A Disappointing Day. 



clattered down making a most exasperating noise, rendering 

 futile all efforts at silent progress. Having got down this 

 chimney it was necessary to move at right angles up to the 

 crest of a spur running down from the main range, whence 

 I could get a shot, though possibly a long one. But there were 

 too many rocks and stones about and the consequent noise 

 warned the ibex that something was amiss, so that when Numgoon 

 and I arrived within distant shot they were off. I had, however, 

 a forlorn hope shot, which was a miss, the report sending 

 the herd into the high ground, where we followed them. The}'- 

 went up into the rocks and disappeared round the corner of 

 another spur, all of which ground was a mass of loose stones and 

 shale. We pushed on to get into closer touch with them, a hard 

 climb, but withal one that is regarded as a pleasure rather than a 

 toil when there are good heads at hand. To reach the higher 

 ground whereon the herd was now located meant getting over some 

 extremely rough ledges jutting out from the spur, and the noise 

 of falling rocks loosened by us sent the herd off over into Kok 

 Terek. As it was now late in the day I reluctantly abandoned the 

 chase and went back to camp, a long distance down the ravine 

 and across the Agiass River, where we arrived tired but very 

 cheerful and full of hope for the morrow. 



Nurah had gone off that morning on a few days' leave in con- 

 nection with family affairs, so I decided to put in another day 

 after ibex and then trek over into the wapiti forests. 



Camp was moved down and Numgoon and I went off to try 

 the ground above the right bank of the river and north-east of 

 camp. On the way up the grass slopes I killed a small snake 

 covered with greyish blue rings along the body. 



We had a long round that day, almost up to the higher rocks, 

 with some very stiff cUmbing in and out of steep intersecting ravines, 

 but saw nothing, only a herd going away from us some distance 

 above. There was no trace of the herd holding the big ibex seen 

 some days previously, and no indication as to their exact where- 

 abouts, so after a further reconnoitre along thetop edge of the slopes, 



245 



