The Republican journal., 1916-04-13


distant echoes, and the rain had ceased.
The sun was struggling through the
clouds as the stages drove up, and we
felt that luck was still with US, and the
dust nicely laid for our comfort.
A glimpse only was vouchsafed US of
the Thumb Paint pots, but as the forma-
ton and coloring seemed almost identi-
cal with those we had seen at the Lower
Basin we did not feel greatly disap-
pointed At the Thumb also is the ia
nous Fishing Cone, where the unfortu-
nate trout used to find the processes of
catching and cooking, following each
other in close succession until the prac-
tice was forbidden by the Government.
AS we drove along we remarked on the
alarming amount of fallen timber on
either side of the road and through the
forests everywhere. The huge pines
are apparently very insecurity rooted in
the soil, and consequently blow over
very easily. Many had been uprooted
by the storm just passed, and presently
we came to place where huge mon
arch of the forest had fallen squarely
across the road, blocking our progress.
Our drivers at once got busy with the
axes they carried in the "boot," and
while we did the ''heavy looking on, ="
carved out a passageway for the stages.
A good bit of our afternoon ride lay
close to the shore of the Lake, and look
ing across to the distant ranges of
easily discern the Sleeping Giants, out
lined III the mountain peaks. Leaving
the Lake for time we plunged into the
forest again, and for distance of per-
haps mile or more the trees on either
side were knotted and twisted and full
of knobs, the effect of strange blight
at some period of their existence. Trees
from this section of the forest were
taken for some of the gnarled and knot
ted effects we had noticed at Old Faith
fui Inn. We saw many elk in the dis
lance. but they kept we'll out of camera
range. Once, among the fallen trees by
the roadside, we came upon a band of
deer grazing. We counted at least
seven, but their color was so near that
of the dead, gray timber, that the snap
shot taken of the band revealed not even
one.
High on the mountain side at the left
we saw the Natural Bridge, an arch of
rock spanning little creek that empties
into the Lake. 1t was but a short dis
lance from this point to the Lake Hotel,
large, comfortable, colonial affair, fac
ing the Lake Shore-and half mile be-
yond, also beautifully situated on the
shore Of the Lake, the white tents of
the Wylie camp, our nights stopping
place, were indeed a welcome sight
This afternoon ride might later in the
season have been omitted, and trip on
one of the excursion steamers of the
Yellowstone Lake Company substituted.
the Thumb to the Lake Hotel, giving the
tourlst-for Consideration" op-
portunity of varying his long stage ride.
Savage, whom We promptly chris
tened Joseph" because of his cot of
many colors, was the sensation of the
supper hour. His mackinaw-like coat
was made of hundreds of cigarette souve-
mir flags and banners, and the effect was
bizarre in the extreme. Joseph" was
the butt of many good-natured jokes,
which he didn't seem to mind in the
least.
One of the passengers brought in from
Yellowstone to the Lake Camp was
boy whose summer employment would
make almost all the other boys | ever
met, young or old, green with envy. He
was official camp fisherman" and his
duty was simply and solely to fish, when
ever fish We're wanted, and to act as
guide to "dudes" on fishing expedi-
ton. Of course all the men of the
party, and most OF the ladies', too, were
very much interested, and as we were
then in what might truly be called the
fisherman's ''Happy Hunting Ground"
1t was very easy to see that the finny
denizens of the Lake would soon be paid
a visit. Alas, the search after supper
for fishing paraphernalla revealed the
sad fact that most of it was probably on
its way to camp in one of the freight
ers' we had passed on the road, as the
available rods numbered only four. These
were assigned to the most enthusiastic
sportsmen, and with "Texas' and the
boy in advance, and the rest of us trailing
along as escort, the procession started
for the fishing grounds. The way was
long, however, and before we had gone
more than half the distance Will and |
decided that looking for bears down by
the hotel appealed to US more than the
prospect of sharing one-eighth of fish
ing rod. We therefore deserted the
fishing expedition, and accompanied by
one or two of the others, who had arriv-
ed at the same conclusion, we retraced
our steps to camp, and thence through
the woods to the Lake Hotel Here in