MOUFFLON-STALKING IN CYPRUS 351 



as my head, when it gave way and went down with a 

 crash. Fortunately at the moment we were well 

 behind the corner, and the ram was not alarmed, as I 

 had the opportunity of ascertaining with the glass. 

 Wild animals which inhabit hilly ground are not, as 

 a rule, much alarmed by the fall of rocks or stones, 

 though if they are very near the place they move a 

 little from prudential motives. The obvious reason 

 is that stones are constantly rolling down on such 

 ground from quite natural causes. 



Now Jerome began to pantomime to me about the 

 shot. The range seemed to me rather excessive, so 

 I pointed to a tree some forty or fifty yards further 

 on, and said " Ae^Syooi^," this being about the extent 

 of my Greek. We continued our advance, and soon 

 reached the place I had meant without noise and 

 well hidden behind the shrubs. Alas ! that some 

 envious eddy should have carried the dreaded taint 

 of man a couple of hundred yards across the glen ! 

 But so it must have been, for the ram was gone. In 

 vain we searched and peered about with and without 

 the glass, but those thick horns and that orange-red 

 pelt were safe — for that day at all events. Trying to 

 console myself with the reflection that it must, any- 

 how, have been a long shot across a gully, I gave the 

 word for home, and reached camp just in time to have 

 a hot bath before afternoon tea. 



Later on I often tried to find this ram, and the 

 place where I had seen him, again, but as far as the 

 latter was concerned, in vain. Finally, I was driven 

 to the conclusion that Jerome had — in all innocence 

 I dare say — taken me into the sanctuary on this 

 occasion. 



