172 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



one understood, appearing to expect every moment that the 

 glass would bite him. After some minutes spent in this way, 

 he drew it near to him, and by degrees became more confident. 

 Buctoo then approached him and set it, telling him to look 

 through it. He appeared very suspicious about this move- 

 ment, evidently fancying the glass was going to explode. At 

 length he threw it down, for which Buctoo boxed his ears. 

 He then took it up again, and it was brought to bear on the 

 village. But the Tartar did us again ; for he- shut both his 

 eyes. However, after a good deal of persuasion, he was in- 

 duced to open one and shut the other, and to peep through 

 the glass. For a second or two he trembled violently, then 

 groaned heavily threw down the glass, and commenced 

 rolling down the hill, head over heels, at a most awful pace. 

 The whole batch, some forty, were seized with the same com- 

 plaint, and down they went after their chief, roaring out, 

 " Hi ! ha !" at the top of their voices. Break their necks 

 they could not very easily ; but how many of them escaped 

 serious injury I did not stop to ascertain. Upon seeing them 

 all off, I fell down heavily, fracturing my sides with laughter. 

 Buctoo was in the same state, and so were all my servants. 

 We at last saw them, on reaching a piece of level ground, 

 get on their legs, the chief still leading, and bolting for the 

 village, at a pace nothing would warrant but a tin kettle at 

 their heels. In about ten minutes we heard the gongs and 

 bells beating and tolling at a great pace, with frightful shout- 

 ing from men and women, and this lasted for two hours, 

 when all became quiet. 



Not a Tartar could we get hold of for two days after this. 

 At last, by sending a small party near the village, several 

 men showed themselves, offering us any thing we wanted, if 

 we would only return to the other side of the snow. This 

 they were told we would do, if they would only show us three 

 or four days' more good sport ; but if not, we would remain 

 there six months, and turn them all into wild sheep. Upon 



