190 The Mountain Sheep 



fessions of a bad shot. I have read in books and 

 in periodicals so many pages where none but 

 good shots were ever fired; I have listened 

 merciful heaven ! to the tales of my sportsman 

 friends ; and, reader, unless you are not at all like 

 me, you have read such pages too, have listened 

 to such stories too, and you have found a monot- 

 ony creep over these triumphs of other people, 

 the hair's-breadth climb, the noiseless approach, 

 the long-range shot, one hundred yards, two hun- 

 dred, five hundred, with sights not adjusted but 

 elevation merely guessed at, and the inevitably 

 unerring result; and in the midst of all this 

 asphyxiating skill, you have sometimes longed for 

 one pure, fresh breath of failure have you not ? 

 Well, at all events you shall read of mine ; and, 

 besides variety, there is a second good reason for 

 this ; you could not better learn the ways of the 

 mountain sheep, which, so far as I know them, I 

 am attempting to tell you. 



Four of us were so foolish as to set out together 

 upon this evil morning; two parties, that is, of 

 the guide and the guided. There is never any 

 gain in doing this, and almost always loss. The 

 attention which you should be giving to your 

 business is divided by conversation, or by waiting 



