A BLANK DAY. 8 1 



occult reason, I have always found to be the case. 

 If you do not intend to shoot at certain ani- 

 mals, they always seem to know it, be they Ovis 

 A mm on t ibex, markhor, burrel, or what not. I 

 have sat down within 200 or 300 yards of a herd, 

 and after staring at me or circling round, they 

 have begun to graze, or even lain down in front 

 of me. 



After lunch I wandered about, but saw no 

 fresh tracks. Every now and again a most in- 

 tensely cold blast came down the valley, accom- 

 panied by fine snow which almost blinded me, 

 so, thinking the sport not good enough, I turned 

 back. 



Bower soon after came in. He had watched a 

 herd of gooljas all day in a most unapproachable 

 place, and they had at last moved off where he 

 could not follow. We held a consultation as to a 

 change of ground with the shikaris, who recom- 

 mended a move up the main valley where two 

 branch nullahs came down. 



Dauvergne, we found, was camped in another 

 called Kukturuk, which, they said, was the best 

 place for good heads. Where we were, as a rule, 

 heads were good ; but the ground had been much 

 disturbed by the Kirghiz from the Little Pamirs, 



F 



