118 SHORT STALKS 



piercing- wind swept across it and made it Lard to perse- 

 vere. Fine Lail and cubes of hoar frost blown from the 

 rocks smote our hands and faces, and now and ao-ain one 

 had to pause on tlie lee side to take l)reath. During one 

 of these halts, on lookino- back alone; the ridoe, we saw a 

 band of ewes and small rams about five hundred yards off, 

 and apparently following in our track. Some whiff of our 

 taint had disturbed tliem. Aware of danoer, but not 

 seeing us, they launched up, and I tried the shot as a last 

 chance, but without result. But its echoes disturbed 

 another lot of eight or nine, this time all old rams, at the 

 very Ijottom of the next valley. After a bit they dis- 

 appeared behind a rise, and, failing to see them reappear, 

 we assumed that they had remained there. There seemed 

 to be nothing for it Init to tramp to the bottom, and this 

 we did reluctantly, as it lay right away from camp. Down 

 we went for half an hour as hard as we could go, but 

 when we reached the foot of the slope the sheep were 

 nowhere to l)e seen. Glancing upwards, there they were, 

 outlined against the sky on the top of the ridge, within a 

 hundred yards of tlie point where w^e had left it, so that 

 we had not only had our tramp in vain, but lost a fine 

 chance into the bargain. On our way down they must 

 have passed pretty close to us, concealed in a hollow. Up 

 again we had to go in the worst of tempers, Init consoling 

 ourselves with the assurance that we should l)e able to 

 follow their tracks in the snow. Alas ! wdieii, after an 

 liour's severe grind, we reached the point where they had 

 disappeared, not a " sign" remained. Thoiigli tlie weather 

 was clear the wind had smoothed away eveiy trace. 

 We commanded a wide area, l>ut t]i<' l)and \\i\A wliolly 



