258 TIBETAN SPORTING DOGS. 



favour. After replenishing our supply of flour and changing 

 our baggage-yaks at the hamlet, the Major proceeded to 

 work the undulating hills in the vicinity of the Pangoor tso, 

 a more elevated but much smaller salt lake than the Pan- 

 gong, some ten miles east of Chooshul. As I was feeling 

 rather " out of sorts," I delayed my start in a more southerly 

 direction for a few days. Changter recommended my taking, 

 two or three dogs and their owner with me from here, as 

 being useful for hunting napoo (Ovis nahurd) — the burrel or 

 blue wild sheep of the Himalayas — which he said we might 

 also find on the ground he recommended my hunting over 

 ior Oves Ammon. They were ugly, half-starved-looking curs, 

 but doubtless were well up to the work for which they were 

 intended — being trained to hunt down their quarry as the 

 ibex dogs are in the Cashmere mountains. It turned out, 

 however, that I nearly had cause to repent having taken 

 them, as will presently be seen. 



After three days' rest I was fit enough to set out again, 

 under Changter's guidance ; so the baggage-animals were 

 collected and packed. As yaks are sometimes apt to make 

 free use of their horns, especially towards strangers, loading 

 them is not always an easy job. The Tartars usually collect 

 them in a ring, with their heads turned inwards, and their 

 horns tied together until all are laden, when they are again 

 set free and driven on their way. 



Our route led over a low pass, or what looked a low one from 

 the open level ground around Chooshul, which was already 

 about 14,000 feet, but the ascent to it was pretty steep. 

 On reaching the summit, a lonesome picture of flood and 

 fell appeared stretching away beyond. About a mile from 

 and considerably below us lay the Mirpa tso, an irregular- 

 shaped sheet of dark, sullen-looking water, some four or five 

 miles in circumference. Eising almost from its margin on 

 every side were brown-coloured, rounded, and sterile hills, 

 with nothing to break the dreary monotony of their appear- 

 ance save a few patches of snow that lay near the top of 



