  Column density distribution functions of CIV with 12.05 < log (N) < 14.35 and
SiIV with 11.70 < log (N) < 13.93 have been obtained using 81 CIV absorbers and
35 SiIV absorbers redward of the Ly alpha forest in the lines of sight to seven
quasars with 2.518 < z(em) < 3.78. These distribution functions have been
directly integrated to yield ion densities at z = 3 to 3.5 of Omega(CIV) = (2.0
\pm 0.5) x 10(-8) and Omega(SiIV) = (7.0 \pm 2.6) x 10(-9) with H0 = 65
km/s/Mpc and q0 = 0.02 (1 sigma errors). A larger sample of 11 quasar lines of
sight was used to measure CII/CIV, SiIII/SiIV, and NV/CIV ratios, which suggest
that CIV and SiIV are the dominant ionization stages and that corrections to
Omega(Carbon) and Omega(Silicon) are no more than a factor of two. Normalizing
the alpha-process elements to silicon and the Fe-coproduction elements to
carbon gives a density of heavy elements in these forest clouds of
Omega(metals) = (3.3 \pm 0.8) x 10(-7) (H0 = 65, q0 = 0.02). The implications
for the amount of star formation and for the ionization of the IGM prior to z =
3 are discussed.
