CHASE AFTER A WOUNDED RAM. 261 



winter must be intense, for on August the 17th, 18th, 

 19th, and 20th the thermometer registered 22°, 19°, 

 7°, and 15° of frost respectively, and I observed on 

 the first of these days that it was freezing 15° while 

 I was partaking of breakfast. I was fortunate enough 

 to secure another ram on that day, with a very fine 

 head measuring 55 inches and 20 inches in circum- 

 ference, though I came across him quite by accident 

 when starting to stalk a herd which I had spied some 

 distance away. 



A more exciting and even more satisfactory day was 

 the 20th, on which I was lucky enough to secure a 

 right-and-left, both rams carrying horns over 50 inches 

 in length ! Not, however, before I had passed through 

 some anxious moments. The first ram fell dead to 

 the shot, struck at the base of the neck, but the 

 second went gaily away with a broken hind-leg ; and 

 a ram with a broken leg is, as I very soon found out, 

 by no means an easy beast to get on terms with, 

 especially when you have the inherent stupidity of 

 two Kalmuks combined to reckon with as well. 



Having watched him till he lay down, I pointed him 

 out to Pombo, gave him the glass, and impressed upon 

 him by signs and forcible expressions that I desired 

 him to remain where he was to keep an eye on the 

 wounded ram, while I proceeded to stalk him. I then 

 started off, but I had reckoned without Kalmuk number 

 2, who seized the opportunity before I had gone very 

 far of leading a white pony along the sky-line behind 

 us. Of course the ram was up and away like a flash ; 

 but he soon lay down again, this time mercifully out of 

 sight of both Kalmuks, who evidently imagined that 

 he had gone off for good, and set to work to skin and 

 cut up the dead beast. I marked down the spot where 

 he was lying, and then went off as hard as I could to 



