258 THE YAK. 



being able to stir for cloaks or breakfast. Looking up 

 from a doze, into which all had fallen under the sun's 

 genial influence, I saw yak moving upwards one, two, 

 three then off bounded our persevering sentry, canter- 

 ing off, whisking her tail, and leading the way over the 

 ridge. Then out came others in succession, to the 

 number of twenty-five, old and young, a fine bull in rear, 

 and took their way up the ridge, disappearing over its 

 crest. This was the ridge running into, and dividing, 

 this plateau ; so, as there was a nice grassy flat on the 

 other side, we were charmed with the move, and our im- 

 proved prospects. Away we went, making the best of 

 our way over the stones, and crossed the spur of the hill, 

 instead of the crest fatal error of our leader, Subhan 

 and, gaining the reverse, to our surprise saw nothing. 

 The herd had vanished. We moved along the hill-side, 

 and found the tracks leading into the bight of the bay, 

 as it were ; and there, sure enough, was our chase. But 

 the wind was now blowing direct to them, and our wary, 

 active, suspicious foe already indicating alarm, and mis- 

 chievously elevating her tail. There were only about 

 twelve in view ; the others must, therefore, be concealed 

 by the ground, and be somewhere nearer, below us ; so 

 we pushed on and down, no concealment possible from 

 the first lot, now much agitated. 



Now we opened the others, among them a fine bull. 

 We were some four hundred yards off, and above the 

 animals, but their alarm was so evident that Subhan 

 advised me to fire at the bull ; but the brute kept his 

 stern to me. However, waiting, my rifle resting on a 

 stone, he turned, disturbed by the agitated flurry going 

 on around him. I fired, and evidently hit. He thun- 

 dered down the slope, passing from view, and then coming 

 out of a nullah, his left fore-leg apparently broken, and, 



