XV THE THREE OVIS A M MO N RAMS 261 



a dip. Accordingly, we started to get behind some rocks 

 near this dip, from which I could get an easy shot if the 

 sheep did really come up. 



When we were about half-way there, however, the 

 foremost ram appeared, very much to my surprise and 

 disgust, as, if I had started a few minutes earlier, he 

 would have had to pass within 50 yards of where I 

 should have been, and I ought not to have missed him. 

 As matters stood, however, I had no alternative but to 

 try a shot from where I was, so sitting down I drew 

 a bead, with the 200 yards' sight up, on the unconscious 

 ram. As I had exhausted all the ready-filed bullets ^ I 

 could not use the magazine, and had to load from my 

 pocket. Just as I was going to fire, another ram appeared, 

 and I decided to wait till the three, who were evidently 

 all coming up, were before me. The third showed him- 

 self a moment later, and as the leader had by that time 

 gone some distance up the hill, I fired at the second. I 

 had taken a full sight, and the bullet flew harmlessly over 

 his back. Seeing the splash beyond them, perceiving no 

 smoke, and not being able probably to accurately locate the 

 direction of the sound, owing to the reverberation amongst 

 the mountains, the rams were evidently much puzzled to 

 know where the danger exactly was, and the two last up 

 instinctively ran back towards me and away from where 

 the bullet had hit. Taking a finer sight I fired again, 

 and did not see any splash from the bullet. The rams 

 seemed to have no longer any doubt as to the direction in 



1 The bullets in all my cartridges had truncated ends, consequently, until they 

 were filed round, the cartridges could not be fed into the chamber from the magazine, 

 as explained in the remarks on the battery recommended for Kashmir (p. 445)- 



