Krag, the Kootenay Ram 



XIV 



Where the Yak-in-i-kak River leaves its parent 

 mountains, south of Gunder Peak, it comes 

 from a tremendous gorge called Skinkler's 

 Gulch. This is a mere crack in the vast gran- 

 ite hill, but is at least five hundred feet in depth. 

 Southward from the back of Gunder Peak is a 

 broken upland that runs to a point at this canon, 

 and ends in a long promontory over the raging 

 walled-in stream. 



This upland is good Sheep range, and by a 

 strange chance Scotty, coming up there with 

 Lee and the three Wolf-hounds, got a glimpse 

 of the Gunder Ram. The men kept out of 

 sight and hurried along by the hollows toward 

 the spot. But it was the old story. No sign 

 of their quarry. They found his great hoof- 

 mark just where they had seen him, so it was 

 no illusion ; but the hard rocks about refused 

 further information, and no doubt Scotty would 

 have had another mysterious disappearance to 

 add to his list, but that the Dogs, nosing about 

 in all of the near hollows and thickets of dwarf 

 birch, broke out suddenly into a loud clamor, 



70 



