THE OVIS POLf OF THE PAMIR 375 



shelter, but on looking for them they unfortunately got our 

 wind, and bolting out from some rocks dashed across an open 

 piece of ground. I put the 200 yards sight up and fired at 

 the centre one, which was a monster, towering above its two 

 companions, and altogether by far the biggest sheep I had 

 ever seen its horns, I should fancy, certainly measuring some- 

 thing over 70 ins. I saw the dust fly beyond just over its 

 back, and had no time for a second shot before the sheep dis- 

 appeared in a dip of the ground. I felt low at missing such a 

 grand fellow, but it was a running shot at quite two hundred 

 yards, and a hit would have been more or less of a fluke. 



As they were a very long time coming up the other side of 

 the ravine, we went to see what had kept them, and found that 

 the two smaller sheep were waiting for the big fellow, who was 

 lagging wearily behind. As soon as they had got over the ridge 

 we followed them and found their track, which was very bloody. 

 My bullet, instead of going over my beast, must have gone 

 through him without expanding, and it was not long before we 

 found him lying down on a snow bank which was streaked with 

 his blood. Here I could have stalked and finished him, but for 

 the excitement of one of the Kirghiz, who showed himself and 

 made the beast get up again. After this he kept lying down at 

 intervals, travelling a shorter distance and resting longer each 

 time. 



The vitality of Ovis Poli is something extraordinary. Here 

 was a beast shot through the lungs, as was proved by the frothy 

 blood which poured from his wounds, and yet he went eight 

 hundred or a thousand feet up a snow slope. Having allowed 

 him to get out of sight we followed him, but just as we reached 

 the top of the slope a heavy storm coming on obliterated every- 

 thing in six inches of fresh snow. As soon as the storm was over, 

 numbed and cold though I was, I tried to follow by kicking the 

 new snow away with my feet till I found blood, but eventually I 

 lost the ram and had to leave him. It was a terrible disappoint- 

 ment, for I fear I shall never look upon his like again. My atten- 

 tion had now to be turned to my Kirghiz companion, who had 



