A SUCCESSFUL STALK 237 



and hide under shelter of the rocks in the middle 

 of the day (which was the most likely alternative), 

 or to advance as cautiously as possible. The wind 

 being- steady, I chose the latter course. We had now 

 been about one and a half hours out of sight of the 

 herd, and it was quite presumable that they had by 

 this time shifted. Instructing Taba to keep a few yards 

 behind, I started creeping up the grassy slope, and very 

 soon found myself within what I thought was shoot- 

 ing range of the Ibex. Two or three minutes' more 

 creeping, and a fine pair of horns showed before me 

 on the sky-line at 200 yards. I had noticed from 

 the opposite side of the valley that one of the old 

 bucks was much lighter than the others, and carried 

 a somewhat finer head, so naturally it was the one 

 I intended, if possible, to secure. Seeing now only 

 a pair of horns, I could not judge to which of the 

 three they belonged, but when, a moment later, their 

 owner got up and gave me a broadside chance, 

 although it was not my light-coloured friend, I could 

 not refrain from taking my shot. Putting up the 

 200 yards sight, and drawing it as fine as possible, 

 I fired and rolled him over. Jumping up in a second, 

 I just caught sight of them pelting downhill like 

 lii_>-htninL>-, and fired a second time at the lighter one 

 but missed him. When they had all disappeared 



