244 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



some eighty in number, and laden with bales. 

 Moving on a broad front, they progress at a fairly 

 rapid rate, driven by bare-shouldered Ladakis to 

 an accompaniment of shouts and whistles which 

 can be heard from far. 



Of the yaks and their drivers it would be hard 

 to say which would appear the stranger of the two 

 to one who had seen neither before. The latter 

 plainly belong to the yellow races, and have the 

 prominent cheek-bones, almost hairless faces char- 

 acteristic of this branch of the human race. Their 

 black hair is drawn into a pigtail at the back, 

 their heads being covered by a flapped cap of 

 lambskin, the flaps of which are turned up during 

 the heat of the day. Their clothing consists of 

 little more than a voluminous sheepskin cloak 

 confined round their waist by a girdle ; but these 

 are now slipped off their shoulders, leaving them 

 bare. On their feet are high boots of felt and soft 

 leather. They walk with a peculiar roll, but can 

 cover great distances. The Ladaki physiognomy 

 is distinctly homely, but honest -looking and not 

 unpleasing, offering in this respect a marked con- 

 trast to their nomad brethren, the tent -dwelling 

 changpas, whose double-facedness is proverbial in 

 these parts. 



The bovines they are driving belong to the 

 variety known as the "grunting -ox," uncouth 



