Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23
fBEX HUNTING IN CASHMERE
EXCITING SPORT AS FOLLOWED IN
THAT COUNTRY
Much Patience I'm Stalking the Wary
ing Under Awkward Conditions.
From the San francisco Bulletin.

From the San Francisco Bulletin.
Suddenly my heart almost stopped beat
! ing as i saw Jehap Khan crouch quickly,
then turn round to beckon me to come
! up to him. and l can hardly describe my
| feelings when l heard him whisper, "Kel
! dbex), sahib, kel.' OF course, l wanted to
snatch my rifle, imagining the game to be
| close by, but Jehan Khan made me look
over the rock first. Slowly raising my head,
L looked hard in all directions, but for some
| time could see absolutely nothing. At last,
under Jehan khan's guidance, l saw three
| or four specks a good thousand yards off
on grassy slope, just on the edge Of the
snow line and with another deep valley
| between u.s. Through the telescope 1 made
| out five ibeX, all males, feeding, downward
| a couple of them with, what seemed to me-
| the most magnificent horns. AS we watched
! them one of the large ones sprung on to a
rock, If to take a survey of the scenery,
| and what a grand sight he looked with his
massive horns curving back, and his long,
flowing beard! What immense sums did
! not offer mentally to be suddenly trans
ported 1000 yards or so nearer the ibex,
and howl grumbled because they had not
chosen our ridge to feed over!
| However, after having first ascertained
! the direction of the wind, it did not take
| Jehan Khan long to make up his mind as
| to the best way of stalking the beasts.
| Back down side of the hill for little
| bit, then to the left over a small col which
| led to the entrance of the next valley, but
| which he guessed, and rightly, too, would
| be out of sight of the ibeX. Up, up and up,
| till We We're on the same slope as the herd,
and we'll over them. 1t sounds so easy in
the telling of it, but 1t was difficult in
| the doing. While we knew we were screen
| ed from the ibeX by the ridge We had just
| a
| it was a succession of quick, crawling rush
| es over rocks, slippery ground, patches of
snow, anything that came in our way.
thought L was dead beat before the stalk
was half over. but managed to get along
somehow other.
| Rough Travelling.
| AS we gradually got near the place we
| We're making for, We had to proceed very
! slowly and carefully, bent nearly double
| and peering very cautiously over every rock
! before went on again. At last Jehan
/ Khan, after carefully looking over a rock,
sank slowly behind it, and a pleased smile
! came over his face. He. at any rate, had
| done his duty, for forty yards behind that
| rock were the ibex still feeding and unsus-
| picious and the wind blowing straight from
| them to us. 1t was my turn now, but, what
| with excitement and the hard stalk, my
| hands were shaking badly that l could
| hardly place my rifle on ledge in the
| rocks.
| The finest of the herd was bit ahead of
| the rest, and upon him / determined to try
my maiden effort, but, from excitement, 1t
was some time before | could see my sights
clearly. At last / fired, and the old buck
gave tremendous leap into the air and
| fell dead almost where he had been stand
| ing. The rest raised their heads in the air
| in alarm and remained stock still for few
seconds before they raced off, time enough
for me to get on to the nearest with my
| Gus manner. But what did l care? Had I
| not got the most magnificent head with my
! first shot on virtually my first days stalk
| ing?-luck that does not happen to every
| man. I almost embraced Jehan Khan, who
| was very nearly as excited and pleased
| myself, though he did mutter something
about it being pity that We had not got
| the other one also We found the old buck
| lying on his SIDE with just sufficient move
ment left to justify Jehan Khan in per-
| forming the 'halal," namely. in cutting the
! animals throat with knife, while he is
| yet living, which ceremony makes the buck
| clean" and lawful to eat. The horns We're
particularly massive and measured forty
one inches round the curve. A really good
| head, and a very lucky beginning.
Six Days of Climbing.
Consequently, returned to camp a very
tired but really happy man. However, this
luck had to last me for some time, for, al
though l was out every day sometimes in
the very worst Of weather, and a mixed
| storm Of snow and rain among these
enormous mountains is hard to beat for
badness, it was not until the sixth day
afterward that l added another trophy to
! my bag-six days of incessant climbing up
rushing torrents. over the most awful
rocks, over snow that was sometimes SO
soft that we sank deep in it. 1t was very
hard work, but at the same time 1t made
one really fit and as hard nails.
On this particular day we were climbing
along YEARLY, and I! was beginning to
| think that, in spite Of the one had shot,
fbex were a myth when we saw Daghra,
my second shikarf, who had been prospect
ing rather to our left, signaling to us. 1t
did not take us long to join him, and look
ing carefully over the rocks We saw a herd
of seven male ibeX about half a mile from
US. higher up. They were on a bit of grass,
which ended on one side in an enormous
wall of rock absolutely impossible to as
cend. There was no cover of any sort by
which We could get near them from above,
SO we had to wait until their lordships
chose to Craze over and disappear on the
far side Of the small plateau on which they
were, and which they seemed I'm no hurry
to do. When at last they had all gone, we
lost no time In running down and getting
underneath the wall Of rock, hoping to find
some means of getting round it under
cover l called 1t impossible to ascend.
and II l had seen 1t without having Jehan
Khan with me 1 should cali it so still.
However, to that worthy, who was as
active as an ibex himself nothing was I'M
cltmbable. Ledge by ledge, foothold by
foothold, we assembled the zigzags, Jehan
Khan carrying one rifle. leading. and lean
ing down every now and then to help me;
and Daghra behind. with the other rife,
giving me when necessary a welcome shove
up. We had got nearly to the top OF the
rock, and had wound almost round It,
when Jehan Khan stopped and nudged me
to look over the narrow ledge on which we
were standing.
Over the Precipice.
There, scarcely twenty yards Off and al
most Immediately below us, was an ibex,
one OF the smallest OF the herd. grazing
quietly. The remainder were still invisible.
but knowing that three OF the herd carried
better heads. waited to try and get one
of them Gradually we stopped down till
we lay at fun length on the ledge. and
Jehan Khan. holding me by the belt and
Daghra by my heels. l was able to lean