196 CHINESE TURKESTAN 



down, with the result that three of them were killed 

 on the spot, the other two escaping with many cuts 

 and bruises. A large number of ponies come to a 

 similar end here, and occasionally men as well. 

 Yaks never make a mistake and never get flurried, 

 so can be ridden up and down almost anywhere 

 with the most complete confidence. Uphill they 

 are certainly slow, but they come down wonderfully 

 quickly. 



On the top we were above the mist, so got a fair 

 view of the surrounding peaks, which are remark- 

 able for their sharpness, the whole country being 

 indeed one of the steepest I have seen. We met 

 some Hindus on their way to Yarkand, who told 

 us that they came from Shikapur, and they looked 

 as though they wished they had stopped there. On 

 the north side of the pass there were quantities of 

 ram-chikor, the young birds already well grown, so 

 they must nest very early. 



We had meant, if possible, to reach a camping- 

 ground called Alnazar, where there are some tombs, 

 but failed to do so, and stopped about a mile and a 

 half short of it, where there was a fair grass in a 

 side-valley. A long day's work to do some fifteen 

 miles, and the last part of it incessantly in and 

 out of a deep and rocky-bottomed stream. Bad 

 mountain headache, of course, but enough of this 

 wretched day. 



Next day we did another fifteen miles in all, 



