126 CAMP FIRES IN THE YUKON 



being very massive and absolutely symmetrical, with 

 perfect points unbroken and unbroomed. The cir- 

 cumference of horns at base as we put the steel tape 

 around was fifteen inches, the outside curl of each 

 horn showed a length of thirty-seven inches, while 

 the width between the horns was twenty-four inches ; 

 the annular rings revealed his age as eight years. 



As it was three o'clock in the afternoon and we 

 had spent a strenuous morning since our five o'clock 

 breakfast, we sat down to a lunch of hardtack, cold 

 sheep meat, and raisins, after first taking stock of 

 my ammunition and discovering all that I had was 

 the single cartridge in the chamber of my rifle. 

 Luncheon was proceeding nicely with appropriate 

 hunting talk between the savage and myself and we 

 had nearly reached the raisin course, when we 

 looked down the slope and there beheld eight fine 

 rams only two hundred yards below us that had 

 come out of the canyon and had crossed our front, 

 and at full speed were going over a ridge that led 

 up to us. I grabbed the rifle and the Indian 

 grabbed the glasses, and we both rushed to the crest 

 of the ridge a hundred feet away. Albert called 

 out, " Shoot him big sheep, two back from leader " 

 (meaning the third sheep), and my last shot crashed 

 toward the three-hundred-yard distant ram, which 

 gave a slight jump as it continued with unabated 

 speed and topped a rise twenty feet ahead of it and 

 disappeared, followed by the other five rams. 



