236 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



to B , who advised me to give it up as "lost 



game," it not being worth while risking life for the 

 sake of a pair of horns ; but I did not like to return 

 empty-handed, and my determination was soon taken, 

 for I despatched Chineah for the rest of the gang. 

 As soon as they arrived, I took the strong silken 

 ropes they carried, on which I made a few knots, 

 so as to enable me to get a better hold, and prevent 

 myself from slipping, then fastening one end securely 

 round the base of an immense boulder of rock, I 

 threw the other down the abyss, taking the pre- 

 caution of placing my coat and the turban-cloths 

 of some of the people over the rough edge of the 

 cliff, so as to prevent chafing. All being prepared, 

 in spite of the remonstrance of my people, who 

 feared some accident from the snapping of a rope 

 which I knew would sustain a ton in addition to 



my weight, I commenced the descent, even B 



turning away, as the thought made him feel giddy. 

 To me it was easy work enough, although I must 

 own that I felt rather nervous as I first swang my- 

 self off, and hung suspended over a precipice, six 

 hundred feet in depth, by a cord not three-quar- 

 ters of an inch in diameter, which, not being steadied 

 at the bottom, kept turning round and round, now 

 and then knocking me against projections in the 

 face of the rock. However, my " suspense" was of 

 very short duration, for I soon found firm footing 

 upon the ledge of rock where the dead ibex lay, 

 which luckily turned out to be much wider than I 



