258 RECREATION MAGAZINE 



ing overtime among the horses. On big animals down at one time, and then 

 reaching timber line we moved faster, we had to hustle to save the skins. The 

 and a long day's travel through snow sheep and goats that Denis had killed 

 flurries droped us into a grove of stunt ■ were on the other side of the canon, 

 balsams and beds of wild flowers. Here which necessitated our crossing the 

 we made camp on the edge of a 3,000- gorge, and that meant a six-thousand- 

 foot canon, erected a frame for drying foot climb. 



skins and slung our 18x12 fly. We After descending the canon wall we 



were now in the Sheep Mountains, and came to a rushing glacial river, which 



mountain goats were in sight as we ate we crossed on a dead tree. The bottom 



supper. of the canon was swept bare by the fury 



Since the first day's pack big game of the water, and its rocky floor was in 

 signs had been plentiful. Across a semi-darkness. It was a gloomy place 

 canon by the Chesly we saw a band of and a fitting home for the grizzly bears 

 mountain goats. In the lowlands moose whose tracks criss-crossed the sand- 

 signs were everywhere, and many a bars. We now climbed straight uphill 

 bleached antler rotted by our path, for about 2,500 feet. It was not dan- 

 Above timber line great holes dug by gerous, but very hard work, as we were 

 grizzlies in pursuit of the ground squir- continually slipping on the heather ; hob 

 rels tunneled every hillside. Ptarmi- nails were useless. Not until we had 

 gans were about us in millions, and nearly reached the top did we find a 

 their everlasting cackling, pleasant as a bench. Wet with sweat, we swung 

 memory, became in time most tiresome, along the crest and entered a snow- 

 When we hunted big game the willow storm. The snow falling on us was de- 

 ptarmigans were a positive nuisance, lightfully cool, and we thought we had 

 for a covey often contained one hundred never felt anything more grateful, 

 birds or more, and when we flushed As we advanced the mountain top 

 them they would scatter all over the grew narrower until in places it was 

 country, calling incessantly, while we nothing but a path that the hoofs of the 

 stood helpless. sheep had worn in the rock through 



Our first experience with Stone's centuries of tramping. On a little bench 



sheep was in very rough country. We we found beds which had been pawed 



had prospected a promising cluster of in the gravel by the sheep Denis killed, 



hills near camp. A. small band of ewes I have never seen a more beautiful spot, 



and lambs had been "using" near a gla- From the fresh sheep beds we could 



cial morain, but as the wind was un- look down at least two thousand feet on 



favorable we hunted towards home, each side of the mountain. 



That afternoon Denis found three sheep A slight mist, left by the snowstorm, 



on the far side of the big canon, and eddied far below us, and opening now 



killed them all. On the way home he and then would show us vistas of mighty 



ran into two mountain goats and got glaciers, or a puff of wind would bring 



them also. As they had to be skinned us the hoarse snarlings of mountain 



and measured for scientific purposes, he torrents and the roar of avalanches, 



had disemboweled them and returned We turned sharply downhill, and a 



for help. The next day Stone, Denis thousand-foot descent found us on a 



and I went after the specimens. narrow bench. On this bench the dead 



Collecting big game animals under sheep were lying. The hill was so steep 

 adverse conditions is the hardest work that Denis had tied a ewe to a heather 

 in the world. Usually the sportsman bush to prevent it being rolled into 

 takes the cape and head of one animal space by the slight pull of a wolverine 

 at a time. We not only took the entire or an eagle. It was chilly work skin- 

 skin and head, but the leg bones as well, ning and measuring the sheep. When 

 and occasionally the entire skeleton, we were ready to leave we had to pack 

 Frequently we would have a number of the specimens to the mountain top, as it 



