CHAPTER XXI 



MY next adventure in these hills was one T experienced 

 when out hunting for ibex. Having come to the con- 

 clusion, too hurriedly as will be seen, that there were no 

 tigers in the district, I had turned my attention to these 

 smaller animals faute de mieux. 



I had taken up this sport somewhat listlessly at first, 

 but having stalked herd after herd for days without being 

 able to approach near enough to fire, I had been finally 

 tantalized into taking an interest in the game, and was now 

 as keen as I had previously been indifferent. 



It was while in this frame of mind, that one evening, 

 as we were returning from one of many fruitless expeditions 

 after these tantalizing animals, I was suddenly addressed 

 by my " shikari " in these words : " Master wanting shoot 

 jungle goat ? " as if he had only just discovered why I 

 had been taking all this trouble. 



For ten long, weary days had I been toiling up and 

 down the hills around my bungalow, striving vainly to 

 obtain a shot at an ibex, and now to be asked " Whether 

 I wished to shoot one ? " was, to say the least of it, somewhat 

 trying to the temper ! However, curbing the very natural 

 inclination " to punch my questioner's head," I asked him 

 what he meant by this superfluous, and seemingly imper- 

 tinent inquiry ; whereupon he informed me that as I was 

 both his father and his mother, it was quite impossible he 

 could be guilty of so heinous an offence. 



He then proceeded to explain that, in order to hunt 

 these wily animals, with any prospect of success, it was 

 necessary to be on the ground the night before a fact 

 he had been all the time aware of, but, with the perversity 

 of his kind, had hitherto concealed. 



I merely quote this as an instance of the difficulties 

 a young sportsman has to. contend with on first arrival 



