134 THE THREE LEGGED BUCK. 



fired my first barrel without effect, but took a steadier aim 

 with the other and gave him a regular staggerer, however, 

 he held on over the hill. Hastening after him, I came upon 

 the herd, but there was no saddle back with them ; Francis 

 called out " There's the big one — shoot." He was under a 

 rock close to me, I saw his head and was going to plug him in 

 the ear, when he moved and I knocked him over with a body 

 shot ; to my disappointment he was not the lame buck, and 

 had only one horn ; and when they were skinning him I went 

 to the further ridge, but could see nothing. Three days 

 after I went to finish my sketch, and whilst doing so, Francis 

 reported a herd of thirteen ibex with the lame buck amongst 

 them. They were on some rocks on Big Hill slope, beauti- 

 fully situated for a stalk, so after finishing my drawing, we 

 worked round the opposite hill and reconnoitred them, but, 

 unfortunately a doe popped her head up over the ridge and 

 saw us. Presently the whole herd moved up the hill, so I 

 had to get above them, and on looking over saw them below 

 gradually coming up towards me. Unluckily a young doe 

 caught sight of the top of my topee, and commenced 

 whistling, and as they separated I caught sight of the lame 

 buck between two does about eighty yards away, I took as I 

 thought a steady aim at him, but there was no thud. They 

 were out of sight in a moment, and on dashing forward down 

 the steep hill, I tripped up and fell clean on my forehead and 

 nose which nearly stunned me. As I scrambled up I was 

 only just in time to see the herd careering away down below, 

 the three-legged buck keeping well up with them. He 

 appeared to have but one foreleg, with a lump where the 

 other leg ought to have been. I should have liked very 

 much to have bagged him and seen whether he was born 



