144 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



tances towards our last camp. This delayed our 

 start until about 5 a.m., when we finally managed 

 to muster the steeds we required. The ground al- 

 lotted to me lay due south, whilst Littledale got 

 the Happy Valley, which he would now have to 

 enter from the Chinese side, over the pass we had 

 failed to reconnoitre previously. The weather seemed 

 to have cleared up again, and it was in the best of 

 spirits that I left camp with Taba in order to visit 

 "fresh fields and pastures new." We rode some 

 time before reaching likely sheep ground. About 

 an hour brought us to a small lake surrounded by 

 higher crests of hills ; on its shores lay quantities 

 of sheep horns, though none of them were of great 

 size. On the slopes of loose red shingle round it 

 we found transverse paths and numerous tracks of 

 game. We were now exploring entirely new ground, 

 where my guide Taba had never been, but it struck 

 me that this was, according to all probabilities, a 

 winter resort of sheep, for it was low and sheltered 

 from the bitter north wind. A stiff climb over 

 rolling stones now awaited the ponies, and we finally 

 attained a ridge from which we were able to spy 

 the opposite slopes of a long deep nullah running- 

 eastwards, and affording- splendid grazing, conse- 

 quently a most likely spot for the sheep's morning 



