A FAMILY PARTY. 145 



of constantly tossing up bits of dry grass to try the wind, 

 which, as is usual among mountains, was very shifty, we 

 managed with some difficulty to keep to leeward of them. 

 On reaching the place where they had at first been seen, there 

 was only one now visible. To him I contrived to creep close 

 up, as his attention was engaged in sniffing about and turning 

 over the stones with his paws in search of insects, when a 

 single bullet, planted well behind the shoulder, sufficed. 

 After a few whining grunts and vain efforts to turn round 

 and bite at his wound, he rolled over to rise no more. 



Leaving one of the men to skin him, Eamzan and I now 

 proceeded to search for his companion, which we concluded 

 must be somewhere near, as she had not been seen to make 

 off. We soon discovered her some distance farther down, and 

 apparently quite undisturbed by the shot that had deprived 

 her of her mate, for she was busily engaged grubbing after 

 roots ; and working on either side of her were a pair of cubs, 

 which we had not before observed. As they were on very 

 bare ground, and as we had this time the nasal and visual 

 organs of three animals instead of one to take into account, 

 it was impossible to get nearer than a hundred yards. At 

 first I felt somewhat loath to disturb this interesting family 

 party, which I continued to watch for some time, until its 

 members began to show signs of uneasiness in their minds 

 by every now and then sitting up on their haunches and 

 suspiciously turning their noses towards us. As I considered 

 the youngsters quite big enough to take care of themselves, I 

 aimed deliberately at the old lady and let drive ; she rolled 

 a short distance down the hill, and, after a few struggles and 

 grunts, expired. 



The two cubs at first merely stood up on their hind legs 

 and gazed about them with much apparent astonishment. 

 But on seeing their mother lying motionless below, they at 

 once ran down to her, when their behaviour was such that 

 I felt quite sorry I had shot her. The anxiety they plainly 



K 



