390 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



ing goats and mountain sheep from retreats where the hunt- 

 er could not well follow them. The first morning after 

 our arrival at the scene of operations we were awake be- 

 fore daylight ; and ere the earliest rays of the sun topped 

 the highest pinnacles we were clambering amidst crags 

 that reduced us to the most dwarfish human dimensions. 

 Keeping well to the lee of a spot which the animals were 

 generally known to frequent, we struggled upward for a 

 couple of hours, but not a sound, except our heavy breath- 

 ing, escaped us. We kept our eyes steadily engaged, how- 

 ever, if we did not our tongues, in order that the expedi- 

 tion should not prove barren of results through any want 

 of vigilance on our part. 



A short time after daylight we reached a small plateau 

 that enabled us to survey the horizon on every side; and 

 here I brought my glass to bear, but no goats loomed with- 

 in its range. " There must be some on 'em here, though," 

 said my companion, " for I never yet knowed this place to 

 fail me ; so I'll bet my boots we'll get a crack at one in less 

 than twenty minutes." The words, which sounded unusu- 

 ally strange at such an altitude, owing to the rarity of the 

 atmosphere, had scarcely passed his lips ere a group of 

 about a dozen, the greater number of which were kids and 

 their dams, broke from the cover of a huge crag not fifty 

 paces from us, they having been routed by the active little 

 terriers. "Fire quickly," shouted the ready scout; and, 

 without waiting to take more than the most cursory aim, 

 I fired at the fleeing flock thrice in rapid succession, 

 while my comrade sent four bullets whizzing in the same 

 direction. Before I could get another shot, the terrified 

 animals had vanished in a precipice at, apparently, one 

 bound. Following their line of retreat to see what the 

 result of our fire had been, we were gratified to find with- 

 in an area of fifty yards a dam, and two kids about six 

 weeks old. "Fust -rate shootin' that," said the reticent 

 guide; "so it seems to me we'll have good-luck to-day, 

 and make a reg'lar haul; but we needn't expect to git 

 such good shots again, as they never allow one to get so 



