BAG THE MARKHOR AT LAST 71 



withiu range. Mirza Ivhiiu signalled the news after a 

 careful peep over the hilltop. It was about ten o'clock, 

 and the sun was very hot, and the markhor were restino- 

 within a semicircular rocky enclosure, and were apparently 

 looking down intently right into the Biinji fort, across the 

 river, not a mile off. I was splendidly placed for a shot, 

 but only one male markhor was visible, lying in a corner on a 

 ledge of rocks that protected him from the sun. He was 

 so snugly placed that I could not make him out for some 

 time, though he was not over a hundred and thirty yards 

 off. The largest male, which we had noted when we first 

 sighted the flock, was not to be seen. After a careful and 

 unsuccessful search for him, I determined to loose off at 

 the one before me, so rested the rifle on a rock and took 

 careful aim — result only a broken fore leg. Nothing better 

 could be expected when the animal was lying down. He 

 looked up stupefied, and my next missed him clean ; the 

 third broke a hind leg. These shots disturbed the big one, 

 and he rushed down the rocks towards the river at a 

 frightful pace. After going down about two hundred 

 yards, he stood for a moment on a projecting rock, and I 

 had a snap-shot at him and missed. I had put up the 

 second sight, and the bullet went over him. The wounded 

 one was still standing on the ledge where he had been 

 sleeping : he seemed paralysed, and kept shaking his 

 wounded legs, as if endeavouring to get rid of something 

 that was holding him down. My fifth shot was a miss 

 too, but it moved the markhor ; he came hobbling down 

 the rocks and stood in the sunshine on a smooth sloping 

 slab of rock, looking quite bewildered, and not ninety yards 

 away. He gave me a good broadside, and I put the sixth 

 bullet through his shoulder. He rolled down the sloping 

 rock for fifty yards, his horns rattling and banging in a 

 way that made me tremble for them, but happily they 



