THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. 391 



close as that to 'em." I asked him at what range he gen- 

 erally shot them, and he replied that it averaged at least 

 from two to three hundred yards, and that he considered 

 himself very lucky if he killed one in motion, owing to the 

 difficulty of shooting any object that bounds in an irregu- 

 lar manner. "I'd rather bet on killing five deer than one 

 goat," said he, with the cold tone of an experienced hunt- 

 er; "for I know how the deer will go, but nobody knows 

 which way a goat will jump; and, besides that, he gener- 

 ally covers himself with rocks when he can." Experience 

 has proved the correctness of his assertions, for I have 

 found that one who would slay the animal must steal upon 

 it unawares — a difficult feat to perform — and fire at the 

 first opportunity, or the nimble creature may flee beyond 

 reach. 



After "drawing" those we had slain, we placed them on 

 a crag, which we marked by bearings, and went in quest 

 of more; but after trudging through deep gullies and over 

 rock-bound plateaux until noon, we were compelled to re- 

 turn to camp, the guide having concluded that we could 

 do nothing in the heat of the day, as the animals concealed 

 themselves after the morning repast until evening again. 

 After reaching our primitive quarters, we cut off a portion 

 of the kid and roasted it, but it did not prove as palata- 

 ble as one would infer; for, though tender, it was dry and 

 insipid. I did not try the flesh of the adults, being will- 

 ing to accept the judgment of the guide, who stated that 

 it was tougher than Leavenworth boarding-house steak. 

 Throwing ourselves on the bunch of boughs and leaves 

 which answered for a couch, we dozed until 5 p.m., when 

 we again sallied forth. Taking a direction opposite to 

 that which we had followed in the morning, a walk of half 

 a mile brought us to a perfect little paradise of a valley, 

 which was covered with green, luxuriant herbage, and wa- 

 tered by a pretty stream that took its rise in a granitoid 

 formation, and was therefore never dry. Being surround- 

 ed by stupendous crags of igneous formation, the guide 

 felt assured that we should meet some goats; so we pre- 



