He would start just before dawn on Abdul's shikar camel, be well away from Kot Ghazi by daylight and reach the old deserted dak-bungalow, that no one ever used, by evening.
A favourite shikar animal had been badly bitten by a tiger a few days before my arrival, and it was feared that she might become shy upon the next encounter.
This is a very rare qualification, but most necessary in a good shikar elephant.
Although I had not intended giving any shikar stories, I cannot resist quoting one from General McMaster's 'Notes on Jerdon.
I leaned against the rock, my shikar dress blending with the dark grey of the stone and burnt-up grass so completely as to deceive even my lynx-eyed prey.
The skull appears to be that of a very old animal; the horns are quite joined at the base, and from the incrustation on the bones I should say it had been picked up, and was not a shikar trophy.
Either the early tea is late or bath is early, or a shikar expedition, with a grass slipper in pursuit of flies, takes up the precious moments, and so the business of the day gets all behindhand.
It is a place of some importance in Kashmir, being the starting-point for the Astor country and Gilgit--and here the sahib on shikar bent, obtains coolies and ponies to take him over the Tragbal Pass into Gurais.
Formerly a sportsman could get a good shikarsuit for eight rupees.
But he soon tired of shikar (sport), and fell to playing the songs of the Padhani women on his cithar, the like of which I never heard before.
With this end in view, he cannot do better than have his clothes made of Kharki, and Indian Shikar cloth of mixed green and brown.
In the matter of headgear, Ellwood’s patent Shikar hat of felt and brown canvas is excellent when the sun is very powerful; it will stand any amount of rough usage, and has the advantage of being waterproof.
In the dry weather, when the grass and bush are withered, Kharki is less conspicuous than Shikar cloth, as it assimilates better with the surroundings.
Shikar cloth is excellent after the rains have fallen, and the grass and bush are green.
My tents were, the one a small two-poled shikar tent made very light, about 12 ft.
The Wurdwan is reputed to be the best locality forshikar in Cashmere.
The coolies had preceded us, so we had no idea of meeting with shikar up the valley; but as I strode ahead, Subhan signalled me, and I at once saw a large flock of napu feeding in tranquillity on the steep hill-side on my right hand.
And it was shikar the other day when a Gurkha patrol by a simple stratagem surprised some mounted Turks.
Their British officer chaffed them on their bad shooting; but the havildar grinned and said, "At least a little shikar has taken place.
The ladies dress and receive visitors as often as not when their husbands are away on shikar parties, or are amusing themselves at the billiard-table.
Some weeks elapsed before any fresh game and its whereabouts were discovered; but as soon as this was clearly made out, another shikar party was decided on.
As things turned out, however, it made all the difference in the world, for if he had not accompanied us, my shikar would in all probability have ended disastrously next day.
But these moments were few, and the pressure of existence and shikarfor food and money, and general bandobast of plots and plans and pots and pans engrossed much attention.
