After Antelope in Tibet 



233 



the line of light used to creep down the 

 mountain -sides, the sun seeming to grudge us 

 cold mortals his feeble warmth ! However, all 

 that was soon forgotten in the look-out for 

 antelope and gazelle ; for once fairly on the 

 antelope plains, we rarely reached the luncheon 

 place without having a shot. Our cook with 

 the lunch things would have started early, and 

 about noon, rounding a corner, we would see the 

 shamiana or awning pitched, a white dot visible 

 miles away on the bare plain. For in this country 

 one experiences great extremes of heat and cold. 

 The sun at midday is a very different individual 

 to what he is at seven o'clock ; the heat of the 

 barren ground beats up with tremendous force, 

 and the country being destitute of trees, our 

 little shamiana used to be as welcome to us 

 as the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land 

 to Arab or Ishmaelite. About two o'clock on 

 we would go again, tea-things and water slung 

 about our retainers' ponies to use when we felt 

 inclined, and the camping - ground would be 

 reached about four or five. A camping place 

 in this country, by the way, means any spot 

 where there is grass for the ponies, water to 

 drink, and argols or burtza for fuel. 



The baggage coming a direct road, and without 

 halts, would arrive shortly afterwards, or at any 



