174 THE GREAT THIBETAN SHEEP, OR NYAN. 



Next day I started early and walked to the place where I had left the Nyan, a distance 

 of about five miles. I found them again on the same ground, but they were so scattered 

 that it was impossible to lay any good plan for a stalk. At last seven of them fed on ahead 

 of the others, so I determined to try and get a shot at them, and take my chance of being 

 seen by the remainder. Having moved down the hill to the place from which I hoped to 

 get a shot, I found that they were still two hundred and fifty yards off. Seeing little chance 

 of being able to get back without being discovered by some of the wary brutes, I 

 endeavoured to improve my position by crawling down the hill ; in doing so I was seen, and 

 had to fire at once. Selecting two in line I fired very steadily, but my heavy sphericalball 

 rifle not being very accurate at such a long range, I missed, and they went off at a great 

 pace. The eight remaining rams, who had heard the shots but seen nothing, after galloping 

 about for a time, went round the end of the hill, but still kept in the open plain. Following 

 them up, I observed six of them making for the hills, but two had stayed behind. Think- 

 ing they might be in a neighbouring large nullah, I went to it, but only found a flock of 

 Burrell, out of which I shot two males. Having skinned them I was proceeding homewards, 

 when I again saw the six rams in the wide valley ahead of us ; it was too late to follow them, 

 so I went up a deep nullah leading towards camp, so as not to disturb them. I had gone a 

 mile or two up this, and it was becoming dusk, when I heard a noise on my right, and on 

 looking up saw the six Nyan rattling along the high bank, two of them knocking their 

 horns together. As they would not stand, I fired at one as he galloped past ; I thought he 

 staggered, so I fired the other barrel at him. My second gun-carrier, who was also carry- 

 ing the Burrell's heads, had lagged behind, and now that my rifle was empty, the rams stood 

 still and gazed at me within forty yards. By the time I had rammed down one bullet and 

 put on a cap, they were just disappearing over the bank, and a snap-shot fired at the hind 

 quarters of the last one missed. I was afraid that they had all gone off, but while I was 

 reloading, my Shikari espied the horns and back of one evidently dying at the top of the 

 bank, and on going up to my great delight I found a fine ram lying dead, shot through the 

 shoulders. His horns, though not particularly large, were a fine pair, measuring thirty-six 

 inches in length by sixteen in circumference. I did not reach camp until some time after 

 dark, having had a long day's work, but being very well satisfied. 



During the next four days I met with Nyan only once, when I stalked six old rams on 

 the other side of the Shib River : I got within shot, but missed them as they galloped off. 



On the 1 2th I sent my camp back to Talang, and as my Shikari was ill, I hunted along 

 the hills accompanied by only two Tartars. Among some ravines I found a flock of twelve 

 Nyan, females and young males ; they had just caught a glimpse of me, but were not much 

 alarmed, so I ordered my gun-carriers to crawl quietly back out of sight. They moved back 

 a few paces and then coolly stood up, and directly afterwards eight old rams, which I had not 

 previously observed, went over the hill. The twelve others, after feeding for three or four hun- 

 dred yards, lay down. To have stalked them properly would have involved making an immensely 

 long round, which, as they were not large ones, I did not think they were worth, so I resolved 

 to chance being seen while crossing one nullah, after which I should be safe enough. The wary 



