80 DANGEROUS FOOTING. 



had suddenly detected, after going a short distance, stood 

 for a few moments to gaze back at us. Although hurried 

 snap-shots in mountain-hunting are, as a rule, a mistake — 

 for it is better to let an animal go free on the chance of 

 getting another and better opportunity, than to risk missing 

 and disturbing the ground by firing an unsteady shot — yet 

 this one luckily told. The gooral which fell to it was 

 fortunately stopped by some projecting rocks ere he had 

 rolled down very far, which saved us much trouble in fetch- 

 ing him. 



Eain, which for some time had been threatening, now 

 began to fall. This made the steep slopes slippery and 

 dangerous ; we therefore thought it prudent to get back 

 on to the ridge, where we soon overtook the coolies toiling 

 up the winding track with their loads. Leaving the dead 

 gooral in their charge, we again went ahead. 



We were now nearing ground where, at any moment, we 

 might chance upon tahr. For the wild animals in these 

 high regions are very irregular in their feeding-times, and 

 may be seen out browsing at all hours of the day, and more 

 particularly in wet or cloudy weather, when there is no 

 need for them to lie up for shelter from the heat of the 

 noonday sun. 



Some distance higher up on the spur we came to a kind 

 of promontory that sloped down from it, and extended for 

 some distance along the side of a rocky hollow scooped out 

 of the steep mountain-side. In order to examine the pre- 

 cipitous depths of the hollow, into which we could not see 

 from above, we crept cautiously down behind the promon- 

 tory. As the shikaree, who was in front, slowly raised his 

 head to look over, he suddenly drew back and whispered 

 " tahr." On the opposite face of the hollow, and slightly 

 below us, not only were there five or six tahr on a narrow 

 and steeply sloping terrace of short green grass that ran 

 obliquely downwards across it, but there was also a small 

 herd of gooral browsing unconcernedly not far from them, 



