w is very coarse, and poor eating. For all that, the animal
is eagerly hunted by the natives of the Himalayas; partly because it is
not difficult to come up with, and partly that these poor people are not
very epicurean in their appetites.

CHAPTER FORTY.

OSSAROO CHASED BY WILD DOGS.

If Ossaroo hated any living creature more than another, the wild dogs,
as already hinted at, were his particular aversion. They had often
spoiled a stalk upon him, when he was in the act of bringing down an
axis or an antelope with his arrows, and they themselves were not worth
bending a bow upon. Their flesh was not fit to be eaten, and their
skins were quite unsaleable. In fact, Ossaroo regarded them as no
better than filthy vermin, to be destroyed only for the sake of
exterminating them.

Hence it was that the shikarree was so delighted, when he saw the old
serow dealing death among his canine antagonists.

But it was written in the book of fate, that Ossaroo should not sleep
that night until he had done penance for this exultation.

Another adventure was in store for him, which we shall now relate.

From the place where the yaks had been killed to the hut was a very long
distance--full three quarters of a mile; and, of course, transporting
the skins and meat thither required Karl and Ossaroo to make many
journeys backward and forward. Caspar was laid up with his sprained
ankle, and could give them no assistance. As we have said, they had to
carry _him_ home as well as the meat.

The work occupied them all the rest of the day, and, when twilight
arrived, there was still one joint to be got home. For this joint
Ossaroo started alone, leaving the others at the hut to cook the supper.

On cutting up the meat, they had taken the precaution to hang the pieces
upon high branches, out of the reach of beasts of prey. Experience had
taught them, that there were many of these in the place, ravenous enough
to devour a whole carcass in a few minutes. What kind of wild beast had
carried off the flesh of the cow-yak, they knew not. Karl and Caspar
believed they were wolves, for the wolf, in some form or other, is found
in every quarter of the globe; and in India there are two or three
distinct species--as the "landgah," or Nepaul wolf, (_Canis pallipes_),
and the "beriah," another Indian wolf, of a yellow colour, slenderly
made, and about the size of a greyhound, with long, erect ears, like the
jackal. The jackal, too, which