370 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



explain to them the use of a field-glass. Then they all laughed 

 at the idea of finding game with such things ; now they were 

 always wanting to borrow them. 



For about half an hour we lay spying both with binoculars 

 and telescope, and Dewanna had just risen to his feet saying 

 that there was nothing, when I saw by the younger Kirghiz's 

 manner that he had seen something. I was only just in time 

 to drag Dewanna down, when over a brow below us came a 

 fine Poli, followed by two others, all beasts with good heads. 

 After a few minutes, the three lay close down together near the 

 bottom of a small ravine, and we had a good look at them 

 through a telescope. They were magnificent fellows, possibly 

 out of the big lot which we had seen in the morning. 



Of course the Kirghiz wanted to ' drive ' the rams, and of 

 course I promptly vetoed the proposition. Why is it, I wonder, 

 that all over the world the natives are so desperately keen about 

 driving ? I could easily account for it if the general knowledge 

 of stalking were as limited as that of the Kirghiz, who spoilt 

 several of my earlier stalks by showing themselves behind me 

 whilst I was 'worming' my way up to game, and who seemed 

 quite ignorant of the fatal results of showing oneself upon a sky- 

 line. But it is not only the Kirghiz, for in the Caucasus two 

 men whom I employed, perfect masters of the stalker's art quite 

 as good as the best of the Kashmir Shikaris (who I consider are 

 at the top of the tree) were always tempting me to 'drive.' I 

 am glad to say that the only time I was weak enough to yield 

 to their solicitations the drive ended in a fiasco. Taking the 

 younger Kirghiz with me to carry the rifle, and leaving Dewanna 

 to watch and to signal to us the direction of any movement on 

 the part of the rams, I took the precaution to pick up a good 

 supply of small stones to pelt my man with whenever I found 

 him going too fast ahead of me. The fellow had most wonder- 

 fully quick sight, so I used to send him on in front, and on 

 previous occasions his excitement had so far carried him away 

 that I had to be perpetually running after him to stop him ; 

 and as at that altitude (upwards of 16,000 ft. above sea 



