THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. 355 



tlie hands of the Indian. The terrible bird which, in nar- 

 rowing circles, had ke^Dt above the scene, and whose pierc- 

 ing eye had taken in the vantage of the position —the kid 

 separated from the protection of its dam — stopped suddenly 

 in its course, then swooi^ed downward swift as the light- 

 ning's flash, and seizing the poor kid, just when life and 

 liberty seemed so near, bore it from the cliff, fluttered a 

 moment in mid-air, then drifted downward along the 

 mountain-side, disappearing below the tops of the swaying 

 firs. 



The chase was over, and, with a sigh of disappointment, I 

 shut up my glass and awaited the return of the Indian. It 

 was nearly dark when we reached camp. After partaking 

 of some of the delicious trout which Charley had hooked 

 from the creek, I lit my pipe, and being tired with my exer- 

 tions, rolled myself in my blankets. With a beautiful, 

 clear, sky for a roof, and the "babble, babble" of the creek 

 for a lullaby, I lay dozing, cogitating over the events of the 

 day. 



Finally, the forms of the two Indians, dimly outlined 

 through the smoke of the camp-flre, faded entirely away; I 

 glided into dreamland, and all through the night reenacted 

 the scenes of the chase — the kid's terrible leap, my frantic 

 exertions to reach the top of a cliff where Goats were being 

 killed by the two Indians, till at last a large, white-headed 

 bird lifted me from the rocks, dropped me over a preci- 

 pice — then, with a start, I awoke and found it was daylight. 

 My dusky companions were already astir; and after the 

 morning's meal I announced my intention of starting for 

 ' home, as I had procured what specimens I required for the 

 present. 



The next hunt was made in September, with the same two 

 Indians and an old companion, Dick Griffin, whose experi- 

 ence in Mountain Goat hunting equals, if not surpasses, 

 mine. We reached the foot of the mountain wliicli we 

 had decided to ascend about noon, and dividing our blank- 

 ets and grub into two packs for the Indians to carry, 



