ON THE PRAIRIE 99 



now hunted was wilder and more moun- 

 tainous than any we had yet struck. High, 

 sharp peaks and ridges broke off abruptly 

 into narrow gorges and deep ravines; they 



re bare of all but the scantiest vegeta- 

 tion, save on some of the sheltered sides 

 where grew groves of dark pines, now laden 

 down with feathery snow. The climbing 

 was as hard as ever. At first we went 

 straight up the side of the tallest peak, and 

 then along the knife-like ridge which joined 

 it with the next. The ice made the footing 

 very slippery as we stepped along the 



es or crawled round the jutting shoul- 

 ders, and we had to look carefully for our 

 footholds; while in the cold, thin air every 

 quick burst we made up a steep hill caused 

 us to pant for breath. We had gone but a 

 little way before we saw fresh signs of the 

 animals we were after, but it was some time 

 before we came upon the quarry itself. 



We left the high ground and descending 

 into a narrow chasm walked along its bot- 

 tom, which was but a couple of feet wide, 



