224 THE OX FAMILY 



middle-sized. He slipped up to them, picked out a 

 goat that would make a few square meals for us, killed 

 him and brought him to camp. Wright said he could 

 have loaded the pack-train in five minutes if he had been 

 disposed to use his opportunity. At the first shot some 

 of the goats trotted away, but most of them stayed 

 about, or walked toward him and tried to find out if 

 the thing was still loaded. He was within forty feet of 

 some of the big old billies, but had meat enough for 

 present purposes, so did not disturb them. Unfortu- 

 nately he did not take his camera with him that day." 



The writers differ somewhat as to the chances of this 

 animal's escaping extinction. There are two things 

 much in its favor — the undesirable quality of its flesh 

 and hide, and the hard work required to reach its 

 haunts. It is impossible to ride all the way to much 

 of the best goat-ground, and after one is obliged to 

 leave his horse the climbing is often difficult and in 

 places dangerous. 



The head and horns are not nearly so handsome or 

 desirable as those of the mountain-sheep, or big-horn. 

 The reader will observe the great difference when look- 

 ing at the pictures of the animals. 



There are many "fool-hens" which are foolish no 

 longer, having learned to know what the sound of the 

 shotgun means, and the white goats will no doubt soon 

 learn to keep out of a man's way when they see him 

 coming with a rifle. After they have been shot at from 

 above a few times, those which survive will, no doubt, 

 learn to expect danger from above as well as from be- 

 low, and if they become as wild as the antelope and 

 keep always on the look-out for an enemy, run at the 



