Ibex Shooting in the Thian Shan Mountains 



then travel to Kuldja by river steamer and tar- 

 antas to shoot in the Thian Shan from about the 

 middle of August until October, engaging my men 

 at Kuldja through the Belgian missionaries there 

 two most agreeable gentlemen who* have met every 

 traveler from Littledale in 1882 until the present 

 time. I should buy all my supplies except cocoa 

 and condensed milk at Vernie or Jarkand, and in 

 Kuldja itself. The condensed milk in Russia is to 

 be found at the apothecaries. 



I have made no mention of the great number of 

 ibex to be found in these mountains. Often we 

 saw at one time several herds, each with over a 

 hundred ibex. While the actual hunting of ibex is 

 the grandest sport that I have ever had, one must 

 not forget the frequent rainy days or those on 

 which the clouds were low in the mornings, thus 

 delaying the start until it was too late to make a 

 vSuccessful day's hunt. On days such as these, time 

 hangs very heavy on one's hands, as it does also in 

 the afternoons on days when we moved camp. 

 Now that I am home, however, I look back with 

 great pleasure on the days spent on the mountains, 

 forgetting the times when we were delayed by bad 

 weather and high water. 



Geo. L. Harrison, Jr. 



343 



