34 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



the smaller ibex on the other side. So up we 

 went. Proceeding our usual round, first to the 

 east, we came on a herd of ibex among which was 

 a fair head a good one anywhere else, which I 

 judged to be about forty-two inches, or perhaps a 

 shade more. My faith in the big one was growing 

 faint. " I'll shoot that one," I remarked ; " a bird 

 in the hand, anyhow." 



"Good, Sahib," said Gul Sher ; "if you will 

 wait here with the second shikari, I will go to 

 the end of the ridge and have one more look, 

 and if you don't see me wave my coat, go round 

 and shoot him." 



The old man disappeared, and I lay and ate 

 my cold mutton, and watched the herd lying 

 peacefully below us chewing the cud and little 

 recking of danger. We waited a couple of hours 

 and no signs of Gul Sher, when just as we were 

 preparing to move, a black dot moved out into 

 a patch of snow at the extreme end of our ridge. 

 Gul Sher, no doubt, and a look through the glasses 

 discovered him furiously waving his coat. Over 

 the loose slates we clattered, sending small aval- 

 anches down the hill, working slowly round the 

 dizzy corners and running over the slopes of shale 

 till, in an hour's time we arrived, somewhat blown, 

 to where Gul Sher was sitting. His face and nod 



