SHEEP AND GOATS 265 



narrowed as we ascended, and the sides became more 

 precipitous. Presently Toba, who was leading, on 

 turning a corner, reined back suddenly and dropped 

 from his pony. We followed suit. " What is it ? " 

 " Kotchgar," he said, and pointed to the left. We 

 left our ponies, and I followed him. He led me on 

 a bit and pointed, and I peeped cautiously round 

 the corner. At first I saw nothing, but suddenly my 

 attention was called by a displacement of shale, of 

 which the slope was composed. There they were,'five 

 grand rams, about five or six hundred yards above, 

 moving slowly along the slope up the valley. We 

 waited and watched. The wind was right, blowing 

 in our faces ; but until they turned a corner we 

 could not advance. How they pottered along it 

 seemed ages to me as I watched. At last one by one 

 they disappeared from view. The moment the last 

 white rump was out of sight we were after them up 

 the slope. I wished I had two sets of lungs. The 

 shale gave with you as you climbed, and the angle 

 was 45. At last, sobbing and sweating, I got to 

 the corner where they had disappeared. I put one 

 eye cautiously round, with rifle at the ready. My 

 heart was pumping so that I could not have held 

 the rifle on them for a moment. There they were, 

 but just as far off, if not farther, than ever. But 

 now, instead of running a contour, they were going 

 straight up, stopping every now and again to pick a 

 tuft of grass which grew between the stones. The 

 slope was harder, not composed of loose shale like 

 the last. There was nothing for it but another 



