“That’s all thar is to tell. I plumped the lamb over fust; an’ the doe, she run off. After follerin’ her fur half a mile I found her ag’in, and knocked her over, too; but I didn’t kill her. When I went to take her by the horns she jumped up an’ give me a whack that laid me out flatter’n a slap-jack. When I kinder come to myself, about an hour afterward, I found her standin’ over her lamb; an’ that time I made sure work of her. Now, perfessor, what be ye goin’ to do next?” “I want to get this game to the camp with as little delay as possible,” answered Oscar. “I have a good deal of work before me, and I can do it now easier than I can after the specimens are frozen. But how are we going to get them to the cabin? Why, those sheep must weigh two or three hundred pounds apiece.” Oscar had been revolving this problem in his mind while his guide was climbing the bluff, and it puzzled him not a little; but Big Thompson solved it without an instant’s hesitation. CHAPTER XXV. OSCAR DISCOVERS SOMETHING. “I believe you hunters generally make a litter to carry your game home on, don’t you?” continued Oscar. “We do sometimes, when thar’s two fellers to tote it,” replied Big Thompson. “Well, there are two of us here; but I never could carry one end of a litter with all those animals piled on it. The distance is too great and the load would be too heavy.” “Yes, I reckon seven or eight hundred pounds would be a pretty good lift for a chap of your inches, an’ yer a mighty well put up sort of a boy, too. We’ll have to snake ’em thar.” “That would never do,” returned Oscar, quickly. “It would spoil the skins to haul the game so far over the snow.” “They shan’t tech the snow at all. I’ll tell ye what I mean.” Big Thompson gave the boy his rifle to hold, and, with the hatchet he always carried in his belt, cut down a small pine tree, which was to be used as a drag. With the aid of this drag they succeeded, after infinite trouble, and two hours’ hard work, in transferring all the game from the plateau to the mouth of the gorge. One of the big-horns was then placed on the drag and the guide started with it for the cabin, leaving Oscar to protect the rest from any hungry beast which might chance to pass that way. The guide was obliged to make four trips between the gorge and the camp, and, as it was no easy work to haul the drag and its heavy burdens through the snow, two hours more were consumed, so that it was near the middle of the afternoon before Oscar saw his specimens safely housed. After full justice had been done to the cutlets, which, under Big Thompson’s supervision, were cooked to perfection, Oscar set to work upon one of the sheep, while the guide sat by, smoking his pipe and watching all his movements with the keenest interest.