eans ceased because of my
illness. Mr. Heller continued to collect small mammals with great energy
and the day after we arrived at the temple we engaged eight new native
hunters. These were Lolos, a wandering unit from the independent tribe of
S'suchuan and they proved to be excellent men.

The first serow was killed by Hotenfa's party on our third day in the
temple. Heller went out with the hunters but in a few hours returned alone.
A short time after he had left the natives the dogs took up the trail of a
huge serow and followed it for three miles through the spruce forest. They
finally brought the animal to bay against a cliff and a furious fight
ensued. One dog was ripped wide open, another received a horn-thrust in the
side, and the big red leader was thrown over a cliff to the rocks below.
More of the hounds undoubtedly would have been killed had not the hunters
arrived and shot the animal.

The men brought the serow in late at night but our joy was considerably
dampened by the loss of the red dog. Hotenfa carried him in his arms and
laid him gently on a blanket in the temple but the splendid animal died
during the night. His master cried like a child and I am sure that he felt
more real sorrow than he would have shown at the loss of his wife; for
wives are much easier to get in China than good hunting dogs.

The serow was an adult male, badly scarred from fighting, and had lost one
horn by falling over a cliff when he was killed. He was brownish black,
with rusty red lower legs and a whitish mane. His right horn was nine and
three-quarters inches in length and five and three-quarters inches in
circumference at the base and the effectiveness with which he had used his
horns against the dogs demonstrated that they were by no means only for
ornaments. In the next chapter the habits and relationships of the gorals
and serows will be considered more fully.

On the morning following the capture of the first serow the last rain of
the season began and continued for nine days almost without ceasing. The
weather made hunting practically impossible for the fog hung so thickly
over the woods that one could not see a hundred feet and Heller found that
many of his small traps were sprung by the raindrops. The Lolos had
disappeared, and we believed that they had returned to their village, but
they had been hunting in spite of the weather and on the fifth day arrived
with a fine male serow in perfect condition. It showed a mo