CHAPTER XXI 



THE ROE-DEER {Capj'eolus hedfovdi) 



On October 17th we got back to Choni, and 

 two days later, accompanied as before by Yung- 

 sha, Lao- Wei, and an old toothless hunter who 

 had spent sixty years of his life in the pursuit 

 of wapiti, roe, sheep, and bear, we camped in 

 the Poayii-kou Valley some twenty li from Choni, 

 which was said to be good for both wapiti and roe. 



That same afternoon we tried for the latter 

 animal. Owing to a stupid muddle on the part 

 of the hunters, I crossed over into the corrie 

 where George was stalking a buck, disturbed a 

 doe and fawn and spoilt his stalk, for which I 

 was very sorry. He killed a couple of does for 

 meat on his way back to camp, but neither of 

 us encountered another buck. 



Native hunters always go up the bed of a 

 gully in preference to the ridges. It has one 

 advantage, the game cannot see you unless they 

 happen to be feeding out on the open hill-side ; 

 but this argument cuts both ways, for neither can 

 you see the game. In addition one usually has 

 to advance up the rocky bed of a stream, stooping 

 all the while to avoid the interlacing boughs over- 

 head. The going is sometimes very bad, and 



182 



