54 IBEX SHOOTING 



stamp from a bare foot, or when a fresh 

 log of resinous pine was thrown upon it. 



" Now, sahib," said Lassoo, " tell us 

 about the sea," that never-ending source of 

 wonder to men who have never seen any- 

 thing bigger than the Jhelum river. " Or," 

 exclaimed Chybra, " about the ships ; for a 

 sahib once told me that they were as big as 

 a hundred of our biggest boats, and went 

 like trains." " Harput!" said Lassoo, "who 

 are you that you should talk?" Now 

 "harput" means "bear," and I concluded 

 from the context that to be called a "bear" 

 is not a compliment. " Why," said I, "is 

 a bear as stupid as Chybra ?" This raised 

 a titter, and Chybra appeared to curl up, 

 though I thought I saw a dangerous look 

 in his eye. " No," said Lassoo, " not as 

 stupid as Chybra how could he be ? but 

 he is the biggest fool in the jungle. I 

 once saw one chase a herd of ibex into 

 some crags which were too steep for him ; 

 so he stood at the bottom and roared, in 

 the hope that they would fall down from 



