the
precipice above them. They were animals, but such as they had never
seen before. Each of them was as large as a common deer, and nearly of
the same colour--reddish upon the back and flanks, though the throat,
hips, and under parts, were of a whitish hue. They were nearly
deer-shaped, though of somewhat stouter proportions, and to these they
bore a strong resemblance in many other respects. In the form of their
heads and general expression of their faces they resembled sheep more
than any other animals. But the most singular part of them was the
horns; and these enabled our hunters at a glance to tell what sort of
animals they were. They were the "cimmarons," or wild sheep of the
Rocky Mountains.

In regard to their horns, they differed very much from one another; and
at first sight there appeared to be two distinct species of animals.
Some of them had short horns--not over six inches in length--rising from
the crown of the head and bending slightly backward, without widening
much between the tips. These were the females of the flock. The males,
however, presented an appearance altogether different, owing to the
immense size of their horns. These grew out immediately over their
eyes, first curving backwards, and then forwards again, until their
points nearly touched the jaws of the animals on both sides. The horns
of some were more than a yard in length, and quite half as much in
circumference at the base, where they were deeply indented with
ring-like grooves and protuberances, such as are seen in those of the
common ram. These huge appendages gave the creatures a singular and
imposing appearance, as they stood out upon the brink of the precipice
outlined against the blue sky. There were about a dozen of them in
all--both males and females,--but the males could be more plainly seen,
as they were farther forward upon the cliff, looking down and snuffing
the tainted air.

As soon as our young hunters had recovered from their first surprise at
this novel sight, all three levelled their pieces with the intention of
firing. But the cimmarons seemed to have guessed their design; for, as
the guns were pointed upward, they wheeled, and were out of sight in a
twinkling.

The boys remained on the spot for more than a quarter of an hour, in
hopes that the animals would again make their appearance on the
precipice above. The latter, however, did not return. They had
satisfied their curiosity; or else, wiser t