When lying down to rest, they always select positions from which they can. see all round them, and the only way one could usually get within shot was from above. When feeding, they move over the ground much faster than deer, and often shift their position, so that you do not find them where you expect. And at fifty-two, at elevations of 8,000 or 9,000 feet, I honestly confess that I was not so willing to stay out late at night, as one must do in stalking, or so active on rocky and difficult ground. And the attractions of collecting butterflies, which were unusually numer¬ ous and interesting, in a region where no one had collected before me, were so strong that, after I had got two really good heads, I only went after sheep when the weather was too bad to collect.
Another difficulty with sheep is that, when a number of rams are lying together, it is very hard to pick out the best head. At a distance where you can examine them carefully, one may think one has done so; but when you get within shot, they are so much sharper in seeing you than stags are that you dare not use the glass, and cannot make out for certain which is the best head. As has been remarked by all hunters of wild sheep, in America as in Asia, they can see a man much farther off than deer; and, though they may be still till you are out of sight, will then move to some distance whilst you are making your approach.
Two days after leaving Kuch Agach, having seen some sheep in the neighbourhood, we went out stalking, and rode up the valley to a place where the river spreads out into a flat plain of gravel, which in some places was still covered with snow three or four feet thick. It was every¬ where quite shallow enough to ford easily. After spying the ground in sight from this point and only seeing ewes, we rode up to the higher ground. The men, who were very fair stalkers and understood the use of a telescope, suddenly saw some rams and got the horses into cover at once. ^
After getting above them, we saw them lie down in the middle of a great flat, rather wet ground, near some ewes. There were eleven rams headed by a very good one. They soon left the flat and went out of sight. We went a long way round and much higher up to get out of sight of the ewes, and spied a lot of ground without finding them. I saw some more and got down within 400 yards, but could get no nearer. Then a heavy thunder¬ storm came on, as it seemed to do almost every afternoon in this country. The thunder moved the sheep, and the men wanted to wait till the rain was over. Before it stopped, however, Omok, the stalker, who had a very good idea of his work, went a little forward and suddenly beckoned me to come on. I loaded the rifles at once and went on, getting quite close to some ewes, but could not see the rams, which he seemed to think were more to our left. Anyhow, they got our wind, bolted, saw the horses, and crossed the glen about 200 yards off at a gallop, I had several shots, but missed. As I was going home we saw the eleven rams we had seen in the morning in a position where I could have got at them, but, as the wind was very changeable and it was late, I determined to leave them as they were, feeding quietly, and hoped to find them in the morning. We did not, however, find them again.
On another occasion, in the same district, we saw a large lot of sheep—I counted
