THE DEATH. 200 



where the old Puharrie, who was carrying my 

 rifle behind me, narrowly escaped going over 

 the precipice, when I suddenly espied the 

 object of my search laying under a rock. 

 Snatching my rifle out of the old nian's 

 hand, I shot the ibex dead. He made but 

 one stagger ; we tried to reach the spot to 

 prevent him going over the rocks, but in 

 vain, — down he went, rolling over and over, 

 carrying rocks and loose stones with him. 

 Ossaroo nearly a mile below ; and Wilson 

 looking on from a rock as far above, shouting 

 out, "Oh ! he will be spoilt, he will be 

 knocked to atoms," meaning the skin and 

 horns. The scene altogether was capital, 

 and was brought to an end by the dead 

 ibex stopping in its course close to Ossaroo, 

 whose sounding ribs (it was before breakfast), 

 intercepted one of the loosened stones, which 

 left him for a time, with only a little more 

 breath in his body than there was in the 

 ibex. When we got down to the bottom 

 of the ravine we found the head and horns 

 uninjured, but the skin was much cut by 



