SPORT AND TRAVEL 119 



trees amongst which I had hitherto been concealed, a 

 hind saw me and gave a loud bark of alarm. She her- 

 self was, however, invisible amongst the dark shadows 

 of the pine-trees. 



I will now return to my second expedition in quest 

 of a maral, nearly three years later, amongst the 

 snows of the Murad Dagh. 



It was February 19 when I reached my camping- 

 ground towards the close of the Mohammedan Lent or 

 Ramazan. At the end of this period of fasting comes 

 the feast of Bairam. This festival was to commence 

 on the appearance of the next new moon, which was 

 due just at the end of February, before which time it 

 would be necessary for me to break up my camp, as 

 all Turks must go to mosque before the feast of Bai- 

 ram, and will not do anything but eat and make merry 

 during that period. Thus I only had a week during 

 which to hunt. 



During this time I was unsuccessful in securing the 

 head of a good stag, though I very nearly succeeded 

 in doing so ; but as every one knows, in every kind of 

 sport there is sometimes a very narrow margin be- 

 tween success and failure. 



On February 22, we had a hard day climbing up 

 and down steep snow slopes. My companions were 

 two brothers, Yuruks, or dwellers in tents, who had 

 pastured their flocks on these mountains all their 

 lives. They were of the fair European-looking type, 

 descendants possibly of the Galatians, and their pre- 



