The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-03-11
FOLLOWING THE ELK.
nJNTlNo THE ANTLEREp MONARCH
IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Over Rocks and Snow 5000 Feet Above
bea Level In Colorado--A Most Msgnih-
tront sight-A Case of Buck Ague-The
mui EIkn as tho Result OF the Raid.
"Histp said the guide, suddenly sitting
holt upright in his blanket He, the ten
derfout and the second guide all listened
htently, and there fell softly from some
far height through the still mountain air
On oft repeated whistlng call. 1t meant
nothing to the tenderfoot, but both guides
exclaimed, "Elkv "Thcre, up yon6erv
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 green valley of Routt county, Colo,
nearly 8, 900 feet above the sea level. The
, height, whence fell that mysterious call,
rose snowy and pine clad 1900 or 5000
/ feet higher
| It 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
| dorfoot and his two guides were climbing
on lroncho 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
aspeus had been passed. The green tim
Der once reached, the hunters cnst 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 y 500
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 a polygamous family OF
10 or 20 cows, with half a 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 sudden thirst
seizes the great bull, he starts with mac
rush for the valley where the nearest
, stream flows. He strikes with his grea
horns the flank of the first COW that stands
in his way, and thus the whole herd il
started in headlong gallop down whateve
: rough steep leads to the valley below
This downward flight of the elk herd, 81
or 40 great creatures, swift as gallopini
horses, sure footed as the Andean llama
is one of the sights of the Rockies.
While the second guide talked softl.
with the tenderfoot of the elk S habits tn
first guide, sturdy young blacksmith iron
distant valley, trudged some yard
!, ahead. AS things stood thus, he sudden
J IL called in loud whisper and beckonet
the laggards onward with gesture of ex
element. As the tenderfoot hastene'
over the 80 or 40 yards of snow between
himself and the blacksmith, the latte
n pointed onward through the pines, an
the tenderfoot saw through n short vista
for the first time in his life, n wild elk FIRE
upon his native ground. The great cree
ture doomed large as big cow, its branch
ing, massive horns extending far alon
its sides. The tenderfoot was utterly on
of breath, half wild with excitement an
the victim of buck fever.
, ''Tpke your shot," said the guide in
whisper dcnoting suppressed excitement
. as no held the straining hound. TIL
tenderfoot raised the winchester to hi
:, shoulder, but the weapon wobbled as if i
II the hands of a palsied man. The guide
looked with n sort of professional horror
Still the gun wobbed and its owner di
not shoot "For Gods sake, keep that gu
quiet" whispered n guide hoarsely. b
this time all could see dozen more ell
great bull still stood IN silent contempt,
ton of the hunters. The tenderfoot, d.
spairing of himself, knet down and clasI
ed his shaking weapon against his SHOULD
er. Then, determined not to be hurrie
into bad shot, he watched the tremblin
muzzle until it passed across the breast {
the bull Then he fired. The great crei
. ture leaped from his place, and the guit
J fired at his retreating figure. Suddenl
10 the woods seemed full of the swift mo-
- ing elk. The hunters shot and shot sgail
The dog was now in full cry, and the hun
ers followed the game as rapidly as poss
Il; bic. The whole herd was plunging hea
: long through the green timber. One bu
IL was fastening with the dog at his heel
e The dog would seize the fetlock, drop
and crouch as the great creature kicke