562 DZUNGARIA 



horns, they plunged along over the shale, stopping 

 frequently to gaze down upon us. It was not till the 

 afternoon that we got on terms with the original herd, 

 and then bad shooting necessitated a stern chase before 

 the best ram was brought to bay ; it proved to be 

 only a small head of forty-seven inches, but the prospects 

 of soon getting better ones were very bright. 



Carruthers had failed to find any ibex, but had come 

 across three bands of rams ; so the next day we ex- 

 changed ground, he going for my ibex, and I for his 

 sheep. 



At the top of an outlying bluff, overlooking a likely 

 little valley, we settled down for a thorough " spying." 

 At our feet ran a small stream carrying the melting snow 

 from the drifts far above down to the Borotala ; from 

 each side of this short valley rose steep slopes, broken 

 into numerous small arms and hollows. Right at its 

 head, and just below the shale, two herds of rams 

 were to be seen feeding among some ancient grass- 

 covered moraines ; there were six in one lot, and eleven 

 in the other. We were too far off to tell their size, but 

 they were certainly worth a close inspection. Leading 

 our horses, we " screed " down to the valley bottom, 

 and were then disgusted to find that the wind (what 

 there was of it) was blowing straight up the hill. How- 

 ever, as there was no other approach, I decided to go 

 boldly on, trusting to local eddies favouring me higher up. 



After riding only a short way, while still half a mile 

 from my objective, I left the man and horses, and pro- 

 ceeded on foot. Provided that the sheep were on the 

 right side of the valley, where I had last seen them, there 

 was just a chance that, by ascending the left, I might 

 yet approach unwinded. It was a very slow advance. 



