SHEEP AND GOATS 263 



hunting ground. I did a march of about twenty 

 miles the first day, and camped in one of the valleys 

 I could see from Kochagatch. I strolled out in the 

 evening, having settled my camp. Everything re- 

 minded me of Tibet ; the country was similar a 

 crisp, clear atmosphere, undulating hills, flat valleys, 

 with green grass flats in the bottoms. As I wandered 

 along with my rifle in my hand in case anything 

 turned up, I wondered whether I should find what I 

 had come for all this weary way. I topped a little 

 knoll, my heart jumped into my mouth. There it 

 lay, relict of a bygone mighty ram. Shade of Jupiter 

 Ammon, it was a head ! I measured the horns. 

 Roughly 56 if they were an inch, and 19 inches 

 round the base. I was happy. To-morrow I may 

 see one alive, and dead ! 



When I got back to camp I called my hunter and 

 told him what I had seen. " Oh," he said, " there 

 are lots like that. We will shoot one to-morrow. 

 Ten miles on we will camp, and we shall be in the 

 best hunting ground." At first streak of dawn on 

 the morrow I was afoot, struck camp and started 

 with Toba, my hunter. I followed up the valley 

 for about four miles when it opened out into a big 

 flat, with numerous valleys converging into it from 

 all sides. Skulls, horns, and bones of deceased Ovis 

 .^.mmon lay about. This was a favourite haunt of 

 theirs in the winter, my hunter told me. " But now 

 there is new grass on the hill slopes and we shall find 

 them there." We got to our camp ground without 

 seeing game, so sat down and waited for the caravan 



