Across the Roof of the World. 



On May loth, the day after bagging my first poli, I started 

 out in the early morning to do the BalderHng nullah to the north- 

 east. It was terribly hard work in the soft snow, and the high 

 altitude of over 15,000 feet, with consequent rarity of the atmos- 

 phere, made the going doubly severe. This day was destined to 

 be another blank, one of unavailing toil, the close of it seeing the 

 sportsman disconsolately wending his weary way back to camp, 

 there to consult with his shikari as to what shall be done on the 

 morrow. In this instance, as in most others, the said shikari 

 looked wise, regretted that we had not been in some other nullah, 

 or on some other ground, where poli would certainly have been 

 found, and generally discussing the what-might-have-been. 



The next day I sallied forth full of the hope that ever buoys 

 up the true hunter, and searched the Wakhijrui from end to end, 

 but fortune refused to smile on me, and, beyond experiencing a 

 wind that would have put a Cape Horn nor'-easter to shame, 

 sent me back empty to camp. I arrived about 2 o'clock in the 

 afternoon, and sent Kurban in the direction of Kukturuk to 

 reconnoitre and report as to the whereabouts of the poli we had 

 seen there some days previously. He returned having seen only 

 one or two small heads, which for him must have been very small 

 indeed, since anything with a head on it at all was usually reported 

 to be a record one, and worthy of a mighty hunter. 



Whilst in the Wakhijrui during the morning I had seen ibex 

 on the slopes above the left bank, but a careful examination 

 through my binoculars revealed only some indifferent heads. The 

 ibex on the Taghdumbash Pamir are reputed to carry big horns, 

 but though I saw a good many heads during my stay there I never 

 came across any of a size sufficient to warrant serious considera- 

 tion. One of the record heads of ibex was picked up on the 

 Taghdumbash some years ago measuring 56 inches. 



In the evening I again discussed the best means to adopt to 

 further chances of bagging a record head of poli, and it was 

 finally decided to move over into the Tagerman Su, whither local 

 report said the poli had migrated, as the grass there was superior, 



