GURLA MANDHATA 127 



ran the chance of treading on them frequently. Indeed, 

 all the birds and animals except the yaks were quite tame 

 in this strange country. The mother larks would sit 

 within a yard of your feet, and almost let you put your 

 hand on them, and the white hares, which abounded in 

 some places, would sit up and stare at you not five yards 

 off. 



Next day we marched a long way eastward along the 

 northern slopes of the Gurla range, following the valley 

 of the Brahmaputra. Here, in the side valleys, we saw 

 tracks of old bulls, and separated to explore fresh country, 

 camping on the ground, with a native yak's hair chaddar 

 stretched over for a tent. I was at last successful in 

 following two old bulls which my men had seen standing 

 on a snow-field late in the evening. At daylight I sent 

 men into all the side valleys to bring word if they were 

 to be seen, and about 8 a.m. they came to say that the old 

 bulls were quietly grazing in a small valley with a lake, 

 not far off. The wind was still blowing down the valley, 

 but would soon change upward ; so we hurried on, con- 

 cealing ourselves behind a line of moraine which swept 

 up the side of the valley. There were two splendid black 

 fellows quietly grazing by the lake. My shikari followed 

 with a second rifle and double gun, also loaded with ball, 

 and we made good our stalk up to within 150 yards. 

 The first shot awoke the echoes from the rocks above, and 

 the bullet-thud was clearly heard. The great hairy bulls, 

 with bloodshot eyes and heads in the air, faced round 

 and made some startled runs, grunting savagely, but 

 stopped short to reconnoitre for their concealed enemy. 

 Five more barrels were emptied, and still they came on 

 almost up to the rocks where we crouched, frantically 

 loading up and cramming in bullets and ramming them 

 down, for the rifles were old-fashioned muzzle-loaders. 



