ANOTHER NYAN HUNT 187 



when the sun reappeared, and kept running all night. 

 Again we struck camp, which the yaks brought after me. 

 They could follow us easily by our tracks, and when they 

 failed, a yakman had no difficulty in finding us in any 

 direction, as all he had to do was to climb a convenient hill 

 After looking about the neighbourhood for some hours, 

 and finding no encouraging signs, my boy shik;'iri said it 

 would be best to turn back into the valley where we had 

 first met the ovis on the morning when we started from the 

 permanent camp. He called it " Nyan-liing," or the nyan 

 valley. He said it was a certain find for them at this 

 season, and no doubt it was a favourite grazing ground ; 

 so we turned and crossed the range, again coming 

 across the tracks of the nyan, and after a time passed the 

 sleeping-places of five, who had spent the night here not 

 long ago. After an hour's tracking, the boy spied four 

 dark spots and a white one on the opposite range, beyond 

 the Nyan-lung, which divides it from the Dong-lung, where 

 the main camp was. We left the tracks and crept pain- 

 fully along the plain, in full view, as far as we dared, and 

 then lay down in a shallow nala, where we remained 

 for six mortal hours, from nine o'clock till three. We 

 could not move a step, as we were in full view of the game, 

 which was nearly at the top of the range, and kept there, 

 grazing about and lying down. A regular gale began 

 to blow shortly after, and heavy clouds came up ; but the 

 wind was steady from the east, and in my favour. Presently 

 drizzling rain came on, beating straight in our faces. Our 

 situation was not a comfortable one, but I waited patiently, 

 as every look through the glass told me that the nyan 

 with the light-coloured coat was a beauty, and would repay 

 even six hours' exposure. There was another darker 

 ram, larger in the body, but I came to the conclusion, 

 after careful comparison, that the first had the better 



