The White Goat 261 



brute instinct, for heaven's sake don't let us praise 

 the performance ! The best that can possibly be 

 said for it is to call it the seamy side of masculin- 

 ity ; and the seamy side of masculinity fits coward- 

 ice like a glove. I am speaking from the sinner's 

 bench ; and long back in the years (not so long 

 materially, but miles and miles every other way) 

 I see one or two spots of shame. To-day, my 

 wish is to photograph the game, and let him go 

 his way in peace. 



With my rifle I carried a kodak among the 

 goats. The kodak and the rifle made a dis- 

 comfortable pair now and then. For instance : 



" Saturday twelfth (November) four and one-half 

 hours' climb up opposite ridge, so as to get above 

 goat seen yesterday. Snow six and eight inches 

 deep on top." This was a day that I carried 

 both instruments, and the rocks continually 

 required the use of both hands. Well, I got 

 the goat that I wanted with my rifle. I took 

 the kodak home with one hundred pictures of 

 my very long, hard, interesting journey. It was 

 the year that the company's films were bad, and I 

 drew one hundred blanks ; there was not the 

 semblance of an image upon a single one. The 

 same mischance had attended the Greely expedi- 



