440 A MISFORTUNE. 



while the rest of the flock have reached the top of the rise, 

 and after standing clustered there for a few moments as if 

 irresolute about their further movements, they finally dis- 

 appear beyond it, with the first fellow I had shot at limping 

 after them. Reloading the Whitworth as quickly as possible, 

 I give the laggard I had wounded with the little bullet 

 another shot, which at first I am not sure has struck him, but 

 after tottering for a few seconds he falls over on his side 

 dead. 



Had the Whitworth rifle been a breechloader I should 

 probably have accounted for at least one more of the animals, 

 for, as they stood on the brow, they were not more than 250 

 yards off, and an Ovis Ammon is a good-sized mark to shoot at 

 though he is sometimes so easily missed. Now the sporting 

 reader will at once ask, " Why hadn't you a breechloader ? " 

 Well, it was my misfortune, not my fault, that I had not, for 

 a new Express rifle I had ordered especially for this trip was 

 then lying useless at Dehra Doon, owing to the transmitting 

 agents carelessly neglecting to forward it in time to take 

 with me. However, I had little reason to repine in this 

 instance, as two splendid old rams were down, and a third 

 had gone off' so badly wounded that I had great hopes of 

 eventually securing him as well. 



On moving across to the brow, which commanded an unin- 

 terrupted view of the wide flat between these hills and the 

 Lai Daka, we could easily trace the course the animals were 

 steering, and with the telescope I could distinguish the 

 wounded one, now limping along ahead of the flock. At 

 length we saw him lie down, whilst his companions slowly 

 continued their course towards the Lai Daka. By this time 

 it was getting late in the forenoon, so we had our breakfast, 

 keeping an eye on the wounded ram whilst we were quickly 

 disposing of it. The spare man was now despatched to camp to 

 fetch jooboos for carrying the spoils, and also for my pipe, 

 which I had purposely left behind under the impression that my 



