san up its wild to its farthest fountains it was the season of indian summer the sun beamed lovingly the were in the pine trees hovered about the last of the the willow and were yellow the meadows brown and the whole sunny mellow landscape glowed like a countenance in the deepest and sweetest repose on my way over the polished rocks along the river i came to an expanded portion of the about two miles long and half a mile wide which formed a level park with picturesque granite walls like those of valley down through the middle of it the wild sheep poured the beautiful river shining and in the golden light yellow gi on its banks and of brown meadow while the whole park was witli wild life some of which even the head of thk and least observing of must have seen had they been with me deer with their bounded from thicket to thicket as i advanced kept rising from the brown grass with a great of wings and on the mountains of the lower branches of the pines and allowed a near approach as if curious to see me farther on a broad shouldered showed himself coming out of a grove and crossing the river on a flood of logs halting for a moment to look back the bird like about my feet everywhere among the pine needles and grass the of the river the rattled from perch to perch and the blessed sang amid the spray of every where may lonely wanderer find a more interesting family of earth bom companions and fellow mortals t it was afternoon when i joined them and the glorious landscape began to fade in the before i awoke from their enchantment then i sought a camp ground on the river bank made a of tea and lay down to sleep on a smooth place among the yellow leaves of an grove next day i discovered yet and life following the river over huge swelling rock through a majestic and past innumerable the scenery in general became gradually and more the sugar pine and silver gave place to the and the walls became more rugged and bare and and became more abundant in the gardens and of meadow along the streams toward the middle of the afternoon i came to another valley strikingly wild and original in all its features and perhaps never before touched by human foot as regards area of level bottom land it is one of the wild sheep the very smallest of the type but its walls are sublime to a height of from to feet above the river at the head of the valley the main forks as is found to be the case id all the of this one is due chiefly to the action of two great whose fountains lay to the eastward on the of and and a cluster of nameless peaks farther south the mountains of the gray river was singing loudly through the valley but above its roar i heard the of a which drew me eagerly on and just as i emerged from the tangled groves and at the head of the valley the main fork of the river came in sight falling fresh from its fountains in a snowy between granite walls feet high the steep incline down which the glad waters thundered seemed to bar all farther progress it was not long however before i discovered a crooked in the rock by which i was enabled to climb to the edge of a terrace that crosses the and the nearly in the middle here i sat down to take breath and make some in my note book taking advantage at the same time of my elevated position above the trees to gaze back over the valley into the heart of the noble landscape little knowing the while what neighbors were near after spending a few minutes in this way i chanced to look across the fall and there stood three sheep quietly observing me never did the sudden appearance of a mountain or fall or human friend more forcibly seize and my attention anxiety to observe accurately held me perfectly still eagerly i marked the flowing of their muscles their strong legs ears eyes heads their graceful rounded necks the color of their hair and the bold curves of their noble horns when they moved i watched every gesture while they in no wise disconcerted either by my attention or by the the wild sheep tumultuous roar of the water advanced deliberately alongside the between the two divisions of the turning now and then to look at me presently they came to a steep ice which they ascended by a succession of quick short stiff legged leaps reaching the top without a struggle this was the most startling feat of i had ever witnessed and considering only the of the thing my astonishment could hardly have been greater had they displayed wings and taken to flight on such gi would have fallen and rolled like loosened many a time where the slopes are far lower i have been compelled to take off my shoes and stockings tie them to my belt and creep with the utmost caution no wonder then that i watched the ess of these animal with keen sympathy and in the boundless of wild nature displayed in their invention construction and keeping a few minutes later i caught sight of a dozen more in one band near the foot of the upper fall they were standing on the same side of the river with me only twenty five or thirty yards away looking as and perfect as if created on the spot it appeared by their tracks which i had seen in the little and by their present position that when i came up the they were all feeding together down in the valley and in their haste to reach high gi 