THE KARAKUL PAMIR. 249 



for as we stood talking, a little marmot about the 

 size of a rabbit sat up on end, just where the Ovis 

 had stood. Pointing him out to the shikari, and 

 telling him to watch where the bullet struck the 

 ground, so as to prove whether it was a misjudged 

 distance, I fired again, without the least expecta- 

 tion of hitting so small an animal ; but, to my 

 great satisfaction, he tumbled over, and on going 

 to him I found the bullet had blown his head 

 and shoulders clean off. 



Having worked right round the group of hills, 

 and seen nothing but some ewes and small rams, 

 I moved my camp on about ten miles across the 

 Karakul Pamir to a range of hills east of the lake, 

 where, after pitching my tent and having break- 

 fast, I started with the determination to bag some- 

 thing. As we went along, four Ovis poli crossed 

 our path ; but they saw us, and went on across 

 the valley. The wind was blowing up the jilgaS) 

 as the nullahs are called in Turki, so I made for 

 the main ridge, thus getting the wind in my favour, 

 to work down on anything I might find. 



In the middle of the second corrie there was a 

 good herd, but they lay in a perfectly open place, 

 with no means of approach. However, they could 

 not lie there for ever, so the next best thing was 



