58 MARKHOR SHOOTING 



as to wind and sight, simply because they were above us — 

 and they scored. After going along cautiously for a time, 

 we heard their note of alarm, and knew we had been 

 discovered. Shortly after, we saw them making straight 

 for the precipitous rocks on the sky-line. When they 

 were out of sight, we followed and went along below the 

 cliffs, scrambled up some ugly places, and soon after came 

 on our footmarks of the 14th, and up we went again 

 along that same toilsome ascent. We followed our old 

 footsteps till we came to the fir forest, then Mirza Khan 

 took us along the hillside ; but when we came to the 

 rocky ledge overlooking the spot where the markhor had 

 been last seen, they had vanished. I had breakfast and 

 started again at ten, Alirza Khan, who knew every inch 

 of the ground, and also all the dodges of the wily 

 markhor, leading ; he concluded that they had topped the 

 ridge, crossed the fir forest, and made off for a fresh 

 resting-place higher up, and behind the ridge bounding the 

 pine forest on the other side. His forecast was perfectly 

 correct. After going a short distance, we came on fresh 

 tracks, showing that they had run fast through the forest. 

 They must have crossed here while we were toiling up to 

 the steep, and have got our wind again. We followed the 

 tracks to the opposite side of the valley, bounded by a 

 rocky ridge, terminating in a very precipitous hill, up 

 and round which the markhor had gone. I remained 

 below, while Mirza Khan and Sharafa followed up to see 

 if they could see them on the other side. This was a 

 dangerous piece of work, and evidently Sharafa did not 

 like it. Mirza Khan, knowing the ground, went first, and 

 the last I saw of them was climbing a pine-tree in a 

 narrow cleft between two rocks, which apparently was the 

 only way of doubling round the hill : from the top of the 

 tree they jumped out of sight. An hour afterwards they 



