The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-04-15
Ibex Stalking in Ladakh.

The Logi La Pass from Kashmir
into Baltistan is a formidable and
much dreaded obstacle in early
spring. Its liability to sudden over
whelming avalanches and furious
death-dealing winds has gained for
1t a grim notoriety which causes ii
to be attempted with caution and in
suitable weather only. A chance OF
crossing neglected may mean a delay
of many precious days, and it is usual
to move up to Baltal, the rest house
at the western foot, and to wait there
to seize the first favorable opportun-
ity of passing over. This preamble is
to explain the fact that one early
spring some years ago l found N.Y.
self at Kargil, the nearest town to
the east of Logi La, with two weeks
to pass before my permit allowed me
/ to move on to Ladakh.
We had had considerable difficulty
in getting through, and a heavy fall
of snow had upset our plan of trying
for ibex before reaching Kargil.
After many consultations we de-
cided to cross pass ten miles north
I of Kargl descend into the Indus
Valley, and hunt up to it toward
Ladakh, hoping to bag at least one
/ good hex in the many nullahs which
/ lie on either bank.
/ We were singularly unsuccessful in
/ even seeing good ibex, though we
boiled day after day over snow-cov-
cred slopes that from a distance
looked perfectly impossible, and on
closer acquaintance were unpleasant
as could be imagined. On occasions
we came across small bucks, but
even of these there were very few,
and there seemed to be not a shoot
able head in the whole country. When
we first began looking for ibex was
not particularly enthusiastic, as | had
previously brought them to bag and
was a1 ]. ihfJnre The Democratic phIHre in
is not the business of the Anti Saloon de-
eague to disturb the political balance Good
feat the majority party anywhere, raul
after which it is, but to make an issuhad
} clear that the politicians will under ~
and that the majority party can remairIu
ent lad
THE defeat this time, while disapmy
stirars. will simply strengthen thew
nullah after nullaff OqaGlpsively the.u-
nereal.
At last the day came when we were
to be rewarded for our trouble,
though at first it seemed even more
unpromising than its forerunners.
we had arrived over night at a Bhud-
dist village smuggling against cliffs
Hawking the mouth of a long narrow
valley running far into the mount
aims. The head man said that with
out doubt there were long horned
hex in the nullah, but as by way of
encouragement he proceeded to meas
ure off imaginary horns that would
have put the record completely in
the shade we viewed his statements
with a certain amount of skeptic-
ism.
Shortly before a. m. we got under
way, and as soon as he1fists, which
were swirling dowE the valley,
showed symptoms qfGfting, we made
start up hill, 9ching zone of
bright sunshinssT an hours time.
At IL, we h%ssd at point from
which twos asscanches of the nullah
ran up 70 she north and northeast
respecKTefy. A careful search
through the telescope eventually re-
vested couple of doe ibex on a
,vcky crest to the east, but there was
no buck with them, and so we moved
on up the northern branch of the
nullah.
At noon we again halted, this time
by deserted snow-broken hut, and |
made out ten bucks and fifteen does
feeding by some snow high up on the |
eastern slope OF the valley. Two of |
the bucks seemed to carry good heads. |
particularly one which was very dark
colored. but for the moment there
was nothing to be done, as the ami
mails were quite unstalkable. At
$50 they all lay Town among the
rocks where, with the execution of a
watchful doe or two, they were invis-
IDLE, and We took the opportunity of
eating a meal which would in all
probability be our last for MANY
hours
After a couple of hours siesta the
hex reappeared and to our delight
moved up to and over a ridge leading
into the other branch of the valley.
We gave them time to return if thew
were going to do so and then started
up hill at our best pace on their
tracks. The only possible route on
the moutainside was up a water
course in which lay soft snow on a
bed OF loose earth and shale. No one
VINO has not experienced it can real
ize the labor that such ground en-
tails, or the unpleasant sensation of
slipping down hill for a few yards
whenever a particularly greasy"
spot is trodden on. BY hugging the
rocks at the side of the water course
as closely as possible we succeeded
after three-quarters of an hour in
reaching the crest of the mountain
some yards to the north of two large
rocks between which the ibex had
poccod