Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/212

 neighbourhood of man that they may be often seen browsing with the Mongol cattle, and drinking out of the same troughs with them. We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw, not half a mile from our tent, a herd of these handsome beasts quietly grazing on the side of a hill. They evidently have not yet learned to recognise our race as their enemy, and are ignorant of the terrible weapons of the European.

A violent storm, which lasted several days, prevented us from at once starting in pursuit, and obliged us to restrain our impatience for a while. The first day we went after them we killed nothing, owing to our ignorance of their habits, and our over-eagerness causing us to miss several shots at short distances. But on the following day we succeeded in bagging two fine full-grown males.

The argali is so keen-sighted, quick of hearing, and has such a delicate sense of smell, that were it less confiding, it would be very difficult to get within range of it in the Suma-hada mountains; but so tame is it that it will quietly gaze at the sportsman when only 500 paces off.

The best time for sport is the early morning and the evening. At dawn the argali seek the grassy hollows in the mountains, generally at a considerable elevation, or some spot sheltered from the wind. They are mostly seen in herds of ten to fifteen, rarely single. While feeding one of them mounts on the nearest rock to reconnoitre, but after remaining stationary for a short time it rejoins its companions