134 
THE THRKE LEtJGED BUCK. 
fired my first barrel without effect, but took a steadier tiim 
with the other and gave him a regular staggerer, however, 
he held on over the hill Hastening after him, I came upon 
the herd, but there was no saddle back with them ; Francis 
called out There's the big one — shoot." He was under a 
rock close to me, I saw his head and was going to plug him in 
the ear, when he moved and I knocked him over with a body 
shot ; to my disappointment he was not the lame buck, and 
had only one horn ; and when they were skinning him I went 
to the further ridge, but could see nothing. Three days 
after I went to finish my sketch, and whilst doing so, Francis 
reported a herd of thirteen ibex with the lame buck amongst 
them. They were on some rocks on Big Hill slope, beauti- 
fully situated for a stalk, so after finishing my drawing, we 
worked round the opposite hill and reconnoitred them, but, 
unfortunately a doe popped her head up over the ndge and 
saw us. Presently the whole herd moved up the hill, so 1 
had to get above them, and on looking over saw them below 
gradually coming up towards me. Unluckily a young doe 
caught sight of the top of my topee, and commenced 
whistling, and as they separated I caught sight of the lame, 
buck between two does about eighty yards away, I took as 1 
thought a steady aim at him, but there was no thud. They 
were out of sight in a moment, and on dashing forward down 
the steep hill, I tripped up and fell clean on my forehead and 
nose which nearly stunned me. As I scrambled up I was 
only just in time to see the herd careering away down below, 
the three-legged buck keeping well up with them. He 
appeared to have but one foreleg, with a lump where the 
other leg ought to have been. I should have liked very 
much to have bagged him and seen whether he was born 
