ELEVENTH DAY. 179 
clearing, where there were only a few somewhat taller trees, 
on the tops of which were sitting eight or ten Cinereous 
Vultures. Such a number of big birds all together looked 
very imposing ; and on one oak sapling I remember having 
seen four of these heavy creatures, their weight making the 
tree literally bend. We at once determined to ride up to 
them ; but as it was very hard work for the poor horses 
to get through the thick scrub, we dismounted and, leaving 
them with the trainer, hurried up to the aforesaid trees 
as fast as we could—I armed with my double-barrelled gun, 
and my brother-in-law carrying his rifle. 
When we had got within about a hundred and fifty paces, 
the vultures flew off one after another, and only one 
remained sitting on a dead branch with its breast turned 
towards us. To have shot at it with the gun would have been 
utterly useless ; so, as my brother-in-law was even still more 
out of breath than I was, he unslung his rifle and gave 
it to me, and, aiming as well as I could, I fired, but unfor- 
tunately missed, and the vulture spread its heavy wings and 
slowly flew off to a neighbouring wood. 
Returning to our horses we mounted again, and soon 
afterwards saw the same flock of vultures perched in just the 
same fashion on the edge of another wood not far off, and on 
trying to approach them very nearly succeeded in getting 
within shot. 
We now found ourselves standing on the top of a hill, 
quite at a loss what to do; for the thick wooded valleys 
and clearings by which we were quite surrounded were so 
very like each other that we had no idea in what part of 
the country we really were. Even the trainer had lost his 
bearings. We therefore just rode on in the line which seemed 
most likely to be right. 
While trotting along we were lucky enough to meet with 
the head forester, who, on hearing our shots, had hurried 
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