*; |J t ^WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



the air with terrific speed. The goats were 

 directly in the path of the flying stones, which 

 for a number of seconds bounded over them 

 and struck among them. A small stone struck 

 an old billy on the shoulder and knocked him 

 sliding for some distance. When he regained 

 his feet his shoulder appeared to be broken. 

 Though making every effort to control himself, 

 he continued to slide and presently tumbled 

 into a crevasse. He caught with his good fore 

 foot on the ice and clung for a second, made one 

 desperate attempt to push himself back and 

 almost succeeded, and then fell into the crevasse 

 and disappeared. 



A few of the flock watched him, but most of 

 them stood with their heads up the slope facing 

 the wildly bounding stones. None of them 

 ran; there was no confusion, no panic. It 

 was, perhaps, safer for the goats to stand still, 

 thus presenting the smallest target for the flying 

 stones, than to rush forward or to retreat in the 

 midst of the bombardment, for the rocks were 

 coming down both in front and behind them. 

 At any rate, the goat is a wise fellow, and this 

 flock probably had experienced rock fire be- 

 fore. When it was all over the bearded old 

 leader started forward with the rest again 

 following. 



Until recently most goats lived in localities 



