412 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



three hundred yards, under shelter of some gigantic bowl- 

 ders of basalt, without being discovered. 



To shoot from that distance would be risking too much, 

 yet we could get no closer without revealing ourselves to 

 the sentinels, who lifted their heads every few moments 

 to survey the landscape. As they were feeding toward us, 

 we concluded to wait their nearer approach; but the min- 

 utes dragged heavily, and each moment seemed a torture. 

 After waiting patiently for about half an hour, though it 

 seemed treble that time, four sheep and three rams ad- 

 vanced about a hundred yards farther, and, as our impa- 

 tience was becoming unbearable, the guide allowed us to 

 fire. This was a joyous moment, and we resolved to profit 

 by it. Each selected his quarry, and at a signal all fired 

 simultaneously. When the smoke cleared away, great was 

 our joy to behold three males and one ewe stretched upon 

 the ground, and two sheep leaping wildly about as if badly 

 wounded. Rushing from our place of concealment, we de- 

 livered several shots in rapid succession at the now thor- 

 oughly alarmed flock, which were making for the rocky 

 summit at a breakneck pace; but the excitement having 

 somewhat unstrung our nerves, the fusillade brought us 

 only one yearling, which seemed too dazed to break away 

 with the others. 



We followed the retreating flock up the steep mountain- 

 side, but found in a short time that the old proverb of a 

 stern chase being a long one was especially true in this 

 case, so we relinquished it in about half an hour. Know- 

 ing that two sheep were severely wounded, by the manner 

 in which they acted, and having failed to discover them 

 among those that escaped, we deployed and commenced 

 searching in every direction for some trails of blood. It 

 being a characteristic of this species to head for the moun- 

 tains under all possible circumstances, we moved toward 

 the summit, but, after working for an hour, we could find 

 no trace of them. We then returned to our slain quarries, 

 and, cutting them open, made a cache in a small fir-tree and 

 placed them upon it, to prevent their being unceremonious- 



