254 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



the Poonch River valley, where he said I should find 

 plenty of thar, and as I had never killed a specimen 

 I was glad of the chance. 



We took up a position on a ridge overlooking a 

 lot of converging spurs with grass on one side and 

 forest on the other, and waited for dawn. As soon 

 as it got light enough we spotted four or five on a 

 spur opposite, on a grass slope a good deal steeper 

 than the roof of a house. The question was, how 

 long would it take us to get at them, for they were 

 on the opposite side of a huge chasm : I can call it 

 nothing else. That was Saddik's business, so I said, 

 " Chello " (Go on). Slithering down, climbing up 

 steep slopes, digging holes to put our toes into (we 

 had, of course, grass sandals with our toes protrud- 

 ing), with our mountain poles, and after an hour and a 

 half of risking our precious necks I do not know how 

 many times, we eventually got up to a spur which 

 Saddik calculated would be the next to that on which 

 we first saw the thar. There was no time to pause, 

 for these beasts are restless in their habits. On we 

 went until, to my joy, for I was dead-beat, Saddik 

 unslung my rifle, handed it to me, and signed to me 

 to go up the spur. I crawled up carefully and raised 

 my head cautiously over the ridge. 



Dear old man, how well he had calculated ! there 

 they were across the nullah, feeding quietly, five 

 of them ; great black monsters they looked, with 

 hair reaching nearly to their toes, only about a 

 hundred yards off. I lay for a moment to steady 

 myself, for what with climbing hard and excitement 



