A STRENUOUS CHASE 149 



Channel ; but never did I hate any one as I did 

 those three wretched Thibetans ! I rushed up the 

 hill ("rush" is a purely metaphorical word), Lao- 

 Wei rushed after me. The three miscreants, seeing 

 a foreign devil armed with a rifle, his empurpled 

 and streaming visage lifted towards them, and 

 understanding which I did not the guttural 

 anathemas of his follower, rushed precipitately 

 over the crest of the hill, and the sheep, alas ! 

 catching momentary glimpses of these events, 

 leisurely disappeared over the ridge. It took us a 

 good half-hour to reach the spot. Very cautiously 

 we peered over each crest ; very stealthily we crept 

 along a knife-edge of rock, overhanging a big 

 basin, and spied ; Lao- Wei even threw rocks down 

 in his disgust ; but not a thing stirred, whilst a 

 great eagle swept around us in ever-widening 

 circles, silently contemplating the scene. 



On our way up the hill we had seen a couple 

 of ewes, with their lambs. They had whistled 

 derisively at us ; but, in spite of my companion's 

 earnest solicitations, I had refused to shoot. The 

 sheep we were after seemed to have vanished. We 

 could see them nowhere in front, so, as a forlorn 

 hope, we retraced our steps to the ewes. They 

 placidly fed where we had left them, and no ram 

 gladdened our eyes. Had the herd passed them 

 they would certainly have moved, so it seemed 

 that, after all, the ram must be somewhere in front 

 of us. We clambered back up the hill after I had 

 made a sketch or two of the ewes, much to Lao- 

 Wei's disgust, for his bloodthirsty mood had not 

 evaporated reached the top, and sat down to eat 

 our sandwiches, Then it was that, very faint and 



