230 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



the deep snow, where we could rope them ; but the sheep 

 were contrary, and took to the crest; and of course Jack 

 and I followed them. 



" We had just reached the very top of the mountain ' 

 when I slipped and fell, and started to slide down, with 

 the Elk River Valley as my nearest stopping-place." 



" What did you think, Charlie, as you were going 

 down? " 



" Oh, nothing much," he replied. " When I slipped 

 and fell, I knew it was all over with me if I started to roll, 

 or failed to stop myself in the first few feet of my slide. 

 All I could remember in the shape of a prayer was ' Now 

 I lay me down to sleep,' a little rhyme my mother taught 

 me when I was a kid. Just as I was sliding over the edge 

 of the clifif, in a sitting position with my heels digging 

 hard into the snow, I uncovered a trailing-juniper bush, 

 which sprang up between my legs. Well, sir, when that 

 bush sprang up, I embraced it like a long-lost brother. 

 It stopped me all right, but all I could do was to just sit 

 there, with my legs hanging over Kingdom Come. As 

 quick as he could, old Jack threw down to me the end of 

 one of the ropes we had brought along to rope the sheep 

 with, and he snaked me back to the top. I tell you I was 

 mighty glad to shake hands with him! His face was as 

 white as a sheet! 



" Finally, we corralled the sheep on that peak just 

 above Pass Creek. The top of the peak is hollow, and 

 from the valley it looks like an arm chair with the north 

 side cut ofif almost square, and pitching straight down 

 five hundred feet or more toward Pass Creek. We made 



