CAMERA SHOTS AT BIG GAME 45 



were down, and I reasoned that if I alarmed them they would 

 leave and be harder to get at, so resolved to keep out of sight 

 and work on them there as long as I could. I made five ex- 

 posures in all, but only the one showed them well. After an 

 hour or more they gradually fed right round beneath me and 

 within seventy-five yards, but I could not get the camera 

 pointed down quick enough to catch the rams as they passed, 

 and the two plates exposed were not good. So I carefully 

 slipped away and left them feeding. About half a mile back 

 I came to a big elk trail, and left my camera there, taking 

 only the plate-holders to camp to change. I returned to 

 camp, much elated at my supposed success, as I had been told 

 for years that I could not get photographs of mountain sheep. 

 The next morning I rode to the foot of the range, picketed 

 the horse, and started up the elk trail. It was very steep, but 

 good footing, and in half an hour I was getting pretty well up 

 when I saw, down below me, two rams looking in my direc- 

 tion. I remained motionless until they seemed at ease, then 

 moved along, keeping out of sight, and, when I could, watch- 

 ing them. When they were hidden I moved on toward the 

 camera. Thinking that perhaps they would follow the trail, I 

 picked up the camera when I reached it, and moved on to a 

 good lookout and watched for them. Could I have gone 

 where I wished, they would have come right to me; but the 

 wind drove me to another place, so they were three hundred 

 yards from me when they reached the top. They quickly 

 passed, climbing the hill west of the pass and going out of 



