1 68 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



ceeded to cut off his valuable head, which we now 

 carried by turns up the precipitous slopes. The 

 meat was left to the vultures, the place being 

 entirely out of the reach of ponies. A couple 

 of hours brought us to the high plateau where 

 the horses awaited us. We now made for camp, 

 as daylight was failing fast, and heartily greeted 

 the sight of our tents at 7 p.m. On our way 

 back Taba said that he had counted at least forty 

 ewes (arkkar) and about twenty rams (kotchkor) in 

 the herd we had come across. In the skirmish I 

 had failed to count the deserters. 



I found the ladies in high spirits. The evening 

 was so warm that we all dined out of doors, discussing 

 the clay's events, and the important question of the 

 morrow's start. Littledale had had bad luck, and 

 brought in only a small head. On the following 

 morning, July 1st, our camp presented a most lively 

 aspect. Cristo, Gabriel, our Russian interpreter 

 Nicholas, and all our Kalmuks were busy at work 

 from 6 a.m. loading the ponies, pulling down the 

 tents, and preparing everything for the start. Our 

 demitcha, Yakoub, though a thorough gentleman of his 

 kind, was not up to his mission. He kept ordering 

 his men about, but these obeyed reluctantly, and we 

 had to depend almost entirely on our servants and 



