188 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



later when he arrived at the foot of the mountain 

 with his load. He dreaded the hard climb over the 

 rocks to camp, but determined to do as much as 

 possible. Leaving the skin of one goat and the skulls 

 hanging to a rock, he started with the skin of the 

 old billy, which weighed thirty-eight pounds, and 

 managed to reach camp after eight o'clock. He was 

 soon asleep, after nearly forty hours of sleeplessness 

 and terrible exertion. 



Next morning Dyche's knees were so sore and stiff 

 that he had to toast them before a hot fire and soak 

 them in vaseline before he could walk. This and the 

 two following days were spent in getting the remain- 

 ing skin and the skeletons into camp and dressing 

 them. These five days were spent in securing two 

 specimens, and as the three last days were in camp, 

 Dyche was well rested and started on the sixth day 

 for the mountains. While travelling down the moun- 

 tain a goat made its appearance about half a mile 

 away on a little flat-topped spur which extended out 

 from the main ridge. The animal was feeding and 

 could have been easily stalked from the main ridge, 

 but the wind was unfavourable, and Dyche concluded 

 to crawl down one canon and up another, under cover 

 of the crag on which the goat stood. Reaching the 

 spot where the animal had been feeding, the natural- 

 ist could see nothing of it. An examination showed 

 where a nanny and a kid had been feeding, and as they 

 were just what Dyche wanted, he proceeded very 

 carefully along the cliff. Hearing the sound of roll- 

 ing stones ahead of him, he hurried forwards and saw 

 an old she-goat with a kid on the other side of the 



