Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-06

timber. and finally We were within 100
yards of the elk, which were grazing s,nans
the horses unconscious of danger Then
we made a dash at them Naturally they
were startled, and the half hundred in the
Dand uttered snorts OF alarm and copBter-
nation and bolted in a body. Our horses
were grain fed and hardened ard we
headed that bunch Of elk directly toward
Wall creek. where the snow was Of UNI
known depth and the bank on the opposite
side impossible to surmount. we yelled
at the frightened animals every time our
horses hit the ground, and before the poor
elk had run quarter of mile they were
cFazed with fright. When they reached
the Wall creek bottom they plunged biindly
on, and when the center Of the little valley
was reached the snow suddenly gave way
from under them-it had been undermined
by the action of the warmer waters OF
the creek-and there half a hundred elk
were corraled in space where there was
scarcely room to turn around They actu-
ally whimpered and cried I'm terror
pulled up my pony in dismay and sorrow
at the helplessness OF the poor brutes. Not
so with Thompson. The lust Of the hunter
was upon him. Jumping on his horse
which, by the way, was an old half-outlaw,
snorting, fighting, buekskin-colored bucker
called F1axy'-he threw me the bride
reins and told me TO hold him. He for that
moment was the boss / the one to take
orders. / did not demur, but quietly led
F1axy 10 the nearest tree and anchored
him. Then / returned TO the place where
the elk had been forced into the creek and
found that Thompson had SHARED a year
ling buck elk whose single spike was
pointed belligerently toward him. My
horse was a sturdy roam. with pigeon toes
and an inclination TO bolt every time he
got mad. AS soon as possible / was back
to where Thompson, with the rope around
the yearling, was vigorously striving to
keep the elk from coming back on their
back track, and he was 'shooing' the re-
mainder Of the bunch for all he was worth.
l forced old Roannie into the snow to HE
breast and finally got him close enough to
get hold Of the rope and take my turns
around the saddle horn. Then started
out with him.
Fighting Mad.
Naturally, the elk was mad clear
through. and when Roannie ana l finally
snaked him onto dry land and paused
moment in order not TO choke him 20 death
the elk got up lighting mad. He appeared
TO think that Roannie was the cause Of his
troubles, so he charged, and before / could
make the old horse get out Of the way
the elk was upon US with his eyes green
with rage and every hair on his neck point
ing toward his ears, The elk came within
three or four feet OF US. Then he stood on
his hind legs and struck out wickedly with
his front feet as he came down. l had
on heavy pair Of chaps. and this and
the fact that the blow was a CHANGING one
we're all that saved me from serious injury.
As 1t Was, one Of his hoofs cut through
my chaps just as II they were made OF
paper l had on two pairs Of pants-Over-
slls and my Sunday best-and these were
also pierced by the sharp hoOf points and
half Of the threads in my wool underwear
were also cut as clean as II could have
been done with a knife. When the year
ling struck the ground he made an up
ward rake with his single spike and
caught old ROannie in the brisket Then
the old horse got mad and boltsd. Straight