360 THE IMAGE OF WAE 



soon fell back into a trot. One more crack I had 

 at him as he plunged into the glen, and then he 

 was gone. 



Of course these were but "shots of despair," and 

 I do not know that I should have fired at all but 

 for the desire to change my luck, and to try the 

 JefFery '400 rifle, with which I was much pleased, 

 for with the tremendous charge there was no per- 

 ceptible recoil, nor was the report very loud. 



After this my Turk kept me at it till four o'clock, 

 but we saw no more game. 



It might be thought that I had now piled up all 

 the bad luck conceivable in moufflon - shooting, but 

 I was to have practical demonstration that this was 

 not the case. The next twenty-four hours were wet ; 

 and it was not till the thirteenth — ominous date — 

 that I was able to leave camp with Mehemet at six 

 o'clock. He took me to the first lateral valley below 

 camp on the left bank of the river, and in a very 

 short time found two rams on the middle slopes of 

 Kourkoumi — not beasts of the finest class, but quite 

 good enough for me. Indeed by this time anything 

 with horns would have stood a poor chance as far 

 as I was concerned. We got a little nearer, but 

 soon lost sight of the sheep, which were feeding 

 and moving on. A long time was wasted in look- 

 ing for them, but in vain ; and finally we moved off 

 up-wind. 



Now came the crowning misfortune — a ram' jumped 

 at short distance ; rifle thrust into my hands ; ample 

 time for aim at the form silhouetted darkly against 

 the sky, and only about forty yards away; "click!" 

 — that safety-bolt again — a derisive whistle, and then 

 silence. As he had not winded, nor even clearly seen 



