XVIII A LONG STERN CHASE 315 



I began seriously to fear I should lose him. Ahead of 

 us was a steep hill, and he turned along the foot rather 

 than try and go up, as I was afraid at first he would do. 

 A short distance off there was a small mound at the foot 

 of the hill, formed by debris which had slipped down the 

 side. The buck went over this and out of my sight into the 

 depression beyond. Not seeing him go on, it was clear 

 he had lain down again, so perceiving I could get close 

 to him unseen, I got off the pony, moored the little beast 

 by putting a large stone on the reins, and stole forward 

 with the rifle at full cock. As I got to the top of the 

 mound of d(^bris, the buck, who was lying as I expected 

 in the hollow beyond, got up and went off. This time I 

 was more careful, and sent a bullet through him behind 

 the shoulder, and he dropped for the last time. A few 

 minutes after Abdulla came up and cut his throat. 



Then the Kashmiri said that he had seen the fourth 

 buck go up a small hill to the north of where we were, 

 and suggested we should go after it. Leaving Rupsang 

 and Turrup to bring the buck just killed to where the 

 other two were lying, which was on our way back to camp, 

 Abdulla and I started after the fourth buck, but though 

 we searched for over an hour we saw no sign of him. 



So we went back to where by this time all three 

 animals were, and the men set to work to skin the bodies 

 and take off the heads. 



The first buck had been struck just behind the left 

 shoulder, and the bullet had gone out in front of the 

 right hip, making a large hole at this point. The second 

 buck had received the bullet in his chest, close to the 

 point of the left shoulder, the missile going out through 



