SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 
six or seven pounds. The other two made good 
their escape. 
It was indeed a surprise to me to find this bird, 
which usually inhabits the highest and wildest 
regions of the country in such close proximity to 
the thickly populated country round T’ai-yiian Fu. 
On our way back to camp a few more common 
pheasants were bagged. With this we were satis- 
fied for the time being, and decided to devote the 
next day or two to hunting pigs. 
Accordingly on the following day we shouldered 
our rifles, and set off towards country, where 
previous experience had taught me we might 
reasonably expect to find pigs. 
We soon came upon fresh trails, and choosing 
one, we followed it for many miles through the 
most picturesque country. At first the trail led 
along the bottom of a deep ravine, down which 
flowed a gurgling brook, and the sides of which, 
stratified and steep, presented a veritable fairy- 
land of ferny grottoes and spongy mossbanks, 
half hidden by twining creepers, hanging in 
enchanting festoons. Soon our way was barred 
by a sill of rock, harder than the rest, over which 
fell a sparkling cascade of crystal water. Still 
following the path marked by the deep spore of 
our quarry, we climbed up the slippery slopes, to 
be drenched by showers of dew from the autumn- 
tinted leaves, which soon would go to increase the 
richness of the soft mould under our feet. Scram- 
69 
