[CHAPTER XXI]
LAST DAYS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
As the Indians had said the trail was very steep, but after a time they reached an open timber plateau country, beautiful to travel through but without apparent game. After a little while, however, the timber grew less, and they could see before them gently rolling hills from which at some distance rose a bald, snowy mountain. They walked swiftly along, and the great mountain grew nearer.
"I tell you, Hugh," said Jack, "that looks like a good sheep country!"
"Yes," said Hugh, "it does, and from what we have seen I expect there are plenty of them there."
"This is the sort of place where we ought to find big rams," said Jack, with a laugh.
"Right," replied Hugh; "but you've hunted enough to know that big rams are not always found where they ought to be."
"No," said Jack, "that's an old story; the big rams are always 'farther back.'"
"Yes," said Hugh, "they are always 'farther back,' but what that means, I guess nobody knows. I expect that as a matter of fact, the big rams, keeping together as they do, for all the season except in rutting time, and being few in numbers compared with the ewes and young ones, are harder to find, just because they are few in number."
The afternoon was far advanced when they reached the foot of the mountain. Here, snow lay on the ground two or three inches deep. By a little spring they found a white man's camp that had been made early in the season. In the fresh snow Hugh pointed out to Jack the tracks of a wolverine which had been about the camp recently, nosing around to see what it could find. A few moments later one of the Indians came up, and Hugh said: "Tom, do you know whose camp this is?"