DENSE FOREST 297 



come across any desirable trophy. He had met with 

 a Roe-deer in the woods, but had missed him. 



The next day snow lay thick around the camp. 

 I naturally remained in bed with my sprained foot, 

 and Littledale thought it hardly worth while going 

 out, the weather being most unfavourable, with 

 occasional cold autumn showers. 



On August 22nd Littledale went out early, the 

 weather having somewhat improved. In the evening 

 he gave us an account of what he had done, and 

 though he had come across a herd of thirteen Ibex, 

 with a fine old buck amongst them, he had been un- 

 able to approach them, owing to the shiftiness of the 

 wind. The higher ground he found was very similar 

 to that of Cashmere ; the scenery quite lovely in the 

 region he had explored, and the locality well suited to 

 Ibex, though the inaccessibility of the crags had often 

 prevented him from examining carefully every ravine. 



Next day, my foot being slightly better, we decided 

 to start down to the Bashkaous River. Camp was 

 struck at 10 a.m., and we descended the valley for 

 about three hours. We were now in the midst of 

 dense forests ; the path was at times so narrow that 

 we had to grope our way through the woods. At 

 1 p.m. we came to the junction of the Karasou and 

 Bashkaous rivers, and found the latter to be a wide, 



