ROUGH NOTES OF TRAVEL AND SPORTS. 105 



nest ready on April 1st, of which'sportsmen take note. Saw no 

 Markhor to-day. 



April 22nd. — Had not climbed far up the cliff when Mamdu spied a 

 Markhor on the sky-line half a mile above us. The wind was down 

 hill, so we watched him, a fine old fellow, with wide sweeping horns, 

 and saw that he was accompanied by one young male, — evidently our 

 missing two of yesterday morning. Up we scrambled, and luckily 

 found on a flat rock a shallow pool of rain-water, three-fourths of a 

 pint perhaps, which we shared. Much refreshed, we were climbing on, 

 keeping to the left out of sight of the Markhor, when Mamdu said 

 "a man is coming down towards us.'' And so there was, Rehman 

 with another cooly bringing food, &c. I at once said to Nibra, 

 " Get over to that rock ; the markhor will come down from those 

 men" ; and the moment we got to the ridge, N. excitedly exclaimed 

 " Banduk jaldi kholo — markhor bilkul nazdik hai !" (" Uncase the 

 gun quickly — the markhor is quite close.") We ducked down ; I had 

 the rifle out in no time and shoved in cartridges; but the old fellow 

 had caught sight of my hat and turned back, and was bolting down 

 the rocks as hard as he could leg it, about fifty yards off. Aiming 

 steadily I let drive, but thought the thud sounded as if the bullet 

 had smashed on a rock, so 1 ran across to give him the left barrel, 

 when he should re-appear in the nullah far below. There was a great 

 clattering of stones, and down he came, but not galloping! Rolling 

 and rolling, on and on dead as a nail, for about 300 yards he rolled 

 and then lay in the nullah, with the stones still dancing past him 

 that had been loosened by his fall. " Got him, Nibra." " kSalaam, 

 salaam, Saheb ! " from the delighted shikari. Rehman and the 

 other cooly come down as we are " bucking" about this bit of good 

 fortune, and we send them down to take the trophies, while we pitch 

 into the chaguls, and tea and grub. Then we light a fire behind a 

 rock. . . . Here he comes, out with tape: — ■ 



Horns, round curve, 43^ inches. 

 „ circumference, H4 ,, 

 A fine old billy-goat and no mistake. Despite his tremendous fall 

 and roll, the horns are uninjured, but the skull is cracked and the 

 lower jaw smashed to bits. 



April 24th. — Shortly after starting at six, I saw three old male 

 Markhor. While stalking them I found that the sportsman in the 

 adjoining nullah of Shaltar was simultaneously stalking the same 

 animals. 



