GRAND OLD BUCKS. 119 



bad ground that at length it became impossible to follow 

 them any farther. 



Tor nearly a month had I been perspiring over these heart- 

 breaking hills, and I was now beginning to think that such 

 I profitless toil was only vanity and vexation of spirit, and that 

 these infernal ibex were merely a delusive wile of some mock- 

 ing demon of the mountains who was amusing himself at my 

 expense. So disheartened had I become from persistent ill- 

 luck and bad shooting, that it needed a good deal of persua- 

 sion on Eamzan's part to induce me to continue our pursuit 

 of the beasts; for fatigue, disappointment, and bad weather 

 combined, were beginning to tell on my powers of endurance 

 and patience. " Try just a few more days, and our luck may 

 change," said the old man. Indeed he appeared so anxious 

 to cheer me up that it seemed almost as though he had some 

 presentiment of coming good fortune. 



Again we were toiling up the steep acclivities of the range 

 which is known by the very appropriate name of " Dook " 

 (trouble or pain). We had hardly been gone an hour when 

 a herd of large old bucks was suddenly descried in compara- 

 tively easy ground for a stalk. In a second we were all prone 

 on the earth; but there was a troubled look about Eamzan's 

 face as he lay beside me anxiously watching the animals, and 

 my spirits sank to zero when he whispered, " They've seen 

 us." The glass was at once brought to bear on them, for 

 they were a considerable distance above us. There were six, 

 all of them carrying splendid sweeping horns, and to my in- 

 expressible delight I discovered that, for once, the old man 

 was wrong, as, after a short time, one of the beasts lay down, 

 and his example was soon followed by his companions. Inch 

 by inch we cautiously wormed our prostrate bodies backwards 

 until we reached the edge of a gully, in which we were hidden 

 from view of the herd, when Eamzan relieved his feelings of 

 doubt by taking a huge pinch of snufiP. 



By following the long and steep windings of the gully, we 

 at length got within easy range of the animals. My sagacious 



