THE RED SEA HILLS 353 



heads. The latter are recorded up to 16 inches, but the 

 great majority average under 14 inches. 



Among hundreds of heads examined through the 

 telescope, I only detected three that appeared sub- 

 stantially to exceed the latter measurement. Fate, in 

 two of these cases, proved unkind. The first I undershot 

 twice, standing" full broadside at 300 yards ; although, 

 after the first failure, I had raised the "sighting" and, 

 moreover, at the time, was shooting 1 in my top form ! 

 The next evening, after long and patient "spying," we 

 detected two extra big heads in a herd of a hundred the 

 best a real champion, but so restless, that after our hour's 

 hanging on the flanks of the troop (alternately crawling, 

 running, and stalking), he deliberately left his companions 

 and went off alone. As dusk was falling, I essayed a long 

 shot at the second-best, which proved to be my best for 

 that year, taping 14! inches with an inside spread of just 

 under 9 inches. 



There is no water among these sterile hills, and both 

 ariel and the smaller gazelles must be nearly as inde- 

 pendent of that element as are the ibex. 1 



That last remark, however, necessitates a note on 

 the totally different climatic conditions that distinguish 

 these Red Sea hills from the far interior Sudan. In both 

 regions the winter winds blow fresh and strong from 

 N. or N/E. But here, among the hills the reverse of 

 the case on arid Nile its cool breath comes saturated 

 with moisture. So damp was the atmosphere at Sarrowit 

 that we were compelled to keep all change-clothing buried 

 in our camp-beds ! an experience that recalled long- 

 past days on the "high fjeld" of Norway, but almost 

 incredible in high-dried Sudan. Often before sunrise 

 the dark hill-slopes glistened wet, as it were after a heavy 

 thunder-shower ; and we noticed the crude rocks coated 

 with a sort of film of eocene plant-life mossy or crypto- 



1 Nevertheless, we found the bladders of ariel shot in afternoon, and 

 even at sunset, filled with water ! 



