42 ANTELOPE SHOOTING IN MONGOLIA. 



My second meeting with antelope was even more disappointing 

 for tliough I succeeded m bowling over a nice bucfe at about tihree 

 hundred yards range, it got up and made oS before we could reach 

 it. I had hit it in the flank, but though we trailed it foi- several hours 

 it finally escaped us altogether in some broken country. 



It was not till I got into Mongolia itself that 1 had any luck with 

 these animals. An account of some of my experiences then will serve 

 to show just what the sport is like. 



Accompanied by Mr. F. W. Warrington, who was acting as my 

 assistant, I left Kalgan and took the outer road towards Lama Miao. 

 On our third day out, not more than fifty miles from our starting 

 point, we ran into the first herd of antelopes, and at once went after 

 them. They were feeding upon the side of a hill, so we made a detour 

 till we got behind another hill opposite to that on which the buck were. 

 Leaving our ponies with the attendant we crept up to the top of the 

 ridge, but found that the buck were still too far off. Back to the ponies 

 and round another hill we went. This time we reached a point, as 

 we thought, within two hundred yards of our quarry. We each chose 

 an antelope and fired. Our bullets fell short, and the next instant the 

 wliole herd was across the ridge and out of sight. On our way back 

 to the road we came across three more buck, but though we tried hard 

 did not succeed m getting another standing shot. That afternoon we 

 saw another three with nice heads. These kept running parallel with 

 our course for three or four miles but did not come within range. Next 

 morning we passed several pairs without, however, getting a decent 

 chance at them. The following day Warrington got his first antelope, 

 while I had the misfortune to wound one which got away in spite of our 

 utmost endeavour to run it down and secure it. 



At one place we stayed for a couple of days simply to hunt 

 antelopes, and succeeded in getting several head. It was always the 

 same tale ; either a lucky long shot on the plain or a surprise as one 

 topped one of the numerous low ridges. It was splendid sport, but 

 was a severe strain on the ponies, so that we could not keep it up 

 too long, and if we did not succeed in getting a buck out of the first 

 herd or two would have to give it up for the day. 



When witliin two day's journey of Lama Miao we ran into an 

 enormous herd that must have contained from five hundred to one 

 thousand head. It was a sight never to be forgotten, to see tlie whole 

 2)lain moving as it were. Tllie antelopes were very shy, and 

 we could not get within four hundred yards of them. We succeeded 

 in bagging n couple, however, by which time it was getting late and 



