A PROTRACTED CHASE 93 



the warning whistle. Then we went away 

 for three days to another place, got a very 

 good head, and came back for another try. 

 We found them on a place we afterwards 

 knew as the "fort," a buttress which com- 

 manded all the ground near them ; at four 

 o'clock they began to come down, as freely 

 as possible, playing and gambolling, and 

 taking a line which must have brought them 

 quite close to us. Suddenly they all stopped 

 and listened, while there came to our ears 

 the distant report of a rifle, and the next 

 moment they were off to their fort again, 

 which was quite unapproachable, and which 

 they declined to leave for two days. 



On arrival at our camp we found that 

 " the other sahib" had arrived at the foot 

 of the nullah below us, and had shot a bear, 

 five miles off; hence the noise which had 

 cost us our ibex ! 



Every day we went up the hill again, in 

 the hope that they might move; but move 

 they wouldn't. The more difficult things 

 became, the more we swore to have our 



