188 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



steep walls rose high on both sides, compelling the rail- 

 way to creep like a half-imprisoned serpent along the 

 foot of the cliffs ; then the birds disappeared, not caring 

 to dwell in such dark, more than half-immured places. 

 Occasionally a magpie could be seen sailing overhead 

 at an immense height, crossing over from one hillside to 

 the other, turning his head as he made the transit, to 

 get a view of the two peripatetics in the gulch below, 

 anxious to discover whether they were bent on brigand- 

 age of any kind. 



At length we reached a point where the mountain 

 side did not look so steep as elsewhere, and we decided 

 to scale it. From the railway it looked like a short 

 climb, even if a little difficult, and we began it with 

 only a slight idea of the magnitude of our undertaking. 

 The fact is, mountain climbing is a good deal more than 

 pastime ; it amounts to work, downright hard work. 

 In the present instance, no sooner had we gained one 

 height than another loomed steep and challenging 

 above us, so that we climbed the mountain by a series 

 of immense steps or terraces. At places the acclivity 

 was so steep that we were compelled to scramble over 

 the rocks on all fours, and were glad to stop frequently 

 and draw breath and rest our tired limbs. My boy 

 comrade, having fewer things than I to lure him by 

 the way, and being, perhaps, a little more agile as 

 well, went far on ahead of me, often standing on a 



