238 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



them, for had he fallen out I should have seen him, 

 as until then they were in full view as they went 

 away. 



Now a Kirghiz is a lazy man, and will not go a 

 yard on his legs if he can avoid doing so ; this, 

 perhaps, is fortunate, or the poli would be scarcer 

 than they are. So I told him to go to camp, get a 

 couple of ponies, and take the meat in. I then slung 

 my rifle and made up my mind for a stern chase. A 

 long one it proved to be. The blood tracks were 

 defined, but to my grief (when I had followed for 

 about an hour) still with the tracks of the rest of the 

 herd, which I had not seen again after their dis- 

 appearance. At last, topping a ridge, I made them 

 out, the hindermost (a good ram) dead lame, as I 

 saw through my glass. I felt rather done, and the 

 way was over rough, stony slopes of debris ; but soon 

 after this I saw him leave the herd, and after turning 

 round and gazing intently in my direction for some 

 time he lay down. I felt quite happy now. On 

 nearer approach I found that as he lay in the middle 

 of a corrie I could not, go which way I would, get 

 within reasonable shooting distance without showing 

 myself. It was now about eleven o'clock. I had left 

 at daybreak. I was consequently as empty as a drum. 

 If I could but finish him and get back to camp, how 

 happy I should be ! However, there was nothing for 

 it but patience, to say nothing of endurance, so there 

 we lay for more than an hour. I kept covering him 

 with my glasses to see if he would put his head down 

 and die, but no such luck. At last, to my dismay, he 



