FAIRLY IN THE WILDS 131 



went at lightning speed for perhaps ten 

 minutes, and were landed almost at our 

 camp, having converted our many hours of 

 ascent into a few minutes of descent. It 

 gives a pleasant, comfortable feeling does 

 success ; and we had a rather prolonged 

 smoke that night, and Lassoo told us many 

 tales about the various sahibs he had been 

 with at one time or another. One of them 

 I remember used to go up the hill with 

 four men and a rope to pull him along, 

 and always had a small camp table and 

 chair taken up with him for meals. 



" That was a bad one," said I. 



" Oh, no, he wasn't," retorted Lassoo. 



" But he must have been. How could 

 you stalk ibex with a retinue of men like 

 that?" 



" Oh ! as far as shooting was concerned 

 of course he was bad, although he got a 

 few all the same ; but he was very kind to 

 us when we were sick, and would have 

 done anything to help us." 



" Well, but any sahib would do that." 



