A NEW SUIT FOR SIXPENCE! 



into the panic-stricken group, letting off sixteen cartridges 

 before the mist, descending like a pall, hid them from his 

 sight. But half an hour later, when the mist had cleared, 

 and he saw two exceptionally fine saddle-backs lying dead 

 before him, the part played by the panther, the beast he 

 had just been watching with murderous intent, came back 

 to his mind, and he could not but marvel at the strange 

 irony of fate which had transformed his late intended 

 victim into an ally ! 



Searching further, he discovered another dead saddle- 

 back, entangled in some branches overhanging the ravine, 

 and sending the " shikari " down to cut away some of the 

 creepers, he took off his " kummerband," intending to 

 use it as a rope to haul the carcass up. Suddenly there 

 was a crash, and running to the brink he was just in time 

 to see the ibex and " shikari " disappearing into space. With 

 a stupidity almost inconceivable, the man had cut through 

 the branch he stood on, the other end of which supported 

 the carcass. Fortunately the brushwood broke his fall, and 

 he finally reached the bottom apparently unhurt, though 

 somewhat out of temper, to judge from his language as he 

 sat there, examining his scanty clothing torn almost to 

 shreds. However, after a time, remembering that eight annas 

 (sixpence) out of the coming " bukshish," judiciously 

 expended would purchase a new " suit," he cheered up, 

 and, shouldering the ibex, ascended by an easier path to 

 the plateau, whence he had made his involuntary descent. 



In the meantime, Jones, always on the look-out for 

 something phenomenal in heads, had already examined 

 and measured the other two, but on arrival at the third, 

 a finer beast than either, visions of a record rose before his 

 eyes. However, from his subsequent silence on the 

 subject, we may conclude he is still striving for that honour, 

 for nothing short of a sudden extinction of the species 

 could induce him to abandon the competition. 



On the whole, however, he was for the moment much 

 pleased with his day's work, more especially on finding that 

 of the twenty shots he had fired, thirteen were accounted 

 for. He was grateful, too, to the panther for the assistance 

 it had given, at the same time he never quite forgave the 

 animal for the cunning it had shown in saving its own skin. 



183 



