TO THE KARAKORUM. 203 



number of willow trees, and some patches of grain. I 

 was very glad to shelter myself from the sun and glare, 

 the latter being excessive. My followers and luggage 

 arrived all safe at 2 P.M. 



A tremendous dust-storm assailed us in the afternoon, 

 rushing up the valley with prodigious violence, and 

 filling the air with clouds of sand and dust, obscuring 

 everything, and particularly disagreeable. It lulled 

 about 5 P.M. 



Just as I had finished dinner, Buddoo informed me 

 that Tar-gness was going to display his skill with his 

 matchlock, firing at a mark; so I joined the group of 

 spectators. He set to work in a very methodical manner, 

 carefully loading the gun, and, having adjusted the 

 match, he put another man in a befitting attitude to do 

 duty as rest ; then, placing the barrel on his shoulder, 

 aimed and fired. The ball struck very low : the mark 

 was a piece of paper on a stone, about eighty yards off. 

 Poor Tar-gness was much chaffed by the shikarries and 

 bystanders, and all his implements examined and criti- 

 cised with much ridicule. He bore it all with the 

 greatest good-humour, and proceeded to try his luck a 

 second time. His rest was too lively, and could be got 

 into position with difficulty. This time the ball struck 

 only a foot below the mark. Tar-gness was encouraged 

 to try again. He now put in more powder, loading more 

 deliberately than ever, testing the amount of charge by 

 the finger measurement on the ramrod. And now, his 

 looks denoting determination and confidence, he posted 

 his rest, aimed carefully, and fired when down came the 

 mark. " Sha-bash !" was the exclamation ; and the 

 triumphant marksman looked round with conscious skill 

 upon his quizzing tormentors of whom Abdool had been 

 prominent, taking a stick and imitating Tar-gness' 



