IX A FRIENDL Y CEDAR 145 



some five or six yards down the slope on the other side 

 of our ridge. We accordingly went up a little, till we 

 had placed the cedar between us and that watchful female, 

 and then very cautiously crossed the ridge, and running 

 crouching to the cedar got behind it. The branches 

 luckily came far down, and we were perfectly concealed 

 as long as we stayed there. But between us and the 

 hollow we were anxious to reach was a piece of the slope 

 on which we should certainly have been seen. However, 

 this piece was short, and if the female whose head was 

 toward us would but turn her back for one minute, we 

 thought it could be got across in safety. So we sat 

 where we were and watched. 



Presently what we had hoped for occurred. The 

 standing female turned round, and with her back towards 

 us, moved up in the direction of the one which was lying 

 down. Instantly Abdulla and I, at opposite sides of the 

 tree, slipped down, and darting across the open space, 

 found ourselves in the hollow and safe. The shikari had 

 the .303, and Dudson, who had been sitting behind us at 

 the tree, had the Express. As Abdulla and I, con- 

 gratulating ourselves on the success of our manoeuvre, 

 were walking up the small rise which alone now separated 

 us from the goats, we suddenly heard the shrill whistle by 

 which the ibex female warns her companions that there is 

 danger about. My heart sank when I heard that sound, for 

 I thought it was all up. " Dudson's fault," said Abdulla, 

 as we glanced back and saw that he had only just left the 

 tree. Instead of coming with us or staying where he 

 was altogether, he had remained behind for a minute, and 

 then, instead of watching the female to make sure that 



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