52 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



est caution, as the rams were very near on the other side 

 of the crest. It was a very steep slope and unless I care- 

 fully chose my footing, the rock would slide and fall, 

 making much noise. In such places moccasins are 

 superior to all other footgear. I could carefully feel the 

 surface with my big toe, and at the right spot wedge 

 the toes in the uneven spaces in a manner not possible 

 with stiff soles. Besides, the moccasins were noiseless 

 on hard rock. The rock slide was crossed successfully 

 to a grassy space up which I went more rapidly to the 

 peak, paying no attention to the wind, which was blow- 

 ing directly from me to the rams. Going slightly to the 

 right and descending a little, I looked below, but did not 

 see them. As I was cautiously retreating to look over the 

 other side, the horns of the rams were suddenly seen on 

 the sky-line just below the peak and not fifty feet away. 



At the same moment the sheep ran and I fired at one, 

 which came in sight for an instant, but evidently shot 

 over it. Running forward, I saw them rushing across 

 the saddle, a ram of good size behind three smaller ones. 

 Quickly seating myself and aiming at the larger ram as 

 he was running, now two hundred yards away, I fired and 

 he suddenly left the others, continued a few yards down 

 the slope and dropped dead. The others had now 

 crossed the saddle, ascended fifty yards more, and stood 

 looking back for a few moments before they again ran 

 and disappeared along the broken slopes. All this was 

 within six hundred yards of the spot where I had killed 

 the bear. The ram lay a hundred yards below, stretched 

 out at the head of a snow-bank, down which I pulled 



