of 



He may, like a storm-defying bird, be carried 

 from his course by treacherous currents and 

 battle with breakers or struggle in vain in the 

 monstrous, invisible maelstroms that beset this 

 ocean of air. Of these skyline factors the more 

 imposing are wind, cold, clouds, rain, snow, and 

 subtle, capricious electricity. 



High winds are common across the summits 

 of these mountains ; and they are most prevalent 

 in winter. Those of summer, though less fre- 

 quent and much more short-lived, are a menace 

 on account of their fury and the suddenness with 

 which they surprise and sweep the heights. 



Early one summer, while exploring a wide 

 alpine moorland above the timber-line, I and 

 some others had an experience with one of 

 those sudden stormbursts. The region was 

 utterly wild, but up to it straggling tourists 

 occasionally rode for a view of the surrounding 

 mountain world. All alone, I was studying the 

 ways of the wild inhabitants of the heights. I 

 had spent the calm, sunny morning in watching 

 a solitary bighorn that was feeding among some 

 boulders. He was aged, and he ate as though his 



72 



