38 KILL A BUCK. 



The result is, of course, what might be expected under such 

 circumstances a clean miss of an easy shot. The gooral, 

 however, from the fact, I suppose, of their not having been 

 recently disturbed, are only startled, and stand gazing about 

 them as if undecided as to what course they should pursue. 

 This serves only to augment my complaint, causing me to 

 fire the second barrel almost at random, when the animals, 

 being no longer in doubt, make off. The bear-slayer's look 

 of satisfaction now gives place to one of bitter disappoint- 

 ment and ill-concealed contempt for my performance, and 

 on his face I can plainly read that which, if he could only 

 have given vent to his thoughts, in modern English might 

 have been, " Well, you are a duffer ! " But there is still 

 another chance, for one of the beasts, a fine buck, not even 

 yet seeming quite satisfied of his danger, bounds up on to 

 the point of a projecting crag, where he stands balancing 

 himself on all four feet planted close together, sneezing out 

 his warning note. Drawing back under cover, I recharge 

 my old muzzle-loader as quickly as my trembling hands 

 will permit, whilst the shikaree remains impatiently watch- 

 ing our game. On again looking over, T find the buck has 

 moved up nearer us, and is now within fifty yards. This 

 time I take a more careful aim, and on the smoke clearing 

 away, I have the delight of seeing the gooral rolling down 

 the precipitous hillside, until stopped by some rocks below. 

 Baloo Mar was not long in reaching the dead buck and 

 bringing him up. He now proposed that, as it was getting 

 late in the morning for the animals to be out feeding, we 

 should return by a different way to the one we had come 

 up, and on which there might yet be a chance of finding 

 more game. After lightening it of its paunch, he shouldered 

 our prize, and, notwithstanding his load, set off as fast as 

 the rough ground would admit of, stopping now and again 

 to rest, and to take a look round about for any sign of game. 

 We had not gone very far before we started another gooral 

 from where it lay reposing among the crags, after its morn- 



