The Maral Stag 2 3 1 



the noise made by either the Scotch or the Kash- 

 mir stag, and this no doubt is the reason the 

 Persians' name for the beast is gao-Jcuhi, or 

 " hill-ox." These shikaris had a profound belief 

 in the efficacy of their instrument, and the 

 mimicry, if not perfect, was certainly clever. 

 After having established rapport with a distant 

 stag, they engage him in what they call " ques- 

 tion and answer," and by the opportune use of 

 all the expressive noises used in stag language, 

 from the low mooing made when the lord is 

 herding his harem to the fiercely-roared challenge, 

 they claimed to be able to almost compel his 

 approach. Let us hope they exaggerated ! They 

 were never successful when with me, but this 

 they attributed to the lateness of the season. 



Once, I think, they very nearly did the trick. 

 There had been some heavy rain, and during the 

 night, from my tent perched up on a high ridge, 

 I had heard a lot of roaring in the forest below. 

 This had all ceased by the time it was light, and 

 as we walked along the spur and looked down 

 through the trees, about which the mists hung 

 and drifted like ghosts, no sound could be heard 

 but the drip of water on sodden leaves. About 

 ten o'clock, however, a grand roar came from 

 below. The shikari responded. Then another 

 challenge came, nearer this time. But after that, 



