i6o AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



avail in the heat of the chase and breathless as I was. 

 Again I followed on over the rolling- stones. Luckily 

 the banks were steep on either side, and the beast 

 could only go along the bed of the stream. This 

 headlong pursuit lasted about an hour, and it was not 

 till I reached the very top of the gully that I saw my 

 ram slacken his pace and lie down. Heavy loss of 

 blood had greatly weakened him, and I can hardly tell 

 which of the two was the most exhausted when at last 

 I finished him at close quarters. His horns taped fairly 

 well, the following being the measurements : Length 

 along curve, 46 in. ; girth at base, i8f in. ; spread, 2 5 in. 

 My first shot had smashed his thigh and entered 

 the stomach. Absence of blood from such wounds 

 produced by small-bore bullets is a great disadvantage, 

 and has caused me to lose many an animal before now. 

 Taba proceeded to grallock him, whilst 1 went back 

 to fetch the ponies, whom we had left a long way 

 down the nullah. 



I found my second hunter, who rejoiced in the 

 pleasant-sounding name of Takhua, fast asleep and 

 the horses gone. He brought them back, however, 

 after an hour's search, and we started towards the 

 dead sheep. Taba had already cut up the animal, 

 so we loaded the ponies with the meat, which was 

 badly wanted for the kitchen, sending Takhua 



