Part 12 (2/2)

”Where are you going, Uncle dick?” asked Rob

”Jesse and I are going to stop right here under cover, and Jesse shall have the sport of watching your hunt through the field-glasses--al himself Go on now, and don't lose any time”

The two older boys now advanced carefully up the slope, using the cover of the trees as far as they could They appeared in the open for a little time, only to disappear beyond a series of rocks which projected froone,” said Jesse, as steadily watching through the glasses

”Give them tiet pretty close in order to e now”

”Oh, there they are!” whispered Jesse, a little later ”I see theht doard thee of the rocks; I can see he's got his caets there”

”Good boy, Rob!” said Uncle dick, approvingly ”He has h the glasses, no his two friends slowly advancing, clinging like flies to the steep rock's face, but all the tioats seemed not to suspect an enemy, but lay or stood about in perfect unconcern They did not have any sentinel posted, as the mountain sheep often will, but seemed to feel perfectly secure from all intrusion

[Illustration: ROB'S GOAT]

At last Jesse saw Rob stand up straight and walk forward rapidly with his caoats now heard or scented hi him silent and motionless

”They don't knohat he is!” exclai one right up toward hiet his picture, sure” An easy prophecy, for, as a ood pictures of the old goat and the others, as he stood rapidly working his camera, almost in the face of the fearless old billy which advanced toward hioats apparently take alaran to disperse, so slowly up the apparently perpendicular rock face

”They'll run right into John!” exclaimed Jesse ”There he is--there, he's shot! Got him, too!”

They heard the faint sound of the report of the rifle cooat as he slipped and rolled a the rocks

”Well done,” said Uncle dick ”They've both done their ell, Jesse, and I aoat steaks, all ant I'et crazy and shoot a lot of those poor creatures”

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

In due ti by the side of the dead goat The boys waved their hats to one another as Jesse approached, sht 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 soat

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

”What could we have done with the this yearling--it's all ant 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 seeot one picture, square front end, of that old fellow, and I don't think he enty feet away frooing to hurt hiht”

”Now,” said Uncle dick, ”the next thing is to get ourup his sleeves, he now prepared to skin out such oat 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 suess it will be the easiest way to get our meat down the mountain Come on now, boys, every fellow for hiet a fall”

It was hard and so down the steep face of the h up where the rocks were bare