A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



apparently insatiable) when it has been pitched in 

 some unusual locality, and have very often been 

 urged to shoot them by the Chang-Pa and by my 

 servants, but of that more anon. On foot I found 

 that it was difficult to approach the kyang, but if 

 mounted they seemed to be much interested, and 

 would allow one to approach quite close. On one 

 occasion I thought, being mounted on a much 

 better native pony than usual, that I would try and 

 gallop a small herd of some four or five of them, 

 and accordingly started, as I imagined, in pursuit ; 

 what was my surprise, therefore, when I found that 

 they, in their turn, were galloping straight towards 

 me ; and, just as a collision seemed imminent, and 

 I was wondering what would happen next, they 

 wheeled in perfect order, as if they had been drilled, 

 in " sections outward," allowing me to pass through 

 them somewhat surprised ! Another of the kyang's 

 amiable tricks is to come at night and decoy away 

 your ponies, should these latter not be securely 

 hobbled, with the result that, when you get up early 

 in the morning, prepared to make a long march, 

 you find no baggage animals, and have to waste a 

 day in camp whilst these are being retrieved, 

 kicking your heels, and blessing the kyang. 



But to return to my journey. On this high 

 ground I noticed several wild flowers that were 

 quite unknown to me, more especially a plant that 

 formed a very closely-growing round tuft, and 



which I frequently observed on subsequent occa- 



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