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most success in the evening, when the birds were
taking flight, and brought to bag many a fine goose
halting here preparatory to its journey to the plains
of India. The best performance was accomplished by
Hargreaves, who brought down two bar-headed geese
with one round of No. 6 shot.
I t was with many misgivings that we left Tai Tso,
and soon found our gloomiest forebodings fully justified :
no grass was to be seen, and another dreadful day
passed without food or water—the ponies dragging
themselves wearily along, until darkness put an end to
further travel.
On the following morning, however, the first rays
of the sun showed us a considerable river only a mile
farther on, and we speedily transferred our camp to its
grassy banks, once more forgetting all discomforts, and
spending three days happily enough.
The stream grew rapidly in size as it flowed through
this valley, being continually fed by springs which
rose in all directions from out of the plain. Weeds
grew rankly in the water and fish were abundant,
while on the banks were patches of scrub swarming
with hares; I put up no less than thirty-two of these
creatures from one lot of bushes alone.
We dawdled along the grassy banks, thoroughly
enjoying ourselves, for the delight of seeing running
water and green grass was too great to be quickly
dispensed with; the jaded animals appreciated these
joys to the full, and wallowed up to their bellies in the
swamps. The weather, moreover, continued to be
glorious, the days were warm and bright, not a cloud
was to be seen in the sky, not a breath of wind
troubled us. Winter was nevertheless approaching,
and the cold nights warned us against delay. Kiang
were plentiful in the plain, and wolves made night
A T ib e t a n N o m a d ’s T e n t .
C a m )? o n t h e K h e o R iv e r .