Across the Roof of the World. 



usual pines lower down. On the far side of the valley more 

 thick pine forest covered the slopes, and in this and all the 

 above-mentioned ground the wapiti were said to be. Nurah 

 had not yet returned from leave, so Numgoon was officiating. 

 As a matter of fact I much preferred him, he being a very cheery 

 soul and most energetic, which could hardly be said of Nurah, 

 who was inclined to be slack if nothing was immediately forth- 

 coming in the way of shikar ; Numgoon was never disheartened 

 and always ready to carry on, undaunted by adverse circum- 

 stances, ever a most commendable trait in the character of one's 

 shikari. 



We had not gone far when a stag called in the forest below, 

 and presently another took it up. The call of a wapiti does not 

 lend itself to easy description, but resembles a long-drawn-out 

 scream. Numgoon imitated it in camp by blowing down the 

 barrel of my shot gun, so this may give some idea of what it is 

 like. The two stags kept calling at intervals, but not enough 

 for practical purposes, though Numgoon pushed on energeticalh', 

 saying he knew the place where the stags would probably come 

 out to feed. It was still quite dark and after slipping and 

 blundering over sundry stones and logs we finally reached a 

 point low down on the grass slopes by the edge of the forest. 

 The wapiti was there all right, for Numgoon pointed down the 

 slope and in the semi-darkness I saw a big stag, though it was 

 all I could do to make him out, so did not fire as it was too dark 

 to see the sights, and I hoped for a chance at him as soon as it 

 became lighter. 



We therefore moved round ahead of the direction in which 

 he was going. On the way we came unexpectedly on an illik, 

 a little above us. Numgoon made a desperate effort to head 

 him off, but the brute bounded past us down into the forest and 

 there started barking and making a great shindy. This naturally 

 spoilt everything, and we saw no more of the wapiti. 



In the afternoon we tried the same valley and the ground 

 nearer the head of it, but neither saw nor heard anything. This 



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