60 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



jumped up on the crest from the cliff below. They stood 

 for a few moments in alert attitudes, looking at me with 

 curiosity. Oh, for that kodak, which for the first time 

 was not at hand! As I started back for it the sheep 

 moved around the peak and disappeared. Then on the 

 high range beyond, some small moving objects were sil- 

 houetted against the sky-line, and my field-glasses proved 

 them to be ewes and lambs. Moving the glasses, to 

 keep the crest in the field, I could see on every peak and 

 in many places between them small bands of ewes and 

 Iambs; some feeding, some lying down, and others trav- 

 elling along; but not a single ram. 



Then I began the descent to the lakes. The slope 

 was exceedingly steep, particularly on the talus; so, sus- 

 pending my rifle on my back, I zigzagged down, finding 

 great difficulty the last few hundred feet, where the way 

 led among tumbled and confused boulders. There was 

 ice along the shores of the lakes> which were two or 

 three acres in extent, perfectly clear, and fairly deep. As 

 usual, old caribou tracks were everywhere, and the songs 

 of water ousels were heard as I followed the stream to 

 camp, reached finally at ten in the evening. 



This day Rungius had been up the north branch of 

 Coal Creek, below our camp, and had climbed the other 

 side of the range where I had seen the ewes feeding on 

 the cliffs the day before. He reported having seen the 

 same number of ewes probably the same band. 



July 26. At 2.30 the next morning Osgood returned 

 with the skin of the caribou, having left the head to bring 

 later. He had found it feeding only a few feet from 



