BAD WEATHER 323 



my cartridges loaded with copper-tubed Express bullets, 

 and was now for the first time using bullets plugged with 

 wax. My theory is that these latter simply smashed up and 

 spread out where they struck, not having, like copper-tubed 

 bullets, sufficient stiffness to keep their shape till they had 

 penetrated. I could not think of any other explanation. 

 My supply of the other kind not being sufficient, I had 

 procured an extra hundred, but never found out that 

 they were not copper-tubed till I was far away in the 

 Himalayas. I make a present of this experience to my 

 brother sportsmen. 



After a "Europe morning" (that is, staying in bed till 

 late) I fell to tinkering those wretched bullets, picking 

 the wax out of a few and driving in wooden plugs instead. 

 This substitute I thought might stiffen them somewhat; 

 but I was much disheartened, and very anxious to see the 

 result of my next shot. After breakfast, we struck camp 

 and marched up the valley in search of new shooting 

 ground. The usual camping ground was boggy, so we 

 went on till we found a dry place, at a point where two 

 streams meet. The spot was evidently at a very high eleva- 

 tion, as it was very cold. A light drizzle had been going 

 on all the evening. The back of the Himalayas is not 

 favourable for a heavy downpour ; the rain that does 

 fall comes from the scraps of cloud that scrape over the 

 snowy range and exhaust themselves on this side. It had 

 drizzled like this every evening since I entered the Chhu- 

 Hanmo. 



It rained nearly all night down in the valley, and 

 snowed heavily on the hill-tops. As it cleared a little at 

 six, I ventured out to have a look at the ground, but after 

 a time the rain came down again, and drove us back to 

 camp. It was too early for the barhal to wander so high 

 up at present ; hardly any grass had sprouted, and not a 



