94 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



corrie. Here we stopped to recover breath and to slip a 

 couple of cartridges into the Express. Then taking off 

 his cap and going as noiselessly as possible, Abdulla 

 crept forward up the ridge. Peering over for a minute, 

 he got up and went on, and we followed him across a 

 small hollow. Beyond this was another ridge, soon after 

 crossing which he suddenly sat down and, bending back 

 against the hillside, beckoned to me to come on. I 

 slid up to him, and he pointed downwards and said, 

 " Markhor." Following his indication, I saw a markhor 

 lying some yo or 80 yards below me, and looking 

 straight up at us. Evidently he had seen our faces, but 

 could not quite make out what they were. I could not 

 see his horns properly, and inquired if he was big enough 

 to shoot. Abdulla said " Yes." So taking aim with the 

 Express, I fired, and the markhor went rolling over and 

 over down a steep, stone gully. " His account has been 

 settled," said Abdulla, as several markhor started up 

 from different rocks and bolted down the hillside. I 

 fired the second barrel at one of these without effect, and 

 then exchanged the Express for the Lee-Metford. 



Three markhor had been lying above us, and these 

 had meantime darted up the hill, and were now standing 

 looking at us from about 250 yards off. I fired at one of 

 these and missed, and then had a couple of running shots, 

 the last of which seemed to take effect. Thinking one 

 weapon would be enough, I put the .303 on the ground, 

 and sending Zaru after the wounded markhor, Abdulla and 

 I started up the hill with the Express. We went as hard 

 as the ground and our wind would let us, and a terrible 

 ten minutes of it we had, climbing over big cedar logs. 



