IBEX-STALKING IN ANTIMILO 243 



moraine below, and then prepared to separate. The 

 first proceeding was to toss for ground. The western 

 slopes fell to my lot, and we parted with mutual good 

 wishes, which I, for my own part, considered little 

 likely to be realised, for the wind, though decidedly 

 puffy, was, as a rule, directly behind me. 



So I was not much surprised that my first sight 

 of ibex was (at ten o'clock) that of a herd, which, 

 having caught my wind, were making their way at 

 best pace towards the seaward cliffs. It was the 

 largest herd I had ever seen, consisting as it did of 

 no less than thirteen ibex, two of them being good 

 bucks. 



Giving up the hope of seeing this lot again at 

 present, I worked on, comforted by the idea that the 

 wind was shifting to the northward in its general 

 direction, which, of course, was much more favour- 

 able to me. 



Three-quarters of an hour after sighting the first 

 herd, I came on another not more than eighty yards 

 away. I dropped behind an immense boulder. Look- 

 ing out from its right edge I could only see the 

 vorgeiss or leading doe, a jet-black beast, with her year- 

 ling kid, but I also saw that the old lady had her head 

 in the air, and was snuffing the air suspiciously. This 

 was enouo-h. I hurried to the other side of mv 

 shelter, but it was too late. The little herd — there 

 were six of them — were in full flight ; and then I saw 

 that they were accompanied by a good buck, almost 

 white, with a vividly black shoulder and back stripe. 



After a momentary delay to turn the glass on a 

 stone which looked rather like a buck left behind, 1 

 hurried downwards to cut off the herd, leaving behind 

 me my rucksack containing not only my lunch but also 



