234 AMONG THE IBEX OF TURKESTAN. 



towards the valley below. We were constrained to 

 remain motionless too, in a most irksome position, 

 and when, after standing like stone for a quarter of 

 an hour, the evil beast lay down where he was, the 

 situation became acute. A fragment of rock was 

 grinding into my back, a stone was gradually be- 

 coming loosened under pressure of my foot, and, be- 

 fore long, precisely what I was expecting came about 

 — the stone gave way, and went rumbling down the 

 hill with those aggravating resounding bumps which 

 rolling stones delight in when one is particularly 

 anxious to avoid attracting attention. I grabbed at 

 the nearest rock to prevent myself following in its 

 track, and the author of this unfortunate situation 

 sprang to his feet and came racing like a beast pos- 

 sessed down towards the valley bottom. 



That was where he made a grave mistake, because it 

 brought him within easy range of three exasperated 

 men, two of whom happened to be carrying loaded 

 rifles. I fired, and Nurah fired, six cartridges I think 

 we expended between us while you could have counted 

 ten, and a whoop of savage triumph rent the air as he 

 tottered and then fell headlong, the mangled remains 

 of what a moment before had been a joyous living ibex. 

 Does it sound ugly now this tale of wilful wicked tak- 

 ing of life ? I admit it, it was a desire for vengeance, 

 cruel, vindictive vengeance, that actuated me, for, truth 

 to tell, I knew full well his horns were not worth the 

 powder expended on them. Perhaps it was Nurah 

 who fired the fatal shot, and maybe he is happier 

 where he is, roaming the ghostly mountains of some 

 wild Valhalla, where ibex ghosts delight to be. 



Later in the day fortune favoured us, for we came 

 across a herd towards evening grazing in a grassy 

 hollow quite unsuspicious of danger lurking near. The 



