“Well,” said Hugh, “there’s a chance, of course, of getting him and a good many chances that we may not see him again. If you feel like it, we can get up on the ledge along which the animals passed. We’ll make quite a procession, I think, the sheep in the lead, the lion after the sheep, and we three after the lion. I think it will be rather a funny sight to see, and I’m willing to be one of the procession, if you like.”
With due caution, and making as little noise as possible, they crossed over to the hill and started in pursuit of the lion.
As Hugh supposed, the chase was fruitless. When they got round on the other side of the hill they could see the three rams a long way off descending the rocks toward the meadow at the head of Red Eagle Valley, and after a careful inspection with the glasses the lion was also seen, still following them, but some distance behind.
“You see,” said Hugh, “we can’t catch that lion and the lion can’t catch the sheep. I believe we might as well turn round and go back to camp. We can come up here again some day before long and kill a sheep, if we need one, I reckon, and possibly get a shot at the lion, but we can’t to-day.”
On the way down they picked up the pack animals, and as they passed the camp Hugh stopped to cook supper, while the boys took the horses across the river and turned them loose to feed, returning to camp on foot.
The day had been warm, and from the mountains all around them, sometimes loud and sometimes faint and far off, came the rumble and roar of avalanches sliding down the heights.
As they were eating supper, and the sun was sinking over the great mountain to the west, Hugh pointed toward the mountain, and they saw what seemed to be the greater part of a vast snow bank start, at first moving slowly and then more rapidly, slide for some distance down the mountainside, pour in a cloud of what looked like white spray over the great cliff at the mountain’s foot and then pile in a bank at the base of the cliff.
“Lots of snow falling to-day,” said Hugh.
“Lots of it,” assented Jack. “But, say, Hugh, is this going to keep up all night?”
“No,” said Hugh, “just as soon as it gets a little bit cold these slides will stop falling, and then if the sun shines hot to-morrow they’ll begin again toward night.”