omestead and claim land for myself.

Climbing to the summits of various promontories I planned the sort of
cabin I would like to build there; I'd have a dog, and a horse too, and
a camera--I began to doubt whether I'd want my rifle for as I developed
my acquaintance with the animals I found myself less eager to shoot
them.

Hunting and trapping was the habit of everyone I knew; even back in
Kansas the boys and men had gone shooting at every opportunity; and the
few men I encountered upon the trails in the Rockies were for the most
part real trappers and hunters, following the trade for a living. They
gave no thought to the cruelty of their traps or the suffering their
operations occasioned, It is not strange, then, that such men saw no
harm in their actions, for they considered all game fair prey.

Occasionally I left my gun at home and found that I rambled the heights
above timberline in a changed mood from when I carried it. The animals
were more friendly, perhaps my actions were more open and aboveboard.
My rifle naturally inspired a desire to shoot something; a mountain
sheep, a bear, even the fat marmots did not escape my deadly fire.

But, without a gun--there was interest everywhere. Many times I
laughed at the antics of the animals, especially at the awkward,
lumbering haste of the marmots. These animals, while very curious,
were quick to take alarm. They would climb to a lookout post at the
top of a rock, watching me eagerly and whistling mild gossip for the
delectation of their neighbors who could not see me. One day, far
skyward, I came upon an exceedingly fat marmot busily eating grass in a
narrow little hayland between bowlders. He must have weighed more than
twenty pounds, but this fact did not deter him from adding additional
weight for the long, winter sleep. At best his active period was
short, his hibernation long, so he ate and slept and ate again through
all the hours of daylight. At my approach he reluctantly left off
eating, crept up a rock and whistled mildly as though merely curious.
For a time I amused him by advancing, retreating, and circling his rock.

Suddenly I dropped out of sight behind a bowlder. Instantly his
whistle carried a note of warning. So long as I remained in sight I
was merely a curiosity, but the instant I dropped from sight, I became
a suspicious character. Again he broadcasted sharp warning to all
within hearing. From near and far came answering marmot shri