THE OORIAL. l6l 



a fine ram, and I had time to reload and fire two more shots before the herd reached the 

 edge of the valley and plunged down the nearly perpendicular bank. One of the shots — 

 I do not know which — took effect, for the largest ram lagged behind the herd, and was 

 evidently lame. No blood, however, was to be found, and tracking proved to be impracti- 

 cable, so we saw him no more. 



We still had some distance to travel before we reached camp, and when within a mile 

 of it, as we were again trudging along the sandy river bed, we saw an Oorial on the sky 

 line of one of the highest neighbouring cliffs. It was nearly dark, but it never does to 

 throw away a chance, so up we went, and after a stiffish climb reached the place where the 

 Oorial had been. He had moved, but on proceeding a short distance along the hill-side, 

 I found a young male and a female, which I of course allowed to go unmolested. It was 

 dark before I reached my tent. 



An intelligent villager (the Shikari of the place, of whom I had already heard) informed 

 me, in reply to my enquiries, that Oorial were numerous in the neighbourhood, and that I 

 should doubtless find plenty on the morrow. I also enquired about an old ram with 

 one horn, of which the friend with whom I had lately been staying had told me, but I could 

 gain no reliable information about him. 



I was out very early on the following morning, and under the guidance of the villager 

 above mentioned, went to some fields of young wheat, in the immediate vicinity of which 

 were many deep and precipitous ravines. These were the strongholds to which the Oorial 

 retired during the day, after their nocturnal visits to the crops. Although we were early on 

 the ground, we did not find any Oorial feeding, nor were any fresh tracks to be seen, though 

 footmarks, two or three days old, showed that they frequented the place. The fact was that 

 they had been doing so much damage that the cultivators had taken to watching their fields 

 by night and frightening the Oorial away. I hunted for a long time without seeing any- 

 thing except a few Chikara, which were extremely wild and in such open ground that 

 there was no chance of stalking them, although I certainly did not trouble myself much 

 about them. 



The sun became extremely hot towards midday, and I was glad to rest for some time 

 under one of the few shady trees that were to be found at wide intervals on that rocky 

 waste. 



In the afternoon we recommenced our search, and after exploring a great extent 

 of likely-looking ground without success, we at last found a herd lying on the stony slope of 

 a deep ravine. Just below where they lay two ravines joined, and it was only necessary for 

 me to gain the other branch without being perceived, in order to make pretty sure of an 

 easy shot. With some little trouble I contrived to reach the ravine unseen by any of the 

 watchful herd, and proceeded to descend the dried up watercourse as silently as possible. 

 I had to keep a sharp look-out as I went along, for many of these ravines are so tortuous 

 that on turning a sharp corner one may find oneself in full view of a spot, which one would 

 imagine, from the lie of the ground, would be invisible. In this instance, however, no such 

 bad luck attended me, and I reached the junction without being seen. 



W 



