The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-27


Null Eiks as the Result Of the Raid.
"Hist ~ said the guide, suddenly sitting
bolt upright In his blanket. lie, the ten
derfoot and the second guide all listened
mtently, and there fell softly from some
far height through the still mountain air
On oft repeated whistling call. 1t meant
nothing to the tenderfoot, but both guides
exclaimed, "Elki" "There, up yonderp
said one of the guides, pointing to high
peak of the Flat Top range, now family
touched with the tints Of coming dawn.
The camp where the three men lay under
the stars, their horses picketed near at
hand. was beside the swift Williams fork,
in a green valley of Routt county, Colo,
nearly 5 900 feet above the sea level. The
height, whence fell that mysterious call,
rose snowy and pine clad 1900 or 5000
feet higher.
1t still lacked more than an hour of sun
rise and one of the guides had to be dis
patched down the valley to its sole farm
house in search of supplies. 1t was there
fore, late in the morning before the ten
derfoot and his two guides were climbing
on bronCho back toward the far line of the
green timber. The plan was to go thus far
with the horses, and leaving them on the
upper edge of the aspens to begin the
hunt on foot with the aid of the trained
dog, which was the fourth member of the
party. The green timber, standing in
deep snow and numbered by many fallen
trees, is practically unfit for horsemen.
One after another bare rock crowned peaks
and far tree clad or grassy valleys were
unveiled to the travellers. The tenderfoot,
unused to the atmosphere of that high al
titude, found his throat parched and his
lips cracking with thirst long before the
aspens had been passed. The green tim
Der once reached, the hunters cast the
reins over their horses heads and left the
animals standing thus with the certainty
that they could be found when needed.
Then began that weary ascent of the
snowclad heights 1t had been agreed that
not even the great sprawling plantigrade
track of the grizzly bear should draw the
hunters aside from their purpose. Elk
was the object of that expedition, and elk
alone should claim their attention.
They would have joined in no such
noisy sport, nor would they have stopped
to prepare their game for the spit had they
known that the elk herd was onl 800
yards away. Elk in that part of the
Rockies go in droves that may number 40
or So 1t is not uncommon for "A single
great bull to lead polygamous family of
10 or 20 cows, with half dozen younger
bulls hanging about the edge of the
herd. The head of this strange household
usually keeps his wives in single file ahead
of him, and in this fashion they traverse
the mountains. When IA sudden thirst
seizes the great bull, he starts with mad
rush for the valley where the nearest
stream flows. He strikes with his great
horns the flank of the first COW that stands
in his way, and thus the whole herd is
started in headlong gallop down whatever
rough steep leads to the valley below.
This downward flight of the elk herd, 30
or 40 great creatures, swift as galloping
horses, sure footed as the Andean llama,
is one of the sights of the Rockies.
While the second guide talked softly
with the tenderfoot of the elk's habits the
first guide, sturdy young blacksmith from
a distant valley, trudged some yards
ahead. As things stood thus, he sudden
ly called in a loud whisper and beckoned
the laggards onward with a gesture of ex
element As the tenderfoot FASTENED
over the 80 or 40 yards of snow between
himself and the blacksmith, the latte
pointed onward through the pines, anC
the tenderfoot saw through a short vista
for the first time in his life, wild elk fire.
upon his native ground. The great crea
ture doomed large as a big COW, its branch
ing, massive horns extending far along
its sides. The tenderfoot was utterly out
of breath, half wild with excitement and
the victim of buck fever.
flake your shot, =" said the guide in a
whisper denoting suppressed excitement
rs he held the straining hound. The
tenderfoot raised the winchester to his
shoulder, but the weapon wobbled as if il
the hands of a palsied man. The guide:
looked with a sort of professional horror
Still the gun wobbled and its owner die
not shoot. "For God s sake, keep that guI
Quiet I" whispered guide hoarsely. b!
this time all could see dozen more ell
moving about through the forest, but tn
great bull still stood IN silent contempla
ton of the hunters. The tenderfoot, de
spairing of himself, knelt down and clasp
ed his shaking weapon against his should
err Then, determined not to be hurried
into a bad shot, he watched the trembling
muzzle until it passed across the breast o
the bull Then he fired. The great crea
ture leaped from his place, and the guild
fired at his retreating figure. Suddenl
the woods seemed full of the swift NOV
ing elk The hunters shot and shot again
The dog was now in full cry, and the hunt
ers followed the game as rapidly as poss
BILE. The whole herd was plunging head
long through the green timber. One bu
was fastening with the dog at his heel!
The dog would seize the fetlock, drop i
and crouch as the great creature kicked
Finally, the dog, still clinging to til
bulls hind leg, was dragged over falle
log. As the bull took his leap one of I'll
hunters fired, and the elk fell dead.
The air was now filed with the SCUM
of the retreating elk as they plunge
through the underbursh. The herd W,
rapidly getting out of range, and the hun
ers paused to note what execution the
had done Three elk bulls lay dead. Thi
which the tenderfoot had first fired at hi
moved only few feet from his origin
stand The bullet aimed with so muC
difficulty had reached his heart. III
guide had inflicted only slight wound.
Two of the great antlered heads we
taken off by the guides. IL was impossib
to carry away the flesh or even the skin
and the party, heavily laden with the an
lers and choice portions of the meat, star
ed downward through the green timber t.
ward the horses. The journey was mac
with laborious slowness in Difference
the tenderfoots wornout condition. III
horses were sighted after three hours, al
found patiently waiting almost exact
where they had been left. The docile pa
horse, which had followed the trail ,
the morning like kitten, was laden wi
the antlered heads and the meat, and t
homeward journey was continued into t
comparative civilization of the valley.
New York sun.
Giving an Order For Dinner
A little common sense and "A straightft
ward purpose will often do very well
stead of book learning when man fin
e T.. 81. .,Ia