122 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



ever, that the day was not to prove a success. The 

 ascent was dreadfully steep, and it took us a good 

 hour and a half to get near the summit. In the 

 meantime heavy clouds had been gathering, and the 

 wind blew stronger every moment as we struggled 

 up the precipitous cliffs. Presently light became 

 more and more dim and a regular blizzard came on, 

 covering us up with snow. In less than five minutes 

 everything was white around us, and the cold so 

 intense that we were nearly frozen as we lay amongst 

 the rocks waiting for the storm to pass. In this 

 dilemma Taba suggested that we had better go back 

 to lower ground, there seeming to be no chance of 

 the weather clearing up that day. Go back ! This 

 was easier said than done. The descent at places 

 had to be worked backwards on all-fours. Moreover, 

 such was the force of the gale that we had to cling 

 hard to the rocks in order not to be blown off our 

 feet ; snow and hail simply blinded us, preventing 

 us from securing a firm foothold on the few pro- 

 truding ledges. We took a couple of hours to reach 

 the horses, and that only thanks to Taba's skill, who 

 somehow succeeded in groping his way down in 

 absolute darkness. We returned to camp half frozen 

 and thoroughly drenched. As for Littledale, he had 

 failed in his stalk owing to uncertain wind, but had 



