A TIBETAN VALLEY. 267 



one I wished to go, and my Tartar guide said it was a long 

 way to our next camping-place, I abandoned further pursuit, 

 as, even if wounded, the animal might have led me a long 

 and a hungry chase, for I had stupidly neglected to take any 

 provender with me that morning. We therefore returned 

 to pick up the buck I had killed, and the Tartar having 

 shouldered him, we made the best of our way in the 

 direction our yaks had gone, overtaking them in time for 

 a late breakfast, to which I felt quite ready to do ample 

 justice. 



After working over this ground from morning to night for 

 two days, seeing only the ubiquitous kiang, a few female goa 

 with their young at foot, and a fine pair of horns attached 

 to the sun-dried remains of a ram which had probably died 

 of starvation in winter, we shifted camp towards the source 

 of the Hanle river, near the Chinese border. Several more 

 goa were seen on our way there ; but all being " hummel," I 

 refrained from shooting at them lest the firing should disturb 

 better game, though I would fain have had some more venison 

 in camp, our Tartars' appetites being voracious. 



As this locality was considered a sure find for goa, the 

 Major and I started very early next morning in quest of 

 them. He took the right and I the left of a fairly wide 

 valley, towards the head of which there was a pass leading 

 over from the Hanle province, which is under the rule of 

 the Maharajah of Cashmere, into the Chinese-Tibetan terri- 

 tory of Chumurti, we having previously arranged that the 

 first of us to reach the summit of the pass, some seven or 

 eight miles distant, should await the other's arrival there. 



The scenery of the upper part of this valley was perhaps 

 of a grander character than any we had as yet seen in Tibet. 

 This was owing to the mountains on both sides looking more 

 rugged, precipitous, and snow-clad than usual, and from 

 there being at the head of this wild glen a confluence of two 

 fine glaciers, from the base of which the Hanle stream issued, 

 and thence flowed in a broken, tortuous torrent, between 



