SPORT ON THE PLATEAUX 329 



of the roe-deer, is the finest of all the Central Asian 

 game, from an edible point of view. 



Next day we started off for our hunting-ground 

 under the guidance of the old marmot-hunter. We had 

 only six light horseloads of baggage with us, the bulk 

 of the heavy stuff being left with the old chief to be 

 picked up on our return. A severe blizzard came on 

 before we had gone far, necessitating an early camp ; 

 in the teeth of the storm the horses made very slow 

 progress. 



This is typical of the weather we experienced in the 

 Altai during the end of August and the beginning of 

 September. There would be a few glorious days, then 

 a sudden drop in the temperature and a blizzard of 

 Arctic severity, followed by another fine spell. We 

 spent a chilly night of it with the thermometer at 18** 

 Fahr., and a howling wind tugging at the tent- ropes. 

 The morning broke clear, revealing a land of whiteness, 

 and the dark tail of the storm, disappearing to the south- 

 east. Another long day's march due west, up and 

 down over the low outer hills, brought us to where 

 the Uigur stream divides into several heads. Our camp 

 was pitched in a sheltered position, with abundance of 

 tezek, close to two small tarns which were full of 

 grayling. 



We were now on our hunting-ground, and what 

 hunter is there who has not experienced that " first 

 night on a new ground " feehng ? As he lies in his 

 blankets, pondering over the possibilities of the morrow, 

 hope, doubt, success and failure, all chase through his 

 mind. Old red-letter days and days of blank disaster 

 are raked up and gone over in detail. At length he 

 falls into a troubled sleep, with visions of colossal 



