EXASPERA TION ! 253 



few paces before scratching at the earth preparatory to 

 lying down again. 



In the meantime the sun had sunk far down behind the 

 mountains, casting long shadows towards the darkening 

 east, and at length the patience of Pombo had reached 

 its limit. He pointed to the west and shook his head, 

 and then he dragged his hand along the ground, and 

 nodded towards a slight depression twenty yards away. 

 I nodded acquiescence, and we started, worming our 

 way painfully after the manner of the serpent, and 

 removing every stone that might become displaced. At 

 last we reached our goal, took one last look at the 

 recumbent sheep, and then crawled laboriously back up 

 the shallow depression till we regained the hill-top, 

 whence we had started two hours before. Then I ran, 

 with the blood thumping through my veins, and my 

 breath coming in short sharp gasps, for I was racing 

 against time, and our chance lay in reaching the cover 

 of a ridge which ran down on the opposite side of the 

 hill to that by which we had tried to make our first 

 approach. 



We reached the friendly cover, and Pombo raised his 

 head, slowly at first, and then less cautiously. I re- 

 leased the safety-bolt of the rifle, and raised myself 

 slowly too. Pombo stood upright, gazed right and left, 

 and then looked back at me. I saw disgust, hopeless 

 and unutterable, written on every feature. " What is 

 it ? " I said. He picked up a handful of dust, tossed it 

 in the air, and watched it float slowly away in front of 

 us. " The wind," I said. Pombo disdained an answer, 

 turned, and walked slowly back towards the ponies, 

 and began leading them dolefully down the hill. I 

 sat down and groaned. For two mortal hours had I 

 crouched within 300 yards of four magnificent rams, 

 unable even to cover them with my rifle. And then, 



