A RUSSIAN PRINCE 95 



markhors, two ibex, two barasinghs, two black bears, 

 and one red bear. I was told to go in this direction, 

 and the Numlah Nullah was parcelled off to me for 

 markhor. I shall, therefore, be the only man shoot- 

 ing there this spring. The Russian may have been 

 given a neighbouring district." 



" And perhaps, after all, it is only a British 

 subaltern," says Paul. " Numbers of them are 

 scattered over the Cashmere Mountains, shooting and 

 fishing, every spring and autumn." 



" Tell the bearers not to get so excited ; let them 

 hear the magic word backshish," I say to Sultana ; 

 " but don't forget to add the important c if,' if the 

 Sahib gets a good markhor." 



It is very rare to come across foreigners in these 

 mountains. Englishmen, on the other hand, wander 

 over them in crowds every year. There is scarcely 

 a single young officer or official who does not make 

 an expedition to the Himalayas as soon as he can 

 after getting to India. Each one of them hopes to 

 make a record, and to accomplish this they are even 

 willing to stand their polo-sticks and cricket-bats in 

 the corner for three months of the year. They strap 

 their belt tighter, train heart and muscles till they are 

 as hard as iron, and start, filled with the one desire 

 to bring back the best head or to shoot the rarest 

 animal at the greatest height. They are no whole- 

 sale murderers, these English Nimrods. They do 

 their stalking with a yard-measure in their pockets. 



