250 THE KARAKUL PAMIR AND HOME. 



to get as near as possible, preparatory to a move 

 on their part. As we were working round the 

 corrie, they began to walk towards the side we 

 were making for, so we ran along quickly to cir- 

 cumvent and meet them on the shoulder. On get- 

 ting there, we found them still in the corrie, and 

 an undulation in the ground gave me the chance of 

 a similar stalk to my last viz., by sliding down on 

 my back to a distance of 1 50 yards, with the herd 

 below me, some feeding, some lying down. I 

 meditated taking a shot, but thinking there was a 

 possibility of getting closer, went crawling on to 

 a little ridge of stones below, when the warning 

 note sounded, and the whole herd were on their 

 feet with one bound ! My move was a false one, 

 having gone a little too low, and they had got my 

 wind. There was no time for deliberation, so, sit- 

 ting up, I fired at a ram with a decent head ; and 

 as they made off across the corrie, I gave my left 

 barrel to another, which smashed his thigh. 



As soon as they disappeared we were after 

 them. Unfortunately, the next corrie was an open 

 one, and on looking into it, we saw the wounded 

 rams lying one on each side, making it impossible 

 to try for one without showing myself to the 

 other. It was very perplexing to know what to 



