94 



AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



journey. It was in a welcome mood that we met him 

 next evening, as he explained to us that official duties 

 required his presence in his own district, and that he 

 would join us on our way back. He promised to 

 supply us every month with fresh ponies and men, 

 to which we readily agreed, especially with regard 

 to ponies, which, being unshod, would soon become 

 footsore with constant travelling over rocky ground, 

 and so be useless for our purpose. 



Yakoub, the demitcha, who was practically our 

 caravan- baski, was a kind-hearted Kalmuk, rather 

 too weak to keep the men in good order and disci- 

 pline. He explained to us that it was most risky 

 to cross the frontier into Mongolia, and that our staff 

 would, in that case, strongly object and possibly 

 desert us. We thought he, too, was distinctly 

 opposed to quitting "his happy home," and left the 

 question open for the present. Early on the following- 

 morning, June 1 6th, we struck camp and entered the 

 valley of the Tchagan-Burgaza. The slopes on 

 either side grew steeper as we advanced, and the 

 ground barer. Here and there were to be seen 

 occasional clumps of fir trees, principally larch, and 

 by the river-bed rows of willow bushes. The path 

 led along the right bank of the stream, now and 

 then ascending the rocks and affording a heavy pull 



