3o8 A MARCH IN TIBET 



a long distance off, and, mistaking them for females, I took 

 no precautions, as they were not in the direction I was 

 going. As soon as the barhal saw me, they made straight 

 for the ridge, and only when they stood on the sky-line 

 I discovered they were all rams ! I was wild ! After 

 getting on to the open hillside, I saw two more animals, 

 and, examining them carefully with the telescope, made 

 them out to be rams. I went for them at once, and made 

 a most cautious stalk, but when I was within two hundred 

 yards, and looked over for a shot, I found I had been 

 stalking two ewes. Two such mistakes at the very 

 beginning of the day upset my equanimity, and it took 

 me some time to recover. I then turned back, and again 

 saw the five rams ; so, turning to the ravine up which I had 

 come, I had breakfast, and began my second stalk. 



The rams were on a ledge of rocks, where approach from 

 my side was impossible ; but, shortly after, they left their 

 perch and came down to the grass to feed. As soon as 

 they were under cover, I slipped down and went up the 

 opposite side as fast as I could. Here I made another 

 mistake — my impatience spoiling everything. Instead of 

 waiting under cover of some rocks until the rams came 

 round the swell of the hill, I went on, very cautiously, to 

 meet them. I had not gone far along the hillside when 

 one of the barhal topped some rocks about two hundred 

 yards, saw me instantly, and vanished. I ran forward to 

 get a sight of him, and came face to face with another 

 ram, not forty yards off, who was grazing quietly along in 

 my direction. I saw his head only for a few seconds, and 

 he too vanished ; I never saw him again. Looking up hill 

 I saw three rams making off, and had a snap-shot at a 

 long range, and of course missed. This was a thoroughly 

 unlucky day for me. There had been snow in the night, 

 and when I began my tramp it was bitterly cold going up 



