THE KIANG. 307 



for during the summer it can only be crossed at certain 

 places, and at these only during the space of a few hours 

 in the morning, after which a dirty turbulent flood of melted 

 snow suddenly comes rushing down, and, spreading itself over 

 the wide bed of shifting sand and gravel, renders it quite im- 

 passable. 



As we pursued our way up the Kugrang glen we saw several 

 small troops of kiang (Equus hemionus), the wild horse of 

 Tibet, whose shy behaviour showed us that human intentions 

 had not always been so harmless towards them as ours were. 

 The kiang can hardly be called handsome, on account of its 

 rather ungainly head, hog mane, and almost rat tail, which it 

 always tucks in when it gallops ; but it shows many good 

 points. It stands about Galloway height, and its general 

 colour on the body and head is a reddish dun, with a dark 

 dorsal stripe. Its belly and legs are a creamy- white, as also 

 is its nose. It is considered by some to be a wild ass. Its 

 ears, however, are not large like those of a donkey, nor does 

 it bray like one, its whinny being quite that of a horse. 



We saw also two buck antelopes, which I attempted to 

 stalk, but failed to get nearer than 200 yards before they 

 decamped. Scanty as vegetation was everywhere, we found 

 more of it here, strange to say, though at a considerably 

 higher elevation, than in the main valley of Changchenmo, 

 which accounted for game being more plentiful in this 

 locality. 



The Major now went on with his men to establish his 

 hunting-quarters in an offshoot to the left, whilst I, accom- 

 panied by Changter, Kurreem, and a man leading my pony, 

 turned up one northward to the right, our baggage -yaks 

 following leisurely behind us. This offshoot of the Kugrang, 

 Changter called Chang Loong Koongma. It runs up parallel 

 to, and eight or ten miles west of, Chang Loong Yokma, lead- 

 ing to the desert plain of Lingzitang, averaging over 17,000 

 feet, across which vast elevated waste lies the route to 



