SEARCH FOR IBEX 83 



bucks had last been seen — a formidable task. I fortified 

 myself with breakfast liefore attempting it, as did the 

 shikaris, and we began the toilsome ascent about eleven, 

 the sun blazing on oar backs as we went up. It took me 

 an hour to reach the top, and I was thoroughly done when 

 I crot there. After a rest we crossed over to the northern 

 slope, and found ourselves on a vast sheet of snow, which 

 the sun had softened to such a degree that we sank above 

 the knees at every step. This was very slow and tiresome 

 work, and we had to do over half a mile of it before we 

 dared to put our noses across the ridge. Coming up I had 

 been almost melted by the sun ; on this side I was nearly 

 frozen by the snow, and my feet were quite benumbed ! 

 We had another rest after crossing the snow, and, getting 

 under cover on the other side of the range, descended with 

 all the caution inspired by ignorance of the exact locality 

 of the bucks, and dread of the watchful females. No ibex- 

 were visible, though we were nearly on a level with the spot 

 where they had last been seen. We were certain that 

 they could not be more than one hundred and fifty yards 

 from us, but whether to our right or left, or below, was 

 the question. The suspense, the extreme caution, and the 

 very careful and slow pace we were forced to adopt 

 affected my nerves, and I knew I should make a bad shot 

 when we sighted the game, if I had not had time to 

 recover myself. Sharafa and I halted, and Mirza Khan 

 went on alone to locate the ibex, which he did in about 

 ten minutes. Coming up to the rock behind which he stood, 

 he signed to me to look over, and there were the seven 

 bucks, lying in all attitudes, perfectly at home, on a small 

 patch of sloping grass about a hundred yards off across a 

 small ravine — my first chance at ibex ! How careful I 

 was to rest the rifle and take deliberate aim, and how 

 clean I missed the largest-horned buck in the flock, and 



