I'huto by Gcurgt; Sliiras, 3rd 



EXTRAXC1-: T(i THi; SHFJ'.P COUXTKV : I.( iW DIN'IDE 3,000 FEET ABOVE SKILAK EAKE, 

 WIIlCRE THE AUTHOR CAiMl'EH ALoXE THE FIRST NKHIT (SEE RAGE 473) 



ill the animals and birds wliich, in the 

 shadows nf the declining;- snn, came out 

 of thicl<ets of e\x'rgTeen and willow. 

 At one time I could see a duzen porcu- 

 ])ine — black-haired and of the Canadian 

 species — feeding stolidly as sloths on the 

 fresh vegetation bordering the receding 

 snowbanks. 



A cock spruce partridge came within 

 five feet of the tent, evidentl)' mistaking 

 it for snow: a brood of willow ptarmi- 

 gan were seen in the willows just above, 

 vdiile higher u]) a fox brought to A'iew a 

 co^'c^■ of rock ])tarmigan, heretofore de- 

 scribed (see ]>age 457). A loose signs 

 were j^lentiful, but no mor)se were seen. 

 'Jdie air about resoiuided with clear notes 

 of the hoarx' marmot, the mountain wood- 

 t'liuck of the North (see i)ages 434, 435). 

 ■'riien caiue the mosc|uit()es, the ])Osl- 

 sea.sou cro]) of the higher altitudes, when 

 the insect-proof tent became a jilace of 

 refuge for the niglit. 



( )n the following morning I had hardly 

 finished l)reakfast wdien along came the 

 men, red-faced and tired in the fight 

 against gravit)' and the worst of moun- 

 tain trails. An hour later we were 



climbing over the broken rocks littering 

 the floor of the divide, and thence enter- 

 ing a great ])lateau sloping southerly to 

 r.enjamin Creek. For the rest of the 

 day we struggled through bushes, stum- 

 bling into grass-coA'ered cracks, leaping 

 from tussock to tussock, and circling 

 about swam])s and mu<l-holes. 



In the midst of all this turmoil Tom 

 ]jointe(l out round dots of white on a dis- 

 tant ridge which looked like weathered 

 boulders or snowballs from the frozen 

 fields aboA-e. These were the white 

 mountain sheep of which ve were in 

 search. 



AMien I asked Tom, siimewhat hope- 

 full)', xvhether it would not be wise to 

 begin the camera hunt at once, since it 

 made no difference whether we fright- 

 ened these sheep or not, be polileh" con- 

 cealed a negati\"e answer ])\- sa\ing that 

 if I would circle two miles to the left, 

 ascend the mountain top from the rear, 

 he would drive the sheep toward me be- 

 fore dark. This didn't seeiu like getting 

 to llenjamin Creek on schedule time; 

 but as Tom assured me, in a svmpatbetic 

 tone, that I would see four or five sheep 



474 



