﻿COMMON 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  17 
  

  

  as 
  we 
  scramble 
  up 
  a 
  narrow 
  hill-path 
  was 
  not 
  in 
  evidence 
  when 
  I 
  retired 
  to 
  bed 
  at 
  10.30 
  

   last 
  evening, 
  but 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  bright 
  that 
  even 
  under 
  the 
  trees 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  quite 
  at 
  a 
  loss 
  

   to 
  follow 
  the 
  narrow 
  path. 
  The 
  hillman 
  goes 
  first, 
  as 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  numerous 
  tramps 
  of 
  

   this 
  kind, 
  I 
  know 
  the 
  native 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  will 
  follow 
  the 
  main 
  path 
  much 
  better 
  than 
  I 
  

   can, 
  and 
  will 
  lead 
  me 
  to 
  our 
  destination 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  various 
  cattle-tracks 
  that 
  criss-cross 
  

   our 
  road, 
  which 
  is, 
  after 
  all, 
  only 
  a 
  rather 
  larger 
  cattle-track. 
  The 
  average 
  hill 
  native 
  

   has 
  an 
  eye 
  for 
  hilly 
  country 
  that 
  the 
  British-born 
  ruler 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  will 
  seldom 
  equal 
  in 
  

   spite 
  of 
  much 
  practice. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  surprising, 
  as 
  most 
  of 
  us 
  are 
  brought 
  up 
  under 
  widely 
  

   different 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  meantime, 
  we 
  have 
  travelled 
  a 
  long 
  way, 
  and 
  the 
  stars 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  are 
  paling 
  

   and 
  the 
  moon 
  begins 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  wash-out 
  appearance 
  ; 
  however, 
  we 
  can 
  take 
  it 
  easy 
  now, 
  

   as 
  we 
  are 
  quite 
  high 
  up 
  enough 
  for 
  the 
  Koklass. 
  A 
  few 
  minutes 
  later 
  the 
  small 
  

   birds 
  begin 
  to 
  chirp, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  we 
  are 
  on 
  comes 
  a 
  fresh 
  breeze 
  in 
  

   fitful 
  gusts, 
  the 
  usual 
  harbinger 
  of 
  dawn 
  at 
  these 
  altitudes. 
  It 
  will 
  die 
  away 
  soon, 
  and 
  

   in 
  fine 
  weather 
  the 
  leaves 
  hardly 
  stir 
  again 
  until 
  the 
  evening. 
  The 
  breeze 
  brings 
  down 
  

   a 
  few 
  brown 
  and 
  curled 
  silver 
  birch 
  leaves, 
  making 
  one 
  think 
  of 
  autumn, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  

   wish 
  many 
  more 
  of 
  other 
  kinds 
  were 
  down 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  "We 
  push 
  on 
  a 
  bit 
  and 
  reach 
  a 
  small 
  plateau, 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  three 
  nullahs, 
  and 
  now, 
  as 
  

   the 
  light 
  grows 
  stronger 
  every 
  moment, 
  we 
  sit 
  down 
  to 
  listen, 
  hoping 
  to 
  hear 
  the 
  prate, 
  

   prate 
  of 
  the 
  Koklass 
  somewhere 
  below 
  us, 
  and 
  shortly 
  after 
  the 
  wail 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  maraud- 
  

   ing 
  jackal 
  has 
  died 
  away, 
  far 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  below, 
  we 
  hear 
  the 
  longed-for 
  sound, 
  

   something 
  like, 
  only 
  far 
  softer 
  than 
  that 
  emitted 
  by 
  the 
  bazaar 
  moorghi, 
  when 
  she 
  is 
  

   looking 
  for 
  a 
  place 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  egg, 
  not 
  like 
  the 
  cackle 
  she 
  makes 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  laid. 
  

  

  " 
  Now 
  we 
  must 
  be 
  as 
  quick 
  as 
  possible, 
  or 
  this 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  brood 
  we 
  shall 
  hear 
  

   calling. 
  We 
  hastily 
  look 
  round 
  for 
  the 
  easiest 
  way 
  to 
  them, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  native 
  beckons 
  

   me 
  and 
  we 
  make 
  off. 
  He 
  well 
  knows 
  I 
  wish 
  him 
  to 
  keep 
  wide 
  of 
  them 
  until 
  well 
  

   beneath 
  them, 
  and 
  then 
  work 
  up 
  towards 
  them. 
  In 
  ten 
  minutes 
  we 
  are 
  below 
  them, 
  and 
  

   then 
  we 
  proceed 
  more 
  cautiously 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  dry 
  torrent. 
  Here 
  I 
  

   halt, 
  and 
  turning 
  round, 
  meet 
  the 
  bright, 
  questioning 
  eyes 
  of 
  my 
  little 
  spaniel 
  ; 
  no 
  need 
  

   to 
  speak 
  ; 
  a 
  wave 
  of 
  the 
  hand 
  and 
  she 
  is 
  off, 
  going 
  at 
  full 
  speed. 
  She 
  makes 
  a 
  cast 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  yards 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  us, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  above, 
  and 
  then 
  returns 
  going 
  at 
  top 
  speed 
  all 
  

   the 
  time 
  until 
  reaching 
  a 
  ledge 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  water-course, 
  she 
  suddenly 
  stops 
  and 
  

   turns. 
  A 
  two 
  seconds' 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  her 
  nose, 
  and 
  she 
  goes 
  straight 
  

   up 
  the 
  nullah 
  bed 
  and 
  is 
  soon 
  lost 
  to 
  sight 
  amidst 
  boulders 
  and 
  overhanging 
  foliage. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  hear 
  nothing 
  for 
  a 
  minute, 
  and 
  then 
  yap, 
  yap, 
  with 
  a 
  peculiar 
  intonation 
  that 
  I 
  

   know 
  means 
  ' 
  pheasant 
  running 
  ahead 
  of 
  me,' 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  if 
  she 
  spoke. 
  The 
  next 
  second 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  whirr 
  of 
  rushing 
  wings, 
  and 
  out 
  dash 
  two 
  birds 
  almost 
  simultaneously. 
  

   They 
  are 
  straight 
  above 
  us, 
  and 
  must 
  see 
  us 
  immediately 
  they 
  clear 
  the 
  tree-tops, 
  but 
  

   not 
  a 
  jot 
  do 
  they 
  care, 
  their 
  object 
  is 
  the 
  khud 
  below 
  us, 
  and 
  down 
  they 
  come, 
  straight 
  

   as 
  a 
  die, 
  with 
  outspread, 
  motionless 
  wings. 
  I 
  shoot 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  far 
  in 
  front, 
  as 
  I 
  know 
  

   from 
  experience 
  I 
  shall 
  have 
  to 
  turn 
  my 
  quickest 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  shot 
  at 
  the 
  other. 
  As 
  I 
  turn, 
  

   the 
  first 
  bird 
  hits 
  a 
  rock 
  by 
  my 
  feet, 
  the 
  second 
  bird 
  was 
  still 
  clear 
  of 
  trees 
  when 
  I 
  fired, 
  

   but 
  he 
  disappears, 
  but, 
  greatly 
  to 
  our 
  surprise, 
  we 
  see 
  him 
  again 
  for 
  a 
  second 
  as 
  he 
  tops 
  

   the 
  trees, 
  moving 
  straight 
  upwards, 
  and 
  then 
  turns 
  over 
  and 
  falls 
  with 
  a 
  crash. 
  This 
  is 
  

   a 
  bit 
  of 
  luck, 
  for 
  had 
  he 
  not 
  towered 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  lost 
  him. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  Ill 
  , 
  D 
  

  

  