92 IBEX SHOOTING 



trigger ; a further slight movement of his 

 body and my foresight covered ... a rock ! 

 He had dropped over the edge without 

 getting up. I changed my aim at once on 

 to the other one, but he also was gone, 

 and the next second they were all just 

 visible bounding down the hill, and in a 

 minute they were gone. 



I was disappointed beyond words ; but 

 the thing was over, and no one apparently 

 to blame. To this day / can't imagine 

 how they spotted us. Even Lassoo said, 

 " I'm afraid it is not written in his fate to 

 die by our hand." There was nothing for 

 it now but to go home as quietly as we could. 



It seemed as if what Lassoo said was 

 right, and that he was not for us, for the 

 next day we again went up after him and 

 were scented a mile off, and on the follow- 

 ing day we were above the herd, and in a 

 good position to begin the stalk, when a 

 stray female, who had been away some- 

 where on her own account, suddenly ap- 

 peared above and behind us and sent up 



