A BUTCHERLY BUSINESS 217 



the Chang-lung valley, and so on to Gograng, and he was 

 evidently travelling to that grazing ground wlien we 

 discovered him. We had no choice but to get on the 

 steep slope above him and cut him off from the pass. 

 We got up the side of the hill on our right and then mounted 

 slowly to get out of his view, but the hill was so steep that 

 it was a long time before we could effect our purpose, and 

 the climb was a most trying ordeal. We did at last get 

 him under cover, and then worked round and placed our- 

 selves between him and the only possible line of escape. 

 Then the miserable wind changed again ; the weather had 

 become cloudy, and now, just as we were well placed, the 

 icy blast came straight down from the Keipsang-la, and 

 through us (literally) on to the wounded animal, bringing 

 with it a cutting sleet-storm. We became desperate, 

 rushed down to the bottom of the gully, and went for the 

 bull helter-skelter. He, of course, scented us, and was 

 standing up facing in our direction, when we sighted him 

 a hundred yards off. He did not seem inclined to move 

 either up or down the nald, which at this point was not 

 ten yards broad, with almost perpendicular sides, and gazed 

 at us steadily, as immovable as a rock. We thought dis- 

 cretion the better part of valour, and hastily clawed 

 ourselves up the hillside on the left ; it was like a rocky 

 wall, with very insecure footing, but we negotiated it in 

 quick time, and came on the old bull again at forty yards 

 and above him. I opened fire on the poor brute, but he 

 took several solid bullets without attempting to escape, and 

 at last succumbed to his many wounds. 



The shades of evening were closing round us when he 

 sank and died : the icy gale shrieked and tore through the 

 rugged gully, and a snowstorm was fast shrouding every- 

 thing in a white mantle. I had bagged my first wild yak, 

 and had won " the blue ribbon of Himalayan shooting," 



