XII JUNE TOO LATE FOR IBEX AND MARKHOR 193 



I began, how long it would take me, though if I had had 

 in the beginning the experience I had at the end, I 

 should have been aware that nothing much can be done 

 in the way of getting these goats after, say, the middle 

 of June. The snow having by that date receded far up 

 the mountains there is any amount of open country, and 

 the game can roam over such an extent of ground that 

 it is heart-breaking work trying to follow it. Markhor, 

 too, about that time begin to lie up in the birch woods, 

 where of course it is useless to go after them, as 

 tracking silently would be impossible. They are only 

 outside for a short time in the morning and evening, and 

 it is exceedingly difficult to get a shot. Not knowing 

 all this, I was unable to fix a date for leaving Baltistan, 

 but had proposed, if I could get away with a good bag 

 in reasonable time, to go on to Leh. 



Accordingly I had suggested to my wife that she 

 should ascertain if any ladies were going to Leh, and if 

 so, arrange if possible to accompany them. As it hap- 

 pened, Mr. and Mrs. Beech wished to be in time for the 

 Himis Festival of the 20th of June, and had settled to 

 go with Captain Trench on his annual journey to Leh. 

 They asked my wife to join them, and about the middle 

 of May I learned that this party of four was to start on the 

 25th of that month. When I found, towards the beginning 

 of June, that I had got a fair number of ibex, but only 

 two bears and one decent markhor, I said to Abdulla 

 that we must go now where some of these latter — in which 

 my bag was very deficient — were to be got. He said 

 that the place to visit was the Burme range, and that I 

 might rely on getting markhor there. From Burme he 



o 



