(CeimBing Bong's (peaR 



expressive exhibits, and I wish every one might 

 visit it. At an altitude of about eleven thousand 

 seven hundred feet we came to the last tree. It 

 was ragged, and so small that you could have 

 hidden it beneath a hat. It nestled up to a boul- 

 der, and appeared so cold and pitiful that Har- 

 riet wanted to know if it was lost. It certainly 

 appeared as if it had been lost for a long, long 

 time. 



Among the crags Harriet and I kept sharp 

 watch for mountain sheep, but we did not see 

 any. We were fortunate enough, however, to see 

 a flock of ptarmigan. These birds were hud- 

 dled in a hole which narrowly escaped being 

 trampled on by Top. They walked quietly away, 

 and we had a good look at them. They were 

 almost white ; in winter they are pure white, while 

 in summer they are of a grayish brown. At all 

 times their dress matches the surroundings fairly 

 well, so that they have a protective coloring which 

 makes it difficult for their enemies to see them. 



At an altitude of twelve thousand five hundred 

 feet the horses were tied to boulders and left 

 behind. From this place to the top of the peak 



107 



