A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



out some twelve hours, and Ullia, who had been 

 sent to prospect in another direction, returned 

 having seen a herd of some thirty ibex, but no good 

 head amongst them. The following day was spent 

 in marching up the valley to the village of Kande. 

 Here, after many endeavours to extract information, 

 an 'old man eventually told us that a small ravine 

 that we saw opening up to the west, and which was 

 apparently closed by a big mountain about a mile 

 from its mouth, turned a corner and became a large 

 valley which had never yet been explored by a 

 white man (this I believe to have been true, as I 

 found, and found on this occasion only, that the 

 Government Survey was not correct), and was full 

 of large ibex. This was, of course, exciting, and 

 Ullia was despatched then and there to investigate. 

 He returned late, having been for some way up the 

 nalah, and said that he had seen three lots of ibex, 

 and that, though he had been accompanying sahibs 

 for many years, never had he seen finer heads. I 

 could not explore this valley now, as I had promised 

 to meet W. on the following day, and besides, it was 

 really on the latter's shooting-ground, as he had not 

 yet made it over to me. I heard that the village 

 cattle were to be driven up this nalah on the next 

 day, and knowing that as soon as they put in an 

 appearance the ibex would leave for higher regions, 

 I sent for the Lumbardar, and promised much 

 "baksheesh" if he would keep his herds below for 

 another week, by which time I hoped that I might 



