CHAPTER VII 



A GREAT DAY WITH GOATS 



Goats Far Up — The Climb, and Its Difficulties — An Elusive Pair — 

 Ten Big Billies at Hand — Observations of an Hour — Four Goats 

 Killed, and Utilized — The Tallest Goat, and the Heaviest — Rolling 

 Carcasses — Down Avalanche Creek to a Beautiful Camp. 



This day, also, was the eleventh of September, — 

 after the incident of the mountain sheep on the Camera 

 Rocks. 



Mr. Phillips, Charlie Smith and I descended the 

 steep side of Goat Pass, crossed the basin and slowly 

 climbed the grassy divide that separates it from the 

 source of Avalanche Creek. When half way down the 

 southern side of that divide, we looked far up the side 

 of Phillips Peak, and saw two big old billy goats of shoot- 

 able size. They were well above timber-line, lying 

 where a cloud-land meadow was suddenly chopped ofif 

 at a ragged precipice. The way up to them was long, 

 and very steep. 



"That's a long climb. Director," said Mr. Phillips; 

 " but there are no bad rocks." 



I said that I could make it, in time, — as compared 

 with eternity, — if the goats would wait for me. 



"Oh, they'll wait! We'll find 'em there, all right," 



said Charlie, confidently. So we started. 



11 



