Ill 



MOUNTAIN-SHEEP HUNTING 



THE sheep country was of a rough, lava formation, the val- 

 leys and gentler slopes timbered, and dotted with mos- 

 quito and fly -infested swamps, shading into moss -covered 

 mountains above timber-line, and terminating in ragged black 

 peaks and glaciers. Over the top of this bleak country roamed 

 numbers of Stone's mountain-sheep. At this time of the year 

 the older rams were by themselves, singly or in bands of as many 

 as seven, while the young rams, ewes, and lambs were often 

 seen with as many as fifteen or twenty in one flock. As the 

 pack-train slowly descended into the valley we could indistinctly 

 see a small band of these sheep on a distant grassy slope of the 

 mountains toward which we were heading. After fording the 

 swift glacial streams in the valley several times, we pitched 

 camp on an open flat about noon. 



After lunch Howe and Mac started to reconnoitre the moun- 

 tain back of the tents, while I spent the afternoon in attending 

 to some necessary repairing of clothing. The hunters returned 

 after dark, having made a hard journey along the top of the 

 mountain and having seen a band of four rams in the distance. 

 We decided to hunt these sheep next day, but at daylight were 

 disappointed to find a steady drizzle falling, with the surround- 

 ing peaks completely hidden by dense banks of white clouds. 

 About noon a breeze dispelled the mists, and although the sky- 

 was still black with threatening clouds, Howe and the two 



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