42 MARKHOR SHOOTING 



above, and had to go up again for it, as I refused to 

 stir till I had had a drink. Ghariba got some snow for 

 himself and Sharafa. He plastered it on a rock facing the 

 sun, and the water was soon dripping from it into a hollow, 

 from which they drank — a very slow process for thirsty 

 people ; I had finished all my tea by the time they had had 

 a couple of mouthfuls. Having enjoyed my tea, I marched 

 very contentedly back to camp, though the grass shoes had 

 punished my feet severely. Grass shoes in this dry stony 

 country are certainly not the best things to wear ; a day's 

 work wore out two or three pairs ; they soon get loose and 

 twist over on to the instep in a very aggravating manner, 

 when one is walkino- aloncr a hillside. 



I stayed in camp next day, as my feet were sore, and 

 Sharafa had to prepare the head and skin of the markhor. 

 The horns were 30 '5 inches long, and the girth round 

 the base was 11*5 inches; divergence at tip, 26 inches. 

 The length was below the average, but the other measure- 

 ments were good, and the horns were a handsome pair. 

 When the coolies brought in the carcase, we found that the 

 bullet had hit the markhor behind the small ribs, touching 

 the spine, which was not much injured ; the shock, how- 

 ever, must have quite paralysed it. "We found this flock 

 of markhor very low down, much lower than I imagined 

 they ever went. The two largest had white coats, the 

 other two were very small, and of a dark colour : I got 

 the largest of the lot. The shikaris went up Amatabar to 

 look for markhor. By the way, when I got out rifle 

 No. 1 , 1 found I had been using the barrel of No. 2 on the 

 stock of No. 1 — proof of the perfection which the gunmaker 

 has attained. 



I heard to-day that the Dichal valley was not likely 

 to be vacant for some time, or indeed at all. Every 

 one of the usual markhor valleys was occupied ; so I had 



