A GREAT MOUNTAIN SHEEP HUNT 243 



and mapped out a long and severe detour to the east- 

 ward, away from the sheep, and around them. The cir- 

 cuit they actually made took them up to the top of the 

 eastern mountain, northward under the shelter of its crest 

 for two miles, then a long swing westward into the valley 

 of Grizzly Creek. After that they climbed southward to 

 the top of Cyclorama Ridge, and at last, after a four-mile 

 struggle, stood above their quarry and dead to leeward of 

 it. In looking over the summit, they were rejoiced to 

 find that the sheep had not moved. 



Keeping well below the crest of the ridge, the hunters 

 moved eastward until they reached their chosen line of 

 approach, then began to work downward under cover 

 of some stunted spruces and aspens. When they gained 

 the high, dormer-window point under which the sheep 

 had been seen, the gale was so strong that it was almost 

 impossible to face it. It was laden with so much dust 

 that had been swept off the rocks, that Mr. Phillips's 

 eyes watered so copiously he could scarcely see. They 

 could hear dead timber crashing down in Avalanche Val- 

 ley, and the quaking-asps around them were whipped 

 almost to the ground. 



Finally a fierce gust of wind bent down a clump of 

 bushes in such a manner that a massive pair of ram's horns 

 stood revealed to the anxious eyes of the searchers, and 

 only seventy-five yards away! The next instant, the 

 bushes sprang up again and masked the quarry. Then 

 Mr. Phillips trained his rifle to bear on the spot desired, 

 and waited for another gust. It came; the bushes 

 gave way for an indistinct glimpse, and Mr. Phillips 



