At St. Mary's 



to go back over the ridge, keep below it 

 on the farther side, pass clear around the 

 head of the intervening valley, and, coming 

 in from the opposite side, creep up to the 

 edge of the cliff to a point directly above 

 where our foolish mutton was so peace- 

 fully grazing. 



It appeared but a short walk to our goal, 

 yet two hours were consumed in making 

 the distance. In order to keep ourselves 

 concealed from view during this brilliant 

 manoeuvre, we necessarily lost sight of our 

 game; but as we neared our destination, and 

 made our stealthy, four-footed way to the 

 edge of the cliff, we were confident that 

 they would be where last seen, and we pre- 

 pared to drop our cartridges down among 

 them like a shower of hailstones. We 

 ought to get every one. 



But we did not. They had not waited 

 for us. We could not explain it, and we 

 did not try. We cast a few rocks down 

 on to the ledge where we had last seen 

 them so unsuspectingly browsing, "just to 

 see," as Hardeman said, " how dead easy 

 they would have been ; " and then, in si- 

 lence, we took up our carbines, and started 

 to retrace our steps campward. 



The weariness of limb which we had 

 felt just before I made the unfortunate dis- 



278 



