2i2 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



that wc could not do without them, and they suggested 

 that they might perhaps be tempted by such ridicu- 

 lously high wages that we forthwith put an end to 

 the interview by telling them they were no longer 

 wanted, though not before we had ascertained from 

 them that there were large herds of Kirghiz sheep 

 at the head of the valley. This was our first meeting 

 with representatives of the Kirghiz tribe, and I must 

 own that we found them to be the cleverest race we 

 had as yet come across. No wonder the wretched 

 Kalmuks are afraid of their influence, and avoid them 

 in every possible way. We ascertained afterwards 

 that the two men had returned late in the evening, 

 having agreed to our conditions, but that they had met 

 with a spiteful reception on the part of our Kalmuks, 

 whose sole aim was to prevent our advance. 



On the following morning we made an early start, 

 and after an hour's march reached the junction of the 

 Kobdo River with its tributary the Sumdairik. We 

 were now in an awkward dilemma, and had to con- 

 sider whether we would continue our journey up the 

 main river, whose valley was becoming narrower and 

 consequently difficult to negotiate with pack-ponies, 

 or turn up the Sumdairik stream where it was easy 

 eoino- and, making- a dttour, join the Kobdo at its 



fc> o> o 'J 



sources. Our caravan men only answered our 



