STEEPER AND STEEPER. 69 



Beg ; that I would pay him at once for the yaks, 

 and answer for it that no one should touch him 

 on the road. On these terms he promised to 

 supply us with what beasts he had, and in the 

 evening four yaks turned up. 



Just behind our camp the path led over a very 

 steep slope, up which the ponies scrambled, but 

 hustled each other a little as they got near the 

 top : one lost his footing, and fell back head over 

 heels, a fearful cropper, down to the bottom in 

 about three bounds. We ran down expecting to 

 find every bone in his body broken, but when we 

 got his load off he staggered to his feet, very 

 much cut about, but otherwise unhurt : the tent 

 with which he was laden had saved him. After 

 a while he gave himself a shake, which meant he 

 was all right ; so we put on his load again, and he 

 soon caught up the others ! 



About mid-day we got into a hollow where 

 there was a small lake, and beyond saw our path 

 winding up to the summit of the pass, apparently 

 at no great distance ; but we soon realised it was 

 both farther and steeper than it looked, for it led 

 up a slope of shale which gave no foothold to the 

 animals, and one after another they subsided as 

 if the life had gone out of them. The altitude 



