Climbing for White Goats 



as we had come, we soon found ourselves 

 among ledges that could not be descended ; 

 and it took five hours of hard climbing 

 and walking much of it in the dark 

 down ledges, among fallen timber, and 

 through swamps, before we saw the light 

 of the fire flickering through the lodge 

 covering. 



A week later, we climbed through the 

 snow to the crest of another mountain to 

 make some notes on the geography of the 

 region. After we had taken our observa- 

 tions, one of the party called attention to 

 a little spot of white in the shadow of a 

 great rock below us ; and looking at it 

 through the field-glasses, it was seen to be 

 a goat. 



We approached very cautiously from 

 above, keeping the rock between it and 

 ourselves, and tiptoeing along as quietly as 

 possible over the clinking shale. When 

 we were within perhaps ten yards of the 

 rock, the goat walked from under it on 

 my friend's side. He fired once, again, 

 and again. The goat was mortally hurt, 

 but at first it kept its feet and ran. The 

 mountain side was steep, and just below it 

 was a gulf two thousand feet deep. It 

 fell, rolled over, came to its feet again, 

 and tried to stop. In vain ; with staring 



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