HERD OF MARKHOR. 235 



By daybreak we were on the move towards the wooded 

 steeps and precipices above. After an unsuccessful morning's 

 work, I took the spy-glass to have a final search over the 

 ground before descending to our bivouac for breakfast. 



There they are ! I have them at last, a herd of eleven in 

 all ; and though they are so far off that we cannot distinctly 

 make out the length of their horns, we can tell, from the 

 white colour and size of their bodies, that the three foremost 

 fellows are old markhor. They are slowly moving up to higher 

 regions after their morning meal, and Gamoo says they will 

 be pretty sure to descend in the afternoon towards the same 

 feeding-ground. Under these circumstances it is useless 

 attempting to approach them at present : we therefore con- 

 tinue to watch them until they are hidden from our-.sight, and 

 then descend to our bivouac, intending, after breakfast, to 

 make the best of our way to the spot where they were last 

 seen, there to await their return. 



Our meal is soon despatched, and we are off again. Our 

 progress, however, is slow, for the ground is very difficult, and 

 much time is taken up in digging footsteps across bad places. 

 We take little heed of a buck tahr (here called "jagla"), l 

 though lie might be easily stalked were we not in pursuit of 

 other game, which a shot might disturb; and after several 

 hours of climbing and scrambling along, we at length reach 

 our goal. 



Dense masses of murky cloud and rolling mist have been 

 for some time gathering about the crags above us, and distant 

 rumblings of thunder herald an approaching storm. The 

 rain, which soon begins to fall pretty smartly, combined with 

 a cutting cold wind, almost benumbs my limbs for, in my 

 anxiety to be after the markhor, I have forgotten my usual 

 precaution of bringing a blanket with me. Patiently we 

 sit there huddled together, our teeth chattering and bodies 



1 On the Pir Punchal the tahr is frequently found on the same ground as 

 the markhor. 



