142 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



the depression beyond we stood up and went on. This 

 happened several times, but from one ridge we saw a 

 herd of ibex, a few young males and some half a dozen 

 females, not very far away. Two other herds were also 

 visible, one high up in the snow on our side of the nala, 

 and one consisting of a male and two females on the 

 opposite side, and the furthest off of all. The male in this 

 herd of three seemed from his colour (very light on each 

 side of the dark line down the middle of his back and 

 very dark about the legs) to be an old animal, but he was 

 so very far off that the glasses did not show his horns 

 clearly. This being the best animal visible we resolved 

 to go after him, and accordingly dropped down from the 

 snow-line to the river below, a sharp descent of looo or 

 1500 feet. 



Though it was a bit early, we had breakfast when we 

 reached the water, so as to have the day clear for the 

 stalk. We found a good place to sit down in, a pine 

 wood close to the stream. The sides of the river were 

 covered with pines, many of them fine trees, and the 

 path at its side (a very good one for a wonder — made 

 probably by shepherds) was thick with pine needles. 

 The air felt quite warm and balmy after the morning cold 

 on the snow, and the surroundings in the bright sunshine 

 were so delightful, that I was quite loth to get up from 

 my cushiony seat and start for a weary climb to the snow- 

 line again. But that ibex had looked like an old beast, 

 and worth securing, so at 10.30 we started for the stalk, 

 the wind continuing favourable. 



The glen at the point where we breakfasted formed a 

 bend. Its general trend for the greater part of its length 



