The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-25
BY
THEODORE ROOSEVELT


quite late In the afternoon when we
reached the place. A grizzly had evil
IDENTIFY been at the carcass during the
preceding night. for his great foot
prints were In the ground all around
1t, and the carcass itself was gnawed
and torn. and partially covered with
earth and ieaves-for the grizzly has
a curious habit Of burying all Of his
prey that he does not ut the moment
need. A great many ravens had been
feeding on the body, and they wheeled
about over the tree tops above us, ut
tering their barking croaks.
The forest was composed mainly Of
what are called ridge-pole pines, which
grow close together, and do not branch
out until the stems are thirty or forty
feet from the ground. Beneath these
trees we walked over a carpet Of pine
needles. upon which our moccasined
feet made no sound. The woods
seemed vast and lonely. and their ST.
lenee was broken now and then by the
strange noises always to be heard in
the great forests, and which seem to
mark the sad and everlasting unrest
Of the wilderness. We climbed up
along the trunk Of dead tree which
had toppled over until its upper
branches struck in the limb crotch of
another, that thus supported it at an
angle halfway in its. fall. When
above the ground far enough to pre-
vent the bears smelling US, we sat still
to wait for his approach; until. in the
gathering gloom, We could no longer
see the sights of our rifles, and could
but dimly make out the carcass Of the
great elk.
1t was useless to wait longer: and
we clambered down and stole out to
the edge of the woods. The forest here
covered one side of a steep, almost
canyon-like ravine, whose other side
was bare except of rock and sage-brush.
Once out from under the trees there
was still plenty of light, although the
sun had set. and we crossed over some
fifty yards to the opposite hillside. and
croucned down under bush to see IL
perchance some animal might not also
leave the cover. To our right the ra
vine sloped downward toward the val
ley Of the Bighorn River. and far on
its other side we could catch a glimpse
their snow peaks glinting crimson in
the light Of the set sun. Again we
waited quietly in the growing dusk
until the pine trees in our front blend
ed into one dark. frownfng mass. We
saw nothing; but the wild creatures Of
the forest had begun to stir abroad.
The owls hooted dismally from the
tops Of the tall trees, and two or three
times harsh wailing cry, probably the
voice Of some lynx or wolverine, arose
from the depths Of the woods. At last,
as we were rising to leave, we heard
the sound Of the breaking Of a dead
stick, from the spot where we knew
the carcass lay. 1t was a sharp, sud-
den noise, perfectly distinct from the
natural creaking and swapping of the
branches; Just such a sound as would
be made by the tread Of some heavy
creature "Old Ephraim" had come
back to the carcass. A minute after
ward. listening with strained ears. we
heard him brush by some dry twigs.
It was entirely too dark to go in after
him: but we made up our minds that
on the morrow he should be ours.
Early next morning we were over at
the elk carcass, and. as we expected.
found that the bear had eaten his I'LL
at it during the night His tracks
showed him to be an immense fellow,
and were so fresh that we doubted II
he had left long before we arrived: and
we made up our minds to follow him
up and try to fnd his lair. The bears
that lived On these mountains had evil
IDENTIFY been little disturbed: indeed, the
Indians and most Of the white hunters
are rather chary of meddling with
"Old Ephraim." as the mountain men
style the grizzly, unless they get him
at disadvantage; for the sport Is
fraught with some danger and but
small profit The bears thus seemed to
have very little fear of harm. and we
thought 1t likely that the bed Of the
one who had fed on the elk would not
be far away.
My companion was q skilful tracker
and we took up the trail at once. Fol-
some distance it led over the soft,
yielding carpet Of moss and pine nee.
dies. and the footprints were quite
easily made out, although we could
follow them but slowly: for we bad
Of course, to keep q sharp lookout
! ahead and around us rs we walked
noiselessly on in the sombre half-light
always prevailing under the great pinf
trees. through whose thickly interlac
ing branches stray but few beams o.
light, no matter how bright the sur
may be outside. We made no sound
ourselves, and every little sudden
noise sent a thrill through me n
/ peered about with each sense on the
alert.
After going few hundred yards the
tracks turned OF on a wer-beaten path
made by the elk; the woods were in
many places cut up by these game
trails, which had often become as dis
tirct as ordinary foot-paths. The
beasts footprints were perfectly plain
/ In the dust, and he had numbered along
up the path until near the middle OF
the hillside. where the ground broke
! away and there were hollows and
boulders. Here there had been a wind
(! TALL. and the dead trees lay among
the living. piled across one another in