CAMP FIRES IN THE YUKON 63 



wonderfully graceful horns, as they quietly browsed 

 on willows, with their own snowy peaks keeping si- 

 lent watch above. 



We continued to watch the animals longer than 

 the waning light and our distance from camp really 

 allowed, and then we decided to do some experi- 

 menting by shooting to the right and the left to see 

 if they would easily frighten. In all we shot six 

 times, each shot would cause the animals to look up 

 a moment and then continue their feeding; they 

 could not see us and the wind was in our favor, but 

 it was evident mere noise such as the roar of a 

 Mauser did not greatly stimulate their interest. 

 When we stood forth, however, from our cover, the 

 band looked at us for a moment then dashed full 

 speed up the mountain, and we regretfully started 

 for camp. 



Coming down the mountain, Hoyt and the writer 

 compared notes on the day's work and we discov- 

 ered ourselves to be decidedly cheerful for hunters 

 who have climbed hard all day and are coming back 

 to camp without taking a shot at any game. 



The novice will not understand the real joy which 

 the sportsman experiences in merely watching and 

 studying wild life in its wild and beautiful environ- 

 ment, but the true sportsman loves the beautiful wild 

 life and really takes no delight in mere killing, for 

 the true sportsman kills but little game and then only 

 for food or to secure a particularly fine trophy ; even 



