58 IBEX SHOOTING 



trunks of trees with stones, when they are 

 after honey, and cannot manage it with 

 their claws alone. I've seen them several 

 times doing it : they take the stone in 

 their arms, and dash it against the place 

 they want to break in, doing it again 

 and again, until they have attained their 

 object." 



"And I," broke in Chybra, " saw one 

 once who had done that and failed, so what 

 does the harput do ? He pulls up green 

 saplings and twists them into a withy, 

 and ties them round his waist like a belt ; 

 then he picks up a rock as big as a boy, 

 jambs it in between the withy and his body, 

 and having thus got his hands free, he 

 climbs up the tree, pulls out his rock, and 

 batters the trunk in easily. The harput 

 isn't such a fool as he looks !" 



The coolies nearest Chybra proceeded 

 to fall on him, hand and tongue, for a liar ; 

 while in an interval in the general laugh- 

 ter, in which Lassoo freely joined, I re- 

 marked, " I don't think the harput is such 



