264 THE UPPER BASPA 



one ram and five ewes appeared just below us, running up 

 the hillside we overlooked ; the latter did not seem to be 

 alarmed, but the wary old rams took the hint at once and 

 returned the way they had come. I then fixed my 

 attention on the flock below, and took a shot at the ram 

 as he stood for a moment about 200 yards off. I had 

 put up the second sight, and the bullet, of course, went 

 over him ; but the next shot hit him in the root of the tail 

 as he was going up hill, and stopped him at once. The 

 distance was not less than 250 yards. He went up to 

 some rocks and lay down, evidently very sick. I had four 

 more shots at him in that position about 300 yards off, 

 but failed to touch him. At last Anparh went down, got 

 above him, and drove him towards my right front. He 

 was too badly hurt to go fast, and at last jumped or rolled 

 down to the bottom of the ravine and there remained, for 

 stones failed to move him, and at last we had to go down- 

 As we approached, he slowly mounted some rocks about 

 thirty yards above us, a most difficult climb, and lay down 

 again. I would not fire, as the poor beast was mortally 

 wounded. Though his perch was only a few feet above 

 our heads, it seemed impossible for a biped to reach 

 him. He was dying before our eyes ; he lay stretched 

 on the ledge, just broad enough to hold him, while 

 Yakiib, knife in hand, was eyeing him with an expression 

 which eloquently reflected his distress that good mutton 

 should escape his fleshpots, though almost within reach 

 of the arm shaking with eagerness to hakil ! The temp- 

 tation was too great ; he volunteered to go up if we 

 would give him a hand. It took us about ten minutes to 

 get the man up, and, just as he was getting the knife out of 

 his belt, the ram kicked in his dying throes, and pushed 

 himself over the ledge, falling with a crash to the bottom 

 of the nala, nearly on our heads. The angry and dis- 



