400 THE HUNTING GEOUNDS 



Having now much more flesh than we could con- 

 sume before it became tainted, I thought it advis- 

 able to halt where we were and "jerk" some of the 

 meat, which we did, by cutting it in strips and 

 hanging it for several hours over a large wood-fire. 

 We grilled some steaks on the embers almost before 

 they became cold, and to my surprise they were re- 

 markably tender. We salted the tongues as well as 

 we could, keeping them for the ascent — and the 

 marrow Hoossain made into pasties that would have 

 excited the admiration of poor old Soyer himself. 

 During the night our fire attracted some deer ; but 

 Ali, who first perceived them, and fired a couple 

 of shots, did not manage to bag any, although 

 they did not go away unscathed, as when day 

 broke blood was found upon their trail, which we 

 did not follow up, as it led in a contrary direction 

 to our route. 



For some hours our course lay parallel and almost 

 on the same level as the bed of the stream ; but it 

 now began to ascend gradually, and at last we found 

 ourselves scrambling up the face of a steep scarped 

 cliff, from a chasm in the base of which the torrent 

 burst, as it were, from the womb of the mountain. 

 Our guide evidently knew the country well, for the 

 route was admirably chosen, and he led us up the 

 steepest ascents with an easy inclination that wofld 

 have done credit to the most able engineer. The 

 surface of the rock, without being so very smooth 

 as to render our horses' footing insecure, presented 



