A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



best. As second shikari I took Salia's eldest son 

 Saibra. Every whit as keen, though perhaps not 

 quite so experienced as his father, Saibra was one 

 of the pleasantest natives with whom I have ever 

 had to deal. He had been educated by a " Moul- 

 vie," who seems to have acted as a sort of private 

 tutor. Saibra could read and write Persian fluently, 

 which sometimes proved of great use. He had 

 most cultivated and refined ideas for a native, and 

 was, as far as I saw, quite trustworthy (most 

 wonderful for a Kashmiri !). When I started after 

 ibex in Baltistan I lent Saibra to a friend of mine, 

 B., who was going to shoot for some three weeks in 

 Kashmir, with instructions that, after B.'s trip was 

 over, he was to take charge of the provisions, &c., 

 that I was sending direct to Leh, and was to meet 

 me there. B. afterwards wrote and told me that he 

 was more than satisfied with Saibra. My " chota " 

 shikari was Ullia, a bright and intelligent Kashmiri, 

 a wonderful mountaineer to whom I am indebted 

 for the head of more than one animal that got away 

 wounded and that he recovered from an apparently 

 inaccessible place. His eyesight was marvellous, 

 even for a " Pahari," and he was always willing to 

 help about the camp and to do any odd job that 

 was wanted. When I have mentioned " Sekour 

 Khan," my Mussulman " khitmutgar " and cook, 

 always grave, sometimes frightened, but accepting 

 everything with the calmness engendered by a 

 belief that it was " Kismet" and couldn't be helped, 



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