69 



NOTES ON A TRIP AFTER THE OVIS POLL 



By 



Colonel G. D. F. Sulivan, late 4th D. G. 



It is only within recent years, comparatively speaking, that the Ovis 

 poll, the most magnificent of all the wild-sheep tribe, has been shot 

 by Indian sportsmen, but now every spring sees a few of the latter 

 start on the long and dreary trek to the Taghdmnbash Pamir, via 

 Gilo-it, the only country available for this sheep, now that the Russian 

 Pamir is closed to all foreigners, as was ordered some few years ago, 

 and has since been rigidly enforced. A Chinese passport is necessary 

 for this Pamir, in addition to a permit from the Indian Government 

 to proceed by the Gilgit route, and only a very limited number of the 

 latter are granted each year, but the former is easily obtained, and a 

 Britisher may always feel sure of a welcome from the Chinese officials 

 and from the natives of the country. It had long been my ambition to 

 add a good pair of Poli horns to my collection of big-game trophies, 

 but it was not till 1905 that the opportunity occurred for me to try my 

 luck in that direction, and then owing to a bad attack of pleurisy and 

 pneumonia, which had reduced me to a mere wreck, I was very late in 

 making a start. One ought to leave Kashmir by the middle of April at 

 latest, for though one may have considerable trouble at the Tragbal and 

 Burzil Passes, when once over them, it is plain sailing to Hunza, 

 which country one ought to reach early in May, before the snow begins 

 to melt and so flood the rivers, when the usual track up their beds is 

 impracticable, and one has to go by an upper one, which is a terror 

 in many places, besides making the marches much longer. 



Before proceeding further, it may be as well to allude here to the 

 servants I took with me, and to the arrangements necessary to make 

 before starting on this trip. As regards the former, I took a cook, one 

 coolie, and my shikari, Rahima of Bandipur, who valeted me and 

 waited at table in addition to his legitimate duties, and did right well 

 throughout the trip : he could also speak the Kirghiz language to 

 a certain extent, but not being aware of this fact, I took on a man 

 from Baltit as interpreter, who was really quite unnecessary. I took 

 supplies with me to last to Gilgit, and Major Hennessy, S. and T. Corps, 

 Bandipur, kindly gave me authority to draw on the Commissariat 

 Depot there for what I wanted in the way of flour, rice, etc., which was 

 of the greatest assistance to me, as one cannot indent on the country 



