ighted a
cow Elk standing in a meadow with a Coyote sneaking around about one
hundred yards away. "That's my Elk," I said, and we swung under cover.
By keeping in a little pine woods, I got within one hundred yards,
taking picture No. 1, Plate XV. As she did not move, I said to Tom: "You
stay here while I creep out to that sage brush and I'll get a picture of
her at fifty yards." By crawling on my hands I was able to do this and
got picture No. 2. Now I noticed a bank of tall grass some thirty yards
from the cow, and as she was still quiet, I crawled to that and got
picture No. 3. She did not move and I was near enough to see that she
was dozing in a sun-bath. So I stood up and beckoned to Tom to come out
of the woods at once. He came on nearly speechless with amazement. "What
is the meaning of this?" he whispered.

[Illustration: XV. The first shots at the Hoodoo Cow
_Photos by E. T. Seton_]

I replied calmly: "I told you I was a medicine man, perhaps you'll
believe me now. Don't you see I've made Elk medicine and got her
hypnotized? Now I am going to get up to about twenty yards and take her
picture. While I do so, you use the second camera and take me in the
act." So Tom took No. 4 while I was taking No. 5, and later No. 6.

"Now," I said, "let's go and talk to her." We walked up to within ten
yards. The Elk did not move, so I said: "Well, Bossie, you have callers.
Won't you please look this way?" She did so and I secured shot No. 7,
Plate XVI.

"Thank you," I said. "Now be good enough to lie down." She did, and I
took No. 9.

I went up and stroked her, so did Tom; then giving her a nudge of my
foot I said: "Now stand up again and look away."

She rose up, giving me Nos. 8, 10 and 11.

"Thank you, Bossie! now you can go!" And as she went off I fired my last
film, getting No. 12.

[Illustration: XVI. The last shots at the Hoodoo Cow
_Photos by E. T. Seton_]

By this time Tom had used up all his allowable words, and was falling
back on the contraband kind to express his surging emotions.

"What the ---- is the ---- meaning ---- of this ----?" and so on.

I replied calmly: "Maybe you'll believe I have Elk medicine. Now show me
a Moose and I'll give you some new shocks."

Our trip homeward occupied a couple of hours, during which I heard
little from Tom but a snort or two of puzzlement.

As we neared camp he turned on me suddenly and said: "Now, Mr. Seton,
what _is_ the meaning of this? That wasn't a sic