94 



first females had emerged, for I presumed the others must follow the 

 same track. We were only just in time, for there was the female coming 

 along a mere line on the face of the rock not sixty yards away ; an angle 

 quite shut out the rest of our sid? of the gorge. I quickly moved behind 

 an arbutus-bush unobserved, and loaded ; I there had a friendly granite 

 rock on one side, just the colour of my Balaklava cap, so whipped off my 

 puggerie and peered round the bush. A small male was standing at the 

 corner looking in my direction, so I disappeared and tried the other side. 

 There I found the female within twenty yards, staring at the bush but 

 unable to detect me. I remained breathless, but at last the small male moved 

 on, and was followed by another who seemed to rise from the rock as he 

 stepped round the corner. Another and another followed, each in turn 

 bigger than the one immediately before him, and finally the sixth and 

 biggest. There they all were, along a ledge no wider than my hand, at 

 distances from twenty to sixty yards from me ; I dare not rise to fire, as 

 the female was gazing at me. There was a grand scene before nie : six 

 wild goats of historic keenness of vision and smell scattered along a mere 

 line of rock, varying in length of symmetrically curved horns, sunning 

 themselves and looking away into the valley at their feet unconscious of 

 danger, and thoroughly at home on ground that man could not cross 

 without the utmost care and deliberation. It was a scene such as 

 Landseer might have painted, and some wealthy sportsman might have 

 paid four figures for. Alas, the scene has vanished save from my mind's 

 eye, and the world will never view it. 



After a considerable study of me, the female gave a warning whistle, 

 and the males became alert, but gazed into the gorge and valley, not 

 dreaming that man was so near them ; they could decide nothing, even 

 the biggest male being balanced with four feet on one spot on the ledge, 

 head bent down, great beard hanging clear, and all his attention fixed on 

 the ground below. He was broadside on to me, not sixty yards away, so 

 I rose steadily, covering him with my rifle as I did so. Just as I pressed 

 the trigger, they all commenced to move except him, and when the smoke 

 cleared, there was nothing in sight ; he had fallen head first into the 

 gorge, on the opposite side of which a small male appeared almost 

 immediately. Others followed, but I waited till the last and, therefore, 

 second best showed himself, and gave him the left barrel, sending him 

 reeling; he was nearly two hundred yards away, clambering round the 

 loose shale at the head of the gorge. I had not ventured to attempt to 

 reload till then, for the time was a mere pause between the shots, I 

 may say. 



I reloaded and tried to get the third best, believing his horns were 

 about 31in. or 32in., but he was beyond my range, and I failed to 

 hit him though I fired four shots, the last hitting about three inches 

 above his back on the rocks he passed; when I subsequently found 

 my second one was only a little over 29iu., I was well pleased I had 

 not killed. 



