SPORT IN THE TEKKES: WAPITI 67 



the possible depredations of their Kazak neigh- 

 bours, with whom they appeared not to be on the 

 best of terms, and in whose honesty they had but 

 little confidence. There was no objection to this, 

 so next morning we moved up to their atils, which 

 were about four miles off, at the entrance to the 

 hills, and spent the rest of the day getting small 

 tents ready, overlooking rifles, etc., and despatching 

 a part of our caravan to Kuldja for supplies. 



During the day a Kalmak arrived with a letter 

 from Morse, who was at Jilgalong, some way further 

 down the valley. He wanted us to go there too, 

 saying there was plenty of room for three rifles, 

 and that the stags had already been calling for ten 

 days; but we decided not to alter our plans. The 

 Kalmak had, of course, ridden post, but it might, as 

 far as we could gather, take us anything from three 

 to five days to get there, and we did not want to 

 waste more time travelling during the best of the 

 season. 



Our Kirghiz friends were not at all overjoyed to 

 see the Kalmak, and one of them announced that 

 if he had not come on our business he would have 

 shot him on sight to avenge his brother, whom the 

 Kalmak had shot two years before, probably only 

 a bit of bounce, as the Kalmak paid no sort of atten- 

 tion to him. 



Some Kirghiz while making charcoal managed to 

 set the grass and bushes on fire, a not uncommon 



