start to my feet when I felt Big Pete's restraining hand
on my shoulder, and not until then did I realize that the cave was
crowded with the shaggy white Rocky Mountain goats, and not weird,
white-bearded old men. Few persons can truly say that they have been
within arm's length of a flock of these timid and almost unapproachable
animals; but we had invaded their secret place of refuge, and they had
not, as yet, taken alarm at our presence in their castle. It may be that
the frozen fog had driven the goats to the cavern for shelter, and it is
possible that never having been hunted by man, these animals feared the
White Death more than they did human beings, and did not realize the
dangerous character of their present visitors; whatever the cause of
their temerity, the fact remains that men and goats slept that night in
the cavern together.

I did not awake next morning until after the departure of the goats and
opened my eyes to find myself alone in the cavern.

Having all my clothes on, no time was wasted at my toilet, but I made my
way directly to the doorway and was gratified to discover that Big Pete
was roasting some kid chops over the hot embers of a fire.

After breakfasting on the remains of the kid, Big Pete arose and scanned
the sky, the horizon and the mountain tops, and turning to me said,
"Now, Le-loo, that Wild Hunter-b'ar-wolf man has fooled us by doubling
on his trail an' as it hain't him we're after now but the trail out of
the mountains, I mean to go by sens-see-ation, but you must keep yer
meat-trap shut and not speak, 'cause soon as I know I'm a man I hain't
got no more sense than a man. I must say to myself, 'Now, Pete, you're a
varmint and varmints know their way even in a new country.' Then I just
sense things and trots along 'til I come out all right."

I had often heard of this wonderful instinct of direction, the homing
instinct of the pigeon, which some Indians, Africans, Australian black
boys and a few white men still possess; I say still possess because it
is evident that it was once our common heritage, a sort of sixth sense
which has been lost by disuse. That Big Pete possessed this sixth sense
I little doubted, and it was with absorbing interest that I watched the
man work himself into the proper state of mind.

For quite a time he stood sniffing the air and looking around him while
his body swayed with a slow motion. Then suddenly, as if he had seen
something or as if answering the c