12 



RECREATION. 



perature went down to 7 degrees and snow 

 fell 18 inches deep on the level. That was 

 one of the chances of camping high. We 

 afterward learned that the sun was shining 

 most of the time in the valley far below. 

 He appeared to us the fourth day and we 

 started, traveling all day over the ridge, 

 and finally going into camp somewhat 

 lower down, on a slope with a southern 

 exposure, where the snow might be ex- 

 pected to melt. I had hoped to get some 

 fishing in the little lakes, but found them 

 better adapted for skating rinks. 



The next day was clear and warm. Soon 

 after daylight Carlos and I started in one 

 direction and K. and Edouard in another. 

 As we did not expect to return before 

 night we took some raisins and chocolate 

 in our pockets for lunch. We kept going 

 all day, down one deep canyon, and then 

 straight up to the top of the mountain. 

 Thence we returned to camp by a ridge 

 overlooking some likely spots. My guide's 

 favorite way of ascending a mountain was 

 to use a stone or rock slide, which is some- 

 thing like the track an avalanche leaves, 

 as a kind of ladder. It was hard work, 

 and was made still harder by the need of 

 going quietly. One stone dislodged and 

 sent rolling on its way to the bottom might 

 spoil a chance. There were places, too, 

 where I had to give up my gun and be 

 pulled over the points where I could not 

 get a foothold. The more precipitous and 

 dangerous the point the more frequent 

 were the sheep tracks and signs. Bighorn 

 hunting gives one the joy of surmounting 

 real difficulties. 



I had an opportunity to kill an ewe the 

 third day, when .trailing a cinnamon bear. 

 This bear had deliberately and maliciously 

 led us to abandon our main enterprise by 

 appearing to Edouard, who was looking for 

 the horses and had- no gun. Edouard said 

 the distance was 30 feet, and that he knew 

 this because the bear and he stood and 

 examined each other for some time. The 

 report of the animal's size sent us after 

 him with our guns ; but we tracked him 

 without getting a shot. However, we came 

 on a band of 12 sheep, all ewes, and had a 

 fine opportunity to study them. They came 

 trotting along over the rocks, going to af- 

 ternoon tea somewhere, I suppose. When 

 K.'s rifle banged they were on the edge of 

 a bluff where an elevator would have been 

 the proper thing; but they were down it 

 and off in an instant. All but one, which 

 we had the pleasure of eating. It was like 

 the best mutton, with a venison flavor. 



The proportion of ewes to rams is about 

 10 to-one, and the latter are generally found 

 alone. The one which I had the good luck 

 to meet we discovered about 11 in the 

 morning after 4 hours' hard work up and 

 down a rough mountain range. He was 



half a mile away, and, seen through the 

 glass, was a typical picture of his race, 

 He stood motionless on the edge of a great 

 cliff for some minutes, apparently enjoying 

 the extended view. The wind was blowing 

 a gale diagonally down the mountain, and 

 it was impossible to get above for a shot. 

 There was no cover to hide a nearer ap- 

 proach, except some scattering trees and 

 one small canyon. We waited some time 

 in the hope that he might work toward us, 

 and thus give me an opportunity to shoot. 

 Instead of doing so, he began to move 

 higher, and we were obliged to follow, 

 keeping at about the same distance, but be- 

 low a shoulder of the mountain and out of 

 his line of vision. He led us a climb of about 

 2,000 feet, and then after a while went 

 down again and took us far below the 

 point from which we started. It was then 

 about 3, and Charlie said we would have to 

 get nearer and take our chance. We man- 

 aged to reach the canyon without being 

 discovered by the ram, and about 20 min- 

 utes' work took us across and up the nearer 

 side. Then for 200 yards we crawled flat 

 until we reached some trees and stood up. 



Something alarmed the ram at that mo- 

 ment. He gave a jump which seemed, to 

 my excited vision, to take him 50 feet 

 farther away, and I had to shoot ! I shot 

 twice ; and as he ran along below, only his 

 head and the top of his back showing, I 

 shot twice more with no hope of hitting. 

 I then sat down to reflect and smoke a 

 cigarette, the first since morning ; but 

 Charlie was down the mountain, making 

 for the canyon we had crossed, and called 

 me to follow. I rolled a good part of the 

 distance, and finally brought up near him at 

 the edge of a high cliff. Our bighorn had 

 stopped a while, but was now going 

 on the full jump through a little 

 draw into the big canyon about 200 feet 

 off. Only one bullet had touched him. It 

 was enough. It had passed in back of his 

 shoulder and completely through his body. 

 He was a 3 year old, with the horns, of 

 course, of small size, but with a won- 

 drously wise expression. 



It was then 4 o'clock, and having had 

 nearly 5 hours of the most interesting stalk 

 I can ever hope to experience, we started 

 up the mountain in the face of a driving 

 storm of rain, which became snow as we 

 got higher. I was completely encased in 

 ice and snow, which on top of the range 

 was almost driven through the texture of 

 my clothes. When, late in the evening, 

 we turned into the light of our camp fire 

 we made an impression on K. and the 

 others that they will not soon forget. A 

 complete change into dry woolens, a big 

 drink of whiskey and ginger, and a tre- 

 mendous supper, sent me to bed comfort- 

 able and happy. 



