faint sound of the report of the rifle come down from
above, and could see the fall of the goat as he slipped and rolled
among the rocks.

"Well done," said Uncle Dick. "They've both done their work well,
Jesse, and I am pretty sure we'll have both goat pictures and goat
steaks, all we want. I'm glad John did not get crazy and shoot a lot
of those poor creatures."

"Come on," said Jesse, "let's run up to where they are."

In due time they climbed up to where Rob and Jesse were sitting by the
side of the dead goat. The boys waved their hats to one another as
Jesse approached, smiling and panting.

"I saw it all," said Jesse, "right in the field-glasses, close up.
That's fine, isn't it?"

Rob and John both began to talk at once, while Uncle Dick stood
smilingly looking down at the dead goat.

"I could have killed two or three big ones," said John. "What heads
they had, too!"

"What could we have done with them?" asked his uncle. "No, you did
quite right in killing this yearling--it's all we want. And I think
Rob had the hardest task of any of us; it's easier to shoot a goat
with a rifle than with a camera."

"Well," said Rob, "it was just the way you said--they didn't seem
afraid at all. I've got one picture, square front end, of that old
fellow, and I don't think he was twenty feet away from me. He seemed
to think the camera was something that was going to hurt him, and he
showed fight."

"Now," said Uncle Dick, "the next thing is to get our meat down the
mountain."

Rolling up his sleeves, he now prepared to skin out such meat as he
wanted from the dead goat. He cut off the head and neck, and cut off
the legs at the knee-joints. Then he skinned back only the fore
quarters, leaving the hide still attached to the hind quarters and the
saddle. Using his belt, he folded the skin over the saddle, and then,
tying the sleeves of his coat so that it covered his shoulders, he
hoisted the saddle astride of his neck.

"I don't fancy this smell very much," said he, "but I guess it will be
the easiest way to get our meat down the mountain. Come on now, boys,
every fellow for himself, and be careful not to get a fall."

It was hard and sometimes rather slow work scrambling down the steep
face of the mountain, especially high up where the rocks were bare.
But after a time they came to the small green trees, and then to the
tall pines under whose shade the ground was softer and gave them a
better footing. It did not ta