, 1889-11-21
THE LAND OF BIG GAME.
Remarkable Success of a Party Of
Hunters From Spokane
Falls.
Eight Mountain Goats, Sixteen Big
Horn, Eighteen Deer and
Grizzly.
A Graphic Recital of Incidents Of
the Chase in the Northern
Country.

j. p. M. Richards and party ar
rived In the city Sunday from an
extended and one of the most sue
cessful hunting trips on record.
They brought in the heads and skins
of eight mountain goats, an animal
believed for many years not to exist
but In the Imagination of some
hunter; sixteen of the famous big
horn Rocky mountain sheep, eigh-
teen deer, thousand pound silver
tipped grizzly bear, and q number
of ptarmigan blue grouse, pheasant
and other birds. Mr.. Richards at
tributes the great success of his party
to the fact that hunting parties from
Victoria and Canada had been out
I'm the mountains to the north of
them, and had probably driven the
game down where they were.
Mr.. Richards and friend of his,
Major William S. Righter of New
York, had planned the trip year
ago, and about the middle of Sep
tcmber Major RICHTER having ar
rived in Spokane Falls, and all be-
ing In readiness, the two gentlemen
left here and rode to Colville, where
they made up their party, consisting
of ;. #. Sherwood, an old govern
meRt scout, as guide, Sam, darkey
cook, and two Indian packers.
After II day or two spent I'm get
ting their outfit, horses, supplies,
ETC., together they left Colville and
proceeded to Marcus, where they
crossed the Columbia river. Every
thing had to be packed, and as the
party was well equipped, seven pack
animals were taken along and six
saddle horses.
Leaving Marcus they went up
Kettle river through the Colvill,
Indian reservation until they came
to the ranch of Tonuskct, chief of the
Okanogan Indians. The old Indian
was very hospitable and enter
tanned them for n day or two.
Tonasket has fine ranch on Kettle
river and Is great horse fancier,
owning a large band himself. He
has laid out ~ race track on his
place, and i'm the summer and fall
he holds regular race meetings.
At this point the party struck off to
the northwest, across the OkanOgan
country to Osoyoos lake, where they
crossed the Okanogan and went
into the NIethow range of noun
tains, bearing i'm northwesterly di.
rection all the time. They reached
"Okanogan' Smiths store ut the
srnaaitIp nf fhn ,,ix. hns .
and were given some delicious
peaches taken from Mr.. Smith :
orchard the day before; apples were
plentiful, II circumstance that speaks
well for the fertility of the soil and
the mildness of the climate. .-.
The party pushed on into the
mountains, getting farther and far
ther away from civilization, until
they We're fully 300 miles north west
of Colville, in II range of the Cas-
cade mountains little south of the
Canadian Pacific railroad and north
of the Methow country. On the
way they met Chester w. Chaplin of
New York whose father is president
of the Boston " Albany railway.
He was out in the wilderness look
ing for Carriboo, and was travelling
alone with an Indian guide.
The meeting with wanderer
like themselves, whether white man
or Indian, was always pleasant in
cident. One such meeting inn
pressed Mr.. Richards very forcibly.
The day was cloudy with occasional
rain; and the party was somewhat
depressed, Indians, horses and
all when II young Indian
rode up, fell in line, and
without saying word, even to the
packers, logged along. He was a
picturesque looking fellow, young
and of fine physique. He rode a
dressed in u complete suit Of white
buckskin, the trousers fringed and
tucked into top boots, ornnmcnted
with tassles. When supper time
came he was asked to join, ,land with.
ont II word fell to with the zest of 4
twelve-hour appetite. He was nj.
lowed to sleep in one of the tents
and given a good breakfast in tho
morning, all of which favors he nc
cepted with even more than the
proverbial Indian taciturnity, for he
never once uttered u word. Mr.
Richards, however, thinks he de-
tected Il look of gratefulness in the
young bucks eyes as he rode away
FARTHER AND FARTHER.
They kept pushing deeper into
the mountains, their only object
being game signs, until one of the
party came to the conclusion they
had gone far enough. Mr.. Rich.
ards and the guide, however, pushed
/ farther on, until an Indian hunting
party was met coming out of the
mountains. a little farther on and
out of the mountains. They said
they left because the bears We're tol
thick for comfort back there. Signs
of mountain sheep and deer being
very thick they decided to go into
camp. af,.
The place selected for the perma.
nent camp, where they remained
three weeks, was right in the mids,
of timber on the side of a mountain
a spring furnished the party with
water, and II small park on the slope
of the mountain above, covered with
rich bunch grass, made an excellent
pasture for the horses. The country
hunted over was very broken. Ths
mountains were In ridges, cut II
places by deep canons, the eastern
slopes being gradual and covered
with II heavy growth of spruce, fl
and balsam, with little tamaracl
here and there. On the other slOp,
of the ridges the descent was abrup
and rocky, in many places prccipi