MY FIRST IBEX. I 1 9 



before had seen from forty to fifty ibex and had shot five. 

 We did not see one, so bivouacked under a tree for breakfast 

 and waited till it was time to watch for sambur, meanwhile 

 I amused myself drawing ibex and deer on the barkless trunk 

 of an old tree. Nothing appearing and being a very long 

 distance from home, we proceeded by the side of a splendid 

 forest stretching the whole extent of a long valley, and con- 

 tinuing down to the low country ; in crossing a little branch 

 shola, a large sambur jumped up in front of the shikarie who 

 got frantically excited, and on his pointing out to me the stag 

 standing broadside on, not above fifty yards off, I took what 

 I thought was a very cool pot, but somehow or other 

 managed to send the ball just over his back. I was awfully 

 disgusted at the miss, particularly as a little farther on a 

 jungle cock flew up into a tree and I knocked him over with 

 a ball through his body. A few minutes afterwards I saw 

 a hind standing breast on looking at me about eighty yards 

 off; I could only see her neck and half her chest, but being 

 determined if possible to retrieve my former wretched shot I 

 took a steady aim, put a ball in the centre of the lower part 

 of her neck, and another from the second barrel into the 

 back of her neck as she dashed away, and I found her stone 

 dead a short way in the jungle. 



On the 6th we were out soon after eight a.m., to stalk 

 the ground on the right of the road to Sispara, in hopes of find- 

 ing ibex ; we had some splendid views of the jungle, hills and 

 precipices on our right, and halted for breakfast at ten, without 

 having seen a single animal. The ibex hill we intended 

 searching was covered with mist so we started for another 

 hill on our left. Brine was rather seedy, preferring to remain 

 quiet, so I went up alone and soon came on plenty of marks 



