THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. 355 



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

 rowing circles, had kept 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 swooped 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-fire, 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 Groat hunting equals, if not surpasses, 

 mine. We reached the foot of the mountain which we 

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

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



