100 THE IMAGE OF WAR 



idea of the height of these cliffs. This particular 

 bit was then quite unknown to me, but I thought 

 it might be possible to follow where the herd had 

 gone. A few minutes' thought convinced me that 

 the three I had seen had formed part of the herd, 

 and that as soon as they had lost sight of me 

 they had scampered back to the others and gone 

 with them. Consequently I changed my plans, and 

 started up the snow-slope of the gully that led to 

 the main precipice to my left front. When near its 

 head, I secured the dachshund and stalked round to 

 the spot where I had seen the three. Nothing to be 

 seen, and a whistle failed to move anything. This 

 proved the correctness of my theory, and I started off 

 after the herd. 



I have said that their route lay up and round the 

 big rock which was barely united to the main hill. 

 My first idea was to go right up the steep snow-slope 

 to the cleft between it and the main hill, in the hope 

 of getting a shot from thence. Fortunately, before I 

 got half-way up I began to get very sick of the snow, 

 and of the constant effort and care required, as a slip 

 would have sent me right down to the end of the 

 slope, and probably over the cliffs there too. I there- 

 fore decided to follow the herd exactly, though it 

 seemed impossible that they would go up wind with- 

 out keeping a good look-out in the rear for what had 

 disturbed them. Once I struck the rocks, it was 

 nice going ; the grassy terraces were wide and easy, 

 though I would not have gone to the edge and looked 

 • down for a trifle. Expecting to come on the game 

 there, I secured the dog to my bag and started stalk- 

 ing. I went right round the conical peak without 

 seeing anything, and just as I felt inclined to give up. 



