More Ibex. 



a going-away shot, which brought him down, though a second 

 was needed to settle him. He, too, rolled down hill into a 

 side ravine, whither the hardy Numgoon went to skin and cut 

 him up. The horns measured 45 inches; gathering up the spoils 

 of the chase we returned to camp and a big fire. 



On the 13th I worked the ground on the eastern side of the 

 valley, but saw nothing during the early part of the morning. 

 We then struck off into a rocky ravine, at the upper end of which 

 the ground opened out into a basin-shape formation, and there 

 we spotted some fifteen bucks, grazing on the grass slopes. Three 

 or four were big heads, but the wind that day was very uncer- 

 tain, and they got it, with the result that all of them cleared off 

 into the higher rocks where it was useless to follow as 

 no suitable approach offered itself. So we returned to camp, 

 intending to follow them up in the morning should they be on 

 favourable ground. On arrival there I found Rahim had just 

 come in from Kulja with letters and supplies, but no home papers 

 I had anticipated. 



I was busy during the morning of the 14th writing return 

 letters for Rahim to take into Kulja, so did not go out until the 

 afternoon, when, accompanied by Numgoon, I tried the nullah 

 above camp on the west side, going a long way up but not seeing 

 anything. I think the ground on the east side of the valley is 

 undoubtedly the best, though one often comes across herds on 

 the west, but all my big heads were shot on the eastern slopes. 



On the 15th we crossed the river and went up into the ravine 

 where ibex had been seen two days before. This time we took a 

 different route, following the ridge all the way in the hope of 

 getting above the ibex and working down against the wind, thus 

 obviating all chances of their scenting us. It was a long and 

 extremely hard chmb, and near the snow hne became much 

 more so from the gigantic nature of the rocks and boulders, a 

 climb that resulted in a blank for, despite all my efforts, the ibex 

 got our wind and vanished. Hard luck ! 



On the way back to camp we picked up a head, tlie horns of 



