210 SHORT STALKS 



my liunter where lie was, with instructions to keep his 

 cap gently moving, I drew back with infinite precaution ; 

 then, making a detour, got within easy distance of my 

 friend, still lying there and whistling, crept into a 

 beautiful position, and — missed him clean ! 



But to return to our goats. The only method of 

 hunting them practised by the inhabitants is to drive 

 them to certain posts occuj)ied by the guns ; but though 

 we were not above trying this and every method, and did 

 stoop to conquer in this way when we got tired of the 

 other, it is not interesting, and the more crafty individuals, 

 esjDecially the old rams, will not be driven. AYe j^i'eferred 

 stalking, and did so with great perseverance, and, for 

 the reasons given, with singularly little result — at least 

 at first. The best chance was during: the two hours 

 following sunrise, and a similar period before sunset. 

 We had therefore to be astir early, and the camp-fire 

 shone red before we returned. The telescopes were in 

 continual use during the day, though, as is the case in all 

 timbered countries, I found a powerful opera-glass often 

 more effective for spying corries where it was all-important 

 not to show over the sky-line. Notwithstanding the 

 facilities for hiding, our industry with the glasses was 

 rewarded by finding the animals almost daily, but the 

 conditions above described generally defeated the stalk. 

 That is to say, when we reached the spot the goats had 

 moved, and even a slight change of position on such 

 ground made picking them up again before we were 

 ourselves spotted by the cpjarry exceedingly chance 

 work. In the end I thoug-ht that what the American 

 still liunters call "sitting on a log" — in other words, 



