58 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



animal in the future until assured that it was vitally hit, 

 rather than to take chances, as in this case. A single 

 ewe was lying down on the rocks above the ram. At 9.30 

 the large band was returning toward the bottom of the 

 basin to feed. They reached it in peace before I started 

 back to camp. This was the remainder of the band 

 that Osgood and Rungius had disturbed and driven 

 back into the rougher parts of the mountains. 



Later I sat by the fire, smoking my pipe, enjoying the 

 solitude, with the same gorgeous sunset sky before me. 

 I again passed the night, sleeping between intervals of 

 fighting the mosquitoes, which were active all night in 

 the timber on that side of the divide. 



July 25. The sun was shining brightly when I rose 

 and climbed the south range. After looking at the un- 

 touched carcass of the caribou, I proceeded east along 

 the crest in the hope of finding the rams near the point 

 where they had first been seen. To the south, on the 

 other side of a narrow basin, was a high ridge on the 

 crest of which stood a large bull caribou, making a huge 

 black bulk against the sky. He was motionless in the 

 centre of the snow-bank, with his head held downward 

 the most common attitude of bull caribou when standing 

 at rest. Having determined not to shoot another cari- 

 bou while in the velvet, I watched him at times through 

 the glasses, as he stood for two hours without changing 

 his attitude. Later I proceeded, noticing the beds of 

 sheep small circular hollows which they had pawed 

 out in the broken rock of the slope and saw that noth- 

 ing had yet touched the bear's carcass, which was in 



