At St. Mary's 



tumbling rock, and the pretty tinkling had 

 increased to a roar, which to our over- 

 sensitive ears seemed loud enough to 

 awaken the very mountains themselves. 



Eventually the whole mass would find 

 its resting-place in the valley below ; and 

 then we would cease grating our teeth in 

 impotent rage, and creep on. 



We finally reached the ridge, cautiously 

 approached our point selected, and peered 

 over. 



Nothing. 



Disappointed, but not very surprised, we 

 passed on to a parallel ridge, a hundred 

 yards farther, which until now had been 

 hidden from view. 



Again nothing. But stop ! 



Simultaneously we inclined our heads in 

 a listening attitude. The far-distant tinkle 

 of rolling shale a sound the significance 

 of which we were quick to appreciate 

 met our ears. My glasses were out in an 

 instant; and a moment later I passed them 

 to my companion, directing him as I did 

 so to a point in the valley hundreds of feet 

 below. There, strung out in single file, 

 were eight Rocky Mountain sheep. They 

 were moving straight up the bed of a dry 

 ravine which headed, a few hundred yards 

 on, between two vertical cliffs. 



276 



