Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-17
HUNTERS SAVED BY ELKS
LOST IN THE YELLO WSTONE, THEY
FOLLOW THE ANIMALS' TRAIL.

A Splendid Band of Elks Shows Them tn
Way to Safety and Civilization Re
Adventure of a Sporting
Party in the Great National Park
In the fall OF 1870 a party OF three mel
were sightseeing and hunting in the Yellow
stone National Park, and having prolonged
| their stay until late in October, were over
taken by a terrible snowstorm, which com
pletely blocked and obliterated all the
trails, and filled the gulches, canyons and
coulees to such a depth that their horses
could not travel over them at all. They
had lain in camp three days waiting for the
storm to abate; but as it continued to
grow in severity, and as the snow became
deeper, their situation grew daily and
hourly more alarming.
Their stock of provision was low, and
they had no shelter to withstand the rlgors
of a winter at that high altitude, and 1t
was fast becoming a question whether they
should ever be able to escape beyond the
snowclad peaks and snowfilied canyons
with which
THEY WERE HEMMED IN.
Their only hope of escape was by abandon
ing their horses, and constructing snow
shoes which might keep them above the
snow; but in this case they could not carry
bedding and food enough to last them
| through the several days that the Journey
would occupy t.. the nearest ranch, aud the
| chances of killing game en- route alter the
| severe weather had set in were extremely
| precariOus.
They had already set about making
| snow shoes from the skin OF an elk which
| they had saved. One pair had been com
| pleted, and the storm having abated, ont
| of the party set out to look oter the sur
rounding country for the most feasible
route by which to get out, and also TO try
if possible, to find game OF some kind. ID
had gone about a mile toward the north
west, when he came upon the fresh trail o
a large band of elk that were moving to
ward the east. He followed and in a shor1
! time came up with them. They were traV
| cling in single file
LED BY A POWERFUL L BULL,
who wallowed through snow in which only
his head and neck were visible, with all thu
patience and perseverance OF a faithful ole
OK. The others followed him, the stronger
ones in front and the weaker ones bringln!
up the rear. There were thirty-seven II
the band, and by the time they had al
walked in the same line they left it an open
well-beaten trail. The hunter approached
within a few yards of them. They wer,
greatly alarmed when they saw him, anc
made a few bounds in various directions
but seeing their struggles were in vain, they
meekly submitted to what seemed thel1
impending fate, and fell back in the rear o
their file leader.
This would lave been the golden oppor
tunity of a skin hunter, who could ant
would have shot them all down in thei
tracks, from a single stand. But such wal
not the mission of our friend. He saw IL
this noble, struggling and a means OF de
lliverance from what had threatened to b.
a wintry grave for him and his compan
ions. He did not fire a shot, and did no
in any way create unnecessary alarn
among the elk, but hurried back tt
camp and reported to his friends
WHAT HE HAD sEEN.
In a moment the amp was 81 scene o
activity and excitement. Tent, bedding
provisions, everything that was absolutel.
necessary to their journey, were hurried.
packed upon their pack animals; SADDLE
were placed and rifles were slung to the sad
dies, and leaving all surplus baggage, sue
as trophies OF the hunt, mineral specimens
curios of various kinds, for future corners
they started for the elk trail. They had
slow, tedious and laborious task breakin
a way through the deep snow to- reach !,
but by walking and leading their saddl
animals ahead, the pack animals were abb
to follow slowly. ,
Finally they reached the trail OF the Ell
herd, and following this, after nine days {
tedious and painful travelling the party al
rived at a ranch between the upper falls {
the Yellowstone river, and Yellowston
Lake, on the Sinking River, which wa
kept by a "squaw man" and his wife, wher
they we're enabled to lodge and recruit
themselves and their stock, and whenc
they finally reached their homes in safety
The band OF elk passed on down the rive
and our tourists never saw them again; bu
they nave doubtless long ere this all falle
a prey to the ruthless war that is col
stantly being waged against them by hun
ers, white and red.-[G. o. Shields, in Ha
? per's Magazine for November.