XVII MEASUREMENT OF THE YAK BULL 305 



The men now came up, and all expressed their 

 admiration of the tiny weapon with which it had been 

 possible to kill so large an animal. Then we proceeded 

 to skin the bull and take off his head. First, however, 

 I photographed him as he lay, and measured him. It 

 was nearly impossible to get his forelegs into proper 

 position for measuring his height, and I feel sure that 

 what the tape showed, viz. 14 hands and 3|- inches, was 

 below what he had actually stood. His length from the 

 tip of his nose to the end of his short tail, without 

 making the tape dip for the hollow of his neck, was 

 12 feet I inch. The horns were just over 29 inches, 

 with a girth of 13 inches. 



It was half-past three when we began skinning, and 

 it was just five when we started for the tents. The 

 Kashmiri and I went ahead on our ponies, Rupsang 

 following behind, with Turrup driving the fourth pony, 

 which had as much as it could carry in the skin and head 

 of the bull. We reached camp about 8.30 p.m., much to 

 the relief of my wife, who could not think what had 

 occurred to delay us. 



We were late starting on the morning of the 25th, as 

 the bull's head had to be cleaned and his skin stretched. 

 When this was done I set off with a number of the yak- 

 men and some of the yaks, to fetch in the meat, and to see if 

 the rest of the herd was anywhere about. I photographed 

 the place where the bull had been shot, and afterwards 

 went on up the nala some distance looking for the 

 yaks, but though I went a very long way I saw nothing 

 of the herd. Then I turned back, and got into camp 

 at dusk. 



X 



