A Hard Day. 



able to approach the herd under cover of one of these spurs and 

 get within shooting distance, but they were obviously alarmed 

 at something, and were all on the run, so as it was getting dusk 

 I singled out the biggest of the herd and had a shot as he was on 

 the move. The shot told, but did not bring him down at once, 

 for he made off up into the higher rocks, with us in pursuit, 

 and I managed to get in another shot which was a finisher. The 

 head was not the one I had wanted, for it only measured 44^ inches, 

 a fine one for the Himalayas, but nothing wonderful for the Thian 

 Shan, the land of big ibex. 



Nurah had, indeed, said before I bagged this ibex that the 

 horns would only tape about 45 inches, true enough, though I 

 had doubted his assertions at the time. The light of after 

 experience, however, showed me the judgment of both my 

 Kalmuk hunters was in this respect remarkable. 



It was a long and weary tramp over the rocks in and out 

 of tremendous re-entrants, and down to the foot of the old 

 dawan, where I had arranged that the ponies should meet us. 

 We had had a very hard day's work, some 14 hours of constant 

 going, but buoyed up with the prospects of riding back the long 

 distance to camp, now some miles up the valley, we pushed 

 on. The ponies were not at the appointed place and we had to 

 walk a long way before we found them, which under the cir- 

 cumstances was not much fun. Moreover, a heavy snowstorm 

 came on, and as it was by this time quite dark progress was diffi- 

 cult and laborious. We discovered the ponies far down in the 

 valley miles away from the place where they should have been, 

 and as I was by this time somewhat angry and disgusted I read a 

 lecture to the men on arrival in camp which they doubtless long 

 remembered. 



23s 



