250 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



We went along the hollow, which was more of a 

 crevice than a nullah, following its upward course. 

 Very soon the walking became very bad and we had 

 to pick our way carefully among the various debris 

 which lay scattered about, for if we made the slightest 

 noise we knew the chances of a shot would be remote. 

 For fully half an hour we steadily ascended and, 

 rounding a point, on our right was a high conical 

 peak. I carefully scanned every crag, but could not 

 see a single ibex ; we still went on, the nullah winding 

 until we got very nearly to its source : here we left 

 it and, going through a belt of undersized trees, 

 again emerged on to open ground. To the left, 

 scattered in groups of five and six, there must have 

 been fifty ibex, but not an old one among them ! 

 Nearest to me, about a hundred yards off, stood a fair- 

 sized buck. I took a careful sight and fired ; the 

 animal dropped, but something lay struggling on the 

 ground beyond, the whole flock, were now off at 

 full gallop. I again fired at my victim, but before 

 the bullet could have left the barrel, the goat ceased 

 its efforts ; it was dead. Francis promptly pushed the 

 second rifle, an express '577, into my hand and 

 pointed eagerly to the left, and there, going at his best 

 pace and fully 200 yards away, was a huge black goat, 

 with the unmistakable white saddle back. My first 

 shot struck in a good line, but a little too far forward, 

 but it was near enough to cause the animal to partially 

 pause and then bound forward. Just at that moment I 

 again fired ; the result was a stumble, but the beast 

 picked himself up and ran on three legs, for the off fore- 

 arm was broken. We marked the direction that he 

 took, as Francis said he would not go far, but lie up in 



