SPEED MARVELS OF THE GOBI DESERT 15 



a hole in one of the gasoline cans ; he hoped it held some- 

 thing to drink that was better than water. 



Thus far the trail had not been bad, as roads go in 

 the Gobi, but I was assured that the next hundred miles 

 would be a different story, for we were about to enter 

 the most arid part of the desert between Kalgan and 

 Urga. We were prepared for the only real work of the 

 trip, however, by a taste of the exciting shooting which 

 Coltman had promised me. 



I had been told that we should see antelope in thou- 

 sands, but all day I had vainly searched the plains for 

 a sign of game. Ten miles from Panj-kiang we were 

 rolling comfortably along on a stretch of good road when 

 Mrs. Coltman, whose eyes are as keen as those of a hawk, 

 excitedly pointed to a knoll on the right, not a hundred 

 yards from the trail. At first I saw nothing but yellow 

 grass; then the whole hillside seemed to be in motion. 

 A moment later I began to distinguish heads and legs 

 and realized that I was looking at an enormous herd of 

 antelope, closely packed together, restlessly watching 

 us. 



Our rifles were out in an instant and Coltman opened 

 the throttle. The antelope were five or six hundred 

 yards away, and as the car leaped forward they ranged 

 themselves in single file and strung out across the plain. 

 We left the road at once and headed diagonally toward 

 them. For some strange reason, when a horse or car 

 runs parallel with a herd of antelope, the animals will 

 swing in a complete semicircle and cross in front of the 

 pursuer. This is also true of some African species. 



