THE GREAT THIBETAN SHEEP, OR NYAN. 1 73 



within shot. In a moment they were on their legs and gazing towards me. Selecting the 

 largest ram, I aimed most deliberately at his shoulder, and as I slowly pressed the trigger, I 

 felt quite certain of the shot. To my disgust, however, the crack of the bullet on a stone 

 reached my ears instead of the well-known and welcome ' thud,' and the Nyan instantly 

 started off, much too fast for my second barrel. On standing up, I found that I had over- 

 estimated the distance, the rams having been only one hundred and thirty yards off, instead 

 of one hundred and eighty, which I had sighted for. This is a sort of mistake which one 

 is very apt to make when lying down, and one which has lost me many a fine pair 

 of horns. 



I saw nothing more that day ; on the following day I saw seven old rams going off 

 along a high ridge, but although I followed them at once I was unable to find them again, 

 either on that day or the next. 



Although I knew that there was plenty of shooting in this neighbourhood, I was 

 compelled to leave it, as I was suffering so terribly from toothache, and could get no 

 relief nearer than Leh, where I submitted myself to the tender mercies of a Thibetan 

 barber ! I must confess that he handled his pincers with considerable skill, and soon 

 extracted the offending tooth. I was not quite so fortunate on a subsequent occasion, when 

 I allowed my khidmatgdr to try his '"prentice hand" on another aching tooth, which he 

 only succeeded in breaking off, leaving me in great torture for nearly a fortnight. While 

 making this digression I may offer a word of advice to sportsmen " See that your teeth 

 are in good order before visiting Thibet ; the cold winds there are sure to find out a decayed 

 tooth, and no one who has not experienced it as I have, can have any idea of the 

 misery caused by incessant toothache for weeks together without the possibility of 

 relief." 



In 1865, I crossed the Chor Hoti Pass, and found some female Nyan in the valley of 

 Leptel. Going on through Keo and crossing the pass to Zunkum, I saw two rams, but 

 was unable to get near them. Near the Sutlej are some low arid hills, which are known to 

 the Ni'ti Shikaris by the name of the ' Lai Pahar ' (Red Hills). I was informed that they 

 were a favorite haunt of old rams, and I accordingly hunted among them for several days, 

 but without seeing an animal. At last on the 6th of July, I sent my camp from Talang 

 at the west end of the range of hills to Shib at the other end, and proceeded to explore 

 the only part of the ground which I had not yet visited. As I was crossing the plain at 

 the foot of the hills, I made out five rams at the distance of about a mile ; they had evi- 

 dently got my wind, and after looking very restless for some time, they went off. A little 

 farther on I saw ten more which had also got our wind, and were following the first lot. 

 I went round by the crest of the hills, and on getting well to leeward descended towards 

 where I expected to see the Nyan ; I soon caught sight of the fifteen, who had formed one 

 flock. They were all magnificent old rams, and I lay watching the noble animals until even- 

 ing, hoping that they would leave the open plain where they were feeding, and move to 

 some place where they might be approached ; but as they remained in the same place, 

 I had to leave them and return to camp. 



