244 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA 



us the whole way, and as I had parted with my 

 gauze net and gloves in the excitement of the stalk, 

 my face and hands felt as if they had been in a clump 

 of nettles. Moreover, as I was taking my aim at the 

 larger of the three rams which now lay two hundred 

 yards away, those tiresome insects kept settling in 

 thousands on the ritie, preventing" me from seeing the 

 sights ; it was not before I had brushed them several 

 times off the barrels with my hand that I could attempt 

 a shot. I fired at last, and a well-known thud an- 

 nounced that the bullet had reached its mark. The 

 ram sprang up instantly, while the rest of the herd 

 dashed downhill, and a second bullet knocked hini 

 head over heels on the snow. The others having by 

 this time disappeared round a corner, we scrambled 

 down to the dead sheep, which I taped on the spot, 

 and found the head to measure ;^^h inches by 14.V 

 Q^irth. The coat was of a uniform dark orev colour 

 with lighter tinges on the face, under the belly, and 

 round the legs. This was my first successful day in 

 Kamchatka, and great was my feeling of relief as we 

 descended that evening towards camp carrying our 

 well-earned trophy. The hills being lower than those 

 of Ganal, we had found the sheep here at an altitude 

 of 4,000 feet ; it is quite possible that we had come 

 upon their summer residence, and that their winter 



