A HERD OF IBEX 279 



forty female Ibex came in sight. They were making 

 their way slowly up from their feeding ground below, 

 and were evidently heading for the neighbourhood of 

 the snow patches. We were now within 400 yards 

 of them, on horseback, and stopped in order to let 

 them pass. Strange as it may seem, they did not 

 discover us, and walked slowly away. At that 

 moment I suddenly saw a fine old buck, then 

 another, and a third, following the last of the herd. 

 I now made desperate signs to Taba to dismount, 

 and get the horses out of sight as quietly as he 

 could, which he successfully accomplished without 

 being noticed by the beasts. Crawling up to a 

 small hollow, we waited, motionless. The Ibex were 

 quietly making for the rocks, and we watched them 

 for a long time till they had passed out of sight. 

 With Wild Sheep we should never have been able 

 to get off so easily. Three of the old bucks had 

 particularly attracted my attention, and I was very 

 anxious to secure one which seemed to me larger 

 than the others ; the tip of one of his horns was 

 broken off, but the other looked a very good one. 

 As they disappeared round a corner, I followed them 

 as quickly as my legs could carry me, and could now 

 just see the tips of their horns moving amongst the 

 steep crags. They were evidently about to lie down ; 



