DEPARTURE OF TARTAR ESCORT. 345 



scried in the distance a large flock of Oves Ammon, ewes and 

 lambs, which we took to be the same we had seen on the 

 previous evening. 



Between this camp and the next, the slopes above the 

 Tazang table-lands were worked over, but nothing better 

 was seen than some ewe Oves Ammon and a flock of young 

 males, which soon showed us the white of their sterns as 

 they went scouring away in the distance. 



A very troublesome mile or so had to be traversed before 

 reaching our camp, through a deep abrupt-scarped ravine 

 filled with huge detached blocks of rock and masses of hard 

 old snow, over which we had to clamber. Our jooboos had 

 been brought round by a lower and easier route. The Tartar 

 escort here bade me farewell, and took their way homeward 

 mounted on their bovine chargers, trusting to my good be- 

 haviour during the remainder of my short sojourn in their 

 territory. They departed rejoicing greatly in a " bucksheesh" 

 with which I presented them ; and being Lamas, let us hope 

 they gave their little prayer-wheels an extra twirl on my 

 behalf, as a parting benediction. 



The following morning broke with rain, which was still 

 drizzling when we packed up and started about noon. It 

 had been our intention to cross the pass that day, but it 

 was now too late to attempt to get farther than its foot. 

 In a bed of black-looking soil we passed on our way I 

 found numerous fossils — ammonites and belemnites — which 

 my Bhotia companions called " shalgram " stones. About a 

 mile short of the spot where we proposed passing the night 

 we took shelter from the rain, until the jooboos came up, in 

 a blanket-tent — the douane of the pass. Two of its five or 

 six occupants were squatted on the ground throwing dice, 

 whilst the rest were lolling lazily about, either dozing or 

 smoking their little brass-bowled pipes. The manners of 

 these Tartar excisemen were bluff and independent, but 

 quite civil. On our entering the tent, a small wooden cup 



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