STARLIGHT AT HIGH ALTITUDES. 247 



then into a walk, which becomes slower and slower, until at 

 last it pulls up and turns its drooping head to look back. 

 Taking tlie other rifle from Changter's ready hands, and 

 quickly adjusting the sight for 200 yards, which in such 

 rarefied air does for a much greater distance, I fire again. 

 " Shabash ! " (bravo), exclaims the old fellow, jumping up 

 excitedly, as the dong totters for a few seconds, and then 

 falling heavily on its side, lies kicking in its death- 

 struggle. 



On examining the carcass, we found that the first bullet 

 had passed clean through behind the shoulder, and had 

 afterwards knocked up the dust on the slope. The second 

 had missed entirely, and the last had struck within a few 

 inches of the first, but, taking a more forward direction, had 

 actually perforated the heart, as was found on taking it out 

 — a lucky shot ! 



It was rather disappointing to find that the animal was a 

 female, for the head's sake ; but I tried to console myself 

 with the idea that cow-beef was preferable to bull-beef, and 

 was certainly better than none at all, — and her fine bushy 

 tail was, at any rate, a trophy worth having. 



As the sun was now getting low, we could do little more 

 that day than gralloch the dead beast. Whilst performing 

 this operation, another dong suddenly emerged from a gorge 

 below us ; but catching our wind at once, it went off at a 

 rattling pace, and was soon lost to view. It was dusk by the 

 time we had recrossed the pass. Fortunately there was a 

 splendid bright moon to light us down the glen, as the rapid 

 stream flowing through it had to be crossed and recrossed 

 several times at certain places, and fording it in the dark 

 might have been a difficult, if not a dangerous undertaking. 

 There is little risk, however, of getting belated in Tibet if the 

 sky is cloudless, as the starlight alone, at such a high alti- 

 tude, is broad enough to admit of surrounding objects being 

 seen with unusual distinctness, and cloudy nights are excep- 

 tional. We were so late in getting back that our Tartars 



