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CHAPTER IX. 



START FOR CASHMERE BEST SEASON FOR IBEX-HUNTING THE BEAUTI- 

 FUL JHELUM A REASON FOR HER CAPRICES ANCIENT RUINS 

 FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE VALE SRINUGGUR CASHMERE SHIKAREES 

 ORIGIN OF THE SHAWL PATTERN ISLAMABAD RAMZAN MEER 

 THE TRUE SHIKAREE AND THE IMPOSTOR A NARROW ESCAPE 

 NOUBOOG NYE THE MERGUN PASS " PUTTEES " AND " POOLAS "- 

 MARMOTS RESULT OF TWO MEN HUNTING OVER THE SAME GROUND 

 WURDWAN TWO BEARS, RIGHT AND LEFT THE HIMALAYAN BROWN 

 BEAR MAKING " POOLAS " STORMY WEATHER A WILD NIGHT 

 SHEEP DESTROYED BY BEARS CASHMERE PONIES CURIOUS CUSTOM 



CONCERNING THEM RECKLESS RIDING AN UGLY CUSTOMER IN AN 



AWKWARD POSITION HEAVY SNOWFALL AVALANCHES MARROO 

 AN EARTHQUAKE A PATRIARCHAL OLD BUCK ANGUISH THE 

 HIMALAYAN IBEX RAMZAN'S IDEA OF IBEX ALIGHTING ON THEIR 

 HORNS A FRUGAL REPAST. 



" WHO has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere ? " Soon it 

 may almost be said, Who has not seen it ? for it is now 

 becoming a regular resort of the tourist. 



My first visit to the " happy valley " was during the reign 

 of the Maharajah Gholab Sing, to whom it had but recently 

 been disposed of by the Indian Government, and it had then 

 been only a few years " open to the public." 



All arrangements in the way of travelling equipment, &c., 

 for our trip having been completed, I started from Eawul 

 Pindi in April, with a young brother-officer who, like myself, 

 was an ardent lover of wild sport. My left arm had but a 

 short time been freed from the bondage necessitated by a 

 broken collar-bone, which I, however, hoped would be quite 



