THE -450 EXPRESS. 73 



heart, and general interior economy, yet he moved some twelve or fifteen 

 yards before he fell. This is worth remarking, and I shall allude to it 

 again further on in my yarns. 



Well, we had no choice ; I must carry the rifle, and the shikarie the ram, 

 and we struck down the hills and away to the rest-house. It was almost 

 at the end of the range and close to the road, perhaps a mile and a half 

 away, that we had found the only decent rani. It was a weary and 

 exhausting tramp back, and even four bottles of cold soda-water did not 

 assuage my thirst at the bungalow. 



In the afternoon I started to drive back, with the oorial in the net of 

 the trap, and reached the mess in time for dinner. I had no more of this 

 killing sport for a year, the cold weather being fully occupied with work 

 and the hot weather spent after ibex, &c., in the glorious Himalayas ; but 

 I returned early in October and visited another range, not from choice, 

 but because other " sahib log " (white folk) had gone to the range I had 

 been on before and particularly wished to try again. (They got some 

 good heads one, the best I have seen or heard of, 36in. ; I measured it 

 subsequently with my tape, and can vouch for the length.) I fired with 

 a '500 rifle that trip, and must include the results (nil) in my remarks on 

 that bore when considering its points later on. 



About a fortnight later we reached this range while marching down 

 country, and I tried the '450 then. A chum and I got a day's leave and 

 started for a tent we had sent out to pass the night in, but saw no game 

 en route. Next morning we tossed for choice of sides of range to shoot 

 on, and I won the southern ; crossing over to it, a small herd of six or 

 seven came bolting down about 150 yards from me and about 400 from 

 my chum, for we had only just separated. I fired a snap shot at the rani, 

 but he was amongst the bushes and I could not swear to him, so missed. 

 Away they went into a nullah that crossed the plateau, and I ran quickly 

 forward on to the edge, loading as I ran. They came out the other side, 

 and I spotted the ram end on, bolting away as hard as he could, nearly 

 120 yards off. I had a nice shot at the back of his head, but, as I was 

 jumpy, could not press the trigger at once. However, at last the 

 hammer fell, and ditto the ram, dead as a door nail, for the bullet hit 

 fair at the back of the skull where the joint of the neck fits in, and made 

 a regular hash of his brains, &c. He was about 150 yards off when he 

 fell. His horns were 25in. and 24in. respectively, being much broken at 

 the tips, and might have measured from one to three inches more if 

 perfect. 



Having gralloched him, I went on, and later came on a solitary ram in 

 a ravine. He clambered up on the opposite side, disturbed by my 

 follower, and would not stop to look at me even, so I made a guess at the 

 distance, put up the 200 yards sight, and let drive. I had misjudged, for 

 the bullet hit the rocks just over his shoulder. Bad luck, I thought ; but 

 I hoped for another chance, and at last, while sitting resting about half a 

 mile ahead, back came the rani or one very much like him. I remained 



