THE MOUNTAINEERS 89 



five. The guide s horse displaced a stone the size of 

 a pail from the path. If a man had slipped in the 

 same way he would have fallen to the depths; but 

 when one foot slips, a horse has three others to regain 

 himself; and with a rear-end flounder the horse 

 got his footing. But down down down went the 

 stone, bouncing and knocking and echoing as it struck 

 against the precipice wall down down down till it 

 was no larger than a spool then out of sight and 

 silence ! The mountaineer looked back over his 

 shoulder. 



&quot; Always throw both your feet over the saddle to 

 the inner side of the trail in a place like this/ he di 

 rected, with a curious meaning in his words. 



&quot; What do you do when the clouds catch you on this 

 sort of a ledge ? &quot; 



&quot; Get off knock ahead with your rifle to feel where 

 the edge is throw bits of rock through the fog so you 

 can tell where you are by the sound.&quot; 



&quot;And when no sound comes back?&quot; 



&quot; Sit still,&quot; said he. Then to add emphasis, &quot; You 

 bet you sit still ! People can say what they like, but 

 when no sound comes back, or when the sound s muf 

 fled as if it came from water below, you bet it gives 

 you chills ! &quot; 



So the mountaineers take no chances on the ledges 

 after dark. The moon riding among the peaks rises 

 over pack-horses standing hobbled on the lee side of a 

 roaring camp-fire that will drive the sand-flies and 

 mosquitoes away, on pelts and saddle-trees piled care 

 fully together, on men sleeping with no pillow but a 

 pack, no covering but the sky. 



If a sharp crash breaks the awful stillness of a 



