After a Record Ibex. 



but as I had already done remarkably well I could afford to 

 take it philosophically. 



On the way back to camp, whilst passing down through the 

 ravine, Numgoon saw an ermine, and told me that the Ak Badshah 

 (the Czar of Russia) possessed many of those skins and that they 

 were valuable, thus showing that Numgoon's knowledge in this 

 respect was of something more than an elementary nature. 



The morning of October 23rd was very dull, with heavy 

 mist and light snow, so I was unable to go out. This was 

 imfortunate as time was now short and I ought to have been 

 trekking on, but wished to obtain another good head, though the 

 chances of doing it seemed poor. I put in the greater part of 

 the day writing and arranging for the onward march, having 

 decided to devote only one more day to ibex shooting and then 

 push on down to the Tekkes Valley and so to Kulja. 



On the 24th the weather was fine again, so I did the old 

 nullah in the lingering hope of accounting for a big buck seen 

 there some days before. This particular ibex carried very fine 

 horns, Numgoon declaring they would exceed by three inches the 

 55-inch head I had bagged. The herd was indeed in evidence, 

 but the wind was unfavourable and the place they were in hopeless 

 for a stalk, in addition to which there were several female 

 ibex above them. We therefore retired down the ravine and 

 waited four hours for the wind to turn, which it always did 

 towards dusk, when it blows up the nullah, contrary to the early 

 part of the day, at which time it assumes a downward course. 

 When we returned there were no ibex to be seen, the herd having 

 retired into the higher rocks where all attempts to follow them 

 were vain, so I was forced to abandon the chase and wend 

 my way back to camp. 



Still undaunted I put in some terrific work the following 

 day by ascending the ridge to the north, a long and exceedingly 

 stiff climb over rocks and boulders at the head of the ravine 

 wherein I was camped. This detour was undertaken in the 

 hope of circumventing the wind, and it took me right up to the 



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