THE ISLANDS OF SARDINIA AND CORSICA. 17 



natives. At last ten guns were posted round the head 

 of the valley, the wind blowing straight across, and thus 

 giving the game scent of those on the windward side. 



In about an hour and a half the yells of five beaters 

 commenced, all being apparently at the bottom of the 

 valley at first. Soon a large herd of moufflons ran down 

 into a wood at the bottom, and back past the beaters, 

 who were doing their work very badly, and were un- 

 armed. Five other moufflons came straight up the 

 side of the hill towards one of the Sards, who fired 

 and missed, causing three to turn down again. 



"What appeared to astonish our Sards more than 

 anything else, on the following morning, was the fact 

 of our bathing in the stream, the external application 

 of water (or internal, when wine is to be had) being 

 distasteful to them. Being by this time thoroughly 

 convinced that more annoyance than sport was to be 

 obtained from these drives, the beaters beating worse 

 each successive time, all four of us, including Meloni, 

 remained behind in camp, while the natives, after 

 eating, retired to renew the chase, and were successful 

 in shooting a red deer, which was a welcome supply 

 of meat. 



In the evening we instructed Meloni to inform 

 them that if an Englishman was bound with cords, 

 however securely, he would immediately free himself. 

 I was then fastened to the roots of an ilex-tree, some 

 distance from the camp fire, by hide thongs, after 

 which they all made their way slowly back, leaving 

 me, as they imagined, a prisoner ; but to their amaze- 



c 



