Chamba into Kashmir 133 



over with M., I prepared to follow, with the shikari 

 just in front. 



Meanwhile, the other shikari, in a superior way, 

 thought to get across himself higher up. Suddenly, 

 he lost his balance and slipped, and came sliding 

 gliding down the slope straight on to me, in spite 

 of all his efforts to stop himself with his finger-nails 

 and stick. Over I was knocked, and falling on the 

 top of him, partly, stopped his headlong career in 

 a small degree ; but we should both have slipped 

 on and slid into eternity, had not the first shikari 

 saved us. Using all his strength, and with extra- 

 ordinary grip of the insecure foothold, he caught us 

 and stopped us till we had regained our balance. 

 But it was an uncomfortable moment. 



We crept up at last, with infinite caution, to the 

 ridge the tahr had crossed as they disappeared from 

 view. There they were again -joy ! three hundred 

 yards off and still moving on, and looking for a 

 select corner. They were fine, big fellows through 

 the glasses, and once more we watched them vanish ; 

 when to our disgust a female appeared just above 

 where the males had crossed, and was evidently on 

 the look-out. She had chosen her stand so well 

 that if we even put our heads above the rocks she 

 must see us. She was now about eight hundred 

 yards away. It was very provoking, but the only 

 thing to be done was to go back and put this ridge 

 between ourselves and the astute sentinel. 



This we did, and climbing the dividing ridge got 



