A PATRIARCHAL OLD BUCK. 137 



Next day we reached Marroo, a cultivated little valley con- 

 taining several villages, and surrounded by lofty, precipitous 

 mountains, our way to it having led down beside the rapid 

 broken stream which flows through the grand main valley of 

 Wurdwan, and forms the principal affluent of one of the five 

 great rivers of the Punjab, the Chenab. 



Having found fairly comfortable quarters in the open 

 wooden balcony of a house at Marroo, I determined to remain 

 there until the weather became more settled. After a day or 

 two it began to show signs of improvement, when Eamzan 

 suggested our making a short move to a place farther down 

 the valley, on the heights above which, he said, we should be 

 pretty certain to find ibex at that season. Whilst fixing up 

 our camp there under some fine old trees, we were apprised, 

 by the sudden rustling of the leaves overhead, the oscillation 

 of the ground under foot, and a mysterious rumbling sound, 

 that we were experiencing a sharp shock of an earthquake. 



By dawn next morning we were breasting the hill, and after 

 a stiff and steady climb reached the ibex haunts about noon. 



" Look ! there are khel up yonder, just below the snow ! " 

 said Eamzan, as his keen, practised eye soon sighted a herd 

 of some six or seven ibex far away above us ; and with the 

 spy -glass we could see that amongst them was one patriarchal 

 old buck. They were all taking a siesta on a rocky ridge that 

 ran down from the bare crags and snow-fields on the upper 

 part of the range. 



" The bundobuM (arrangement) will be very difficult, for 

 there is no way of getting above them," remarked Kamzan, 

 as he proceeded to gird up his loins with the skirt of his 

 long woollen gown, whilst he carefully scanned the inter- 

 vening ground. A sudden change had come over his usual 

 listless air. His hitherto impassive countenance brightened 

 .up with intelligence and excitement at the prospect of cir- 

 cumventing an animal he considered worthy of a difficult 

 stalk, or Imndobust as he termed it, and he now became as 



