Mountain Sheep. 231 



it. The first thing to do is to clamber up to the top of 

 a ridge, and after that to keep on the highest crests. 



At all times, and with all game, the still-hunter should 

 be quiet, and should observe caution, but when after 

 mountain sheep he must be absolutely noiseless and must 

 not neglect a single chance. He must be careful not to 

 step on a loose stone or to start any crumbling earth ; he 

 must always hunt up or across wind, and he must take ad- 

 vantage of every crag or boulder to shelter himself from 

 the gaze of his watchful quarry. While keeping up as 

 high as possible, he should not go on the very summit, as 

 that brings him out in too sharp relief against the sky. 

 And all the while he will be crossing land where he will 

 need to pay good heed to his own footing or else run the 

 risk of breaking his neck. 



As far as lay in us, on our first day's hunt we paid 

 proper heed to all the rules of hunting-craft ; but without 

 success. Up the slippery, ice-covered buttes we clam- 

 bered, clinging to the rocks, and slowly working our way 

 across the faces of the cliffs, or cautiously creeping along 

 the narrow ledges, peering over every crest long and care- 

 fully, and from the peaks scanning the ground all about 

 with the field-glasses. But we saw no sheep, and but 

 little sign of them. Still we did see some sign, and lost a 

 shot, either through bad luck or bad management. This 

 was while going through a cluster of broken buttes, whose 

 peaks rose up like sharp cones. On reaching the top of 

 one at the leeward end, we worked cautiously up the side, 

 seeing nothing, to the other end, and then down along 

 the middle. When about half-way back we came across 



