196 



A STARTLING SIGHT. 



once experienced on beholding this easy and rapid me the 

 of descending a steep snow-field, I shall never forget, 

 was hunting ibex at the time on the mountains north of 

 the Sind river in Cashmere. One day, when shifting our 

 ground, we had to traverse a long sloping arete of snow, 

 the crest of which was so sharp and hard that we had at 

 times to cut steps for considerable distances. Smooth 

 snow -fields extended down on either side for fully a 

 thousand feet, and sometimes at an angle of considerably 

 less than 45°. After a long and tiresome descent, my 

 shikarees and I sat down to rest ourselves, and to wait for 

 our laden followers, who, as we watched them coming 



I 



A Glissade. 



slowly along the ridge, looked in the distance like small 

 black dots moving on the sky-line of snow. A sudden 

 exclamation of horror escaped me, which rather startled my 



