336 UNKNOWN MONGOLIA 



the question, and I was making up my mind for a long 

 wait, when a more careful scrutiny revealed a narrow, 

 shallow trench that ran from the crest down the other- 

 wise smooth hillside. Giving the hunter strict injunc- 

 tions to stay where he was, and not to move till I fired, 

 I slung the telescope over my shoulder, and, dragging 

 my rifle after me, began to worm my way down the 

 trench. It was an anxious and painful crawl, or rather 

 wriggle, the cover being none too good, and the stones 

 unusually sharp. 



At last, with bleeding hands and aching frame, a 

 point was reached which I judged to be as far as it 

 was prudent to go, so, making a small screen of stones 

 before me, I peered through them. What a sight it was 

 that riveted my gaze ! I was actually within shot of 

 eleven old ammon rams, the smallest of which had 

 horns certainly not less than 50 in. in length, and the 

 largest a good 60 in. Wedging the telescope between 

 the stones, I looked them all over thoroughly, but, 

 among so many beauties, it was some time before I 

 could decide which carried "the head of heads." It is 

 probably harder to judge the size of the horns of sheep 

 than any other species of game ; in profile it is im- 

 possible to estimate their size at all accurately. In 

 hurried shots this often leads to your shooting at some 

 small five-year-old beast, whose horns bend out sharply 

 from the head, and therefore catch your eye first, 

 when there may be several really fine heads in the 

 herd, whose " nip in " escapes you in the hurry of the 

 moment. 



However, on this occasion I had ample time, and 

 eventually decided in favour of an old fellow whose 

 horns seemed of great thickness, " nipped in " close to 



