1020 
THROUGH ASIA 
which he trailed uselessly behind him. But he had a 
good start of us. 
Islam Bai and Parpi Bai went after him as fast as their 
horses were able to get over the ground ; whilst I and 
Emin Mirza followed at our usual pace. Meanwhile the 
khulan had stopped to rest, and when we came up to the 
spot where he rested, we discovered a large pool of blood. 
He could not hold out long now ; all the same he led us 
a chase of two full hours. At length he conceived the 
unfortunate idea of quitting the easy valley and trying to 
climb the flanks of the hills on the left. 
At this point we passed another small salt lake on our 
right, and upon reaching the top of the ridge beheld 
again the eastern end of the large lake whose southern 
shore we had followed. Then, crossing over more gentle 
hills, where the ground was soft and tiring, we approached 
a small pass, which descended on the north-east pretty 
steeply to a perfectly level sai {a slope at the foot of a 
mountain). The stream, which coursed along the sai 
towards the lake, was split into several arms. 
In the middle of the wet sandy belt between two 
branches of the river the khulan at last fell. Islam Bai 
and Parpi were by this close upon him ; they instantly 
jumped off their horses and bound his forelegs. And 
there the creature lay still alive in the most natural 
position, and regarded us without any perceptible sign 
of fear. Every now and again however he endeavoured 
to get up, and struggled on a step or two, but soon fell 
again. He was wounded in the right hind-leg above the 
heel, and a portion of the bone showed in the wound, 
which was very bloody. The khulan was a splendid 
specimen of his race, a male in fine condition, evidently 
the sentry of the troop of five which we saw a little 
way back. His curiosity and desire to protect his com- 
panions had led him a little too far, and so into danger. 
His teeth indicated that he was about nine years old. 
On the whole the wild ass bears the closest resemblance 
to the mule : in other words, he comes intermediate between 
the horse and the ass, but is nearer to the latter than to 
