IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 227 



turns out to differ a good deal from the rough 

 plan. The three guns under the precipice certainly 

 are on a line of rock facing the beat, but No. 4 

 is in the re-entrant behind this, where a cattle 

 path leads up ; Nos. 5 (rny post), 6, 7, and 8 on 

 a ridge thrown back from the first one, and the 

 others on a third ridge echeloned behind ours. 

 It was a little after nine when we reached our 

 posts (mine, by the way, was the one where 

 Miller had made a right and left the previous 

 year), so there was plenty of time to rest. I 

 ate my "piece," had a drink and a pipe, and 

 then prepared my stand behind an old ash tree. 

 From ten o'clock to eleven nothing broke the 

 silence but the movement of the birds of all 

 classes, from the flutter of wrens to the heavy 

 whirl of the lammergeier. From my post I could 

 almost see the first vineyards opposite Mostar. 

 Directly beneath flowed the Narenta, flooded 

 with melting snows, whilst to my right peak 

 after peak shone dazzling in the bright sun. 



About eleven o'clock the first shouts of the 

 beaters became audible. It had been arranged 

 that the gendarmes who accompanied them were 

 to fire signal shots as soon as the game was on 

 foot. At a quarter past eleven I was beginning 

 to lose hope, but five minutes later the shouts 

 changed to shrill cries of " Hoo Mecljed ! " and 

 not one but five signal shots rang out. No. 3, 



