194 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



lis we discovered a broad valley affording good 

 pasture grounds, and at the bottom of it flowed the 

 Beliou stream due eastwards. I now advanced 

 towards it with Lepet, both of us spying carefully 

 as we moved on, and leaving our friend Daniel, with 

 his bright red stalking jacket, in charge of the ponies. 

 He seemed highly disappointed to be left behind, but 

 I explained to him that his conspicuous array would 

 considerably handicap us, and might compromise the 

 success of our stalk in case we came across game. 

 But he was not to be thus despised, and would keep 

 following us at a distance on the plea that he was 

 responsible for our safety. On reaching the edge of 

 the plateau the whole valley came into view, and 

 Lepet immediately pointed out to me a lot of seven 

 rams, lying in a corrie about 800 yards below us. 

 Seeing us suddenly squat down, Daniel, totally unable 

 to restrain his impatience, crawled up to us in order to 

 have a peep for himself, and I had to keep him low- 

 by sheer force, for he moved his head up and down in 

 a most careless fashion, which threatened to attract 

 the sheep's attention. I saw that two of the rams 

 carried good heads, and were worth trying for, but 

 the open ground on which they lay prevented further 

 advance. Just as I was considering our next move 

 the animals got up and started off at a gallop. I was 



