264 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



to come up. It arrived in due course, and, after 

 pitching camp and settling things, I started up the 

 hill in search of my game. After tramping up the 

 slopes for about half an hour we found ourselves on 

 a sort of step or plateau, which extended for some 

 miles along the base of the main range, level with 

 another step on the opposite or east side of the 

 valley. We sat down on a stone and had a look 

 round. Suddenly Toba gave a click with his 

 tongue and pointed across at the opposite step. 

 I got out my binoculars and made out what he saw 

 a herd of sheep, at least sixty or seventy. I got out 

 the telescope to make them out more clearly ; they 

 were all females. Presently Toba pointed again 

 higher up on the slope. I soon made them out 

 only five or six this time, but rams evidently from 

 the size of their heads. I was for starting after them 

 at once, but Toba said, " No good, they are much 

 too far off on the opposite side of camp ; we will go 

 after them to-morrow ; they won't go far." We 

 then turned our attention to the nearer slopes on our 

 side of the valley, but, after hunting about for some 

 time we found nothing, and went home. The next 

 morning, long before daybreak, we were afoot Toba, 

 another hunter, and myself. Taking a food supply 

 for the day we started off on our ponies, across the 

 valley and up one of the tributaries to the eastward 

 stream. Toba's idea was to go up the valley to the 

 northward of where we had seen our rams the day 

 before, and come down on them from above. For 

 about two hours we proceeded up the valley, which 



