Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-01
A HUNT FOR NOBLE GAME.
TRAILING THE MOUNTAIN GOAT IN
THE WHO'S OF IDAHO.

'FiC NSlGCSf UT tDttflo.
Chicago Travelling Man Tells His TX
perience I'm Bringing Down the Fleet
Footed and Rare AnimaI--He Had a
Genuine Attack of Buck Fever"
left Boise City, Idaho, with a half breed
| guide and two pack mules. Our destination
was the Sawtooth range of mountains, the
only spot in the United States where the
| Rocky mountain goat is to be found. After
a tedious tramp of a week we found ourselves
near lofty peak of the range known as Sill
yer mountain. Here we pitched our camp
and began the hnnt for game. Two days
passed without success
The third day, just before sundowu a
sharp exclamation from the half breed, fol
lowed by conf1sed jabbering of English,
| French and Indian words suddenly put my
tired senses on the alert.
My eyes quickly 70 lowed the direction in
which his finger po nted Outlined against
the sky on point of rocks far above us, gag
ing down evidently with mingled fear and
| curiosity, stood a mammoth male specimen
Of the Identical game for which our pilgrim
| age had been made to the Sawtooth range
He was apparently ont of reach of my rife,
but, nevertheless, good Judgment deserted
mo just when it WIS needed and | biazed
away at the old fellow The bullet knocked
| up a cloud OF dust fifty feet below him
He gave a contenlptuous snort, reared on
his hind legs, turned IN them as if on pivot
and again stood facing US | had my rife to
my shoulder again by this time, having
raised the sights a triAe, and gave him the
| benefit of another shot, this time making the
dirt fly just under his nose Another snort
and again he stood erect and pirouetted like
| ballet dancer.
| TUE FIRST VICTIM
Just then | heard the report of a gun by
| my side. The half breed had tried his hand,
| and with much better success. His bullet
| struck the goat squarely in the breast and
| penetrated his heart. He gave shrill whis-
ting cry, as if of warning, sprang into the
air, and then his BODY came rolling and tum-
bling down the hillside until it landed at our
| feet
There's moro of them where he came
FROM" said the half breed, as he quietly drew
his knife and began h remove the hide while
the body still quivered / wanted to rush up
the hillside in hot pursuit, but my companion
| restrained me-
mo use now; all gone; wait till morning" +"
said he. Tomorrow we get all we want"
He was as cool the mountain stream
which ran down the hillside short distance
away, while was experiencing genuine at
tack OF ''buck fever" and shaking like leaf.
| I m,
ure, and examined tie animal before me. He
was one of the largest of his species, and must
have weighed over 800 pounds. In build
know of nothing he more nearly resembled
than the little black bears in Lincoln park
His body was large and heavy, and his legs
short and stunted But his hidel 1t was the
prettiest pelt l had ever set eyes on during all
| my experience in the northwest. Snowy
white in color, with long, straight hair like
an Angora goat, it almost made my mouth
| water | looked t it, and in moment
had reached into my pocket, pulled out ten
dollar gold piece, and given it to the half
breed with the understanding that it was to
be my individual property. have it now in
my home in Hyde Park, and no amount Of
money could buy it from me, although | was
offered five times is price shortly after my
return to Boise City, and could have sold it
on several occasions since then at a handsome
! advance
| THE SECOND DAYS HUNT
Early next morn ng we swallowed some
coffee, uibbled CT acker, and, shouldering
our guns started up the mountain side to-
wards thespot where the goat had been killed
the night before. Reaching the point of
rocks, the half breed searched for few mo-
ments and then said
Come on"
| followed him The snow was crushed
and broken for several hundred yards, show
| ing that Immediately after the death of the
| leader the flock Of dozen or more goats
which had been with him had suddenly STAN
peded and fled without any particular aim
except to get away rom the spot Then the
trail narrowed, and finally it appeared rs II
some of the younger bucks had taken COM
mand and led the retreat. Day was Just
breaking, and above us the peaks were CLINT
ed with the gold Of the coming sun The
| half breed broke into rapid trot, and it
taxed me to the utm ,st to keep up with him.
For nearly mile he kept up his speed, and
then suddenly stopped.
Not far off now" said the half breed.
They sleep pretty close to here"
| Then with a warning to 60 slow and
watch every footstep | made him lead the
| way. We were approaching narrow point
| Of rocks, and just before reaching it he
stopped.
Around there was the brief injunction.
| sgMa limb lyu and baa
Then you get shot al EN-"
My nerves were like steel by this time, and
| concealing myself behind tree | waited
| The half breed wriggled over the peak and
| disappeared Half an hour and not a sound
| Then | heard far away two faint reports
| Instantly braced myself In few seconds
the tiocs came racing round the corner and
came straight toward me. | had placed my
self SO that / calculated they would pass
scarcely dozen yards away Past me they
| raced and | let the leader have it suuarely
behind the shoulder He sprang to his feet
: and then dropped dead. female goat Just
behind him stumbled and fell over the body
| The others huddled together. and emptied
shot after shot into tbe Cock from my repeat
er until all except four suddenly turned and
sped back in the di 'ection from which they
originally came They had scarcely disap-
peared around the rocks before heard the
half breeds gun Ee had hurried up on the
trail, and was just n time to do some lively
work The frighter ed animals finally raced
back past me; but had not expected this
move and So they we're out of danger before
could use my gun.