AKSAK MARAL. 145 



ponies, who sank into it over their hocks. The 

 trunks of the trees, which were from 20 to 30 

 yards apart, were half buried in the soil, evi- 

 dently the deposit of dust-storms from the great 

 Gobi Steppe in the south. This, I fancy, had 

 choked them, and there they stood, assuming a 

 more and more weird fantastic appearance in 

 the gradual course of decay. Simply a skeleton 

 forest a splendid study of utter desolation for 

 an artist's brush. 



At Aksak Maral the Beg very civilly called, 

 and promised to find me shikaris who knew 

 their way about. There were, he said, jeran 

 antelope not far off. 



The morning was intensely cold, and when I 

 went out a thick hoar-frost hung on the trees 

 and grass, and my hands became so numbed 

 that I hoped the sun would rise before having 

 a chance of a shot. 



We came across the slots of deer first a herd 

 of hinds or maral, and after, on that of a soli- 

 tary boghe, or stag, they appeared narrower and 

 smaller than those of the barasingh in Kashmir, 

 or even of our own red deer ; and in the sand 

 there were the pugs of a large tiger, quite fresh : 

 these I followed until they led into the high grass. 



K 



