inches in diameter, yet lying
fat along the ground, so that the
gnarled and wind-pressed boughs were
scarcely knee high. They stood no
closely together. and were so stiff, that
I could not pass between them; but, on
the other hand, they were strong enough
to bear my weight, so that could walk
over their tops when it was inconvenient
to go around.
Some small brown sparrows, of two
or three species, lived there, and they
were very talkative Sharp, metallic
chirps were heard, also, as the blue
snow-bird fitted about showing the
white featner on either side of its tail,
in scuddiug from one shelterlng bush to
another. Doubtless, careful search
would have discovered its home, snugly
built Of circularly laid grasses, and
tucked deeply into some cozy hollow
beside the root OF aspruce.
Nv pace now became slow, for in the
thin air of place twelve thousand feet
above the sea-level climbing is exhaust
ing work. But before long came to
the top, and stood on the verge OF a
crag that showed the crumbling action
of water and frost. Gaping cracks
scanned its face, and an enormous mass
of fallen rock covered the broaf slope
at its foot.
The very moment l arrived there, l
heard a most lively squeaking going on,
apparently just under the edge of the
cliff, or in some of the cracks. It wac
an odd noise, something between bark
and scream, and could think of moth
ing but young hawks as the authors of
it. So I set at work to find the nest,
but my search was in vain, while the
sharp squeaking seemed to multiply and
come from dozen different quarters.
By this time had crawled down the
rough face of the cliff, and had reached
the heaps of fallen rock. There caught
glimpse of little head with two black
eyes, like prairie dogs, peeping out of
a crevice, and [ was just in time to see
him open his small jaws and say
"8kiaak !"-about as a rusty hinge
would pronounce it. Whipped my re-
volver out of my belt and fired, but the
little fellow lodged the bullet and was
gone. Echoes rattled about among the
rocks, wandered up and down the canon,
and hammered away at half dozen
stone walls before ceasingsentirely; but,
when they had died away, not another
sound was to be heard. Every little
rascal had hid.
So I sat down and waited. In about
five minutes tiny, timid squeak broke
the stiffness, then a second trifie loud
er, then one away under my feet in some
subterranean passage. Hardly daring to
breathe, waited and watched. Finally
| the chorus became as loud as before,
and I caught sight of one of the singers
only about ten yards away, head and
shoulders out of his hole, doubtless COM
menting to his neighbor In no compli-
mentary way upon the strange intruder.
Slowly lifting my pistol, I pulled the
trigger. / was sure he had not seen me,
yet chip of rock flying from where he
had stood was my only satisfaction; he
had lodged again.
I had seen enough, however, to know
that the noisy colony was a community
of Little Chief hares (LGgOn1ys f11'iTa-
ceps, as they are called in the text
books), or "conies," as the silver miners
call them. They are related to the
woodchuck as we'll as to the hare, and
they live wholly at or above timber line,
burrowing among the fallen and decom-
posing rocks which crown the SUBMITS
OF all the mountains Not every peak,
by any means, harbors comics; on the
contrary, they are rather uncommon,
and are SO difficult to shoot that their
skins are rare In museums, and their
ways are little known to naturalists.
During the middle of the day they
are asleep and quiet; but In the evening,
and all night when the moon shines,
they leave their rocky retreats and for
age in the neighboring meadows, meet
ing the yellow-footed marmot and other
neighbors. About the only enemies
they have, / fancy, are the rattIesnake
and weasel, excepting when wildcat
may pounce upon one, or an owl swoop
down and snatch up some rambler. In
the cold season, of course, their burrows
are deep in snow; but then the little fell
lows are taking their long winter sleep,
and neither know nor care what the
weather may be.
An Indian will eat cony-if he can
catch it. He likes to use It's fur, also,
for braiding his locks into those long
plaits which delight his soul; but the
lively little rodents are pretty safe from
all human foes, even one with Colts
revolver st. Nicholas.
Rahvsa T,aun.