These lines are written in the hope that, after their perusal, the visitor to "The Vale," or to other parts of the Himalayas, may not feel himself so entirely at the mercy of his shikari, who too often consults his own comfort and visits spots where he and the villagers can play into one another’s hands and neglects localities where the best bags are to be obtained. The object, therefore, is not to write a book of adventures, but to give accurate measurements, the names of the best shooting grounds and such hints as are likely to prove useful to the inexperienced traveller in the hills and ravines of the Himalayas and amongst the sterile mountains and plains of Ladakh and Middle Thibet.In Kashmir there exist two or three hundred men who call themselves shikaris, but there are not two dozen who are worthy of the name. In no other part of India have I come across such an arrant collection of impostors. I quote from a letter of mine which the Editor of the Asian was kind enough to comment upon in one of his leading articles. "As a rule the Kashmiri is a good walker and is keen sighted; but only the very best of the fraternity are of any use after Ibex and Markhor. I would certainly not advise anyone to go after Ibex or Markhor without the aid of the natives of the country; but I do deprecate the employment of the host of followers it is the custom to entertain. Most people, when they arrive in Kashmir, engage a shikari; if possible they employ a man who has been recommended to them, but failing this, they have to fall back on anyone who has a parcel of recommendations. Well and good, this is to a great extent unavoidable; but what follows?
