SPORT IN THE TEKKES : WAPITI 71 



stay with the ponies in case we left them to try a 

 stalk. 



Sure enough the deer were there, for presently we 

 heard a stag call, a long way off and below ; it 

 was some time before it was repeated, but as 

 evening came on others took it up, till there were 

 four or five stags calling at intervals in the same 

 valley. 



The call is not a roar at all, but a scream, and is 

 difficult to describe ; it is something between a 

 bugle and a horse's whinny with the shake left out, 

 and under favourable conditions of wind and ground 

 can be heard a long way off. It can be imitated 

 with a hollow plant stalk of about half an inch in 

 diameter, but it is not easy to do it well. My 

 shikari's successful efforts were about one call in 

 three ; so that though he occasionally got an answer, 

 on the whole he did more harm than good, as 

 when his first effort happened to be successful he 

 invariably spoilt it all by producing a ghastly failure 

 at the second attempt ; but on this occasion he did 

 not disclose the musical talent that was in him. 



Well, it seemed good enough to have a try ; we 

 had to go some way round to get down into the 

 valley; but as we rode most of it, this did not take 

 long. My idea was to take the Kirghiz with me, 

 try to locate a calling stag, and then either track 

 him or follow the sound on the chance of getting 

 a shot. 



