A THRILLING SPECTACLE. 211 



pice that extended almost from summit to base of the former 

 in almost a sheer wall of nearly 1000 feet high the scene of 

 the recent landslip. "We were resting among some rocks 

 awaiting the arrival of the men who were following us up the 

 steep track with our traps, when I chanced to notice two 

 brown objects moving among the crags above the precipice. 

 They were so high above us, and in the distance looked so 

 small, that we at first thought they were monkeys, as also did 

 some of our sharp-eyed hill-men, who had just arrived and 

 were depositing their loads ; but on bringing the spy -glass to 

 bear on them, it showed they were gooral, so I lost no time in 

 trying to circumvent them. Leaving my companion seated 

 on the rocks below, from whence he could command a view of 

 the whole proceedings, I commenced working upwards along 

 the edge of the precipice, where the ground was favourable for 

 the stalk, until I got within what I judged to be well over 200 

 yards of the animals. Nearer than this I could in no way 

 approach them without their detecting me; so there was 

 nothing left but to chance a long shot, with little hope of 

 hitting such a small mark at so great an angle upward. 

 They were now standing motionless, apparently watching the 

 men moving about below ; and their colour so much resembled 

 the ground they were on, that I again had recourse to the glass 

 to enable me, before shooting, to clearly distinguish their out- 

 lines from those of the rocks among which they stood. Steady- 

 ing my elbows on a convenient slab of stone, I took a careful 

 and deliberate aim at the larger of the two and let drive. It 

 staggered for a few moments, and then, toppling over, fell on 

 to a narrow ledge about 50 feet below it in the precipice, close 

 above the brink of which it had been standing. OH' this it 

 shot down through space. I watched it almost with a thrill 

 of awe, as it went whirling through the air, until the latter 

 part of its descent was hid from my view by the crags 

 that projected over the profound depth below. So fascinated 

 was I by this extraordinary, I may almost call it appalling 



