Ibex Shooting in the Thian Shan Mountains 



The long days sitting in camp, doing absolutely 

 nothing, as I had read and reread all our books, 

 and without a soul to speak to, as my Kirghiz was 

 very limited, got on my nerves to such an extent 

 that, after eight days, we left, reaching the camp 

 where I had left Chew on the evening of the 

 ninth day. Here I found quite a monument with 

 a large white stone on the top, on which was cut 

 a very good likeness of an ibex, with the inscrip- 

 tion, "B.C., 1909. VI. " and written on it in pencil 

 a message saying that he had gotten six good ibex. 

 Another day saw me in the main camp, where a 

 good dinner was most welcome after the last few 

 days of hard work on short rations. 



I was greatly disappointed not to get a wapiti, 

 but to my mind it is doubtful if I would have 

 gotten a fair one even in a month. At Kuldja and 

 on the road home I saw many hundred shed horns, 

 which are exported, to be used as knife handles, and 

 a number of pairs with the horns still on the skull ; 

 but among all these there was not even a fair set. 

 At Kuldja I spent much time looking for a good 

 pair, offering a large price, but could find none. 

 However, at the Tekkes the guide presented me 

 with a splendid set shot some years ago, which 

 are the best set Rowland Ward has ever seen, 

 measuring as they do 56^ inches on the curve, the 



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