246 THE IMAGE OF WAR 



Regretfully — and deeply deploring my absent 

 lunch — I made my way upwards again with the 

 intention of making a circuit. Unfortunately I began 

 too soon to descend, and the going became very bad. 

 At last I got to a place where I found I could not get 

 on, and thought I could not get back. The latter, 

 however, I fortunately was able to manage. Re- 

 tracing my steps I did a more extended round, which 

 eventually brought me out on a slope leading down 

 to the point I was making for. This slope I then 

 compared in steepness to a roof, but this was a libel 

 on the latter. However, it was fortunately covered 

 with thorny growth, and I was able to get along it. 



Down I worked till I arrived near the edge of 

 another sheer precipice, and with joy I descried at 

 its foot " Becky " feeding upwards. At the first 

 glimpse I was down, and, working out on my back 

 with my elbows and knees, I arrived at the rock 

 which formed the lip of the precipice itself Here I 

 was so fortunate as to find not only a place where I 

 could sit, but even a hollow for my left heel. I waited 

 a while. The old buck had apparently found some 

 tit-bits in a hollow below, but at last he jumped 

 nimbly up to the shelf on which " Becky " stood. 

 I waited for the shoulder shot, but he only showed 

 it an instant, and then, as luck would have it, turned 

 directly away from me. In firing down from such a 

 sheer height this position was the greatest help to 

 me. I sighted just over the root of the tail, and fired. 



As the smoke cleared I caught sight of the buck's 

 hind quarters falling over the ledge. Bump ! bump ! ! 

 bump ! ! ! he went on the rocks below. " Becky " and 

 her kid, which latter had appeared from some unspy- 

 able crevice, stood looking back at him a minute, 



