144 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



hollow. But the slope was steep, and the snow was melt- 

 ing and rendered the going very slippery. I fell almost 

 immediately and began sliding down to the river, but 

 slipping my hand to the bottom of my alpenstock, I 

 caught it in the ground and quickly brought myself to, and 

 then crawled cautiously back. In another minute Abdulla 

 was down, but saved himself from going far by seizing a 

 bush. From the next ridge we saw nothing, but the rise 

 after, showed us one of the females lying under a birch- 

 tree with her back to us, and the other grazing and looking 

 up every now and then in our direction. The buck was 

 evidently in the hollow below. Between our ridge and 

 that on which the females were, was a small rise in the 

 ground, over which we could see, and the invisible male 

 was probably behind this. The ibex were about 250 or 

 300 yards away, and it was clear that if we could get to 

 the small ridge between us and them, they would be 

 within easy range. But the question was how to get to 

 this ridge. If we went down towards the river and 

 crossed our own ridge where there were some trees, and 

 then came up under the smaller ridge, we should inevitably 

 give the goats our wind. If we went up and tried to get 

 over there was no cover, and we should almost certainly 

 have been detected against the snow. So there seemed 

 to be nothing to do but to wait. Accordingly I sat down 

 on the driest spot I could find, and endeavoured to be 

 patient ; every now and then, however, going to the ridge 

 to see if there was any change in the position of affairs. 



After about an hour of this and many consultations 

 as to what should be done, it struck us that it might be 

 possible to get over by the aid of a cedar, which was 



