AFTER IBEX IN JOURA 299 



which I found pitched in a hollow, perhaps a quarter 

 of a mile above our landing-place. 



My companion's luck had been as mine, and we 

 were both somewhat despondent, especially when the 

 shepherding family came into camp at night and said 

 they had not seen any goats for a month, and that 

 the charcoal-burners from Skopelos, being armed with 

 breech-loading Gras rifles, had killed them nearly all. 

 Nevertheless, they were confident they could show us 

 some next day. 



So, with renewed hopes, we started before eight 

 o'clock on the following morning, taking my path of 

 the day before. Our party consisted of V. and myself, 

 Dimitri, the eldest shepherd boy, and an individual 

 we had brought from Skopelos to make himself useful, 

 but whose forte turned out to be eating and sleeping. 



Shortly after crossing the big ravine Dimitri 

 dropped like a setter on topping a ridge. We were 

 soon beside him, and saw our first Joura goats — a doe 

 with her kid.^ The sheep in the ravine staring at us 

 had alarmed her, but not much, so she made her way 

 slowly up the opposite face. The Joura does are very 

 game-looking, and have much of the gazelle about 

 them. Their colour is uniform — chocolate-brown with 

 black stripe on shoulder and back. After having 

 watched them some time we pursued our way. When 

 we reached the last ridge I had attained the day 

 before, where the path ends, Dimitri left us and went 

 on in front to look out. Presently we heard a great 

 rattling of stones, and the boy returned in much 

 excitement, pointing down to seaward. Glasses were 

 out at once, but my partner saw them first. 



1 According to Dr Lorenz Liburnau, the kids of tbe Joura ibex are born 

 in November, the Antimilo ones in January, the Cretan in May. 



