A sporting trip through Abyssinia : a narrative of a nine months' journey from the plains of the Hawash to the snows of Simien, with a description of the game, from elephant to ibex, and notes on the manners and customs of the natives . Mount Buiheat, the Home of the Ibex. away from us, the larger male and female going ov^er aridge, while we lost sight of the third altogether. Westarted to follow them, and had gone some distance whenAli stopped me, saying he had found the big one which hehad first seen ; and, after some little time, I made him outquite 180 yards off, lying in deep shadow under
A sporting trip through Abyssinia : a narrative of a nine months' journey from the plains of the Hawash to the snows of Simien, with a description of the game, from elephant to ibex, and notes on the manners and customs of the natives . Mount Buiheat, the Home of the Ibex. away from us, the larger male and female going ov^er aridge, while we lost sight of the third altogether. Westarted to follow them, and had gone some distance whenAli stopped me, saying he had found the big one which hehad first seen ; and, after some little time, I made him outquite 180 yards off, lying in deep shadow under an over-hanging rock, and half concealed by a bush which grewin front. It was an awkward place to get at ; in fact Icould see no point that commanded it, except the one wewere on ; and as the creature had his head turned our 364 A SPORTIXG TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA way, and, by the movement of the one horn we could see,was evidently very much awake, I feared his spottingus at any moment. Taking a rest on a tuft of grass, Igot the telescope-sight to bear on the spot which Icalculated I must aim at in order to reach his heart, and. Where the first Ibex fell. waiting till he moved his head, and consequently thehorn, out of the way, I pressed the trigger. He got upand moved slowly out! Had the shot missed him orwas he badly wounded ? Another shot, as he movedinto a dense clump of undergrowth, seemed to strikehome, but two others fired into the bush failed to produceany visible effect. I turned to question Ali and found THE FIRST IBEX 365. him fumbling with the focus (Hke all Somalis he is quiteuseless with the glasses). How I wished I had myKashmiri, Satara, by my side! No need to havequestioned him, for, as I fired each shot, I should haveheard its billet hissed out beside me. Just then a femaleibex dashed away, and my next concern was to preventthe Qfuide tearino- off to see if the beast was dead, and, ifso, to slash its ears and throat. By the time this littlematter was settled, e
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1902
