The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-22
that | Was snfe and sound relieved further
anxisfN IN his matt

among the topmoav peaks Of the Rockies
sh6 wind hOwlsd and rOaEod around w In n
mansr ! never dreamed possible, but the
morning sun broke bright and clear In tho
east, Notwithstanding whose welcome beAn,s
ana cheering rays our portable thermome-
tor registered a temperature of thirty-two
deRrsss below zero Ut asven 4, III.
~ grew warmer, however, in o little
while. and our mountain friend expressing
= Willingness TO accompany US on our hunt,
" was declded to break camp without delay
and 90 to a still higher altitude in search OF
the noble game animal we we're after.
~ less than half an hour after starting
out Hobbs brought down 9 fine specimen OF
ths big horn fAmily-a monster RAM,
'bearded ~ Q bard,' who boasted an
enormous head gearthat must have weighed
nearly NJ much ns his whole body.
we saved the horns aud threw the cnr-
cass away. Atroopof seventeen or sighteen
now appeared, jumping from craR to cliff
and from cliff to crAg, but they were too
tar away and entirely too active for even a
chance shot, and their total disappearance
q moment later settled the question Of a
trial shot In favor of the goats. But Jln'a
opportunity came When another fellow
popped into view far off to the right, and
as luck would have it he came bounding di-
rectly toward us In \ sort OF "hop-Rkip-a and
jump style until he reached a point about
400 yards distant. When here he paused
and shifted the air a few times before max
ing mp his mind whether to proceed further
Or retire. Bnt it was a fatal moment for
him, AZ Jim's front sight had been covering
the Creaturs all the while. and now a loud
report rang out which came echoing and
r~e-enhoing back from tho mountain depths
in \ thousand reverberations. Down tum-
blcd the goat. but IL was from q %rrecipioe.
and we saw his body go whirling ard spin
ming around until il struck bottom many
thousands of feet below us, and entirely
beyond tho possibility of recovery.
Two hours later when he had climbed
somewhat nearer heaven and had selected
a soft place in the snow, where we lay
quietly resting n recovering wind. a fine
old fellow came slowly into sight on tie
summit Of a knife-baok ridge about 800
yards distant. and stood there impudently
gazing at us, ms if wondering what In the
world could have brought us 80 far from
home. He was too far distant for either
Hobbs coarsely-sighted u or Yankee
Jim's smooth-bore, so tbs pleasure Of cap
turing him, if that were possible, fell to me
and my tinely-siRhted Creedmoor target
rifle.
Down I dropped as if before the butts at
Creedmoor, and making u sawbuck OF my
legs, rested the rife in the support after
first carefully adjusting the sights for 800
the animals head, and being sure Of stead
meas without canting the piece, | carefully
pulled the trigger. All three Of us saw the
bullet strike, but it fell a number of yards
short. The animal didn't stir. but kent his
eyes calmly gazing at us as if nothing I'M
usual had happened.
Quickly raising the elevation to what |
judged the correct range, I took careful,
steady aim once more and pulled off the
three pounds without a finch. This time
the bullet struck at the goats feet, and
knocked the soft trap rock in a shower all
over HIM. Like a flash he sprang out OF
sight backwards; and 90 sudden was tie
movement that I was sure I must have hit
him.
There was no time for reflection, however,
for III his place as if by magic sprang the
purest specimen of the Albino goat that |
had ever laid eyes upon, who deliberately
squatted upon his launches like Il dog, n
complaoently proceeded to eye us and the
surrounding country. Where he came from
time to consider. for Hobbs at my elbow
was screeching in my ear, "Now's your
chance! give it to him, for you've got your
elevation dead sure.'
! acted upon thiss suggestion without de-
Law. Raising elevations half r point, 1
again took my steady, long range position,
set the little black bead on the beautiful
white forehead, took the steadiest Of aims,
and without a tremor pulled the trigger.
The smoke pulled away, and We both saw
the snow-white animal pitch suddenly for
ward, and tumble down the rocks into the
tree tops far below. Neither Hobbs nor my.
self had ever seen q member of this species of
moro stories about them, around old
timers camp-fres, than there must have
been actual creatures in existence to fur
nish subjects for those narratives. :
Aud. although We suspected the nature of
the prize that had fallen to our lot, yet we
-~.p1S ~~cM x1@Jz ~A,kcs ~~~ a~S1I Sr - o~a
until We had scrambled over and down the
rocks to the spot where our quarry was ~
ing. and making sure of his identity be.
You'd all doubts.
Arriving there. the species of animal
could not be Questioned He was in truth
a fine specimen of Majama Montana, with
the short antelope no ms, a beard like Me-
his coat was of the soft, silky nature, and
of Albino spotlessness, which proved him
beyond question to be tho far-famcd and
much sought white goat OF the Rocky
mountains. A..
The animal was known of long before
the expedition of Lewis and Clarke through
the northwest in 1SO4-5. Indians tell Of
him. and many q legend of the Aborigines
relates to this strange. Wild animal, whose
home has ever been beyond tho timber line
and amid perpetual snow. He never mi
CRATES like other animals. but lives, sum
mer and winter, alike, among the most IN
accessible peaks in the highest attitudes of
the Rockies. The common though most
beautifully curved horns Of our prize were
cast ABIDE in otder that we might give at
tention to the hide, which was somewhat
torn and scratched from the tremendous full
it had received.
All along the route of descent could be
traced tufts Of the snow-white wool hat
had been torn out by the jagged rocks.
! his ram, we judged, weighed nearly 400
pounds. His girth was fully five feet, and
he must have measured from tip to tip
fully as much AZ he did around the body.
The carcass was not much good, although
we cut out q few steaks from the lump,
which grace1 our supper tablethat evening,
but the meat had a coarse, bitter taste, with
q decided tendency to rankness, and the.e-
fore was not very palatable.
The fat of the animal was something
marvellous. The tibs. back and belly were
lined with pockets of animal fat, which
would almost carry the idea that the
beast was supplied with hlubber. 1t was a
red-letter day for us, and l always preserve
the remembrance that il was the greatest
hunt of my life, whether upon the snow or
verdure clad plains Of Montana or Dakota
or far up among the cloud-enshroudea
peaks of the giant Rockies.
LIEUT.. j. M. Z. PARTELLo. u. s. A.
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