224 By Mountain, Lake> and Plain 



just discern three animals, one of which I knew 

 was a stag, as I was able to see his white points, 

 but in the glare could not count them. It was 

 not far from where I had seen the fourteen- 

 pointer, and I had hopes it was he. In Scotland 

 it is often impossible to distinguish anything 

 against a low sun, and a beast on the hillside is 

 as invisible as on a dark night ; but in the East, 

 owing to the air being drier, the veil of haze is 

 less hopelessly opaque. Mahommed could not 

 pick up the deer at all, so after pointing out 

 the exact spot, I told him to lead on and take 

 me there as quickly as possible. He demurred, 

 " the day was gone the animals were far we 

 should never get through the thorn scrub in 

 time," concluding with the notorious Persian 

 phrase, farda inshallah (to-morrow, please God). 

 My wrath burst forth and he started at a run, 

 but after getting half-way he jibbed at the 

 thorn and said he could get no farther. Ibrahim 

 and I then left him, and by some lucky fluke 

 found a way through, Mahommed sheepishly 

 following at a distance. Then came some pre- 

 cipitous ground, and we got hung up. Peering 

 over a thorn-bush, I could just see the deer some 

 way below me. It was impossible to get nearer, 

 and I had to take a long shot there and then 

 or not at all. Sitting down, I found my view 



