IN THE FAR WEST. 335 



I'll bet my boots we'll get a crack at one in less than twenty 

 minutes." The words, which sounded unusually strange at 

 such an altitude, owing to the rarity of the atmosphere, had 

 scarcely passed his lips ere a group of about a dozen, the 

 greater number of which were kids and their dams, broke 

 from the cover of a huge crag not fifty paces from us, they 

 having been routed by the active little terriers. " Fire 

 quickly/' shouted the ready scout ; and without waiting to 

 take more than the most cursory aim, I fired at the fleeing 

 flock thrice in rapid succession, while my comrade sent four 

 bullets whizzing in the same direction. Before I could get 

 another shot, the terrified animals had vanished in a precipice 

 at, apparently, one bound. Following their line of retreat to 

 see what the result of our fire had been, we were gratified to 

 find within an area of fifty yards a dam, and two kids about 

 six weeks old. " Fust-rate shootin' that," said the reticent 

 guide; "so it seems to me we'll have good luck to-day, and 

 make a reg'lar haul ; but we needn't expect to git such good 

 shots again, as they never allow one to get so close as that to 

 'em." I asked him at what range he generally shot them, 

 and he replied that it averaged at least from two to three 

 hundred yards, and that he considered himself very lucky if 

 he killed one in motion, owing to the difficulty of shooting 

 any object that bounds in an irregular manner. " I'd rather 

 bet on killing five deer than one goat," said he, with the cold 

 tone of an experienced hunter; " for I know how the deer will 

 go, but nobody knows which way a goat will jump, and, besides 

 that, he generally covers himself with rocks when he can." 

 Experience has proved the correctness of his assertions, for I 

 have found that one who would slay the animal must steal 

 upon it unawares a difficult feat to perform and fire at 

 the first opportunity, or the nimble creature may flee beyond 

 reach. 



After "drawing" those we had slain, we placed them on a 

 crag, which we marked by bearings, and went in quest of 

 more, but after trudging through deep gullies and over rock- 

 bound plateaus until noon, we were compelled to return to 

 camp, the guide having concluded that we could do nothing 



