138 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



(goa) bounded off like Italian greyhounds, and a flock of 

 female Ovis Ammon was sighted on the adjoining hills, 

 looking like red deer rather than sheep. A herd of 

 burrhel had been startled while ascending the pass. The 

 country next march northward was all bare rolling hills, 

 with a few tufts only of broom and stones, where were 

 great flocks of Kashmir white goats and tall sheep grazing 

 round the black tents of the natives. Following the 

 Duryumpti river, a source of the Sutlej, we came to a 

 large encampment of traders at a plain called Gyanima ; 

 and two marches brought us to a deep valley between 

 walls of rocks, called Jaidam, with a clear, beautiful 

 stream bubbling over pebbles, and plenty of grass for 

 the beasts. This was reached after crossing a low range 

 of hills. No sahib had ever been here before, but Smyth 

 had heard of the ground as good for Ovis Ammon. There 

 were innumerable white hares, all so tame they would 

 not run away. The camp was a pleasant, sheltered one, 

 and we determined to keep it standing and hunt all round 

 from here. 



The sunset across the plains of Tibet has a peculiar 

 character, quite different from anywhere else. The colour 

 is more crude, and the air seems, as it really is, quite 

 thin. After the burning, scorching heat of the sun 

 blazing down from straight overhead, there comes a very 

 sudden chill, when the great red orb goes down with a run, 

 and darkness comes on at once. There is no chance of 

 lighting a big fire, as fuel is of the scarcest, and to keep 

 warm one must put on all the clothes in one's wardrobe, 

 and after dinner get to bed as soon as possible between 

 big heavy blankets. 



The ground was perfectly dry, and retained some 

 warmth, but towards morning it froze pretty hard. We 

 had seen numerous tracks of the great sheep, an animal 



