The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-07-02
Rocky Mountain Sheep.

A correspondent of the N. Y. Herald
who is accompanying the Hayden Expe
dition, in Southern Colorado, says:
Getting of by seven O'Clock the nexI
morning we had hardly travelled three
miles when q rare sight met our eyes
the like Of which, in all probability, we
snail never see again. Several of us had
tbeed riding in the rear Of the train
watching old "Jake," ONE of the largest
pack mules, who at every opportunity
would stink into some secluded clump
of bushes by the wayside and lie down
unobserved. This he had already done
several times, and once or twice we
mad been ON the verge of losing him. AS
we, rode through a narrow canyon,
walled on one side by a steep bank GOV.
cred with trees on the other by a tower
ing mass OF perpendicular rock, happen
Ing to glance upward, we saw, standing
ON one OF the narrow ledges Of the latter,
HOOK OF sheep, which some of us at first
LOOK for antelope, which was ridicu-
lous error. Every one observed them at
the same time, and for an instant, so
great was our surprise, not q man
stirred in his saddle. There, with inquis-
ltlye gaze, unmixed with fear, scarcely
Ioo ieet above above US, were seven
Rocky Mountain sheep, five of them full
grown and two OF them small lambs, In
our excitement we did not determine
how many were rams and how many
ewes, but, as both sexes are endowed
with horns, this oversight may have
been excusable. At the same second as
II at given signal, each man leaped
from his seat, and, bending one knee to
the ground, picked out his animal and
nred. There was quick movement
among our animals, and almost iustan-
taneously both mules and sheep were
out of sight, The two little lambs; how
ever, appeared again in perpendicular
creVice near the summit Of the rock, and
bleating. piteously, skipped over such
seemingly inaccessible places that they
resembied flies gliding rapidly up a
wall This was a signal for numerous
wild shots; for, although most of the
boys We're good marksmen, the sudden
unlocked for appearance OF this noble
game unneryed them and they shot wide
OF the mark. Thus it came about that
we had NO tender wild mutton ior our
dinner.
A few words in this place relative to
these animals may be Of interest, A full
grown ram is as large good-size do
mesticated calf. Its coat OF hair resem-
bles in texture and color that of a deer,
being coarse and OF a gray color. The
norns are stout and curved backward, as
in domestic sheep, with the exception
that they are much larger. The female
possesses them also, being straighter
and shorter. Hunters say that in de-
scending from rocky cliff they throw
themselves sometimes over fifty feet,
alighting on their horns, which are SO
elastic that the animal bounds into the
air and alights on its feet. This is very
plausible, as the Indians use these horns
Tor bows, possessing some means of
Strengthening them for this purpose. An
ordinary sheep will weigh 800 or quo
pounds.
The excitement being over (who can
sblame. d man tor becoming excited on.
such an occasion, when it is known that
these animals are becoming so rare even
in these mountains?) there was nothing
left to DO but resume our journey, re.
GREETING the haste with which we had
acted. But not a mule was to be seen,
After few moments search we dis
covered them in little hollow, sur
rounded by dense thicket. in which
they had unwittingly corraled them
selves, all standing in circle withheld
long, solemn noses touching, seeming to
be consulting among themselves which
way to proceed to get away from their
prosecutors.