50 IBEX SHOOTING 



squalling babies, or other similar annoy- 

 ances. 



Each room had a huge fireplace in the 

 corner, with a hole in the ceiling as a 

 chimney, while a sort of false chimney, 

 made by boarding off the corner from the 

 ceiling to within a few feet of the fireplace, 

 tempted the smoke up towards the hole in 

 the ceiling. This chimney opened into the 

 attic, where all the grain was stored, and 

 where the cocks and hens lived, so that a 

 roaring fire could not be permitted for fear 

 of lighting the thatch or the grain. 



I was very comfortable in my hut, but 

 there were drawbacks. 



One was due to the primitive nature of the 

 windows, which were merely holes, two feet 

 square, with wooden doors, glass being an 

 unattainable luxury in those parts. It was 

 consequently impossible to exclude the cold 

 outer air without producing utter darkness. 

 Should the occupant wish to read, he was 

 forced to open the shutter and sit shivering 

 in the opening, or else in the doorway. 



