

Krag, the Kootenay Ram 



Then, " Wal, ole Krag, ye kin see the skull and 

 cross-bones on my gun. I'm Death on yer 

 track ; ye can't shake me off. At any price, I 

 mean to have them horns. And here's for 

 luck." Then he raised the rifle and fired; but 

 ),. the distance was great. The Ram stood till he 



saw the puff of smoke, then moved quickly to 

 one side, and the snow was tossed by the ball 

 not far from his former stand. 



The Ram turned and made eastward, skirting 

 the rugged southern shore of the lake, making 

 for the main divide ; and Scotty, left far behind 

 for a time, trudged steadily, surely, behind him. 

 For added to his tireless strength was the Saxon 

 understreak of brutish grit, of senseless, pig- 

 dogged pertinacity — the inflexible determina- 

 tion that still sticks to its purpose long after 

 sense, reason, and honor have abandoned the 

 attempt, that blinds its owner to his own defeat, 

 and makes him, even when he is downed, still 

 feebly strike — yes, spend his final mite of 

 strength in madly girding at his conqueror, 

 whose quick response, he knows, will be to wipe 

 him out. 



It was on, on, all day ; then camp for the 

 88 



