THE PIR PUNCHAL. 221 



stant confinement indoors where the sojourner in the plains 

 of India during the hot season is constrained to shut himself 

 up all day in a darkened room to avoid the intense heat and 

 glare I had been getting into that unhappy frame of mind 

 which makes life almost a burden, and from want of suf- 

 ficient light and fresh air, my face was rapidly assuming the 

 blanched appearance presented by the inside of a tied-up 

 cabbage. After this dreary monotonous sort of existence, it 

 can easily be imagined with what keen delight I looked for- 

 ward to being once more free to roam among the pine-forests 

 and snowy regions of the Cashmere mountains. 



My intention this time was to hunt markhor on the western 

 end of the Pir Punchal range, above the sources of the Bonyar 

 river. I chose this locality because I knew it had not been 

 much hunted over for several seasons, although it had not 

 as great a reputation for big markhor as other places I had 

 visited. 



If one wishes to have good sport in a foreign land, the first 

 and most important thing to be done is to endeavour as much 

 as possible to ingratiate one's self with the people of the 

 country in the vicinity of one's hunting-ground. Acting upon 

 this principle, which I have always put into practice, I pro- 

 ceeded to pay my respects to a nawab (native gentleman) who 

 was the proprietor of part of the land I wished to shoot over. 

 His residence was some six miles from Uri, on the Murree 

 route to Cashmere, but he happened to be at Uri the day I 

 reached that place. Shortly after my arrival, an individual 

 of very imposing mien, and extensively arrayed in the sport- 

 ing style of costume usually affected by the impostor class 

 of Cashmere shikaree, swaggered up in the most confident 

 manner and offered his services. On being informed that 

 they were not required, he turned on his heel and stalked 

 proudly away. He, however, continued to prowl about in 

 the vicinity, and in the afternoon, just before I started, again 

 presented himself, when, by way of getting rid of him, I 



