A DRIVE IS ATTEMPTED. 343 



took up a position where we were well concealed among some 

 lumps of stone, within twenty yards of which we felt pretty 

 confident the flock would pass, provided our directions were 

 properly attended to; for, immediately above us, the spur 

 grew very steep, and was composed of a perfect chaos of 

 sharp broken rocks, over which the Oves Ammon would not 

 be likely to climb when there was an easier way before them, 

 and I did not expect they would take downwards when fright- 

 ened. Besides this, we were evidently on their regular " run," 

 as we could see by the numerous tracks. 



Nearly half an hour had elapsed, and my heart was begin- 

 ning to thump almost audibly between hope and fear, when 

 the animals suddenly sprang to their feet and were all on the 

 alert. But, instead of their looking to windward, as I ex- 

 pected, their gaze was directed straight up the spur, and ere 

 a minute had passed they were galloping away into China, 

 literally, for they had been lying on the very verge of Chinese 

 territory. The cause of their flight soon became apparent. 

 To our intense mortification, there, on the spur, and on our 

 side of the spot where the flock had been lying, stood the 

 figure of the herdsman. This was much worse than Lukkur's 

 escapade, as I felt certain, from the terrified manner in which 

 the animals had made off this time from a man and not 

 from a dog that there was little chance of our ever setting 

 eyes on them again ; and the shades of evening, which were 

 beginning to close, would, in any case, have prevented our 

 following them farther that day. 



One so seldom gets a chance at old rams, that it was hard 

 indeed to have lost such a rare opportunity as this, and all 

 owing to utter carelessness arising from the apathy regarding 

 wild sport, and ignorance of everything connected with it, 

 common to most Tibetans. Feeling half-wild with anger and 

 vexation, I thought it best not to face the delinquent just 

 then, so we let him follow us to camp by himself. As if to 

 add to my anguish, whilst dejectedly plodding down the hill, 



