THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN^ GOAT. 



357 



when he turned and signaled us to approach. Supposing 

 the game to be at least three or four hundred yards away, 

 we hastily scrambled down after him; but what was my 

 surprise, upon reaching him and peering over the clump of 

 cypress behind which he was standing, to see four Goats — 

 two females and two kids — within thirty yards. 



There was a clear, o]3en field for a running-shot should 

 they attempt to escape, and feeling confident that I was 

 good for two of them before they could get out of range, I 

 stood out in oi)en view to watch their actions. There was 

 none of that startled look about them which we notice in 

 Deer and other wild animals at the ajjproach of danger. 

 There was no throwing up the head for a moment, and then 

 bounding away as if a whirlwind had undertaken to pack 

 them out of sight. On the contrary, these silly brutes 

 appeared to look at us stupidly from under their eyebrows, 

 and then, with their heads scarcely raised a foot from the 

 ground, trotted off about a dozen yards to the right, wheeled, 

 and retraced their steps. I felt almost ashamed to shoot; 

 but hearing the lever of Dick's Bullard falling back to its 

 place, I opened fire, and with four shots we dropped the 

 four, within fifty feet of where we first discovered them. 



It was past one o'clock when we got the j)elts off, and 

 feeling somewhat hungry, we decided to make our noonday 

 meal of Mountain Goat, or rather of kid, for my experience 

 with this animal is that the adults are not of the most 

 savory character. 



The meal finished, I gave ray rifle to the old Indian (who 

 had come without a gun), and taking my shotgun, started 

 toward the top of one of the ridges, on the lookout for 

 ptarmigan, while Dick and the two Indians moved along 

 the foot, to a gap which cut through the ridge about a quar- 

 ter of a mile from the point at which I was ascending. 



Before reaching the top, I turned to take a look at the 

 country behind me; and just here I picked up a little expe- 

 rience concerning at least one Mountain Goat, which, taking 

 into consideration the wonderful stories told by the Indians 

 as to their acut« senses of hearing and scent, surprised me. 



