Year: 1870

HUNTIN G ROCKY MOUNTAIN


SHEEP.


We had been at our new camp sever
al davs, and taken all the game we
wanted, when, one morning, I deter
mined to climb the mountain peaks and
have hunt after the famous mountain
sheep. My companions liked the idea
of a dash at the "hard heads, and we
all three set out together. The sun met US
as we toiled up the sleeps, and it was
scarcely half an hour high when La
Frombe, who was in advance, halted
and pointing to a cliff half a mile dis
tant, said, There they are" We look
ed in the direction indicated and saw a
group of four sheep walking along the
edge Of a precipice. They had not yet
discovered US, and we stood still until
they passed out of sight behind some
projecting rocks. and then ran as fast as
we could along the mountain side until
we were directly under where we had
seen our game. Carefully ascending
from crag to crag, we were not long
in coming upon their fresh tracks, and
now we crept along, looking carefully
ahead at every turn. Presently La
Frombe pointed to the right, and there,
standing on a rock, scarcely two hun
dred yards from US, were three large
sheep. We each selected a sheep-La
Frombe taking the one on the left, the
Santee the one in the middle, and | the
farthest on the right. At a signal from
La Frombe we fred together, and when
the smoke cleared away, saw one sheep
lying on the rock 1 ran as fast as l
could up the rocks, and arrived in time
to see the other two big horns going
around the bluff a quarter of a mile off
La Frombe had killed his game, but the
Santee and l had missed our mark. I,
however, noticed blood on the stones,
and knowing that one of the other two
was wounded, determined to follow
them. Leaving La Frombe and the
Santee to skin and dress the dead ami
NAL, I climbed from ravine to ravine,
and from rock to rock, for nearly an
hour, and had began to despair of seeing
my game again, when l Unexpectedly
came upon some blood and tracks. l
saw where the sheep had lain but few
moments before, and as there was some
soft soil at this point, so l could follow
the tracks, crawled carefully along. l
paused often to watch and listen, but
could see nothing, and all was silent as





can be. had began to descend little,
with view of getting among some
scrubby pines near by, in order the bet
ter to shield myself from observation,
and lust as l reached them, l saw
stately ram walking slowly along a ledge
! of rocks, closely followed by a small
eve. I was yet too far away to shoot
with precision, and as they were moving
slowly, and had not seen me, 1 stood
| still until they turned the rock. They
were moving parallel with me, and I now
hastened, under cover of the pines, to
get ahead of them, if possible. After
getting one or two falls, and nearly
breaking my gun and meek over the
stones, l perceived the sheep nearly
above me, and not over two hundred
yards distant l crawled to the edge of
the rock, and selecting an open spot,
where I knew the sheep would pass,
rested my gun. In a moment they ap-
peared, and when the ram came oppo-
Site the end of my rifle, I fired. The old
fellow dropped, rolled over, turned upon
his horns, and fell over forty feet, light
! ing on his head.* He was desperately
wounded, but still able to rise. AS he
steadied himself for another Jump, put
a third ball into him, and he lay down
on the rocks. scrambled up to him,
and when he saw me, he made desper-
ate efforts to get upon his feet. He lay
upon his side, his great red eyes rolling
/ fiercely. When 1 went near him he
bleated piteously, and struck with his
fore-feet, at the same time tossing his
great horns savagely about. tried for
Sometime to get hold of him, not wish
ing to shoot him again, as I had but two
/ -, o7--rec left IN NV rrT1r, and had left
my ammunition-belt behind, in order to
climb the better. Every time approach
ed he struck at me, until, finally
losing my patience, pounced upon him
from behind, and seizing hold Of one OF
his horns, attempted to draw my hunting
knife across his throat. Throwing back
his head with a strength that surprised
me, he struck me with his horn on the
knee, and almost broke my leg. 1t was
only after a severe struggle that / was
able to drive my knife into his neck and
finish HIM


When l had killed the ram, 1 locked
up, and there stood the doe, hardly fifty
yards distant She had been looking al
the death of her mate, and now, even as
1 looked at her, bounded nimbly away
over the rocks. l fired a shot after her


but it did not hit her, and I sat down
perfectly satisfied with my ram.


was not long in signaling my com
panions, and presently heard the long


'tally-ho" of La Frombe, who was
coming up the sleeps below me.


had my sheep skinned and dressed
by the time they came up. and the pines


afording a favorable place, we cut of


some of the choice bits, roasted them on
the Goals and dined.


We were all three very tired, and hav-


ing had enough of sheep-hunting for one
day, we rested for a couple of hours
; and then, packing our meat on oul
backs, we began the descent. 1t was
quite late when we reached our camp


and as we were weary, and bruised by
many a fall we had received during the


day, we soon went to bed.