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FIRST CONTACT WITH THE TIBETANS. 333
it had it not at the last moment, after two or three cunning
turns, managed to slip into a little hole in the ground.
Shagdur pulled the frightened creature out and wrapped it
in his neck-handkerchief ; and when all the caravan, and
the dogs, had gone safely past I set the trembling little
thing at liberty, and away it hopped across the steppe. But
before it had gone very far a hawk, which we had not seen,
darted down upon it like an arrow. Off ran Shagdur to the
rescue ; but though he frightened the hawk away, he found
its victim with its eyes picked out and in the last convulsions
of death.
Camp XXXVHL was made on the left bank of a fresh
river. The next da}^ the iGth July, was a rest day, and
while Turdu Bai and Hamra Kul went up the valley to see
if it led to a suitable pass, I sat in my tent working. .All
at once I heard a hubbub and the men shouting. Looking
out I saw a big bear waddling towards the camp, followed
by Sirkin and Shagdur. But perceiving his danger in time.
Bruin turned off to one side, plunged into the river, forded
it with a tremendous amount of splashing, and then
scrambling up the bank on the opposite side, continued his
flight over the hills, closely pursued by the two Cossacks on
horseback. No sooner had the chase passed than a shot
rang out from Cherdon’s tent. A big old whitish-grey wolf
had ventured too near and was now made to pay dearly
for his inquisitiveness.
When at length the Cossacks returned at a smart trot, I
saw at once from their countenances that they had important
news to tell me. The bear had escaped, but whilst pursuing
him they had plumped into the middle of a Tibetan camp.
As they did so a man armed with a gun ran and hid himself
behind a hill, leaving a score of 3/aks and some horses grazing
in the vicinity. The Lama was quite alarmed, now that
he was face to face with the unavoidable reality ; for so
long as we did not come across traces of human beings, he
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