76 JOURNEY TO THE PAMIRS. 



butter-milk, and cream. Giving him our thanks, 

 we presented him with a choga, placing it on his 

 back with our own hands, which pleased him 

 much, as it is in this way you show honour to a 

 guest in the East. 



It was snowing hard at daylight, so we waited 

 until nine o'clock, when it cleared off. We had 

 not gone many miles when we came upon 

 another Kirghiz camp, and were again enter- 

 tained. As we travelled on, the valley gradually 

 opened out, the slopes on each side becoming 

 less precipitous, and more like what we took to 

 be poli - ground. There were, we were told, 

 plenty of arkar, or female Ovis poli, in the hills, 

 but for the goolja, or male, we must go higher up 

 the valley. Coming to a grassy patch, we deter- 

 mined to camp, as the Beg had told us it would 

 be impossible to reach the hunting-ground in one 

 march. After going some six miles or so next 

 morning, we came on the track of poli, but only 

 small arkars. The shikaris said we must go 

 higher up the ravines and mountain-sides for the 

 gooljas. Finding a good place, we settled the 

 camp, and I started up the hill, burning to get 

 sight of my first poli. My hopes were soon 

 realised ; for after a couple of miles up the 



