The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-01
Yarns BY MIGHTY HUNTERS
a STORYTELLING NIGHT WITH THE
RLDlNE RSSOclRTlON.

wis., 81 AEh 30 at AltAA- AAa ANeAA Ga
40 in the air until his head seemed
higher than the treetops. Whirled on
his hind legs and crashed of through
the woods"
Dr. Van Dyke told Of the hunt for
traces Of blood and the reluctant con-
clusion that the moose had not even
been scratched. The next day he went
down into the fringe of brush near
the bay where the big moose had been
feeding, and let the men stay where
they had been the night before. soon
after daybreak the big moose came
down 10 the pond.
"But he started in the other diree-
ton. the narrator said. "and left us
10 watch him march all around the
edge Of the pond looking Ike General
Miles on dress parade. He stopped
now and then to can. then came on
again until DE was within thirty feet
of the big balsam behind which the
men We're hiding. / was quite a lit
tie bit further away than they were
and though they could see him through
the branches Of the balsam, I could
not. He waited there until I thought
we should die Of spontaneous combus-
tlon and then strolled back into the
woods without my being able TO get
another look at him."
The next morning DR.. Van Dyke
took his station on the other side OF
the men, The moose at once turned
the pond I'm the other direction and
did not appear within gunshot except
hy showing the tips of his horns be-
hind a high mud-bank a few rods
away from the hunter. Again he took
alarm and fed
IT'S predestinated. doctor, said
Macdonald. wen na get that moose.
Dr. Van Dyke retOrted that he didn't
come into the woods 20 learn any
Scotch theology and kept at the hunt
for three days more. just at dusk on
the evening of the fifth day the big
/ gest moose he ever saw came out OF
the woods on the other side of the
pond. Dr. Van Dyke marked white
/ tree trunk across the pond against
which he could see the sights and made
up his mind that if the moose passed
that tree ne would shoot. He lifted
! his rife and aimed.
T Macdonald broke cover, calling in a
/ hoarse whisper.
/ ''Dinna shoot. Dinna shoot. Ye
Gamma hit him."
/ But he fred. The moose shrank to-
gether. stood still a moment. then ran
/ into the brush a few yards and watt
ed until DR.. Van Dyke came up and
put the finishing shot through his
heart
Il turned to Mac" said DR.. Van
/ Dyke, continuing the story. "and asked
/ him:
How about predestination now?'
'Tis ma the same moose" said
he.
( General Barnes. censuring Dr. Van
/ Dyke for not having told a fishing
story as ordered. told one himself. It
was the story of a negro who went
tarpon fishing with a distinguished
New Yorker and was pulled out Of the
boat by q mighty fish. When rescued
his only remark was;
''Wha' / wan know is dis; Was dis
/ yer niger a-fshin' or was dat ar fish
/ a-niggerin'?"
William II. Sage was invited to tell
his fellow members something of his
elk hunting experiences Ia the far
northwest. After a few words Of re-
gret that Dr. Van Dyke had confessed
before such an eminent audience to the
leading of a double life, Mr.. Sage eX-
. planned the elaborate preparations and
+ correspondence which preceded his
. two months elk hunting expedition in
1901 IN the Bitter Root mountains. He
told of the sorting over of 800 eayuses
4 before nineteen fit for the use of the
party could be found and or the long
hunt for good Indian guides. The three
he finally found We're sons Of a recent
+ ~ converted Methodist mother and
their only vice was the singing of
camp meeting hymns. Mr.. Sage told
of the fun the rest Of the party had
laughing at him because he was not
going TO get any elk, and how after
they had been out several days one
Of the Indians. whose sympathy had
/ apparently been aroused on his be-
half, came 70 him and drew him aside
and said: "Me get elk tomorrow.
Mr.. Sage had his doubts but when
the Indian appeared with brand new
moccasins on he knew that the promise
was not a blur. They went up the
side OF the mountains, instead Of down
il the valley where the hunt had been
before. The most interesting part Of
Mr.. Sage's story, which was fun of
hunters thrills. was that which told
of the wonderful work of his Indian
guide He showed the difference be-
tween a cows trail and that Of a bull
by the different outline of the hoOf
print. AT last when they were on the
trail of a stag. the whole physique Of
the Indian seemed to be electrified.
He stopped in one place. said Mr..
sage, and said: Him gone by here
ten minutes. 7 asked how he knew He
pointed TO a blade of grass that was
bent down. He pointed while 10 rose
gradually toward an upright position
That blade Of grass he said. been
coming up ten minutes Then he point
ed 20 another print nearby and said.
Him very close I looked and he
pointed TO a pebble sliding down into
the elk's track stone no fan long aft
/ er him gone by he explained Then he
looked around and said: Don't see
why him don't moOsum. He explained
that the elk had been acting as If Dc
We're going TO lie down. And a little
farther he showed me a circle Of leaves
where the elk had laid down. like a
dog curling I'm a basket. Then he fol-
lowed the trail for nifty yards or more
by the leaves the elk had nipped OF
the trees, one in every two or three
strides"
Mr.. Sage told how they traced ths
animal 20 a hin about the size Of the
hin in Mount Morris park. The Indiar
asserted Him up there" Mr.. Sage was
FOR going right up The Indian would
not have 90. They must crawl around
The Hill 90 the windward. They did
Mr. Sage said he never felt so much
akin 90 the ground in his life WheT
they had gone twO-thirds of the Way
around the Indian said again. Him vi
there, sure" why" asked Mr.. Sage
saw him tracks 90 up. said the In
dian simply, eve come all around and
no track go down" Then. with the
Indian ahead they craWled on thei
faces fairly up the side Of the mound
20 a fallen tree trunk. The Indian haC
Instructed Mr.. Sage to rise. look straight
over the tree trunk and fire at the elh
at the count "one. two, three"
He felt the Indian rise sidewise and
squint over the edge OF the log and set.
/ lie back again. Then he heard the
one two. three. barely whispered