GAZELLE STALKING 255 



slowly behind my cover, and he came a little 

 nearer. Seeing that he would not be lured any 

 closer I crept on, and managed to get him. Just 

 after the shot 1 saw a wolf trotting off, but he 

 was a long way off, and was soon out of sight. 

 The second buck I killed three days later. I had 

 had a long walk, and seen a good many gazelle 

 in broken, grass-covered ground. None would 

 allow me within shooting distance, when I spied 

 three does on a distant ridge. Keeping out of 

 sight, I managed to get up to them, and finding 

 a nice buck feeding with three more does in a 

 sheltered hollow, killed him. George secured a 

 very nice head, and though we saw some more 

 after leaving Hami, the last on the day before 

 reaching Ti-hua-fu, we did not shoot another 

 male. 



Hami, or Kumul, is an oasis set in the middle 

 of the desert backed by a high range of mountains 

 the Karlik Tagh topped with perpetual snow, 

 where wapiti are said to be found. Northwards 

 runs the Barkul range. The people are Chantos, 

 ruled by the Prince of Kumul. Among them he 

 is supreme, but pays an annual tribute, usually 

 of horses, to the Chinese Emperor. The olive- 

 coloured complexions and regular features of the 

 Chantos are a pleasing contrast to those of the 

 Chinese. Many of the children are good-looking ; 

 all the older men wear beards, whilst the women 

 walk with a free and erect carriage, the more 

 graceful in our eyes after the tottering, maimed 

 crawl to which we had become accustomed in 

 China. To the south of the Chinese city rises 

 the mud palace of the Prince, dominating the 

 J8 



