MY FIRST IBEX 175 



We now worked on to our water-hole of the day 

 before, where I drank more than I ate. It was very 

 hot again, and I was beginning to feel rather beat. 

 Then I was taken down-hill on the western side, and 

 to my surprise, after descending cliffs fit to make the 

 hair of anything less active than a wild goat stand on 

 end, and which were full of their sleeping lairs, arrived 

 at the boat. I imagined the programme was to take 

 me by water to some place where I should have a 

 better chance ; but it proved to be an eight hours' beat 

 to windward into Adamas, where we arrived at nine 

 o'clock at night. 



My shoot, as such, had been quite spoilt by my in- 

 ability to converse with my men. When I was back 

 at Milo, and could get an interpreter, much was cleared 

 up. It had not been plainly explained to Giorgio that 

 I was prepared to devote three days, if necessary, to 

 getting a good head ; and whilst they thought I was 

 in a hurry to return, I imagined they were afraid of 

 the weather, which looked a good deal like wind. 

 However, I had had some opportunity of observing a 

 most interesting animal in its wild state, and to my 

 mind this is almost as delightful as bagging him. 



I put a series of questions to Giorgio before we 

 parted — through the interpreter, of course — and 

 learned that he had known the island well for eight 

 years — in fact, even since the day that it passed out 

 of Government hands. 



"There were then," he said, "some eight hundred 

 ibex, but we have killed a good many — over a hundred 

 in some years. Perhaps there may be a hundred left. 

 Shoot does ? Oh yes ! Everything we can. (This 

 probably accounted for two skeletons of kids I had 

 noticed among the rocks.) We kill most in the 



