238 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



behind a ridge, we went up to see our quarry, and 

 found him to be a very fair buck, his horns measuring 

 38 inches along the curve by 10 inches in girth, 

 the wide spread of his horns giving them a larger 

 appearance at a distance. Rewarded at last ! This 

 was indeed my first successful day since we had 

 reached the Kobdo River, and both Littledale and I 

 had yearned for a shot. The horns seemed to me to 

 resemble in every way those of a Cashmere Ibex. 

 On inquiring of Taba about their comparative size, 

 I understood him to say that he had seen much larger 

 ones in the district, so that there is every probability 

 that they run to fifty inches and more in length. My 

 little hunter would have it that we should see many 

 more of them before we left. Having grallocked our 

 Ibex and left him with the ponies, we went on in the 

 direction of camp. 



The country being still favourable for game we 

 kept on the look-out, but saw no signs of animals 

 of any kind till we reached the bottom of a deep 

 nullah, where Taba suddenly spotted two or three 

 Ibex on the top of a ridge to our left. As it was 

 still early in the day another stalk was imminent. 

 Circumventing the ridge on which we had located 

 the animals, we found ourselves presently, Taba and 

 I, in a small corrie about 600 yards long, up which 



