io8 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



a tuft of dwarf willow that was drifted under 

 and which sheltered a number of ptarmigan. He 

 leaped upon this snowy tuft, but the birds es- 

 caped. 



Down in the woods the snow was about two 

 feet deep but on the slopes above treeline about 

 one foot. The lion had followed along timber- 

 line for more than a mile, keeping out of sight 

 behind the front of dwarfed spruces or willows. 

 Here and there he had sneaked up behind a tree 

 screen and looked down into the openings among 

 the scattered trees. Finally he came close to a 

 number of sheep which were feeding or lying 

 down in a place off which the wind had swept 

 most of the snow. 



From this discovery point he turned back for 

 a detour and came in below the sheep. He 

 crept up on a rock pile close to them and watch- 

 fully waited for hours. The sheep fed away 

 from him. Circling far around he came to a 

 tree clump toward which they were feeding. 

 But here the sheep had evidently scented him, 

 for they had raced off in alarm, and moved up 

 the long slope toward the summit where the lion 

 had watched the preceding flock. The lion 

 followed. 



The sheep and the lion were going up as I 

 was coming down and passed within five or 

 six hundred feet. We were separated by a 



