24-2 SHORT STALKS 



Pyreneau ibex, I suffered tribulations indeed, but 1 will 

 drink the l)ittei' draught over again to the dregs. My 

 brother and I had o-one to what we thouo-ht were to be 

 our posts, Ijut there was a misunderstanding. AVhen the 

 beaters came uj^, we were told that we ought to have been 

 at the " cascade " posts much farther on. There was not 

 much daylight left, Init, instructing the beaters to come on 

 in an hour and a half, we hurried down into the main valley 

 and up a lateral one, and arrived at our posts very hot and 

 thirsty, just after the time appointed for the drive to begin. 

 Now it is a recoonised rule that one should never leave his 

 post during the progress of a drive, but on the day in 

 question, literally the only occasion when I trangressed, 

 my thirst overcame me ; the river was scarcely two hundred 

 feet below. I thought nothing could possibly come yet, 

 and climbed down to it. As I was stooping to drink, I 

 saw a hoary old grandfather of goats standing within ten 

 }'ards of my deserted post. I seized my rifle but the 

 hammer was locked, and before it Avas ready, the beast had 

 sprung down out of my sight and gone on towards my 

 brother. The next moment his rifle rang out, l)ut in- 

 effectually, for the old billy raced back along the line by 

 which he had come, just showing me the top of his back 

 for a moment. That was an unlucky spot for me. It 

 was just there on another occasion that I was standiug by 

 one of the beaters who had come up to me. The drive 

 being over, we were talking together without any attemj^t 

 at concealment, when I saw a young male ibex standing 

 within a stone's throw, and apparently unconscious of our 

 presence. I made sure of him that time l)ut the cartridge 

 snapped. I had Inirnt some hundreds of similar ones that 



