THE YAK. 257 



amined thorn, and they were all empty. Tar-gness was 

 sent up the ridge, and had gained such an elevation as 

 I thought would discover every nook ; and, saying so to 

 Subhan, I proposed to move on to the spot where the 

 head and horns, hefore mentioned, lay. As we moved 

 on, Tar-gness broke into violent gesticulations, and came 

 springing down ; and, when we could get an intelligible 

 reply from him, informed us that he had discovered two 

 yak moving up a hollow near us. Now all was excite- 

 ment and preparation ; guns were uncased, and the 

 shikarries only to the front. The wind was right, and 

 everything seemed such as to ensure success ; when, as 

 we stole forward, we saw a yak on the hill-side over the 

 hollow ; another, and another, came in view, moving 

 upwards, cropping a blade of grass here and there, and 

 looking about them. I fully believe they were systemati- 

 cally reconnoitring, having acquired some suspicions. 

 They turned, and three of them lay down on the hill- 

 side. Here was a predicament. We could not stir 

 without certain discovery ; so we squatted as patiently as 

 we might. It was bitterly cold, the ground covered with 

 hoar frost. We waited and watched, and watched and 

 waited, when all but one impracticable animal moved 

 down into the hollow. This one, in the most elevated 

 position, commanding a view of the whole plateau, 

 remained watchful, and, I believe, uneasy, every now 

 and then giving an impatient flourish of its bushy tail. 

 All we had yet seen were females. What was to be 

 done ? I proposed to station myself in the line of their 

 probable retreat, and send men round to give them the 

 wind. Subhan disapproved, and the other two seemed to 

 have no idea of their own on the subject, trusting all to 

 luck, to ' kizmet,' not even venturing an opinion. 



Well, we waited some hours in this icy locality, not 

 s 



