START FOR THE HAPPY VALLEY 153 



thought I, "and we are a long way from our dinner." 

 We watched the animals feed over a boulder, and 

 started in the direction of camp. Here again Taba 

 showed himself equal to his task, and we were within 

 sight of the tents just as it was getting dark, after 

 a hard three hours' pull. Littledale was back. He 

 had failed to approach two fine old rams owing to 

 shifty wind, so that we had neither of us taken our 

 rifles out of their covers. At dinner we held council 

 with the ladies, and decided to send one of our men 

 to the nearest Chinese post, or " karaoul" in order to 

 secure, if possible, a guide acquainted with the country 

 beyond, none of our Kalmuks having ever crossed the 

 Siberian frontier. Moreover, the day's result having 

 shown that our grounds were not promising for sport, 

 and as we had both sighted a fine-looking range of 

 hills to the south, which seemed to correspond on our 

 map with the Bain-Khairkhan range, we thought it 

 advisable to shift camp as soon as possible, or rather 

 as soon as the Chinese officials would condescend to 

 supply us with the guide we had sent for. But we 

 could not expect him within two or three days, a delay 

 which had to be endured, and which we spent in 

 revisiting our old grounds. 



On the following morning, June 27th, I started 

 early, at 3.30 a.m., towards the Happy Valley, 



