1 88 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



Chinese Turkestan, over the stupendous mountain- 

 ranges that separate the two, indeed demands born 

 traders such as Sadi's friend of Kish. 



The " caravan-bashis " have their own theories 

 as to equine management. The most indigestible 

 of all foods, uncrushed barley, is given so that it 

 may remain in the animal's stomach " to comfort 

 him" as long as possible. Then on arriving at 

 camp after a hard march, ponies' heads are tied 

 up for an hour or so before they are fed or turned 

 loose to pick up whatever grazing there may be. 

 The theory is that a tired animal, if allowed to eat 

 directly his load is taken off, will just satisfy the 

 pangs of hunger and then go to sleep till morning, 

 when he will be hungry and unfit for a fresh day's 

 toil. But if his head is tied for a couple of hours 

 on arrival, he will sleep at once and afterwards 

 spend the night grazing, and so be ready to march 

 next morning with a full stomach ! Let veter- 

 inarians smile ; I for one think that the proba- 

 bility is that these travellers born and bred know 

 their own business best. The handiest animal for 

 this sort of work is, as usual, the mule. An 

 excellent type of this quadruped comes from Ush 

 Turf an in Chinese Turkestan, and whilst in Leh, 

 the writer had a commission to buy up as many as 

 possible for the Indian Government, both for 

 mountain batteries and transport. 



These mule-buying days used always to attract 



