Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/338

 severing itself from the parent rock it would begin rolling gradually, but every second its impetus increased until at last the rock entered the ravine with the noise and speed of a thunderbolt, breaking great trees in its passage, and followed by a débris of smaller stones which poured into the ravine with a dull jarring noise. The valley re-echoed with the sound, startled animals and birds left their haunts, but in a few minutes all was still and quiet as before.

We passed many an hour in looking for mountain sheep, without, however, finding them. You must have the eye of a hawk to distinguish the grey skin of the kuku-yaman from the rocks which are of the same colour, or to detect the animal lying in the bushes. My guide had wonderful sight; he often saw the horns of the animal at a distance of several hundred paces, when I could not distinguish them with a field-glass.

Then we would begin stalking. For this purpose we had sometimes to make long circuits, descending almost sheer precipices, now jumping from rock to rock or across wide chasms, and now clinging to the ledges of cliffs; in fact, we were on the brink of danger at every step. Hands were often bleeding from cuts and scratches, boots and clothes torn, but all was soon forgotten in the hope of bagging the coveted animal. But, alas! how often these expectations were cruelly disappointed, when as we were stalking our quarry another kuku-yaman chanced to see us and gave warning to his mate, or a stone giving way under our feet warned