SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS 559 



gazelle were sighted, but in absolutely unstalkable 

 positions. Here and there bleached sheep-heads lay 

 about ; they were very uniform in shape, unlike the 

 mixed types met with on the Yulduz, and in appear- 

 ance intermediate between ammon and poll. I shall 

 return to this subject later. Five days after leaving 

 the Kalmuk camp we pitched our tents close to the 

 river, where the valley narrows to such an extent that 

 the mountains rise almost directly from the river-bank. 

 In its western portion the Ala-tau is an imposing moun- 

 tain-mass, some of the jagged peaks that frowned down 

 upon us being a good 15,000 ft. in height. The view 

 to the south was blocked by the less imposing, round- 

 headed, shale-ridge which divides the Borotala from its 

 large tributary, the Urta Saryk. From each dark crest 

 grassy slopes with out-crops of rock and patches of shale, 

 deeply seamed with numerous small water-courses, 

 dropped towards our camp. 



Just as the horses were about to be unloaded, a bear 

 with two cubs was sighted on a terrace across the river ; 

 they were only about four hundred yards away, and in 

 full view of the caravan. Thinking that we should be 

 sighted any moment, and forgetting what poor sight a 

 bear possesses, we hurriedly forded the river, and made 

 towards where we thought her to be, without stopping 

 to take our bearings. We were peering about, expecting 

 to come face to face with them every minute, when 

 suddenly a dark head and shoulders appeared for a 

 moment above a rise a hundred yards to our left. We 

 had hopelessly misjudged their position. Even now 

 we should probably have got her if the ground had 

 been favourable, but a hollow hid her from our view, 

 till they appeared again a good five hundred yards away. 

 II— 16 



