Tin-: PVKi:xKAX ir.Kx -j ii 



llii'N' ol'lfU caiiK' aiiil (•(iiiti(liiii'l\' (iH'cTlmI llii'iiisi'h us [n ilu- 

 sacrifice. At the same spot where I achieved iii\' first 

 success, I h)st ()]\o of iiu' l)(>st chances at a hiu' male. A 

 messciiii'er ha<l come lii'cathK'ss Imhii the licalei's to sa\' 

 that Ic r/cii.r had lieci) seen to take to a lirol\cii chll'. 

 where he was liehexcd to he in hidiiiu'. The I w i > npper 

 "iins went in haste. In the nieaiiuhde. I chndieil up the 

 scniir from ni\' post hehiw. and awaited I hem in tlie lia>in 

 at the lo[» of it nnder the clill'. One of the healers hail 

 come up and stood li}' me. SiuUlenly pointing as 1 thought 

 to the cliff", and wildlv gesticulating, he shouted, "See the 

 houtjuetin I the big one ; i\ladre de Dios I why (h>n't yon 

 shoot? — ^lake haste — he will he gone here, close Ky. 

 Oil! I'^athei' of devils! he is gone, and I could have 

 touched him with my stick; he went (juile slowly too." 

 huriiig this exc'ited speech 1 gazed and wondered, and 

 ga/ed again with all my eyes. The clill" was within forty 

 yards and 1 seemed to command every inch of the inter- 

 vening ground. T thouglit the man insaric or jid<ing. hut 

 his frantic o-estures seemed uentiine. Five Seconals later 

 I caught the flick of a stern as it disap[ieared in the scrub. 

 The I ruth is, there was a slight depi'es>iun which crossed 

 the r()ck\' basin within ten \ards of us, of which I was 

 unaware, and wliih' I was scanniiiij; the led'j-es on iheclitf, 

 liie ibex, of course the largest ever seen, passed (juile close 

 to me. My companion, who stood a few feet higher than 

 I, could see the top of his back and horns, hidden fi'om me 

 by a rocky hummock, 



I always was an unlucky, or else a stupid sportsman, and 

 such measure of success as I haxc had, has lieeu attained 

 b\' stickini:: to il till lui-k chanuvd. In the case of the 



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