r
skins for such articles as he might require.

Dick joined because it afforded him an opportunity of seeing the wild,
majestic scenery of the Rocky Mountains, and shooting the big-horned
sheep which abounded there, and the grizzly "bars," as Joe named them,
or "Caleb," as they were more frequently styled by Henri and the other
men.

Henri joined because it was agreeable to the inclination of his own
rollicking, blundering, floundering, crashing disposition, and because
he would have joined anything that had been joined by the other two.

Crusoe's reason for joining was single, simple, easy to be expressed,
easy to be understood, and commendable. _He_ joined--because Dick did.

The very day after the party left the encampment where Dick had shot the
grizzly bear and the deer, he had the satisfaction of bringing down a
splendid specimen of the big-horned sheep. It came suddenly out from a
gorge of the mountain, and stood upon the giddy edge of a tremendous
precipice, at a distance of about two hundred and fifty yards.

"_You_ could not hit that," said a trapper to Henri, who was rather fond
of jeering him about his short-sightedness.

"Non!" cried Henri, who didn't see the animal in the least; "say you
dat? ve shall see;" and he let fly with a promptitude that amazed his
comrades, and with a result that drew from them peals of laughter.

"Why, you have missed the mountain!"

"Oh, non! dat am eempossoble."

It was true, nevertheless, for his ball had been arrested in its flight
by the stem of a tree not twenty yards before him.

While the shot was yet ringing, and before the laugh above referred to
had pealed forth, Dick Varley fired, and the animal, springing wildly
into the air, fell down the precipice, and was almost dashed to pieces
at their feet.

This Rocky Mountain or big-horned sheep was a particularly large and
fine one, but, being a patriarch of the flock, was not well suited for
food. It was considerably larger in size than the domestic sheep, and
might be described as somewhat resembling a deer in the body and a ram
in the head. Its horns were the chief point of interest to Dick; and,
truly, they were astounding! Their enormous size was out of all
proportion to the animal's body, and they curved backwards and
downwards, and then curled up again in a sharp point. These creatures
frequent the inaccessible heights of the Rocky Mountains, and are
difficult to approach. They have a great fondnes