92 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



wards the hills due south. Our caravan consisted of 

 our four selves (the Littledales, my wife, and myself), 

 Dr. Newsky, Cristo and Gabriel, Vassili the cook, 

 Joseph Abbas, and Nicholas the interpreter, fifty pack 

 and mount ponies, ten Kalmuks with a demitclia 



.OADINC. A HORSE. 



at their head, our four hunters, and the Zaissan 

 Semion. This was, indeed, an imposing party, more 

 likely to be destined for the conquest of China than 

 for shooting sheep. It was with sore hearts that we 

 gradually saw our numbers growing to such an extent, 

 but everyone seemed to be wanted, and we had to 



