SHOOTING—A TROUBLESOME MULE—A YAK CEMETERY—I CHASE A KYANG—TENDER HEARTS—INSCRIBED STONES—LASSOO AND SHUKR ALI SICK—AN ARDUOUS CROSSING.
After a frosty night, a still morning with a cloudless sky favoured us as we started forth to cross the stream that barred our way. It was no easy undertaking, for the sand was deep and treacherous, and the stream was filled with great lumps of floating ice. Some time was spent in these aquatic operations, for the mules sank deep into the water and had to be unloaded. Two fine gulls flew overhead, affording an easy shot for our guns and food for the party.
We made a double march to-day, and in the afternoon pursued our course along the sandy bed of the river, congratulating ourselves upon the firm level going. Presently, the river made a bend, so that if we wanted to stick to the bed, it became necessary to recross it. On sounding the bottom for this purpose we found it far too treacherous to dream of doing so. On first inspection of the banks of the river it seemed as though we should have to retrace our steps, for they looked too steep for climbing up. Still, we found that, owing to the soft nature of the sand, we were able to reach the top by marching in a slanting direction. By taking our time we at length reached the grassy plains above, and decided for the future to stick to them, instead of the uncertain bed of the river.
On the 20th August we found we were again running 173 out of meat, and decided whenever we saw anything to shoot that one of us should go after it, and if successful, that the caravan should at once halt. The country was favourable for game, so we had but little doubt that we should soon supply our wants. Such proved to be the case, for Malcolm shot a kyang, and we were all soon making a square meal.
We were ready for a second march in the afternoon, but were caught in a violent storm. We could see no distance ahead of us. We could not have halted and pitched our camp; we could not have found any shelter. To have halted would have meant frozen limbs. There was nothing to do but to face the storm and make what headway we could. As soon as the weather had abated, we found our way down to the river, and halted in a nook sheltered by the steep banks.
We all felt convinced that with so much grass and water people must be at hand. It was therefore arranged that Malcolm and Esau should go on ahead with knapsacks, rifles, and a good supply of meat, while I should follow on as quickly as I could with the other three men and the three mules, and still keep up the surveying. All set to work to make a big fire for cooking a large supply of wild donkey flesh to take on their journey. We were all busy with the preparations, and full of hopes for the venture of the morrow. It was arranged that the two adventurers should have a substantial breakfast before starting. Disappointment on this occasion was in store for us. Rain and sleet greeted us at dawn, and fell incessantly till midday. At that hour we fastened on the two knapsacks, and Malcolm and Esau set forth in search of people. We had arranged that both parties should keep on the north side of the river, so that there could be no danger of our losing one another.
As soon as these two had gone, I and the remainder 174 struck camp, and made preparations to march too. Again rain began to fall even heavier than before, and to add to our troubles, one of the three mules refused to be caught and loaded. Two whole hours did we waste in this soaking rain in our endeavours to catch this most obstinate, aggravating, yet clever mule. Then I felt that, as the day was drawing to a close, our wisest plan was to leave the animal victorious, and own ourselves beaten. I therefore gave orders to unload and pitch the camp again. Every one and everything was wet through, and just as we had fixed up our little shelter, Malcolm and Esau returned. The weather was altogether too intolerant, and they, like ourselves, had on this day to give in to the inevitable. We both agreed that the day was not quite good enough to start on. All we could do was to lie down and endeavour to keep warm, an impossibility, for everything was damp. We reaped some comfort in conjuring up thoughts of other snug places where all was warmth and sunshine.
After dark, as the rain had nearly ceased, we both went to the men\'s tent, where they had managed to keep themselves warmer than we had by means of a fire. Certainly the smoke was blinding, but what did that matter? We brought with us our store of brandy, and were soon cheerful under its influence with hot water. We talked to the men of boats and trains, of towns and other countries, so that they might know what sights were awaiting them as soon we had crossed this uninhabited land.
A dull, quiet morning succeeded this stormy weather. The two men again set forth, while I followed with the rest. As we proceeded we discovered we had marched into a cul de sac. On our right hand our road was blocked by the river, now increased to double its size. In front of us stretched a fine fresh-water lake, while on our left an arm of this lake lay, covering a distance of some miles to our rear. There was, under these circumstances, no alternative left. 175 I should either have to cross this arm or march back all the way round it. The first plan I attempted, but to no purpose, for the soil of the lake was too soft. I had, therefore, to begin a retrograde march. I felt lucky that the mules had not been lost altogether in the arm of the lake, as seemed probable at one time, so was less bitter against having to march in a westerly direction. Everywhere on the banks of this lake grew magnificent green grass, and there were signs of many yak. By the edges of this shallow freshwater lay innumerable bones and scores of very fine heads and skeletons of dead yak. It seemed as though they all came to die by the shore of this wonderful lake.
I halted the little party in a garden of vegetables, and having made a meal off the last piece of the wild donkey, set out in search of game, but only bagged a couple of fat hares. About here I noticed large carrion birds, generally a sign that people are living in the neighbourhood. Enjoying the lake, too, were a multitude of various white birds, mostly in the middle of it.
It was my wish to start early, but the ground was white with snow at daybreak. In consequence, as we marched along the edge of the lake, the going was of the heaviest. A kyang came trotting up to see what we were after. Unfortunately, I only broke his foreleg, for, although I chased him for a very long way, he was still able to evade my shots and escape. It was satisfactory to find oneself marching east again. I at length pitched camp close to the water\'s edge, opposite my camp of the day before, on the other side of the arm.
As soon as the storm which had broken over us had passed off, I climbed the grassy hills that bordered the north shore of the lake, to shoot some food. I crept close up to two yak and wounded one of them, and chased him till the approaching darkness and a violent storm warned me it was time to return. I cared not how it rained, for I 176 was angry and vexed with myself at having in one day wounded two harmless animals, and at the same time at having provided no food for the party.
As I made my way homewards along and down the steep grassy slopes, I saw another kyang, and, to fill up the cup of anguish, I wounded him, even with my last round of ammunition. Although in this condition he could not travel fast, still he could evade my getting near him. By exerting myself to the utmost, I found I could not only keep him in sight, but could drive him in the direction I wanted. It flashed across my mind, what if I could actually drive the poor kyang as far as the camp, where he would be caught, and oceans of meat would be provided for all, without the trouble of having to fetch it? Then on looking round I knew that darkness would end the chase, for camp was some miles off. As I pursued the kyang, or rather drove him, he entered a steepish nullah, down which a stream flowed, and by the side of this he succumbed. I rushed up with mixed feelings of joy and pity, and before he could struggle to his feet I had plunged my knife into him. At the same moment a deafening storm of thunder and lightning broke over me, and darkness followed.
For fear of losing my way I kept to the nullah, which finally emerged by the edge of the lake, along whose banks I trudged till, eventually, a dim light from the men\'s tent showed me where the camp was. Shortly after my arrival the storm passed off and the moon shone out. The men were hungry, and when I narrated my adventures, two of them, arming themselves with knives and a sack, set out under the lucid instructions I gave them to find the kyang and bring in some of the flesh. I had slept soundly before I was aroused again by the arrival of the hissing frying pan into my tent, alive with fresh meat and wild onions.
The morning after these storms was still, as though the elements had exhausted themselves. The lake resembled 177 a large sheet of the smoothest glass, partially hidden by some light clouds that rested on it, awaiting a breath of wind or the sun\'s rays before they could be lifted. As I walked along the edge of the water I shot four hares, for in some of the rocky places they were plentiful enough.
Although I had hit off a well-defined track frequented by wild animals, still the sandy soil was so laden with moisture that the mules sank deep at almost every step. The lake, by reason of its sandy and rocky shore, reminded me more of an inlet sea than anything else. Then grassy slopes with flowers and vegetables eventually rose into high hills, which again were backed by snow-capped peaks. On the south side of the lake a vast plain extended to distant mountains. In whatever direction I chanced to look numbers of wild yak and kyang could be seen grazing, while on the lake itself many water-fowl had found a home. It was a veritable sportsman\'s or artist\'s paradise.
As soon as the mules were tired, I halted and went off to shoot a yak. A yak was always preferable to a kyang, for there was more fat to be got from the body. I soon found one above camp and had but little difficulty in shooting him. Having loaded myself with a sack of meat I descended again to camp. On arrival, to my surprise, Malcolm and Esau had returned. They had had, in fact, enough of trying to find people in stormy weather, when they had not even been able to light a fire. They, however, gave good reports of the road ahead, which they said would still bring us to abundance of grass teeming with yak, at the same time gradually descending.
This afternoon the three mules unfortunately s............