92 DANGEROUS FOOTING. 



far away down into the contracted depths of the valley be- 

 low. To the right, the northern exposure was rough and 

 rocky, and, as usual, clad with primeval forest. 



We went ahead of the coolies up a kind of goat-track for 

 a mile or two, when our village shikaree suggested that we 

 might take a turn over the steep broken ground on our left, 

 and look for gooral, which, he said, were likely to be found 

 there. "We had not to search long before one was started. 



"Shoot quick! or he'll be away out of sight down the 

 rocks," excitedly whispered the shikaree, as the animal he 

 had suddenly detected, after going a short distance, stood for 

 a few moments to gaze back at us. Although hurried snap- 

 shots in mountain hunting are, as a rule, a mistake for it is 

 better to let an animal go free on the chance of getting 

 another and better opportunity, than to risk missing and dis- 

 turbing the ground by firing an unsteady shot yet this one 

 luckily told. The gooral which fell to it was fortunately 

 stopped by some projecting rocks ere he had rolled down 

 very far, which saved us much trouble in fetching him. 



Rain, which for some time had been threatening, now 

 began to fall. This made the steep slopes slippery and dan- 

 gerous; we therefore thought it prudent to get back on to 

 the ridge, where we soon overtook the coolies toiling up the 

 winding track with their loads. Leaving the dead gooral in 

 their charge, we again went ahead. 



We were now nearing ground where, at any moment, we 

 might chance upon tahr. For the wild animals in these high 

 regions are very irregular in their feeding-times, and may be 

 seen out browsing at all hours of the day, and more particu- 

 larly in wet or cloudy weather, when there is no need for 

 them to lie up for shelter from the heat of the noonday sun. 



Some distance higher up on the spur we came to a kind of 

 promontory that sloped down from it, and extended for some 

 distance along the side of a rocky hollow scooped out of the 

 steep mountain-side. In order to examine the precipitous 



