156 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



late, the mark was a small one. Some six shots 

 ploughed up the sand about him ; then he stumbled, 

 but regained his feet, and was immediately lost to 

 sight behind a ridge. 



The account of how that superb animal was 

 tracked by his blood-trail far into the mountains, 

 how his horns were found to measure fully forty- 

 four inches from base to tip, and how we returned 

 at dusk across the glacier to camp, worn out by the 

 hardest of stalks, but happy in the realization of 

 complete success, would be, I fear, of less interest in 

 the recounting than was the experience itself. To 

 complete the satisfaction, a telegram was found 

 awaiting us at camp from the secretary of the Game 

 Association at Srinagar, stating that the Basha Nul- 

 lah could rightly hold more than one gun, and that 

 we were justified in having claimed our share of the 

 valley. Perry, in the other section of the nullah, 

 soon afterwards secured not only his six ibex heads 

 but three fine red bear as well. 



That night Kadera came to my tent and cheer- 

 fully informed me that he had promised Buddha, 

 in the event of my complete success, a sacrifice of 

 two fat sheep. After a few moments of embar- 

 rassing silence following my assent, I was further in- 

 formed, still cheerfully, though perhaps a trifle less 

 confidently, that the promise had been made in 



