CAMPING IN CHAMBA. 603 



we settle A down till the afternoon. There is a nice footpath here that -goes 

 towards Tikri I believe, and we followed it for a mile or so, till it faded into 

 nothingness on the face of some steep slopes where a landslip had swept the 

 hillside bare. While climbing over the broken ground, a gooral .appeared 

 running up-hill about 150 yards above me, and a lucky running shot wounded 

 him. After a nhort but heavy climb I finished him with another shot. The 

 horns were unequal in length : one was 7f and the other 6^ inches ; and one 

 fore-foot was curiously deformed, the outer half of the hoof being turned 

 flat outwards, as if from some fall on a sharp stone. Hiding the gooral in a 

 tree, we went up a valley where some shepherds told us we should find a red 

 bear ; but our search was unsuccessful, and it began to rain. At 6-30 we 

 started back for home. Coming out of the forest we saw a gooral standing on 

 a projecting rock and looking down the chasm. It was an easy shot, and down 

 he went. The sound startled another gooral above me, and he too was knocked 

 over, running about 100 yards off ; but he picked himself up, and got into the 

 forest, where it was too late to recover him, though I left Bhiku to 

 search for some time, and sent the lantern out for him. 



Another thunderstorm during the night ; and very large hailstones (the 

 " Pigeon's egg " brand which really are about the size of 12-bore bullets). 

 There are some grand deodars (cedars) here. The ferns and flowers are quite 

 wonderful. The woods are simply carpeted with maidenhair ferns ; 

 and the bracken is rapidly growing (May 22) on the hillsides. Note that the 

 natives cook the shoots of bracken ; it tastes somewhat like seakale. With 

 our usual rashness, we tried it but did not think very much of it. Wild 

 strawberries, tasteless little things, abound ; and no doubt rhubarb could be 

 found above 12,000 feet, but I was never so high up. The wild thyme serves 

 to season dishes. The irises, violets of several sorts, some very sweet and 

 others without scent, marigolds, large daisies, and tiny geranium -like flowers, 

 red and pink : these and many other flowers grow everywhere. The tillage is 

 on terraces, levelled ledges on the slopes ; barley and wheat are ready for 

 reaping, and the monsoon crop of maM (Indian corn, beloved by bears and 

 men) is just coming up. The village houses are flat-roofed. Hill unsafe 

 after the storm. Bar. down to 22 - 7. Heavy clouds rolling on from the eastr 

 ward ; another storm imminent. A villager who came to grind some mahi 

 said that he had seen a big thar going up the opposite rocks, near where I had 

 shot the small one on the 21st. At a height of 200 feet above the torrent bed 

 the ravine is about 250 to 300 yards wide. We started at 1'30 from my tent 

 and at 2 o'clock were just opposite the cliffs where the game had been seen. 

 We sighted two thar— one large and one small male. We were well hidden 

 by the forest. The opposite hill was more precipitous, and had patches of 

 pines and bushes on the ledges amid the crags that projected everywhere. 

 The two thar had just risen (2 o'clock) ; descending a short way, they 

 began feeding. We were nearly level with and opposite them, about 280 yards 



