126 CHINESE TURKESTAN 



cheering news that they had seen several herds 

 of roe quite close by. 



Next morning I sent the camp on some miles 

 into West Jilgalong, and went to look for the afore- 

 said herds of roe ; but though I saw plenty, fortune 

 was still against me. To begin with, I wounded a 

 buck and never got him, though we followed the 

 track for hours, and in -the evening I repeated the 

 same performance ; the latter one, however, Durji, 

 armed with an axe in case of meeting a tiger, 

 followed again and found the next day. It ought to 

 have been dead, as the blood track was thick, and it 

 turned out to be hit right through the middle ; but 

 though unable to walk, it was still alive when he 

 found it, so they must be tough little beasts. This 

 day we saw some hinds and a small stag, also the 

 fresh track of a big tiger ; indeed, while in Jilgalong 

 I saw tiger-tracks nearly every day, and there must 

 have been several about. On this occasion when 

 we got back to the horses at dark, the Kalmak left 

 in charge of them said that he had seen the tiger 

 which had come after the horses, and that he had 

 had to take them out into the open on the hill, 

 which may or may not have been true ; personally 

 I doubted the statement, putting it down to his 

 imagination and recollection of the story of a man 

 who rode forth alone to the chase near here and 

 has never been heard of since. I would much have 

 liked to get a chance at one of these tigers, as, 



