The Stories of Two Ibex 33 



frequent intervals into the pastures, forming a 

 series of corries altogether an ideal haunt for 

 ibex. It was in one of these that the big fellow 

 had been seen. So we walked along the razor- 

 edge, or rather just behind it, examining every 

 ravine in turn. Ibex we found in plenty, but not 

 the one we were after. From the edge of the 

 ridge, where it fell away abruptly, we retraced our 

 steps and went back to the other end, and were 

 rewarded by seeing nothing. So back we went 

 to camp. There was not anything surprising in 

 this : big ibex are not picked up every day, and, 

 as Gul Sher remarked, " If not to-day, then to- 

 morrow or the next day ; but find him we shall." 

 But he was there neither on the morrow nor the 

 day after. The Kinechuch ridge was then aban- 

 doned, and in the next few days all the likely 

 ground on that water-parting was examined ; but 

 with no result, and the pursuit of the big ibex was 

 dropped for the time. A fortnight or more later 

 Gul Sher found him again in the same spot, and 

 again I laid myself out for his destruction. The 

 evening before he had been there, but when I 

 went up the ridge he was gone vanished as 

 mysteriously as before. However, I determined 

 to look yet another day before again dropping his 

 pursuit ; and this time, if the big one was not to 

 be seen, we agreed I was to shoot one or other of 



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