MOUFFLON-STALKING IN CYPRUS 361 



us, I judged he would not go very far. The event 

 proved I was right, for a circuitous advance soon 

 brought us again within three - score yards of him. 

 This time there was no mistake on my part, but 

 unfortunately there was none on the side of the ram 

 either. All I saw was a brief glimpse of his back 

 as he dashed through the trees down below me. He 

 was still going up-wind, but a search on the nearest 

 ridge in front showed no tracks. The cunning beast 

 had circled back, and ere long we saw him again, half 

 a mile down- wind, but continually on the move, just 

 at the spot where we had previously seen the other 

 two. Mehemet wanted me to go after him, but a 

 stalk with an already alarmed and moving animal 

 seemed waste of labour, so I sent him round on the 

 chance of a driven shot, as there were possibly three 

 rams on that hill. All that came to me, however, 

 was a little ewe. For a few seconds she halted about 

 seventy yards off, then a movement on my part (as 

 I naturally did not trouble about her) was detected, 

 and with a shrill whistle she dashed off down the 

 glen. After this we went home to lunch. This was 

 one of the days in which we practically were in the 

 middle of a herd of goats all the morning, but this 

 made no difference whatever to the wild sheep. 



Next day we again left camp about daybreak, 

 going up the side valley to the west of the camp. 

 We climbed its southern side, and had not gone far 

 along the ridge when I made out moufHon moving 

 on the opposite slope. I could only get the glass 

 on them in time to see a ewe and her youngster 

 following the others into a clump of trees. Mehemet 

 proposed his usual tactics— direct advance; and as 

 the wind, though not very favourable, was very light, 



