84 IBEX SHOOTING 



the next, and the next ! Life was not worth living for the 

 lialf-hour after this disaster. I had aimed at the hirgest- 

 horned one while he was lying down — a very great mistake 

 indeed. I was still bilious and out of sorts, and the ascent 

 in the blazing sun had not improved my nerves. The 

 shibiris looked disgusted, and I am sure I went down 

 several degrees in INIirza KIkiu's estimation. After a rest, 

 we came down to the stream at the bottom of the valley, 

 and then along the next hillside down to camp on 

 the stream. 



At six o'clock next morning we started to go straight 

 up the stream, then turned up to the left on the spur 

 dividing the two streams of the valley, and passed the 

 hillside where I made such bad shooting the day before. 

 We saw only one small ibex high up near the head of the 

 valley, and let him alone, to go up the hillside on the left 

 of the larger stream for a long distance, then round the 

 head of the stream on snow for more than a mile, to a 

 stony ridge where we had seen some ibex yesterday 

 evening as we were returning, but found only their tracks. 

 We ascended to the very top, a rocky hill-point on the 

 dividing ridge of this valley, and had a glorious view all 

 round. Mirza Khan only was with me, as Sliarafa had 

 become ill, and was lying down on the rocks below. 

 ISTanga Parbat was to the south, its massy proportions 

 looking right royal among the low peaks and ranges 

 around. On the north and north-west, facing Nanga 

 Parbat, but fifty miles apart, were the snowy peaks of 

 Pakhi Poshi, Dobanni, and Haramosh, inferior only to the 

 mighty mass on the south from this point. These three 

 peaks seemed to be on one range, and almost in a straight 

 line. Behind them, far away, could be dimly seen another 

 snowy range, like a massive white wall. Below, on this 

 side, were the districts of Hunza and Nagar, on the other 



