252 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



At even time my friend, the Malik, turned up and 

 said, " You had better go back to your own country, 

 for the Malik of Booner " (the adjoining village 

 to his) " has got news of you. He is much stronger 

 than I, so I cannot protect you." It was a sore 

 disappointment to me to leave my newly discovered 

 shooting ground, but Kamala, with tears in his eyes, 

 said, " Oh, Sahib, your kismet has been good ; you 

 have got two heads ; if we stop we shall all have our 

 throats cut. In fact, if you stop, the coolies will 

 run away." So I yielded to force majeure, and 

 retreated the next morning. 



Ibex are easier to hunt than markhor, in that they 

 always keep to the open above the forest-line, never 

 seeking shelter in the forest as markhor do. And 

 although they are to be found on fairly easy ground 

 (for a good walker, that is to say), sometimes one 

 has some very stiff climbing before getting a shot. 

 In the spring especially, when they are low down 

 near the main valleys, the ground is generally more 

 precipitous ; whilst when they retreat higher up in 

 summer towards the snow-line, the ground opens out, 

 and the slopes on which they feed are less abrupt. 



About fourteen years ago I went up one of the 

 best nullahs in the Kashmir Wardwan valley, called 

 Creush Nai, in July, and after a month's work 

 brought back twelve heads, all good enough to put 

 on the wall. I should not (and would not, with my 

 present ideas) have shot so many, but with a bit of 

 bravado, when I left my regiment I said I would 

 bring back a dozen heads to put up in the mess. 



