MY FIRST IBEX 39 



the rifle, but the ibex did not seem to notice 

 it, as he stood for a moment, and then 

 slowly turning round moved up the hill, 

 and out of sight. Almost immediately the 

 two females crossed a small snow valley, 

 which divided their ridge from the next one 

 on my left. If the big one should cross 

 the same way I had yet a chance, and by 

 this time I had got my breath and was 

 quite steady. Half a minute perhaps after 

 this the male emerged, walked slowly across 

 the snow, and, when fairly in the middle, 

 stopped and surveyed us curiously. Now 

 was my chance, and I fired absolutely steady 

 at three hundred yards. He turned round 

 sharply, slipping a little as he did so, and 

 was out of sight. I flung myself on my 

 back, and despair seized my heart, although 

 Lassoo went off to see if he were wounded, 

 which he said he thought he was. I lit 

 my pipe, and gave myself up to the bitterest 

 reflections. 



Presently I heard a slight whoop from 



