88 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



could not be separated and that the image must 

 certainly be put back in its box. Then whose was 

 it to be ? So to make it fair we tossed and I won, 

 and I have the curious little relic now; but some 

 one told me it was wrong to keep it and that it 

 ought by rights to go back to Rangdum. If it is 

 of real value to the Lamas and they come and ask 

 for it they may have it back. 



Both the shikaris were ill here, and Ned had a bad 

 foot, so we had to sit quiet for some days. There 

 was nothing to do but shoot a few marmots, as we 

 wanted some of their skins. I had to go rather far 

 away for my shooting, as Ned could only hobble 

 about near camp, and spent his time in sketching 

 and going about with his small rifle into his 

 " preserves " ; he preserved marmots for a dis- 

 tance of two hundred yards round the camp, where 

 I might not shoot. I shot a goose one day which 

 fell into the river, but we had not come all these 

 long marches, on to ibex ground, to shoot marmots 

 and a bit of poultry, and we were really disappointed 

 at everything going so wrong. 



As soon as every one had sufficiently recovered to 

 march again we went over the Pense La. Many 

 more coolies than were required came to take the 

 loads and we were going to send some of them away, 

 when Aziz Khan, our cook, told us that the people 

 were so unaccustomed to any sahib stopping there, 

 it was a great treat for them to have loads to carry ! 

 The whole village seemed to have turned out, so 

 each load was divided into as many small ones as 

 possible and men and women started off with 



