172 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



coolies, walking along the top of the broken ridges. 

 Although fully a mile off, the bright sunlight behind 

 marked him out, a distinct black dot against the skyline. 

 Putting up the 200 yards sight, Alan determined to wait no 

 longer, when one doe began to trot towards him, and then 

 the Avhole herd moved slowly in the same direction. They 

 evidently meant to go round the shoulder of the hill, and to 

 do so must pass within a hundred yards of the rocks. The 

 leading doe broke into a canter, and the rest following her, 

 swept past, the ram last but one. Although going fast, he 

 was barely a hundred yards off. and Alan, drawing a bead in 

 front of his shoulder, had the satisfaction of seeing him roll 

 head over heels like a rabbit. lie ran forward ready to give 

 another shot ; but it was not required — the ram lay stone 



dead. 



It was ;i young buck, with horns only eighteen inches 

 long, but in good condition and very fat. By the time 

 Rahman and the coolies arrived, it would be impossible 

 even for them to pretend that a spark of life remained. 

 So Alan thought he would try to save the meat, and 

 see if they thought his performing the halal was 

 sufficient. When Rahman at last came up, followed by 

 the coolies, putting and blowing, he was delighted to 

 see the dead ram, and without the slightest touch of 

 jealousy that it had been killed without his assistance. 

 He regretted however that, the ram not beino- halalled, 



