here, at no place very much covered with undergrowth. At
last they reached the edges of bare country, where the sun struck them
fully. By this time the boys were pretty tired, for it was far past
noon, and they had not stopped for lunch. John was very hungry, but
too brave to make any complaint. He was, however, feeling the effects
of the march considerably.

"Well," said he, as they finally sat down upon a large rock, "I don't
see any signs of sheep up in here, and I don't think this looks like a
very good game country. There isn't anything for the sheep to eat."

"Oh yes," rejoined Alex; "you'll find a little grass, and some moss
among the rocks, more often than you would think. This is just the
kind of country that bighorns like. You mustn't get discouraged too
soon on a hunt. An Injun may be slow to start on a hunt, but when he
gets started he doesn't get discouraged, but keeps on going. Sometimes
our people hunt two or three days without anything to eat.

"But now since you mention it, Mr. John," he added, "I'd like to ask
you, are you sure there are no signs of game around here?"

Both the boys looked for a long time all over the mountain-slopes
before them. Rob had his field-glasses with him, and these he now took
out, steadily sweeping one ridge after another for some time.

"I see, Alex!" he called out, excitedly. "I know what you mean!"

"Where are they?" called John, excitedly.

"Oh, not sheep yet," said Rob, "but just where they've been, I think."

"Look, Mr. John," said Alex, now taking John by the arm and pointing
across the near-by ravines. "Don't you see that long mark, lighter in
color, which runs down the side of that mountain over there, a mile or
two away, and up above us?"

"Yes, I can see that; but what is it?"

"Well, that's a sheep trail, a path," said Alex. "That's a trail they
make coming down regularly from the high country beyond. It looks to
me as though they might have a watering place, or maybe a lick, over
in there somewhere. It looks so good to me, at least, that I think
we'll make a camp."

They turned now, under the old hunter's guidance, and retraced their
steps until they found themselves at the edge of timber, where Alex
threw down his bundle under a tall spruce-tree whose branches spread
out so as almost to form a tent of itself. He now loosened his straps
and bits of rope from about the bundle, and fastened these about his
waist. With remaining pieces of twine he swung