80 HUNTING THE TAKIN 



invoked with much burning of incense, should he 

 fail to do so. Bluebells, gentians, vetches, forget- 

 me-nots, orchises, poppies, edelweiss, and many 

 varieties of little rock plants grew scattered above 

 the rhododendrons and azaleas ; meadow pippits 

 darted about the rocks ; a Siberian mink (the 

 Chinese call them " yellow rat-wolves ") flung 

 himself headlong across our path ; a blood-pheasant 

 called from the valley below, and was answered by 

 the flippant cry of a fir-crow. Ever and anon the 

 unmistakable scent of a fox was borne to our 

 nostrils. 



Both hunters were very excited ; Lou-loo laugh- 

 ing and gesticulating, urging us forward, rushing 

 about in his rope sandals in a manner highly aggra- 

 vating to any one in heavy shooting boots. 



We were now in a position to spy the takins. 

 They had moved from their original position and 

 were lying among the rocks scattered over the 

 hill-side. One bull was considerably larger in the 

 body than the other two and seemed an older 

 animal, though these were both full grown ; his 

 horns, too, looked bigger. He was lying some- 

 what apart from the others, overlooking the stone 

 shoot, in an ideal position for a stalk. 



We continued our advance until we had gained 

 a position with the game some four or five hundred 

 feet below, the ground rocky and extraordinarily 

 steep. Here we put on some spare hemp sandals, 

 which, though very small and uncomfortable, were 

 a necessity, as it would have been impossible to 

 get within shot in our own footgear. Even so, 

 while descending I was within an ace of dislodging 

 a large boulder, but fortunately managed to replace 



