ON THE SHEEP RANGES 



When we looked over the top of this ridge our 

 game was gone. Evidently the sound of the 

 sliding rocks had betrayed us. We considered 

 it a hard streak of luck, after the long stalk and 

 the hard, wearisome climb, which consumed 

 hours of time. 



We therefore began a further ascent in an at- 

 tempt to come out above the sheep first seen by 

 us. But while rounding the mountain under the 

 rim that crowned its summit we glanced down 

 the ridge and saw a ram standing on a point of 

 rocks about a quarter mile away and 500 feet 

 drop below us. What should we do? Go after 

 this ram or the bunch we were stalking when we 

 saw it? Cap was in favor of the former plan — I 

 the latter — but I gave in, so we sneaked, slid and 

 fell down toward the ram — for it was rough going 

 — keeping, of course, out of sight on the opposite 

 side of the ridge. 



When we reached the rugged projection on 

 which we had seen the ram, Cap looked over, then 

 drew back hurriedly with the excited remark 

 that he was lying almost directly below us, 40 

 yards away. Breathless, for fear he might be up 

 and away, I bent over just in time to see him rise 

 from his bed. While he was standing I fired, be- 

 ing fearful of hitting the rocky projections inter- 

 vening. As soon as I pulled the trigger I knew I 

 had overshot. He bounded away in a mad rush 

 amidst the bombardment of both Cap and my- 

 self, and altho I fired four more shots at him 



"3 



