96 IBEX SHOOTINCx 



where the ibex had rolled, and, having followed the traces 

 to the edge of the precipice, he looked over and saw the 

 ibex lying dead in the Boin stream at the bottom of the 

 valley. After a flight of a hundred yards, the animal 

 must have collapsed and rolled down, shooting the precipice 

 and falling plump into the water, two hundred and fifty 

 yards below. Leaving Mirza Khan to cut off the second 

 buck's head, Sharafa and I returned, climbed down to the 

 stream, and followed it till we came to the carcase. What 

 a smash there had been ! The body was in two portions, 

 the horns were in several pieces, the lower jaw was missing 

 altoo-ether, and the skin about the head was much torn. 

 I was in despair at the loss of such a fine head, when 

 Sharafa pointed out that the horns could be mended, as 

 the cores had not been injured. He cut off the head, and, 

 having picked up all the pieces of horn we could see, 

 fitted them and found that none were missing. As the 

 animal's throat had not been cut in the orthodox fashion, 

 the meat was of no use, so we left the mutilated carcase, 

 and waited for Mirza Khan with the other head. 



I examined with the glasses the face of the precipice 

 down which the ibex had fallen. A pair of large hill- 

 crows were busy picking up bits of flesh from the ledges 

 of rock, and by their movements I could judge exactly the 

 line of descent. After falling over the edge, the un- 

 fortunate ibex must have twice struck rocky projections 

 before the fearful and final smash, a short distance above 

 the stream, whence it rolled into the water. The perpen- 

 dicular height was not less than two hundred and fifty 

 yards, as well as I could guess, but Sharafa said it was 

 more. That the head and horns had not been utterly 

 ruined by such a fall was a wonderful piece of luck. It 

 was curious to watch the ravens flying from ledge to ledge 

 to pick up the shreds of flesh. When we began our stalk, 



