2бб DANGEROUS STALKING. 



severing itself from the parent rock it would begin 

 rolling gradually, but every second its impetus in- 

 creased until at last the rock entered the ravine with 

 the noise and speed of a thunderbolt, breaking great 

 trees in its passage, and followed by a debris of 

 smaller stones which poured into the ravine with a 

 dull jarring noise. The valley re-echoed with the 

 sound, startled animals and birds left their haunts, 

 but in a few minutes all was still and quiet as before. 



We passed many an hour in looking for moun- 

 tain sheep, without, however, finding them. You 

 must have the eye of a hawk to distinguish the grey 

 skin of the kuku-yaman from the rocks which are of 

 the same colour, or to detect the animal lying in the 

 bushes. My guide had wonderful sight ; he often 

 saw the horns of the animal at a distance of several 

 hundred paces, when I could not distinguish them 

 with a field-glass. 



Then we would begin stalking. For this pur- 

 pose we had sometimes to make long circuits, 

 descending almost sheer precipices, now jumping 

 from rock to rock or across wide chasms, and now 

 clinging to the ledges of cliffs ; in fact, we were 

 on the brink of danger at every step. Hands were 

 often bleeding from cuts and scratches, boots and 

 clothes torn, but all was soon forgotten in the 

 hope of bagging the coveted animal. But, alas ! how 

 often these expectations were cruelly disappointed, 

 when as we were stalking our quarry another kuku- 

 yaman chanced to see us and gave warning to his 

 mate, or a stone giving way under our feet warned 



