pursued in his own territory, he will flee at high 

 speed up or down a precipice, perform seem- 

 ingly impossible feats, and triumphantly escape. 

 But no matter how skillful, if he goes his ut- 

 most in a new territory, he is as likely to come 

 to grief as an orator who attempts to talk on a 

 subject with which he is not well acquainted. 

 It is probable that most of the accidents to 

 these masters of the crags occur when they are 

 making a desperate retreat through strange 

 precipitous territory. 



In the Elk Mountains a flock of sheep were 

 driven far from their stamping-ground and while 

 in a strange country were fired upon and pur- 

 sued by hunters. They fled up a peak they had 

 not before climbed. The leader leaped upon a 

 rock that gave way. He tumbled off with the 

 rock on top. He fell upon his back — to rise no 

 more. A ewe missed her footing and in her fall 

 knocked two others over to their death, though 

 she regained her footing and escaped. 



One day a ram appeared on a near-by sky- 

 line and crossed along the top of a shattered 

 knife-edge of granite. The gale had driven me 



33 



