2l8 EXPEDITION TO KALMUK. 



arkars certainly ; but I made up my mind to 

 shoot one, not having a female specimen, besides 

 being in want of meat. 



We followed the tracks along a gravelly 

 ridge, keeping my rifle in hand, for such was 

 the nature of the ground that there was a chance 

 of coming across the herd at any moment. After 

 walking about half a mile in this way, cautiously 

 peeping round every corner, I thought I heard 

 a movement in a ravine to my left. On looking 

 over, there, sure enough, were half a dozen 

 arkars taking their evening meal off the little 

 tufts of grass which sprang through the gravel. 

 Crawling cautiously down to within 100 yards, 

 and selecting the easiest, a broadside shot, I fired. 

 My bullet went thud into her shoulder, and over 

 she went. The rest ran into a mob, and stood for 

 a minute before making a rush, so that I could 

 easily have shot another ; but one being enough 

 for my purpose, I let them be. Covering the car- 

 cass with some pieces of rock to keep the vultures 

 off, we went on in the hopes of coming across a 

 ram. There was another herd of arkars, but not 

 a sign of a goolja to be seen only one or two old 

 heads lay about in the ravines. As evening was 

 approaching, we turned our faces campwards, and 



