A DONG IN VIEW. 317 



Nearly two hours went by without the reappearance of our 

 scout. I had eaten my luncheon and emptied my bottle of 

 cold tea. The sun was far too powerful to allow of my taking 

 a nap to pass the time, and there was hardly a square inch of 

 shade anywhere near to protect us from its almost vertical 

 rays. Another hour passed, and my patience was getting ex- 

 hausted, when Changter and Kurreem, who had been for some 

 time lying dozing near me, suddenly lifted their heads, and 

 said they thought they heard a shout in the direction of the 

 pass. Hark to it again ! There is no doubt about it now, as 

 this time it is borne faintly towards us on the wind that 

 conies sweeping down from the pass in true Tibetan style ; 

 and with the telescope I can distinctly see the Tartar signal- 

 ling to us to come up. As the ascent is very gentle and easy, 

 we are not long in reaching him, when, to our great delight, 

 he reports having seen a single dong on the little green oasis 

 where we had noticed the kiangs grazing two days before. 



Half running down the gradual and snowless slope on the 

 other side of the pass, we soon reach our old look-out spot, 

 from whence we can see our quarry, looking like a little black 

 dot in the distance away below us ; but we shall have to try 

 all we know to circumvent the beast, for the ground is most 

 unfavourable for a stalk. Our only chance rests in being able 

 to reach the bottom of a deep wide valley between us and the 

 dong, by scrambling down a steep stony gully which is in full 

 view of the animal. If we can only manage to get down this 

 unobserved and the wind favours us, the rest of the stalk 

 appears to be comparatively easy. 



Slipping the covers on the rifles to prevent the sun glinting 

 on the barrels, and trusting to the great distance keeping our 

 movements unnoticed, Changter and I commence the descent, 

 leaving Kurreem to stop the man leading the pony, who has 

 lagged some way behind us. Fortune is so far kind that we 

 reach the bottom of the valley unperceived ; but a serious 

 obstacle here presents itself in the shape of a rapid swollen 



