A Day after Urial 69 



when the stream was in spate, a succession of 

 cataracts. The sides, nearly perpendicular, were 

 of stiff clay and conglomerate, and in these we had 

 to cut many hundreds of steps in the growing 

 dusk. More than once I made up my mind to 

 sleep out under some rock and retrace our steps in 

 the morning ; but at every turn and wind in the 

 gorge we hoped the next would bring us into 

 easier ground, so we slowly worked our way down. 

 When at last we emerged on to the stone slopes 

 above the Chilas road and glad to get there the 

 stars were shining, and it was ten o'clock before 

 we reached camp, tired but happy. 



The rams' heads were brought in next day with 

 the meat. The horns measured 30 and 29 inches, 

 both good heads. In one horn of the bigger of the 

 two a leaden bullet was found deeply embedded 

 the property, no doubt, of some Ghor shikari. It 

 was situated so low down in the horn that I should 

 think it must have stunned the beast for a time, 

 and the shikari must have felt his luck was indeed 

 out when he saw him up and away again. Let us 

 hope he remembered, as I try to do on such occa- 

 sions, the saying of the philosopher of Shiraz 



When fate allots him not his daily bread, 

 That day the Tigris fishers toil in vain ; 

 The fish whose end is not ordained (by fate), 

 Will not meet death on land. 



