130 CHINESE TURKESTAN 



woods being consequently more clearly defined, the 

 roe were easier to see, while there were not so 

 many dead stalks of hemlock and other tall plants, 

 the tops of which in some places reached as high 

 as one's head when on horseback, and were so 

 brittle that they crackled and broke noisily with the 

 slightest touch. 



On the following day we started out with the 

 intention of going to look for the stag ; but the sky 

 was heavily overcast with clouds on the higher ground 

 where we had seen him and the mist there was 30 

 thick that we gave it up, and turned our attention 

 to the roe deer instead. The only herd visible 

 were some way off, and not in a very good place, 

 but after a long crawl I got within 100 yards of 

 where they were lying. There were two bucks, one 

 of which I killed dead with the first barrel, hitting 

 the other hard with the second ; but the wounded 

 one we did not get, as before we had followed him 

 far it came on to snow heavily, and the track was 

 soon completely obliterated. It was still early in 

 the day but there was no more to be done, so we 

 turned our faces campwards, and eventually arrived 

 there in rather a draggled condition. Luckily the 

 way was plain, as it was snowing so fast that we 

 could not see fifty yards in front of us. 



All afternoon and part of the night it continued 

 to snow more or less steadily, only stopping towards 

 morning ; but then the sky was still black with 



