The Mountain Sheep 211 



understand, does not here mean a path beaten by 

 men, or even by game, but simply the pleasant- 

 est way of getting up this part of the mountain. 

 The mother had been taking her child upon a 

 visit to the third story, had been away down 

 among the pine woods and open places, where 

 brooks ran and grass grew with several sorts of 

 flowers and ripe berries ; and now she was return- 

 ing to the heights of her own especial world. 

 Alas for my camera ! it was irretrievably in 

 camp. I laid my useless rifle down, for from 

 me neither of these lives should receive any 

 hurt ; and with the next best thing to a camera 

 my field-glasses I got ready for a survey of 

 this family as prolonged and thorough as they 

 should allow. But field-glasses are a poor second 

 best in such a case ; a few pictures of this lady 

 and her offspring "at home" would have told 

 you more than my words have any hope of 

 conveying. 



I never saw people in less haste. From begin- 

 ning to end they treated the whole mountain as 

 you would treat your library (dining room were, 

 perhaps, nearer the mark) upon an idle morning 

 between regular meals. No well-to-do matron, 

 with her day's housekeeping finished, could have 



