Let two men watch below with the guns lest the Sahibs do more foolishness . I shall not leave this Holy One . ' They sat down a little apart from the lama , and , after listening awhile , passed round a water-pipe whose receiver was an old Day and Martin blacking-bottle . The glow of the red charcoal as it went from hand to hand lit up the narrow , blinking eyes , the high Chinese cheek-bones , and the bull-throats that melted away into the dark duffle folds round the shoulders . They looked like kobolds from some magic mine -- gnomes of the hills in conclave . And while they talked , the voices of the snow-waters round them diminished one by one as the night-frost choked and clogged the runnels . ` How he stood up against us ! ' said a Spiti man admiring . ' I remember an old ibex , out Ladakh-way , that Dupont Sahib missed on a shoulder-shot , seven seasons back , standing up just like him . Dupont Sahib was a good shikarri . ' ` Not as good as Yankling Sahib . ' The Ao-chung man took a pull at the whisky-bottle and passed it over . ` Now hear me -- unless any other man thinks he knows more . ' The challenge was not taken up . ` We go to Shamlegh when the moon rises . There we will fairly divide the baggage between us . I am content with this new little rifle and all its cartridges . ' ` Are the bears only bad on thy holding ? said a mate , sucking at the pipe . ` No ; but musk-pods are worth six rupees apiece now , and thy women can have the canvas of the tents and some of the cooking-gear .
We will do all that at XXXXX before dawn .
Ladakh-way Sahibs Shamlegh cheek-bones choked duffle kobolds musk-pods snow-waters water-pipe