SPORT AND TRAVEL 47 



Pabli I always found a most good-tempered, willing, 

 and obliging man, and a very fair cook. He knew 

 a little Italian, and less French, whilst I knew some 

 French and no Italian, and I think we mutually com- 

 prehended one another in a broad way as much by 

 instinct and intuition as by language; yet I could 

 always make out what Pabli was driving at (sooner 

 or later), whilst he professed to understand my French 

 illumined by shots at Italian words, molto bene. 



At Chardak, I was met by an old acquaintance, a 

 Greek doctor in the employ of the railway company. 

 No one is better acquainted than Dr. C. with the 

 haunts and habits of the wild goats of the Maimtin' 

 Dagh ; and I was very pleased to find that he would 

 be able to spend the next ten days with me, and give 

 me the benefit of his local experience in outwitting 

 one of the wariest of wild animals. Though some- 

 what rotund of figure, the good doctor is an excel- 

 lent walker and climber, a keen sportsman, and a good 

 shot; but only possessing a smooth-bore gun, it is 

 but seldom that he can hope to get a shot at the wild 

 goats except by having them driven to him by beaters, 

 when the animals often pass within a short distance 

 of the concealed hunter. In this way the doctor has 

 shot a good many, amongst them some fine billies; 

 though he has never secured one of the very largest 

 size, as these wary old veterans, I believe, always re- 

 fuse to be driven, and break back through the line 

 of beaters. 



