THE COUNTRY OF THE BHOTIAS 99 



the Sirkar, or Government, for sending him among 

 them. 



The villagers at Tinkar came out to meet us, and pre- 

 sented an offering of a goat and milk. These poor Nepali 

 villagers also supplied firewood, and were loud in their 

 praises of the Government and the sahibs as garib 

 parwari (protectors of the poor). Smyth and I started 

 at 4 a.m. the next morning to climb the grassy slopes 

 above the village where the burrhel frequented, as we 

 wanted mutton for our camp use. It was a hard climb, 

 as the elevation was over 16,000 feet, and between the 

 ridges there lay beds of snow which had to be crossed 

 one after another. As each ridge was topped great 

 caution was taken to scan the next ones with glasses for 

 the blue-gray forms of the wild sheep, scarcely distinguish- 

 able from the weather-worn and lichen-covered rocks 

 and shingly slopes. The use of two alpenstocks with 

 iron spikes was not to be despised. The shikaris carried 

 the rifles, and were most keen and excited to make a good 

 stalk. There was only one chance, and it was a female 

 that was shot. The effect of the high elevation and want 

 of breakfast was a frightful headache over the brows, 

 something like what is experienced in a very crowded 

 room where the air is deficient in oxygen. The rest of 

 our party met us at noon for breakfast, in a valley on the 

 track by which the coolies were toiling upwards. 



Having enjoyed a good meal and delicious tea with 

 goat's milk, we were again starting, when Munnoo, who 

 had asked for my binoculars, suddenly and with eager 

 excitement, after the manner of these shikaris, pointed 

 out a herd of old ram burrhel lying some 1,500 feet above 

 us. Forgetting that I had already been climbing those 

 cliffs since 4 a.m., Munnoo and I and another shikari 

 crossed a slender snow bridge, and faced the ascent up a 



7—2 



