132 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



ing," or sitting up all night with the newly- caught 

 hawk, being much the same as those in vogue in 

 England. 



After loosening our ponies' girths and telling 

 our syces where to take them, we looked at 

 each hawk in turn, the Mehtar pointing out 

 to us each one's special merits. The falconers, 

 as he did so, unhooded those that required it, and 

 smoothed down their neck feathers with an inde- 

 scribable air of pride and affection. 



The first drive was to be across the river, and 

 the whole party, preceded by the Hakim of Drosh, 

 one of the Mehtar's leading Ministers, but none the 

 less a good falconer, walked along a narrow path 

 at the bottom of the high cliff of conglomerate 

 which overhung the water to a point where a 

 frail bridge had been thrown across. The footway 

 consisted of two slender poles, the ends of which 

 rested on struts which were projected from the bank, 

 the shore ends being weighted down with stones. 

 Across the poles were laid osiers, affording not 

 too secure a footing. One by one we crossed, the 

 lady of the party refusing all proffered assistance, 

 much to the surprise of the crowd, to whom all 

 the doings of the latest arrival in Chitral were 

 a constant source of astonishment. Not the least 

 remarkable of these in their eyes was her seat 

 on horseback, for it quite baffled their compre- 



