In the Old Rockies 



particularly provoking beast had been sitting on a 

 low branch of a tree in full view all the time. Had 

 I raised my eyes from the ground no doubt I would 

 have had an excellent shot and would have had a 

 good chance to add to my list of American big 

 game one of the two kinds which I have never 

 been privileged to kill ; the other being a mountain 

 goat. 



Thinking that luck would change sooner or 

 later I ate my meager lunch and made for camp 

 over a country which I had not yet hunted. I 

 found plenty of evidences of sheep but did not see 

 one. Finally, however, in the late afternoon I 

 came upon the track of the biggest sheep that I 

 have ever trailed in my life and to my surprise and 

 gratification I found that his track was about as 

 fresh as my own. I started after this sheep and 

 had not followed him a hundred yards before I 

 saw him climbing the rocks ahead of me at a great 

 pace. Before I could cock my rifle and shoot, he 

 was almost on the sky line, about a hundred and 

 twenty-five yards away. I am afraid that in my 

 haste I saw rather too much of the front sight and 

 sent both bullets straight over his back. I sup- 

 posed from his movements that he had already 

 found me out and was trying to get away. 

 Imagine my surprise, therefore, when as I was 



301 



