American Big-Game Hunting 
on top of him, and they would both break 
through. However, they had to go ahead in 
spite of themselves, and they were finally 
landed half-drowned and smothered on dry 
ground. Of course, profiting by this expe- 
rience, I circumnavigated the drift, and we 
sat down to our dry bread and bacon, washed 
down by a long pull from the handy snow- 
water. Ten minutes and a pipe was all that 
we allowed ourselves before resuming our 
toil—for that is really the way to designate 
the ascent of these mountains. 
We saw six fine rams which did not seem to 
regard us with any uneasiness, permitting us 
to get within murderous distance, and I 
looked at their leader with some longing. 
He had such a noble head of curling, grace- 
ful, well-rounded horns. He must have been 
a powerful adversary when it came to but- 
ting. Stifling the desire, I passed by without 
disturbing them, and at last reached the top 
of the divide, and was repaid by a glorious 
and most extended view. 
At that time Nature was not in her most 
smiling garb. It had been steadily growing 
colder, ominous clouds were gathering in the 
II2 
