252 TIBETAN HARES. 



At Lookoong we stopped for two days to await the arrival 

 of Captain Basevi there, on his way to prosecute his pen- 

 dulum observations on the highly elevated table-lands in 

 Changchenmo. We took advantage of the halt to have a 

 general wash-up of our dirty clothes in the stream that 

 flowed past the tents, as also did old Changter to improve 

 his personal appearance. For this purpose he came and 

 borrowed one of the butcher -knives I used for skinning 

 animals, to cut his hair with. Being curious to see the 

 result of the process of hair-cutting with a knife, I was 

 selfish enough not to suggest to him the use of a large pair 

 of scissors I possessed. Some hours after, when he again 

 turned up, his head, except where grew his pigtail and a 

 few straggling locks beside it that had escaped the ravages 

 of the knife, resembled the half-shaved back of a hedgehog, 

 as likewise did his son Norgie's, upon which he had also 

 operated. 



Our men had caught a lot of excellent little trout-like 

 fish in the stream beside which we were camped, by driving 

 them under the banks and there " tickling " them. The 

 largest were about 8 inches long, dark brown above, golden 

 below, and had irregular black patch-like spots on their 

 sides. We had also shot one or two fine hares, which are 

 plentiful in many parts of Tibet. They weigh about 6 lb., 

 and are not unlike the blue hare of the Highlands of Scot- 

 land in their habits and appearance, but a great deal more 

 wild, and much lighter in colour. With these luxuries, a 

 bit of antelope-meat, and some wild-yak beef which were 

 still to the fore and in good order (as meat keeps for any 

 time in Tibet), some dried apricots from Skardo, 1 purchased 

 at Leh, and a solitary tin of preserved oysters I had by 

 some chance brought with me, we resolved to prepare 

 a grand entertainment to celebrate our re-meeting with 

 Captain Basevi. I here give our menu, to show what 



1 The chief town of Baltistau or Little Tibet. 



