244 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



Down the corries of these hills dry water- courses run 

 at intervals. In the extremely clear atmosphere of 

 Tibet, and with that intense stillness unbroken by 

 forest or running water, stalking is difficult indeed, 

 especially in the early morning ; but about ten 

 o'clock the wind gets up, gradually increasing with 

 the sun at mid-day until night, when it is blowing 

 hard. However, the early morning is the best 

 time to find game, as the beasts are then busy 

 grazing. To see, and not to be seen, is the maxim 

 for hunting and scouting. The big sheep can see, 

 hear, and smell much better than a man. 



On reaching the hills we carefully swept the 

 exposed spaces with glasses, and as nothing was 

 visible we climbed up a spur until we got on to the 

 main ridge. We now had to proceed with much 

 caution, for at any moment a sheep's head might 

 peer over the sky-line. At last, after a great deal of 

 spying in vain, I had just sat down and lighted a 

 pipe when Surju, who was using the glasses* close to 

 me, gripped my arm and pointed. I made out what 

 looked like a round object on the sky-line, about 

 half a mile off. I focussed it with my glass a ram's 

 head, and a good one too ! We sat still, and 

 presently it disappeared behind the sky-line. Now 

 for action. Away we went down the slope a little 

 out of sight, and coasted round the intervening spurs 

 as quickly as we could. At last, pretty well blown, 

 we made the spur behind which our game had dis- 

 appeared, and crawled cautiously up. We picked 

 some tufts of wormwood as we went, and when we 



