198 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



We had seen a herd of markhor, one or two with fair 

 heads, during the morning, and watched the hillside for 

 some hours in the afternoon, but saw nothing. 



Next day, the 9th, was also a blank. Two markhor 

 were seen, but we failed to get within range. They 

 were near a birch wood, into which they went for the day, 

 and when they emerged in the evening it was too late to 

 go after them. 



While we were out our tents had been brought on to 

 a narrow ridge, just under the rocks which form the 

 highest point of the range. Here we must have been about 

 13,400 feet above the sea, as the peak itself is marked as 

 13,701. The place is locally known as " Churi Lat." 



On the morning of the loth, owing to gross careless- 

 ness on the part of the shikari in going up to the crest 

 of a ridge, he walked almost into a herd of twelve or 

 fifteen markhor. I was immediately behind, but there 

 was no time for a shot, as, of course, the whole lot were 

 out of sight in no time. The result was that we never 

 saw that herd again. The afternoon search was equally 

 fruitless, and I began to see that when the birch woods are 

 once clear of snow there is little chance of getting markhor. 



The ridge at Churi Lat was so narrow, that standing at 

 the door of my tent I could look down on the rocks of 

 Garmpani on one side and Bunji on the other. 



On the r ith we marched alonsf the crest till we were 

 at the edge of the Bunji nala. It was a pretty walk over 

 undulating ground and through woods of cedars and pines, 

 and past a small lake (called Sarkondbari on the map), 

 evidently formed by rain and melting snow in a saucer- 

 like basin surrounded by grassy peaks. That afternoon 



