After wild sheep in the Altai and Mongolia; . y tableland, where the onlyliving creatures were Marmots and Hares. Here mywife, to our amazement, gave us a brilliant display ofmarksmanship, for she killed a Hare at eighty yardswith Littledales Mannlicher, the betting being twentyto one against her. This was the only incident onour way. We crossed two passes, and at i a valley, at the head of which we discovereda row of high ridges westwards and likely ibexhaunts. We therefore decided to pitch camp at thatplace and investigate the surroundings on the follow-ing day, notwithstanding o
After wild sheep in the Altai and Mongolia; . y tableland, where the onlyliving creatures were Marmots and Hares. Here mywife, to our amazement, gave us a brilliant display ofmarksmanship, for she killed a Hare at eighty yardswith Littledales Mannlicher, the betting being twentyto one against her. This was the only incident onour way. We crossed two passes, and at i a valley, at the head of which we discovereda row of high ridges westwards and likely ibexhaunts. We therefore decided to pitch camp at thatplace and investigate the surroundings on the follow-ing day, notwithstanding our guides peremptorystatement that we should find nothing. We had nowbeen many a day without the chance of a shot,and our bloodthirsty instincts were again roused by A FRESH LOT OF PONIES 225 the sight of favourable grounds. We started earlynext morning, Littledale and myself, at 4 , indifferent directions ; but our guides words were to berealised. I ascended the stony slopes of a smallnullah, and spied miles of country around me without. JACOB, THE DEMITCHA, IN THE BASHKAOUS VALLEY. finding a single animal of any kind ; then, crossinganother dividing ridge, I met with a similar result inthe next valley, and so on till I finally returned tocamp thoroughly disheartened. Here we foundtwenty-five fresh ponies awaiting us. Before enteringthe Kobdo valley we had despatched a couple of ourKalmuks back towards the frontier, in order to meetQ 226 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI the ponies which we expected, and direct them totheir destination, which was the head of the Tchagan-Kol River. Before parting with us these two menhad refused to start without arms, saying that theymight have to defend themselves against natives andwild beasts. Hearing this I was stupid enough tolend them my big revolver. When we saw that boththe men and ponies failed to turn up, we naturallythought that they had lost their way, and, a few dayslater, commissioned one of our hunters to find them,wherever they
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