254 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



ing at what they called a "shonku," or "jangli kutta." 

 With the binoculars I made out a wolf- like animal 

 about 300 yards away, slinking up the hillside. He 

 seemed to have long hair, which appeared to be 

 coloured gray and black in patches. But for the fear 

 of starting better game I should have had a shot at 

 him. He must have been a wolf,^ notwithstanding the 

 fact that both shikaris translated " shonku " as "jangli 

 kutta," which is Hindustani for wild dog. He was prob- 

 ably the black variety. 



After crossing the Pass we struck to the north in 

 the direction taken by the rams the previous day, and 

 searched a lot of ground till just twelve, but without result. 

 So we sat down on the hillside and had breakfast. After 

 this we went round the shoulder of the Rukchen Peak, 

 marked in the map as 19,427 feet high, crossing the ridge 

 back to the western side, about 300 or 400 feet below 

 the summit just mentioned. This peak, which is cone- 

 shaped, is composed of a mass of broken, sharp-edged, 

 dark-coloured rocks, without a particle of vegetation. 



I was going slowly along these rocks when, coming 

 round a bend, I saw the two shikaris sitting behind 

 a large rock, and gesticulating violently to me, evidently 

 intimating that I was to conceal myself. I sat down 

 accordingly, and when I saw the men creeping down- 

 wards, I proceeded to follow their example. 



When we met in shelter below the cone, they said 

 that six Ovis ammon rams were in the ravine not far in 

 front, and that a stalk seemed possible ; so we pro- 

 ceeded to crawl towards the hollow. Soon Abdulla 



1 Cains lanisrer. 



