The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-08-29
A HUNT FOR NOBLE GAME.
TRAILING THE MOUNTAIN GOAT IN
THE WlLDS OF IDAHO.


THE WlLDS OF IDAHO.
A Chicago Travelling Man Tells His TX
pcricmce IN bringing Down the Fleet
Footed and Fare AnimaI-IIe Had IL
Genuine Attack of "Huck Fever"
left Boise City, Idaho, with half breoo
guile and two pack mules Our destination
was the Sawtooth range of mountains, the
only spot in the United States where the
Rocky mountain goat is to be found After
tedious tramp of q week we found ourselves
near a lofty peak of the range known as Sill
YER mountain. Here we pitched our camp
and began tho hnnt for game. Two day.
passed without Success.
The third day. jUs~ before sundovu,
sharp exclamation from the half breed, fol
lowed ly confused jabberinG of English,
French end Indian words suddenly put my
tired senses on the alert.
My eyes quickly followed the direction in
which his finger pointed Outlined against
the SKY on a point of rocks far above us, gag
! in; Gown evidently with mingled fear and
! curiosity, stood a mammoth male specimen
of the Identical yaI1o fer which our Pilgrim
age had been made to the Sawtoeth range.
lie was apparently out of reach Of my rifle,
but, nevertheless, good Judgment deserted
me Just when it was needed and | blazed
away ct the old fellow. The bullet Knocked
| up @ cloud of dust fifty feet below him.
| Eo gave a contcIlptuous snort, reared on
/ bis hind legs, turned on them as if on 4 pivot
and again stool facing us. | hal my rifle to
ny shoulder again by this time, having
raised the sirhts a trille and gavc him the
! benefit of another shot, this time making the
! dirt fly just under lis nose. Another snort
and again he stood erect and pirouetted like
ballet dancer.
TEE FTTlST VICTIM.
Just then heard the report Of q gun by
my side Tho half breed had tried bis hand.
and with much better success. His bullet
struck the goat squaroly in the breast and
penetrated his heart He gave shrill whis-
ting cry, as if Of warning, sIorang into TIE
Dir, and then Lis body came rolling and tuEl-
bling down the hillside until it landed ct eur
feet.
There's more Of item where he co1lo
from" sail the half ireul, as he quietly drew
lis knife aud began to roy nove tho hide while
tde body sill Guivored. wanted 20 rush up
the hillside in hot pursuit, but my companion
restrained rlo.
40 Uso ROW, al gone wait till morning, y
sail he. "TorrorCow vs. get all we want"
lie was as cocl G' tire mountain stream
which ran down the bill. iGo short distance
away, while was experiencing q genuine at
Jack of "buck fever" and shaking like leaf
! Il >u'cvcr, managed to recover my ccmpos-
ure, and examined the aIiT1Ial before nc. Hc
was one Of the largest Of bis species, and must
havo weighed over 800 pounds. In build
know Of nothing he moro nearly resembled
than the little block bee rs in Lincoln park
His body was large AMI heavy, and his legs
short and stuntcd But bis hidel It was Tx
pretticst pct he'd evor set eyes on during al
my experience in tho northwest Snowy
white in color, with long, straight hair like
an Angora goat, it almost made my moutt
water as |. looked at it, and in a moment
had reached into my pocket, pulled out tel
dollar gold piece, aul given it to the hal
breed with tho understanding that it was t
be my individual property have it now il
my home in Hyde Park, arrl no amount 0
money could buy it frc:1 me, although We
offered five times its price shortly after N,
return to Boise City, and could have sold i
on several occasions since then at handsom
advance.
THE SECOND DAYS ECNT.
Early next morning wo swallowed som
coffee, nibbled a cracker and, shoulderin
our guns, started up the mountain side tc
wards the spot whcro the goat had been killed
the night before. Reaching tho point O
rocks, the half breed searched for q few nc
nents and then said:
Come on"
, followed him. Tho SHOW was crushe
and broken for several hundred yards, show
ing that Immediately after tho death Of til
leader the flock Of a dozen or more goat
which had been with him had suddenly stan
pcded and fed without any particular air
except to get away from the spot Then th
trail narrowed, and finally it appeared as
some Of the younger bucks had taken cor
riand and led the retreat. Day was juc
:, breaking, and above us the pea:is were Glin
cd with the gold Of the coming sun. III
half breed broGe into a rapid trot, and
, taxed me to the utmost to keep up with hin
For nearly mile 10 kept up hisspeed, an
then suddenly stopped.
: mot far OFF now" said the half bree.
2 ''They sleep pretty close to here"
s Then with a warning to go slow an
= watch every footstep | made him lead til
Z way. We were approaching narrow poi1
q of rocks, and lust before reaching it b
stopped
Around there" was the brief injunction
me climb over rocks and scare EN- bacl
Then you get shot at EN-"
Ny nerves wero ike steel by this time, an
+ concealing myself behind tree waitet
t The half breed wriGgled over the peak on
2 disappeared Half an hour and not sount
r Then heard far away two faint report
Instantly braccd myself. In a few secont
G the flock came racing round the corner an
, came straight toward me- had placed IN,
;, self so that | calculated they would pa
scarcely dozen yards away. Past me the
t raced, and let the leader have it SQUARED
s behind the shoulder. He sprang to his fe
= and then dropped dead A female goat ia
a behind him stumbled and fell over the bod
!. The others huddled together and emptie
l., shot after shot into the flock from my repea
I er until ell except four suddenly turned an
sped back in the direction from which the
originally came. They had scarcely disa]
pearcd around the rocks before | heard IL
: half breeds gun. He had hurried up on Il
trail, and was just in time to do some livel
F1l.