April 7, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



821 



AFTER WHITE GOATS. 



FOE years it had been my ambition to have an oppor- 

 tunity of hunting the famous Rocky Mountain goat, 

 and at last here our party were after the usual incidents 

 of travel by rail and water of more than two thousand 

 miles, now -within sight of the rocky fastnesses, where 

 high up the goat or white antelope makes its home. We 

 had brought along a guide, only to find after our camp 

 was made and we were ready to start out that he did not 

 know anything about the country at all, and that we 

 must depend on ourselves. 



We divided into three parties and started out; and if 

 you have ever been in the woods of the northwest coast 

 you can sympathize with us, and know that our way 

 through the dense forest was over logs and brush, moss 

 and ferns, intermixed with a liberal supply of devil's 

 club, salal and huckleberry bushes, forming in many 

 places almost impassable barriers. One of the parties 

 met with no game, though plenty of game signs were 

 seen, and returned to camp about sundown. The others 

 during the afternoon run on to an old bear and two cubs, 

 and killed the cubs, but the old one got away, carrying a 

 .45 Winchester bullet. They came into camp after dark, 

 bringing in their game, and we feasted on bear steak and 

 enjoyed it, except one of the party who suddenly started 

 for the rear of the camp and came back a few minutes 

 later and whispered in my ear, "I don't want any more 

 bear." The thought of a large black dog at home had 

 turned his stomach against bear meat. 



The next morning it rained and we remained in camp 

 all day. The following day was fair and we busied our- 

 Belves cooking up some grub, 

 and making ready for a three 

 days' trip into the* woods. One 

 took his gun and went out in 

 the afternoon up the mountain, 

 and shortly we heardhim shout, 

 and then' call for help, and 

 some of the boys went to his 

 assistance and helped him bring 

 in another fine black bear. 



Early the next morning we 

 shouldered our guns and pro- 

 visions and a blanket apiece, 

 and again dividing into two 

 parties were off after game. 

 Though we neither saw nor 

 heard each other we camped 

 near together, and each party 

 spent a comfortless night in the 

 rain. Our party were up early, 

 and after breakfasting started 

 up the bed of a small mountain 

 stream, and one who was a few 

 rods ahead of the others and 

 out of sight by reason of some 

 huge boulders, ran on to a large 

 Ginnamon bear, but for some 

 reason his gun lock refused to 

 work, and when we got to him 

 the bear was gone. It had 

 cleared up, but looked like rain 

 again and our party returned 

 to camp at night. The other 

 party pressed on and climbed 

 a high mountain and caught 

 sight of a white goat, but did 

 not get a shot, and came back 

 to camp on the third day worn 

 out and disgusted with the 

 country and ready to start for 

 home. Three of us, however, 

 made up our minds to load up 

 Monday morning with rations 

 for a week and go after blood 

 in a section of the mountains 

 that we had been in sight of 

 when we were out on our 

 second trip, and where we 



thought we would find the goats. The rest tried to laugh 

 us out of the trip, and failing in this tried to dissuade us 

 from going on account of distance, rough character of 

 the mountains, and the fact that we knew nothing about 

 the country, and as for trails there was none except here 

 and there a game trail, which invariably ended as 

 ■"Nessmuk" tells us that trails usually do. When too 

 late these same boys much regretted not having gone 

 with us. 



We left camp early and pushed on as rapidly as 

 possible. The mountain side was very steep: we had to 

 make frequent stops for rest, and all the time kept a 

 sharp outlook for game. 



At about 4:80 P.M. we were crossing the track of a 

 rock slide, where it was very steep, when I again looked 

 across to the bare sides of a mountain to the south of 

 us and stopped a3 my eyes rested on some white specks 

 on the landscape. In a moment some of them moved, 

 and calling to my two companions I pointed out to them 

 the white goats quietly feeding, the first that either of 

 us had ever seen. Soon they started off and ran a short 

 distance, for all the world like a flock of sheep, and we 

 counted six in the bunch, two kids and four old ones, 

 while two others grazed some distance away. We made 

 up our minds that we could not reach them that night 

 and pushed on up, intending to make camp in a gap 

 ahead of us. Shortly after this, as we stopped for a rest, 

 one of the party killed a fine deer; it rolled down some 

 distance but did not break its fine antlers: and while 

 my companions were dressing the deer I started out to 

 look for water. I got several falls on the steep moun- 

 tain side, but no bruises worth mentioning, though I 

 found no water; and so we went back some distance, 

 carrying the two hindquarters of the deer, to where a 

 small stream of water ran out of the face of the cliff and 

 there made camp. 



The next morning we again saw some goats on the 

 mountain opposite, and were soon on the march for the 

 gap. We passed over some very rough ground and up 

 some steep and dangerous places. At one time I had to 

 hold on to some brush while the yellow-jackets lit on my 

 hand, but to let go was to fall. 



We reached the gap about 9 o'clock, and from it we had 

 a good view of the mountain side where the goats had 

 been feeding, but we could not see any; so we ate huckle- 

 berries and rested until noon, then ate our dinner, and 



cacheing our blankets and provisions started after the 

 goats. Our way for some distance was along the perpen- 

 dicular face of the mountain over masses of slide rock, 

 that made traveling difficult and dangerous. We found 

 a goat trail and plenty of fresh signs. Then we passed 

 into a small bunch of scrubby pines, and beyond this were 

 masses of slide rock again, broken by deep ravines. 



We worked our way carefully over these, and when 

 near the edge of the second one, saw ahead of us, and 

 across a deep ravine some 200yds. distant, a large white 

 goat standing in plain view, quietly chewing her cud and 

 with a kid by her side. We could 'see the sunlight reflect 

 from her glossy black horns, but she did not ap- 

 pear to notice us. We laid our guns across a 

 large rock and taking careful aim waited for 

 some minutes for the goat to turn side to; but it re- 

 mained standing with its head directly toward us. We 

 did not want to shoot it in that position for fear of spoil- 

 ing the head or hide, or perhap3 both. Soon it moved a 

 few steps toward us, jumped down on a narrow ledge of 

 rock and disappeared with the kid in the ravine. 



We waited for some time, expecting them to come out 

 on the side next to us, but as they did not appear I left 

 Stout and Gardner on the watch and went around to the 

 head of the ravine above to look for them. There was 

 some very rough slide rock to climb over; and when I 

 got -around I was surprised to see that the ravine was 

 very steep and rough; and a short distance below, where 

 the goats went in it broke off into a sheer precipice some 

 hundreds of feet high. 



I could not see anything of the goats nor any place that 

 I thought they could have gone, and had about made up 



WHITE GOAT (Mazama muntana). 



ihen lying down, T>hot 

 Lakes, Montana, Sept. 



Correctly showirg tne usual position when lyi*j£ down. ^Photo^ra^hed by Win. H. Seward, Jr , at St. Mary's 



my mind that we had lost them entirely, when I heard j 

 Stout and Gardner commence firing. They soon called; ' 

 and going over I found that they had killed three goats, 

 two old ones and a kid, and one kid had got away. 



The two we first saw had evidently gone down the 

 steep i-avine; and joined by two others, had come out 

 into view about 100yds. below where the boys were stand- 

 ing. They were all fine specimens, with good pelts, and 

 we soon had them skinned. 



As Mr. Gardner had killed two, he decided that he 

 would not go any further that day; and so leaving him 

 there, Stout and I went up toward the summit of the 

 mountain. The way was steep and led over immense 

 avalanches of slide rock, where we had to pick our way 

 carefully; above this the face of the mountain was broken 

 into benches or ledges, along which we had to work our 

 way back and forth to find a place to get up. 



It was hard work and we rested quite often and drank 

 of the clear cold water that ran from the snow banks 

 above us. When at last we reached what we had sup- 

 posed was the top we found ourselves on a bench some 

 200yds. wide connecting two peaks about a mile apart. 

 We hunted along this for a while without seeing any 

 game, though there were plenty of fresh signs and at last 

 we lay down to rest and enjoy the grand scenery before 

 starting back to camp, We had been resting but a few 

 minutes, when, looking around toward the peak at our 

 backs, I saw away above on the bare rock, outlined 

 against the clear blue sky, a large white goat looking at 

 us without any appearance of fear, as though trying to 

 decide what new animal had invaded his feeding grounds. 



We quickly got behind some rocks and started to get 

 near enough for a shot. We next saw him lying down; 

 and when we got within shooting distance he was up 

 again watching us, and standing on the very edge of the 

 rock. A shot put a bullet through him, but he did not 

 fall, but staggered back a few paces, then back again to 

 the fdge and finally lay down on the very edge of the 

 bluff. Another step would have sent him rolling down 

 the steep face of the mountain, and surely have spoiled 

 his fine horns. We got up to the game, pulled it back, 

 and I made preparations to take off the skin, while Mr. 

 Stout went on a little further in search of more. 



Pretty soon he began shooting. I went over, and found 

 he had killed another, that had rolled down some distance. 

 We started down, and found the mountain side very steep, 



so we slid down some distance, occasionally getting a 

 bump, and holding on to small brush and bushes as best 

 we could. Just as we got to where he had killed the 

 old goat a kid jumped out and ran like a flash, going 

 along the side of a bluff of rock where it hardly seemed 

 possible for a squirrel to go. Stout shot it. 



The old goat was found with one horn broken off, and I 

 went down and got the kid. Taking out the entrails, we 

 hung the goats on a stump and started for camp; had a hard 

 climb; reached the summit about sundown: hung the 

 other goat up on some rock; and went on. When we 

 came to Mr. Gardner it was dark. 



We were yet a mile or more from camp, over a rough 

 and in some places dangerous trail. We soon missed the 

 way and found ourselves on a narrow bench at least a 

 hundred feet above the trail; managed to get down by 

 holding on to bushes, but came near falling several times; 

 and safely around the point of the bluff, had to make our 

 way slowly in the dark, over the slide rock, whore a mis- 

 step might mean a broken limb. At last we reached 

 camp safely, well tired out, but satisfied with the day's 

 work. We had in half a day killed six fine white 

 goats. Stout had three, and Gardner two, while I 

 brought up the rear with one, but it was the finest one in 

 the lot. 



Before I enter upon an account of the next day's work, 

 let me mention a curious thing. We found on all the 

 high passes and peaks numerous pools filled with clear, 

 cold water. Sometimes these were in the rock, but more 

 often with earthen banks, and many of them could have 

 been drained with one stroke of a spade. From some 

 small streams led away, showing evidence of a subter- 

 ranean supply. 



When after breakfast we 

 came out to the edge of the 

 slide rock and looked down the 

 valley, we beheld the grandest 

 sight it has ever been my for- 

 tune to see. The valley 2 000ft. 

 below us was filled with clouds, 

 and the bright morning sun 

 shining down on the immense 

 cloudy billows, made them as 

 white as cotton, while the light 

 breeze tossed and rolled them 

 about, the tops of the lower 

 mountains showing through 

 the clouds with their dark 

 green like islands in a vast 

 white lake. We spent some 

 time enjoying the scene, and 

 at last reluctantly passed on to 

 our hunting ground; none of 

 the little party will ever forget 

 the sublime beauty of that mor- 

 ning scene above the clouds. 



Just as we came out on the 

 rocks beyond the bluff I saw a 

 young goat. At a snap shot he 

 disappeared, but going to the 

 place I found him dead in a 

 crevice. Stout discovered an- 

 other large one quietly feeding 

 in a little park some 800ft. be- 

 low us, and started after it. We 

 heard him shoot several times, 

 but neither heard nor saw any- 

 thing more of him until nearly 

 night. At last, tired of waiting, 

 we made our way to those we 

 had killed late the day before, 

 and packing the skins on our 

 backs started up again. We 

 had a hard climb, as it was 

 very steep, and we also got a 

 few slight falls, but reached 

 the summit safely, and soon 

 had the skin off the one on the 

 top. Again shouldering our 

 packs, now heavy, we had gone 

 down about 3,000yds., and over an old snow bank, at the 

 foot of which we sat down to rest and refresh ourselves 

 from the small stream of clear cold ice water that ran 

 from under it; all the while keeping a sharp outlook for 

 more game. 



_We soon saw a large goat on a mountain opposite and 

 distant about a mile. We quickly unslung our packs, 

 and dropping them struck out for him, keeping under 

 shelter of the mountain side as much as possible. We 

 were in about 100yds. of him, and had in the mean time 

 discovered two more, when just as we turned the corner 

 of a large rock there stood a very large white goat not 

 over 50yds. away. A shot staggered him, and seeing he 

 was done for, we went forward a short distance and came 

 into full view of two others. We took a shot at these, 

 and Mr. Gardner "downed" his, while mine ran away 

 evidently untouched. I tried to get another shot, but 

 failed; and just then we heard Stout shoot and soon 

 found that he had shot at the large goat that I had shot. 

 It had staggered over the crest of the mountain, and he 

 supposed we had not seen it. Coming to the crest I saw 

 that it had fallen right on the edge of the cliff, and was 

 even then gradually slipping over. I climbed down as 

 quickly as possible and got hold of him, but he was so 

 large and so near the edge that I had to call for help at 

 once. Stout came, and then we called for Gardner; and 

 it was all the three of us could do to keep the carcass 

 from going over. We did not have much room to work, 

 and a slip would have sent goat and hunter a hundred 

 feet. By hard work though, we got him back from the 

 edge to where he was safe, and then Gardner reported 

 that the goat he had shot and which was a yearling and 

 a beauty, was not dead, but had got down the face of the 

 mountain to the very edge of the cliff and in a place not 

 very easy to get to him. We went around and found the 

 goat standing where a few inches more would have sent 

 him down a sheer cliff of at least 1,000ft. on the slide 

 rock below. As it appeared to be nearly dead, and to 

 shoot it again would surely send it over the precipice, we 

 decided to leave it until morning, thinking it would crawl 

 back from the edge and die and we would get it; but dur- 

 ing the night it disappeared and we found it not in the 

 morning. 



We then skinned the large goat, and hanging the skin 

 up as it was growing late, and Gardner and myself went 

 after our packs and Stout after his, which he had a hard 



