i 2 6 A SPORTSMAN'S EDEN. 



persuaded Toma to lie down while I crept and 

 crawled slowly, yard by yard, over the terribly 

 bare ground between me and them. Once I lay 

 down to rest, and, looking back, I could see the 

 little chap, his keen face strained my way, like a 

 hound held in leash when he winds the deer. 

 Such stalks as these, such beating of heart and 

 bating of breath, take a week out of a man's 

 life in five minutes perhaps ; but what gambler's 

 excitement could equal them ? At last I reached 

 a fringe of heather, and allowed myself the first 

 glance at my game since I had caught that 

 momentary glimpse of them before I pulled 

 down my guide. There they were, six of them, 

 all good rams, some feeding, some with their 

 heads up, and, furthest from me of all, the master 

 of the band, his feet planted on a little butte 

 150 yards away, looking fixedly in my direction, 

 his beautiful dark face and snow-white muzzle, 

 his curling horns and broad chest, standing out 

 bravely against the sky. The others were all 

 nearer, all easier shots, but I never saw so grace- 

 ful a head before as ' the master's ;' and as I 

 pushed the rifle slowly through the grass, I 

 swore to have him or none. Bravo ! as the 

 smoke curled up, he pitched forward on his head, 

 and springing to my feet as his mates rushed by, 

 I rolled over another good ram, who, however, 



