MULE DEER AND MOUNTAIN GOAT 89 



his short stocky legs but failing to find one. The 

 other goats had scattered at the noise and stir about 

 the peak, and now the smaller billy stood poised 

 above the burn, looking back across his shoulder. As 

 the shot struck him he sprang off and out, down into 

 the silent burn which lay so far below, leaving behind 

 him a smudged blot disfiguring to the cliff. On the 

 hillside above another shot rang out and the nanny 

 fell forward with a gasp, a dark trickle beneath her 

 staining the whiteness of the snow. 



Only the old billy stood there looking out across 

 the valley where he had lived so long, his head up and 

 his white beard blowing in the wind. On a sudden 

 there came a shooting pain through his shoulder, and 

 turning he began to clamber up the hill. It seemed 

 steeper than in the morning and the sun to have lost 

 its warmth, but he struggled gamely on though his 

 feet grew very heavy. The pain in his shoulder 

 throbbed painfully and his head began to sing. As 

 he stopped to look back, the hills which he knew so 

 well seemed very, very far away, but dimly he was 

 conscious of two dark figures which came towards him 

 over the snow. Instinctively recognising them as 

 enemies he turned in a last gallant effort to elude 

 them. The friendly rocks just hid him from their 

 view ; then his legs began to totter, he grew deadly 

 faint and very quietly and gently lay over on his side 

 and was still. There a few moments later we found 

 him. 



