220 The Mountain Sheep 



The lamb had bleated and brought no sign 

 from her. She continued standing, or moving 

 a few feet onward in my direction. This means 

 that she was coming up a quite gentle slant, and 

 that thirty yards more would land her at my ever- 

 green bush. She came nearer than thirty yards 

 and abruptly stopped. She had suddenly not 

 liked the looks of my evergreen. Behind her 

 on one side, the last steep ascent of the moun- 

 tain rose barer and barer of all growth to its 

 stony, invisible summit which a curve of the 

 final ridge hid from view. Behind her, down 

 the quiet slant of the terrace, was the wall where 

 she had left the lamb. She now backed a few 

 stiff steps, keeping her eye upon the evergreen. 

 Her uncertainty about it, and the ladylike re- 

 serve of her shut lips, caused me to choke with 

 laughter. To catch a wild animal going through 

 a (what we call) entirely human proceeding has 

 always been to me a delightful experience ; and 

 from now to the end this sheep's course was as 

 human as possible. I had been so engaged with 

 watching her during the last few minutes that 

 I had forgotten the lamb. The lamb had some- 

 how got up the wall and was approaching. Its 

 mamma now turned and moderately hastened 



