After Antelope in Tibet 235 



to my mind at all detract from the pleasure of it. 

 Near the Ladak frontier the antelope are very 

 wild and difficult to approach, but farther east, 

 where they are less shot at, they are less so ; 

 though of course everywhere it much depends 

 whether they are found on an open plain or in 

 the neighbourhood of hills which afford cover 

 in stalking. 



Antelope are pretty beasts, standing about 

 thirty-two inches high. Their colour varies from 

 brown to fawn, the under part being of a lighter 

 shade, almost white. Under the short stiff hair 

 lies a layer of wonderful soft white wool that 

 is woven into exquisite pashmina. This can be 

 plucked out in handfuls, and is valuable. Their 

 slender horns have a graceful curve, and frequently 

 have a high polish in the natural state. In a 

 country like Tibet, where an old provision tin 

 or the lid of a packing-case is a very valuable 

 asset, the horns are put by the natives to all 

 sorts of uses. Perhaps the most appropriate use 

 is as a rifle-rest, when a pair of them are attached 

 to the barrel by a hinge, the points when in use 

 sticking into the ground. The better the rifle, 

 of course the more help such a rest would be; 

 and it has often occurred to me to ask why 

 we should be superior to the idea for our in- 

 different shots in the Army. The Tibetans also 



