AN UNEXPECTED SHOT. 91 



pretty steep, and there, to my astonishment, were 

 seven gooljas, standing in single file, about 200 

 yards off. In a second my rifle was tmslung, and 

 before they had realised the situation I gave them 

 one, two, right and left. Neither fell to the shot, 

 but the leader seemed to stagger, took two strides 

 down the slope, then recovered himself and fol- 

 lowed the rest. Reloading, I gave him another 

 shot, and down he went head over heels. Run- 

 ning after the others, I looked for blood-tracks, 

 but finding none, though I followed within sight a 

 good way, I gave in where they disappeared over 

 a spur, and returned to where my ram lay. He 

 had a good thick head, which measured, although 

 broken off at the tips, 58 inches by 17 inches. 



As it was getting late and I did not know how 

 far off the camp lay, I rolled him down the slope 

 into a deep water-course, and stuck my mountain- 

 stick into the ground, with a red cotton handker- 

 chief tied to it, to mark the spot and keep off the 

 birds ; then I started off across the steppe in the 

 direction of the camp. When I got to the far 

 edge of the plain, I found I had made a good 

 shot, for there lay our camp at my feet, about two 

 miles off. The prospect of food and drink fresh- 

 ened me considerably, and quickening my pace, I 



