At St. Mary's 



The temptation was strong to run up 

 our sights, and take a chance shot ; but 

 they were practically out of range, and 

 the noise would decrease the chances of 

 our seeing them later on. How beautiful 

 and how much to be desired did they 

 appear to us, and how supremely secure 

 did they seem to consider themselves ! 

 They would trot a short distance, then 

 stop and look up in our direction, then on 

 again, in single file always, never bunched, 

 until finally, turning off to the right of 

 the ravine, they proceeded to perform some 

 wonderful gymnastics by taking their way 

 up what seemed to be a perfectly vertical 

 cliflf, going from one ledge to another by 

 a series of the easiest and most graceful 

 leaps imaginable. 



Half-way up the cliff they stopped, and 

 to our surprise began placidly grazing, as 

 though no enemy was within a hundred 

 miles. So far as securing them from where 

 we were, we might, indeed, have been a 

 hundred miles distant. We were sepa- 

 rated from them by a deep valley, and any 

 movement that way would be certain to 

 attract their attention. 



No, there was no doubt that they had 

 heard and seen us, — saw us now probably ; 

 and the only thing left for us to do was 



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