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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 39 T he two trappers were sound asleep in their lean-to when suddenly they heard a noise and smelled a strong, pungent odor. One of the men sat bolt upright and stared at the huge dark shape at the mouth of their lean-to. He grabbed his rifle and fired at the dark mass looming only a few feet in front of him. In a flash the thing was gone, and they could hear it charging through the dense undergrowth as it disappeared into the night. The trapper's name was Bauman, a man of German descent who was camping with a friend in the Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. Bauman was telling the story to Theodore Roosevelt and some of his ranch hands at the Elkhorn Ranch. TR had heard many stories around the campfire, but this one impressed him. He was so convinced of its authenticity that he would later share the tale in his book, The Wilderness Hunter, published in 1893. Bauman's immediate conclusion was that it had been a bear, and the two men readied themselves for a return visit. Bauman couldn't believe he had missed at such close range, and his companion's ridiculing did not ease his frustration. They rekindled the fire and had a restless night, taking turns to keep guard. When they had arrived on the previous day, they had set up camp and laid out some traps. When they returned to camp it had been ransacked, which they assumed was the work of a bear. But when they examined the tracks left by the invader, they noted they were unlike any bear tracks they had ever seen. In fact, the beast seemed to be walking on two feet, not four. Despite this unusual discovery, the men set about to complete their camp chores and gave little thought to the incident. But the visitation the following night gave both men something more to think about. They checked their traps and found all of them empty and, in some cases, sprung. The men stayed close together as they put out more traps along the creek, surrounded by a dark and gloomy forest that was becoming more eerie and ominous as the light began to fade. They thought of themselves as fearless mountain men, who had faced many wild Legends of the hunt by john seerey-Lester Who Said SaSquatch? creatures over the years. But even they were spooked by this phantom of the night. Their fears were compounded upon their return to camp. The lean-to was once again destroyed, and their gear and bedding had been ripped apart and scattered all over the campsite. The men could see the creature's footprints clearly in the soft earth along the banks of the creek. Indeed, it did seem to walk on two feet. Its distinct claw marks did not resemble those of a black or brown bear. Both men were baffled. That night they rebuilt the lean-to and gathered enough branches to keep the campfire going through the night. They cooked and ate supper, keeping an eye on the dark forest for any sign of movement. Around midnight they heard a menacing crash through the trees just across the creek. The noise echoed through the glade. Both men sat bolt upright, eyes glued to the forest as they clutched their rifles. Every now and then they heard a grating sound followed by long drawn-out moans that sent chills down their spines. sasquatch by john seerey-Lester