CHAPTER XXXII 



A useless shot — A red-letter day with ibex — Find the herd — Plan the 

 stalk — A worthless guide — I take the lead — A difficult bit— The crawl 

 up — A splendid sight — The clouds shut down — An anxious wait — The 

 shot — Four rolled over — Rain, sleet, and hail — Men refuse to move — 

 A chilly march to camp — A search for missing ibex — Try fresh 

 ground — Descent from Simien — A terrible road — Splendid scenery. — 

 An excited Shiim. 



Next morning I was ready early, but had to wait for 

 a mule to be brought up from the valley, where I had 

 sent all the beasts and the men not actually wanted, as 

 it was a good deal more sheltered than our camping-place. 

 I rode back along the path for an hour, with my hunters, 

 and, leaving the mule, turned to the right along the top 

 of the cliffs, where we met a caravan and saw the men 

 of another amusing themselves by rolling stones over 

 the edge in the hope of starting a herd of ibex ; this, I 

 learnt was a common custom, as the cliffs were too high 

 to shoot from. With the aid of the glasses we soon 

 discovered two bucks with good heads, and, in order to 

 get to their grazing-ground, we followed the edge of the 

 cliffs, in the hope of finding a path down, but could see 

 no way possible, nor did the guide know of any, except 

 the one I had been along yesterday, which branched 

 off from where I had left the mule. For some time I 



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