A MISFORTUNE. 333 



the little bullet another shot, which at first I am not sure 

 has struck him, but after tottering for a few seconds he 

 falls over on his side dead. 



Had the Whitworth rifle been a breech-loader I should 

 probably have accounted for at least one more of the 

 animals, for, as they stood on the brow, they were not more 

 than 250 yards off, and an Ovis Ammon is a good-sized 

 mark to shoot at though he is sometimes so easily missed. 

 Now the sporting reader will at once ask, " Why hadn't 

 you a breech-loader ? " Well, it was my misfortune, not 

 my fault, that I had not, for a new Express rifle I had 

 ordered especially for this trip was then lying useless at 

 Delira Doon, owing to the transmitting agents carelessly 

 neglecting to forward it in time to take with me. How- 

 ever, I had little reason to repine in this instance, as two 

 splendid old rams were down, and a third had gone off so 

 badly wounded that I had great hopes of eventually securing 

 him as well. 



On moving across to the brow, which commanded an 

 uninterrupted view of the wide flat between these hills and 

 the Lai Daka, we could easily trace the course the animals 

 were steering, and with the telescope I could distinguish 

 the wounded one, now limping along ahead of the flock. 

 At length we saw him lie down, whilst his companions 

 slowly continued their course towards the Lai Daka. By 

 this time it was getting late in the forenoon, so we had our 

 breakfast, keeping an eye on the wounded ram whilst we 

 were quickly disposing of it. The spare man was now 

 despatched to camp to fetch jooboos for carrying the spoils, 

 and also for my pipe, which I had purposely left behind 

 under the impression that my egregious misses of the pre- 

 vious day might possibly have been due to my indulging 

 too freely in tobacco. After watching the wounded ram 

 for a long time, it being impossible to approach him where 

 he lay, we at length saw him rise and hobble onward, 

 stopping now and again, until he reached the Lai Daka, 



