14 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



board the dunga and started down the river for Manasbal, 

 where the permanent cooHes were to meet us, and which 

 is the usual point for beginning the long march to 

 Baltistan. The cook, Ramzana by name, engaged by 

 Abdulla, had already joined at Srinagar, and had 

 assisted in getting my supplies. 



My battery consisted of (i) a hammerless D.B. .450 

 Magnum Express by Rigby, taking a 362 gr. bullet and 

 133 grs. of powder; (2) a single .303 Lee-Metford 

 sporting carbine with magazine; and (3) a D.B. 12 -bore 

 Paradox gun by Holland & Holland. 



I had taken the greatest care in loading the cartridges 

 for the Express, weighing not only the powder to half a 

 grain, but also each bullet to a possible error of 2 grs., 

 as I have always thought that too much trouble cannot 

 be bestowed on details of this kind. If a man is prepared 

 to go to very heavy expense in carrying out a long 

 journey, buying valuable weapons, tents, etc., and to 

 undertake considerable labour in getting up to his game, 

 it would be very short-sighted if he were to grudge the 

 extra trouble involved in the accurate loading of his 

 cartridges. I am certain that much of the missing, Avhich 

 embitters the remembrance of sporting expeditions to 

 many men, is largely due to carelessness in the loading of 

 cartridges. A very small error in the amount of the 

 powder, or the weight of the bullet, is enough to throw 

 any Express out, and many a weapon is blamed for what 

 really is the fault of the cartridge. In my own case I 

 felt, that with as good a weapon as a maker second to 

 none could turn out, and with cartridges in none of 

 which was an error of one per cent possible, I had taken 



