MIRZA KHAN MAKES ANOTHER SLIP 79 



to avoid the ravine we had crossed before, and thus got 

 into the snow and among huge rocks. We walked through 

 this with frozen feet and aching fingers ; then came to a 

 steep hillside, one sheet of snow, down which we had to 

 slide sitting. For punishment let me recommend this 

 mode of progression when the snow just conceals numerous 

 points of rock. Coming back, we shirked the ascent 

 through the snow, and concluded to take our chance over 

 the dangerous ravine. We had a bad five seconds crossing 

 it. Sharafa, having better nerve on snow than Mirza Khan, 

 went first ; then the latter crossed, but, being too proud to 

 use the foot-holes made by Sharafa, tried it a little higher 

 up, while I followed Sharafa's track. About half-way 

 across, Mirza Khan being a few feet above me, his feet 

 slipped, and, as he felt himself losing his balance and 

 coming down on me, he uttered a despairing groan, 

 thinking he was slipping into eternity over the precipice a 

 few yards below, and taking me with him. But Sharafa 

 was watching us from the edge of the snow, and, coming 

 back a few paces on his old track, held Mirza Khtin up 

 till I had passed. Had Mirza Khan slipped a couple of 

 feet more, he must have had me down, and we should 

 both have swished over the precipice in a second. There 

 was absolutely nothing to stop us, if once started. Mirza 

 Khan looked very yellow after, and it was very evident 

 that his nerves had been shaken. It rained off and on 

 during the whole day. The wretched weather played the 

 mischief with my shooting in this direction. I had no 

 more time to spare for the markhor, as I intended to 

 devote some days to the ibex, and secure a couple of good 

 heads before I left. The large fires we made and the 

 smoke from them must have had something to do with the 

 disappearance of the markhor from these hillsides, for 

 though we came across innumerable tracks, a few days 



