340 UNKNOWN MONGOLIA 



skin, I tackled the cold mutton and bread in my saddle- 

 bag. It was then nine hours since we had left camp, 

 but, in the excitement of the chase, hunger had been 

 forgotten. 



In spite of a flurry of snow and an icy wind, we 

 were a cheery trio as we returned to camp. In the 

 intervals of much snuff-taking, the old hunter kept up 

 a flow of talk in his mixture of Mongolian and Russian ; 

 the fact that I only understood an occasional word did 

 not bother him in the least. 



Carruthers and Price had both seen a good many 

 sheep, but nothing of any size ; so next day, while they 

 started off early, I saw to the cleaning of the head, and 

 then moved our camp some five miles farther up the 

 valley. 



Our men now began to give trouble ; though they 

 had been with us only three days, they said they wanted 

 to return. Their excuses were various, the chief one 

 being that their presence was needed to protect their 

 families and flocks from the wolves. This is one of the 

 chief difficulties one has to contend with in Central 

 Asia ; the natives are so independent, and, in the out- 

 of-the-way parts, care so little for money, that we 

 frequently had the greatest difficulty in persuading them 

 to accompany us. As long as you are merely travelling 

 straight through the country, everything goes smoothly ; 

 one chief hands you on to the next, and you are treated 

 magnificently ; but directly you wish to stop or to go 

 off the main tracks, there is difficulty. The only thing 

 to do, on entering a new country in which you intend 

 to hunt, is to go straight to the head-man of the district, 

 even if it be some distance out of your way ; make friends 

 with him by giving him a good present, such as a cheap 



