CHAP. XXXII A HERD OF IBEX 369 



lay on a spur of rock which commanded a good view of 



the valley, but, failing to see any game, I began to work 



back, and at length discovered a herd of fifteen does and 



a good-sized buck feeding in a narrow dell below. 



After a little while I also made out the larger of the two 



we had seen in the morning, and as there appeared to be 



no possible means of approach, tried a long shot, which 



did no damage except scattering the herd. Immediately 



after this the clouds rolled up, blotting out the valley, 



and enveloping us in mist. The march back to camp 



against a cutting wind and driving sleet lasted two hours, 



and made my Somalis shake with cold. Next morning 



the hill-tops were white with snow, and the lowering 



clouds still clung to them, when I began searching 



yesterday's ground with the telescope, and soon found 



the herd in the valley next to the one where I had fired. 



After a while the Shum and his followers came up, and 



I questioned them about the place they had told me of 



as being a short day's march from here towards Adua, 



and where, they alleged, there were many more wala. 



To my surprise they now denied all knowledge of the 



ground, declaring that the villagers there would not obey 



this headman, that their own Shum was absent, that the 



place had been lately driven with a lot of dogs for a big 



Shum, who had shot all the wala, and, in fact, that the 



only available sporting ground was the one which I had 



been over. So I scribbled a note to the Balambaras, 



desiring him to send fresh orders, which being despatched 



we (the guide, Ali, Hyde, and myself) started down a 



fairly good path, passing numerous flocks of sheep and 



goats just released from their pens, which are merely 



2 B 



