BLUE-BULL SHOOTING 51 



" The beaters must stop here," I said ; " you [to the 

 man who had seen the herd] and the shikari come 

 with me." 



About a couple of hundred yards from the valley I 

 stopped. This was the nature of the ground. From 

 the main hill above a spur ran out, forming a small 

 valley on each side. The one to my left was full of 

 tamarisk and camel-thorns. This w^as the one where 

 the herd was said to be. The other was more open, 

 with a lot of loose rocks lying about. The wind was 

 pretty well on my left shoulder as I faced the hill. 



My plans were soon made. It was obvious if I 

 went up the right-hand valley and crawled out along 

 the spur I should get a shot. If the antelopes — for 

 huge and unwieldly as the nylghai is, he is a true 

 antelope — were lying down, as was probably the case, 

 a whistle from me would soon bring them to their 

 feet. 



I left the two natives with the strictest injunctions 

 to remain where they were, and not to make too 

 much noise, and taking my 12-bore rifle from the 

 shikari I started off on my stalk. Before approach- 

 ing the hill I walked off half a mile to my right, and 

 then returning, completely concealed by the spur, I 

 approached the rocky gorge. 



My " Field " boots were soled with jute, making my 

 footsteps inaudible, but the stalk was still one of 

 some difficulty. The chaotic masses of loose stones 

 and rocks, the fall of any one of which would have 

 betrayed me, required great caution to surmount. 

 Added to which the hill was very steep, and I had 

 only one hand to aid me, my rifle being unprovided 

 with a sling. The sun, too, had now gained its full 

 strength, and as I was quite shut off from the breeze, 



