298 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



clear stream flowing through dense tracts of timber. 

 The higher hills had now vanished, giving place to 

 low, cedar-covered boulders. We took a last glimpse 

 at the snow peaks in the distance behind us as we 

 entered the heart of the woodlands. That day we 

 came across several fresh tracks of Maral stags. We 

 proceeded down the main valley for another couple of 

 hours, and halted at 3 p.m. on the banks of the river, 

 some five miles lower down. Here we pitched camp 

 on a nice green lawn. Some of the packs had not 

 yet come in, and we were beginning to wonder what 

 had happened to them, when one of the Kalmuks 

 brought us the news that Joseph had fallen off his 

 pony and broken his arm. The doctor presently 

 turned up with the invalid, and told us that the arm 

 was broken above the wrist. The fall had been 

 occasioned by an unexpected jerk of his treacherous 

 pony. We were very sorry for poor Abbas, and 

 decided to send him straight back to Ongoudai, in 

 company with the doctor, as soon as he should be 

 able to ride. In the afternoon we caught a few Gray- 

 ling, and turned in early in order to start on the 

 following morning after Maral. At 4 a.m. we were 

 both, Littledale and myself, scouring the woods in 

 search of Roe-deer or Stags. I noticed a great 

 many tracks of the former, but saw nothing the whole 



