DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. 179 



was a large goat, the animal which had given 

 him such a chase. Wiping the perspiration from 

 his eyes, the naturalist drew down the Winchester 

 and compelled his muscles to be steady long enough 

 to take good aim, notwithstanding the fact that he 

 was almost sinking from exhaustion. Logs and 

 rocks obscured the goat, so that Dyche was com- 

 pelled to stand on tiptoe to get sight at the top of the 

 goat's back. 



With the report of the gun the animal disap- 

 peared in a cloud of dust which rose from the spot 

 below where it had been standing. Down the canon 

 rushed the excited naturalist after the goat. Roll- 

 ing and tumbling, he went down the gulch to the 

 place where the goat had been, but it was gone. 

 A cloud of dust, however, showed that the animal 

 was also rolling down the declivity ahead of him, 

 and without waiting to figure on the consequences 

 the hunter dashed after his prize. The melt- 

 ing snow had left a mass of debris in the gulch 

 which had been ground to dust and which was now 

 dry and light. The struggles of the goat sent this 

 dust rolling in clouds back to where the naturalist 

 was following and almost choked him. Slipping 

 and falling he hurried on, and at last saw the shaggy 

 brute lying on its back by the side of a log. As it 

 stood on the crag it had looked like a small albino 

 buffalo, and when dead the resemblance was al- 

 most perfect. The ball had gone through the top 

 of the back just above the spine and had paralyzed 

 the fore-legs. The goat was making ineffectual 

 struggles to get on its feet. Dyche rolled down to 



