404 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



making a noise which sounded most painfully loud. But 

 it was practically impossible to get down without moving 

 the stones, and some of them rolled or slid down a long 

 distance, and I felt sure we should be heard. It was 

 probable, we thought, that the uryal we had seen was 

 one of the three noticed the previous day, and that the 

 other two were near, though not in view from the top. 

 This conjecture proved to be correct, for when we had 

 reached the place from which we had hoped for a shot, 

 and I had gone forward alone to the edge of the ridge^ 

 none were visible where the single one had been seen, 

 but three were detected going up the hill hurriedly, and 

 far out of shot. 



Evidently these were our friends of the day before. 

 They must have heard us when we got near, and taken 

 the hint to decamp. We lay still watching them for a 

 while, till they were close to the spot from which we had 

 started to come down, and then there was nothing for it 

 but to climb back. This arduous job having been accom- 

 plished, we found that the uryal had disappeared, and 

 the man who had been left at the breakfast-place with 

 the pony said that the rams had gone round the hollow 

 of the hill, and crossed over to the other side of the nala. 

 It was evidently no use pursuing them as they had been 

 frightened, so we searched the rest of the hillside 

 towards the east, but saw nothing except half a dozen 

 small burhel. This occupied us the rest of the after- 

 noon, and about 4 p.m. we turned homewards, no 

 one feeling very cheerful. This was one of the 

 coldest days we had, and the wind was awful. I rode 

 as far as the foot of the hill when we started, and then 



