RETURN TO CHONI 219 



for roe. I shot some blood-pheasants on the way 

 down beautiful birds ! the cocks having gorgeous 

 plumage of pink and green. They are very good 

 eating. That afternoon I saw a doe and four 

 bucks, one with a good head ; but could not 

 manage to get near him owing to the frozen snow, 

 which made a horrible crackling. I heard a stag 

 roar on the ridge behind camp, and presently the 

 banging of native guns. However, on the hunters 

 coming in that night, it transpired that they had 

 accomplished nothing beyond disturbing a large 

 area of ground. Lao- Wei was rather sulky be- 

 cause I had gone after the insignificant pao-loo, 

 and not his beloved wapiti. 



Another note from Mr. Christie announced that 

 the Mohammedans were supposed to be rising, 

 and that in consequence the Chinese, as distinct 

 from Thibetans, were flocking into Choni. For 

 the next two days I tried hard for a roe, and saw 

 the serow which I missed. Then it was Nov- 

 ember llth on my return to camp very dispirited, 

 I found a letter from the doctor saying that we 

 must leave Choni at once, and it became apparent 

 that our hunting in the Minshan Mountains was 

 at an end. 



I reached Choni by noon the next day, getting 

 a few pheasants for the pot en route, and cracking 

 the stock of my gun as I slipped on a frozen bank 

 when after a wounded bird. We had bad luck 

 with our guns, though mine was not past repairing. 

 One of the boys fell off the doctor's mule, and 

 smashed one of his weapons ; the doctor broke 

 his second at the grip owing to a similar accident 

 to that which had befallen me ; and George's had 



