156 THE HIMALAYAN IBEX. 



round the corner of a steep cliff. But where are the rest of the herd ? Hastily reloading 

 I ran forward to the edge of a deep ravine a short distance ahead, and from below me out 

 dashed the big Ibex, whose horns I could not fail to recognise. He would not stand, but 

 as he crossed some deep snow I sent the contents of both barrels after him in quick suc- 

 cession, and to my delight he went floundering down the snow in a helpless manner, that 

 showed that he could not escape. He disappeared behind a rock, and as I could not 

 descend into the ravine at the point from which I fired, I went back to look for the first 

 Ibex. I soon found him standing just below where I had last seen him, and a third bullet 

 stretched him lifeless on the spot. On going down to him I found that my first shot had 

 been a mortal one, but that the second had only passed through the base of his horns. The 

 horns, which had looked so large from above, proved disappointing on a closer inspection, 

 as they only measured thirty-one inches. Meanwhile, the big Ibex, though grievously 

 wounded, with both a fore-leg and a hind-leg broken, had contrived to scramble out of the 

 snow, and was slowly and painfully endeavouring to ascend the opposite bank of the 

 ravine. We soon overtook it, and the knife terminated its existence. It was with con- 

 siderable satisfaction that I contemplated the splendid animal which it had taken us so 

 long to circumvent. As it was early in the season, his coat was still in good condition, and 

 the head, with the flowing beard and rugged arched horns, formed a trophy which any 

 sportsman would be glad to hang on his walls. The horns, though nothing extraordinary, 

 were a perfect and symmetrical pair, measuring forty-three inches in length. Skinning and 

 cutting up the Ibex, for the benefit of the coolies in camp, occupied some time, but it was still 

 early in the afternoon when we reached our camp, every one well satisfied with the day's 

 work. 



