CHAPTER IX 



MAY I-I2 — HONUSPA TO KHALTAR 



Shikari's tea — Search for camp — Honuspa nala — Ibex near camp — Bad 

 miss — Same herd next day — Difficult stalk — \'ery long shots — Two 

 ibex bagged — Unsuccessful days — Hard day on the 5th — Moved camp 

 on 6th — Got third ibex — Merg nala — Khaltar nala — Moved higher 

 up on 9th — Heavy rain — Bear skin brought in — Moved camp to 

 side nala — Setting sun on Haramosh peak — Ibex horns found — 

 Small herd with good buck seen — Long stalk — Successful — Fourth 

 ibex — Great vitality of ibex. 



The calling of the big mountain pheasants (Ram 

 chikor) woke me at dawn on the first of May, and right 

 glad I was to hear the sound. The shikari soon came 

 and made up my fire. I divided the remains of my tea 

 and sugar amongst the three of us, and ate up my 

 remaining two chupatties. The shikari's method of 

 making tea was peculiar. He generally carried an old 

 jam tin in his pocket as a drinking cup. This he now 

 filled with water, and pouring in the tea and sugar, put 

 it on the fire to boil. The men would not use my kettle 

 or touch one of my chupatties. 



Then we started for our camp, and had a long trudge 

 through snow, reaching at length the grove of birch-trees, 

 high up in the mountains, to which the shikari had 



