80 A REFRESHING DRAUGHT. 



After a short rest we trudged on refreshed and invigorated 

 by the cooling breeze on the ridge. The rest of our day's 

 work was comparatively easy, being more or less through 

 forest and down hill. And how we did enjoy an ice-cold 

 draught at the first sparkling stream we came to ! As a rule, 

 however, it is a mistake to drink water when out on the hill, 

 for the more you indulge in it the more you seem to want, 

 and you soon get inured to doing without it. It was late in 

 the afternoon when we reached our destination a hamlet 

 situated below the ground we intended hunting over. Whilst 

 dinner was being prepared, I arranged with the village Nim- 

 rod for his services as guide, and after quickly disposing of 

 my frugal repast, at once turned in for sitting up to promote 

 its digestion was quite unnecessary after such a hard day's 

 mountain work. 



The fleecy cloudlets that flecked the deep-blue sky were 

 just becoming tinged with gold as I stepped out of my little 

 tent into the bracing morning air. All traces of yesterday's 

 fatigue were gone, and much to my joy, the sight of the in- 

 jured eye was almost as clear as ever. At the shikaree's sug- 

 gestion we left most of the im^Jedimenta at the village, only 

 taking with us a man to carry our blankets and food sufficient 

 for the few days we intended passing on the hill. In con- 

 sequence of these little arrangements having to be made, the 

 sun had risen over the eastern snow-peaks before we had 

 started. 



"Look, there's a gooral!" exclaimed one of my companions in 

 a hurried whisper, as he crouched down and pointed to where 

 a buck was perched among some rocks high above us, basking 

 in the rays of the morning sun. As his gaze was not directed 

 downwards, he had evidently not observed us. The ground 

 was favourable, so we had little difficulty in circumventing 

 him, when a bullet sent him scrambling helplessly among 

 the rocks. The shikaree was not long in securing him, and 

 after slinging him over the few things he already had on his 



