Across the Roof of the World. 



This was a clean hit, from which he simply sank to the ground 

 without further ado. I dashed on, reloading on the way in the 

 hope of getting another shot at the next biggest now bounding 

 over the rocks as only ibex can. Presently he stopped to survey 

 me, a fatal mistake on his part, for I dropped behind a boulder 

 to take a hasty aim, the shot resulting in his untimely death, 

 though perhaps it was more of a fluke on my part than anything 

 else, for the range was well over 350 yards. But then, docs not 

 the element of luck enter largely into shikar ? Nurah and 

 Numgoon, who now came up, were beaming with dehght, whilst 

 I was well satisfied with the day's sport, the first of the two 

 heads taping 53! inches and the other 48I inches. Tired but 

 very cheerful, we wound our way up the ravine to the summit of 

 the pass, laden with the horns and skins, thence descending into 

 the valley on the far side. We were able to toboggan most of 

 the way down, a mode of progression requiring a certain amount 

 of care in this particular spot to avoid an untimely fall into 

 deep and yawning crevasses. 



The ibex of the Thian Shan are larger than those of the 

 Himalayas and somewhat darker in colour. Their number is 

 considerable, I having seen as many as 300 in one side valley 

 near the head waters of the Agiass. In the latter locality the 

 ibex ground is on both sides of the river, though lower down 

 the herds are more or less confined to the eastern slopes, but 

 I have seen and shot ibex on the western side also. Speaking 

 generally, the ground slopes up from the valley in a succession 

 of grassy stretches, much broken and intersected by side ravines 

 and gullies. Beyond this one reaches the more precipitous 

 terrain covered with rocks and shale, amongst which the ibex 

 usually take up their quarters after the morning feed on the 

 grass below. The going is quite good on the whole and I 

 should say nowhere particularly difficult or dangerous. In com- 

 parison with ibex ground in Kashmir and Chitral, where I have 

 shot, it is easy, and during two and a half months spent in the 

 Thian Shan I did not come across any really difficult ground. 



232 



