166 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



enormous pair of horns moving without any ostensible carriage. 

 At last we observed the body, and I, in delight, exclaimed, 

 "By Jove, there is the ovis ammon at last." After consider- 

 able trouble and precious hard work, we worked up to within 

 range, when a shot from my rifle brought the ram tumbling 

 down over the snow. I hoped and believed he was dead ; but 

 he was only wounded. He got up again, and, in spite of the 

 wound, made a very good gallop over the deep snow. Find- 

 ing he was too fast for us, we slipped our dogs, and among 

 them my poor " Karchia." The poor dog, as usual, was first 

 up with the ram, and seized him. The ram, having still a 

 good deal in him, broke the hold, and down he went to the 

 bottom of the ravine, where ran the Tonse river, a tributary 

 of the Jumna here in the snow. The river was covered over 

 in many places by avalanches, and was also partly frozen ; 

 but in many places there were large holes. The ram bounded 

 over these until my poor dog Karchia again closed with and 

 seized him behind. With a vigorous eifort the ovis ammon 

 shook him off. A few yards before the steep was a large hole 

 in the Tonse, the water foaming up through it ; into this ovis 

 ammon threw himself, and was carried under the snow, 

 Heaven knows where. On arriving at the spot I found my 

 poor dog baying most piteously, and trying to bite away the 

 frozen sides, but to no purpose, and I was obliged immediately 

 to get him chained up, fearing he would have plunged in after 

 the game, when I should have lost him, and most probably my 

 own life. Having thus introduced the wild sheep and white 

 bear of Tartary, a few sentences may not unprofitably be spent 

 in describing the genus homo of the Snowy Range. The 

 Tartars, as may be imagined, are a very original race, and 

 in those parts visited by me I found them very primitive and 

 inoffensive, always barring the petty larceny propensities. 

 Depending chiefly on the sale of their wool for their support, 

 and being Bhuddhists by religion, they dare not destroy ani- 

 mal life ; but when nature has deprived one of their bullocks 



