82 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



just above us, as we followed, for several hours, 



the path at their foot. That day 1 nearly fell a 

 victim to my vicious Kalmuk pony. As I was 

 dismounting, in order to tighten the girths of my 

 saddle, the horse suddenly kicked and bolted. I 

 was unable to disengage my foot from the stirrup, 

 owing to my nailed boots, and was dragged along 

 in the most awkward position some fifty yards, 

 when the brute luckily stopped. I got out of this 

 with severe bruises on head and arms. 



We reached Kouickhtonar, the last camp before 

 Kosh-Agatch, towards 6 p.m., after a march of sixty 

 versts, or about forty-five miles. High mountains 

 surrounded us on all sides, and the Kalmuks all 

 asserted that there were many "bouns," i.e. Ibex 

 (Capra sibirica), in these hills. As we were chiefly 

 anxious, however, to make acquaintance with the 

 Wild Sheep, we decided to try for Ibex on our 

 return journey. 



At 7 a.m. on June 13th we were again on the 

 move, and towards noon entered at last the Kosh- 

 Agatch plateau. The plateau is a wide steppe, a 

 little under 6,000 feet above the level of the sea, 

 stretching about sixty versts in length by forty in 

 width, bordered on all sides by fairly high moun- 

 tains, especially to the south and west. The river 



