A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



ally Ramzahn, who was with us, had to stick his 

 Khud stick into the hillside to give me something 

 to step upon for a foothold ; but we were to be 

 rewarded, and eventually saw the shapoo coming 

 towards us, and also that they were all good rams. 

 A little farther on and we suddenly saw them 

 seventy yards above us, and at the same moment 

 they saw us, and began scrambling up the hill. 

 Fortunately this was so steep that even they couldn't 

 go very fast ; but what a position for a shot ! I 

 could hardly keep my feet, was panting for breath, 

 and could of course neither kneel nor lie down on 

 such a slope. Without a moment's hesitation Salia 

 seized me in his arms to steady me, and I fired as 

 best I might. The recoil of the second shot sent 

 Salia, self, and rifle flying down the hillside, and 

 when we pulled up we were just in time to see the 

 shapoo going over the crest. I counted them, one, 

 two, three, four, five, six a pause we did not see 

 a seventh go over, but he might have crossed by a 

 gully out of sight. Salia and I could not tell 

 whether the shots had told, but Ramzahn said that 

 nothing was hit ; so we wended our way down to 

 the stream at the bottom of the ravine and quenched 

 our thirst. 



I must say that I was hardly surprised at having 

 missed them, taking into consideration the circum- 

 stances of the shot. While we were resting here, 

 Saibra, who had the telescope, and who had been 

 on the opposite side of the valley, came bounding 



227 O 2 



