CHAPTER IX - A LOOP-CAST TOWARDS THE NORTHERN ALPS—continued

Summary

June 5.—Some Si-Fan ponies were brought down for me to see, and to purchase if I would. After the animals I had been riding they look enormous, and I estimated the height of the first I saw at thirteen and a half hands. He was a nice, strong-looking, grey pony, but without much breeding; and he was priced at thirty taels. The second was considerably larger, also a grey, but not so good-looking, although they asked fifty taels for him. I measured this one, and found he was only thirteen hands one and a half inches, which showed how my judgment had been misguided by the very small ponies I had been accustomed to.

I was informed that, at a place two days' journey to the west, there were great numbers of red deer; and I was promised excellent sport if I felt inclined to make an expedition. Wild sheep and goats were said to live amongst the crags and rocks in the neighbourhood of Hsüeh-Shan; and the people told me that on the road to Lung-An-Fu I should see plenty of hares, musk deer, and pheasants; a prophecy that was completely belied; for although there were a great many pheasants for the first few days, I never saw a hare, a musk deer, or any other game. There must, however, be a considerable number of the musk deer amongst the mountains; for the price of musk at Sung-P'an-T'ing was only three times its weight in silver.