Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1908-09-03


~ nee in September | was
! !: ! !: T: !: :: :: !
IN camped on the shores OF
u Kootenai Lake, having
with me as companions
R&llYaS John Willis and an i'm.
kQ4TGETSH passive looking Indian
named Annual. Coming
across through the dense coniferous
forests of northern Idaho we had
struck the Kootenai River. Then we
went down with the current as it
wound in half circles through long
alluvial valley of mixed marsh and
woodland, hemmed in by lofty noun.
e. - ==-=zTzz=S-z
those know who have gone through
much hardship and some little hunger.
and have worked violently for several
days without flesh food.
The morning after killing Bruin, we
again took up our march, heading up
stream, that we might go to it's sources
amidst the mountains, where the snow
fields fed its springs. 1t was two full
days journey thither, but we took
much longer to make it. as we kept
halting to hunt the adjoining noun.
tains. On such occasions Animal was
left as camp guard, while the white
hunter and | would start by daybreak
and return at dark utterly worn out
by the excessive fatigue. We knew
nothing Of caribou, nor where to hunt
for them; and we had been told that
thus early in the season they were
above tree limit on the mountain sides
Until within Il couple of days Of
turning our faces back towards the
lake we did not come across any carl.
bou, and saw but few oil SIGNS; and
we began to be fearful lest we should
have to return without getting any. for
our shoes had been cut to ribbons by
the sharp rocks. we were almost out
of flour, and therefore had but little
to eat. However, our perseverance
was destined to be rewarded
The first day after reaching our final
camp, we hunted across set of spurs
and hollows, but saw nothing living.
The next day we started early, deter
mined to take Il long walk and follow
the main stream up to its head, or at
struck so brisk pace, plunging
through thickets and leaping from
log to log in the slashes of fallen tim
Der, and from boulder to boulder in
crossing the rock-slides, that | could
hardly keep up to him, struggle as |
would, and we each of us got several
ugly tumbles. saving our rifles at the
expense of scraped hands and bruised
bodies. We went up. one side of the
stream, intending to come down the
other for the forest belt was narrow
enough to hunt thoroughly. For two
or three hours we tOiled through dense
growth.
Then we came TO Il spur of open
hemlock forest: and no sooner had wn
entered it than the hunter stopped and
pointed cSultingly to well-marked-
game trail, in which 1t was easy at
glance to discern the great round foot
prints of our quarry We hunted care
fully over the spur and found several
trails, generally leading down along
the ridge; we also found n number of
beds, some old and some recent. usual
ly placed where the animal could keep
lookout for any foe coming up from
the valley. They We're merely slight
hollows or identations in the pine
needles; and like the game trails,
were placed in localities similar to
those that would be chosen by black
tail deer The caribou droppings were
also very plentiful; and there were
signs of where they had browsed on
the blueberry bushes, cropping off the