WURDWAN. 129 



season chance to find ibex. My companion and I therefore 

 proceeded, as we thought, in quite different directions in 

 search of them. Having discovered a small herd, Kamzan 

 and I were attempting to stalk it, when, on peering down- 

 wards over a rock, to our surprise we saw that my chum and 

 his shikaree were doing likewise. They were directly below, 

 and between us and the ibex, which now, becoming alarmed, 

 moved off without either of us getting a shot. 



After a long and steep descent, where we had, in some 

 places, to keep a sharp look-out for detached rocks and stones 

 rolling down from the heights above, in the evening we 

 reached the village of Unshin, in Wurdwan. Here we learnt 

 that four sportsmen had already crossed the pass, and had 

 taken up their hunting localities, with which we were in 

 honour bound not to interfere. As three of them had gone 

 up the main valley northwards, and only one had gone down 

 it, we decided to proceed in the latter direction. 



The following day, after proceeding about six miles down 

 the valley, I struck up a steep narrow glen to the left, whilst 

 my companion went straight on with the intention of hunting 

 over the mountains above Marroo Wurdwan further eastward. 

 A rough walk of several miles up the glen brought us to the 

 spot where Kamzan proposed pitching our camp for the night. 

 Next day was Sunday, and never can a day of rest be more 

 appreciated than when hunting among such mountains as 

 these. 



On Monday morning, as we were proceeding up the glen 

 by the side of the torrent that tumbled impetuously down it, 

 Eamzan, pointing upwards, quietly remarked in a casual sort 

 of way, " There are bears up yonder." He evidently consid- 

 ered bears which were in those days so very numerous among 

 these Cashmere mountains to be almost beneath our notice 

 when we were after ibex. There they were, however, two of 

 them, feeding on a green grassy slope some distance above, 

 and I had no idea of letting them off without a shot if I could 



I 



