Hunting in the Cattle Country 



or ridges, there being hollows like vertical 

 gullies between them, and up one of these I 

 scrambled, using the utmost caution not to dis- 

 lodge earth or stones. Finally I reached the 

 bench just below the sky line, and then, turn- 

 ing to the left, wriggled cautiously along it, hat 

 in hand. The cliff was so steep and bulged 

 so in the middle, and, moreover, the shoulders 

 or projecting ridges in the surface spoken of 

 above were so pronounced, that I knew it was 

 out of the question for the animal to have seen 

 me, but I was afraid it might have heard me. 

 The air was absolutely still, and so I had no 

 fear of its sharp nose. Twice in succession I 

 peered with the utmost caution over shoulders 

 of the cliff, merely to see nothing beyond save 

 another shoulder some forty or fifty yards dis- 

 tant. Then I crept up to the edge and looked 

 over the level plateau. Nothing was in sight 

 excepting the horses, and these were close up 

 to me, and, of course, they all raised their 

 heads to look. I nervously turned half round, 

 sure that if the animal, whatever it was, was 

 in sight, it would promptly take the alarm. 

 However, by good luck, it appeared that at 

 this time it was below the crest on the terrace 

 or bench already mentioned, and, on creeping 



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