The Mystery of the Kailash Trail - Chapter 10 - Part 2

Book 2: Chapter 10: Part 2:  Dawa and the lone white wild yak in the grasslands

Dawa continued to sit inside the bamboo clump. He kept watching the enormous lone white wild male yak in the forest around the grassland on the plateau. The lone white male yak seemed to be very alert. He was not moving about or foraging. He kept watching the forests around the grasslands. Old man Dawa could watch the entire grassland on the plateau. There was nowhere else to go, he thought. The mountain walls boxed in the grasslands. The plateau was within the shadows of the tall mountains.

He looked around the entire plateau. There was only one path onto this box plateau. The trail that he had walked up on seemed to be the only path. One could not get out of this plateau unless one returned by the same path. That is, old man Dawa told himself, if there were other secret paths that he could not see now. There could be hidden paths beyond the forests around the grassland. He looked down at his right palm and smiled. He had been scratching it silently, all this while, since having become sensitive to the presence of the lone white wild yak.

He had not seen any other animal since he had arrived at the plateau. The grassland looked totally ungrazed, and peaceful. And yet, the lone white wild yak stood within the forests, sheltered, safe and alert. At times, old man Dawa felt that the yak was watching him, and that he had been spotted. The yak was looking all around the grassland, and seemed to be waiting. He stood quietly, and looked very patient. Dawa had never seen such a yak in all his lifetime. He had seen yaks in the valleys of the Kang Renpoche and he had seen yaks being brought along with pilgrims from other regions of Tibet. But, this one was different.

Dawa did not dare to move out of the bamboo clump that he had hid himself in. It seemed to be the wisest action, for there were no places to hide in this plateau. He kept watching the lone white wild yak and began to compare its size with reference to the vegetation. Those bushes in front of the yak seemed to be at least 3 feet in height, and the bamboo clump nearby could be about 8 feet in height. That would make this white wild yak to be about 5 feet at its snout, and nearly 6 feet at its hump. He could not remember having seen any other wild yak to be of the same height.

It was not the height, thought Dawa. It was the sheer size. Though the lone white wild yak seemed to be 6 feet tall at its hump, it was the bulk that made it seem to be much taller. It looked like it could easily have been 8 feet tall. As he kept wondering about the yak, Dawa relaxed, and settled in. He would have to wait it out within the bamboo clump. He had done this on many occasions when he had gone out hunting in the mountains around the Kang Renpoche. He had got Chiru and mountain goats by simple patience. Sometimes, he would place his traps for partridges, hare and pheasants, but would always use his bow and arrow for the antelope and goats.

He had no weapons with him in the Beyul, and he knew that he would accept death if it came to that, in an attack by the lone white wild yak. Was this yak dangerous? He wondered. It would be sensible not to provoke this one. He had some food that he had packed with him, from the dinner of the previous night. He could wait it out if the yak was going to play this game. It was fine by him. Once, he remembered, he had waited it out in a cave, blocking the entrance with stones and rocks, to prevent a snow leopard from attacking him. He had stayed within the cave for about five days before a snow storm had driven the leopard away.

Could the lone white wild yak be alerted because of the presence of a snow leopard nearby? What could it be frightened of? Old man Dawa had seen many a cornered wild animal behave similarly, but there was something else in this posture that did not make it look to be defensive. The yak seemed to be quite at peace. Could there be an animal to challenge this huge yak?

Suddenly, there seemed to be movement. The lone white wild yak began to walk towards a darker patch of the forest around the grassland. Dawa struggled to keep the yak in his sight. Though it was white in colour, it disappeared inside the darker forest patches. The shadow of the high mountain walls swallowed up the forests and very soon, Dawa could not figure out the presence of the yak. He kept hoping within himself that he had not got into a delusion and imagined it all.

Old man Dawa sat patiently inside the bamboo clump. He knew this game. He could play it out for both the yak and for himself. He guessed that the lone white wild yak had sensed his presence and had not entered the grassland to forage, and now had gone into the dark shadows within the forests. He must be watching out for him, as he was. He could wait it out as long as anybody else could. He was very happy when he was by himself, silent, watching the wilderness, its beauty and the lives of the animals as they went about with their lives.

The sunlight was playing with the mountain walls and the shadows were moving about in the valley. The forest patches were alternatively getting brighter and darker, and one needed to be alert about remembering whatever trail-marks that could be identified and recollected. At times, some parts of the grassland were covered by the shadows of the clouds while other parts were in direct sunlight. Dawa kept watching quietly and patiently. He could not sight the lone white wild yak or any other animal.

He wondered about the grassland and the height of the grass. It seemed to be very deceptive. As he watched, he could sense that the grass could be much taller and had fallen down by its own weight. There were parts of the grassland with bamboo shoots growing out, and he could only see the tender portions at the top. The grassland could be about 4-5 feet deep in most parts, he thought. That was dangerous. If there were animals in it, he would not be able to spot them in time. Forests were much safer, he thought and smiled. At least, he could see the danger approaching and could escape. How could anyone escape in the grassland?

Suddenly, old man Dawa became alert. He could sense some development. Something had happened. The valley had been silent, but now, he could feel that the valley had become quieter. How could it be possible? He thought. There was something that disturbed the entire valley. The clouds had covered the entire grassland, and it had become colder. He could not spot any sunlight escaping through the clouds to reach the plateau grassland or the forests. Something was wrong, and he could not place it exactly. He felt extremely disturbed and his palms were itching very badly. At one point, he wanted to get out of the bamboo hideout and run back down the trail.

He had entered through a small opening in the bamboo thicket. He turned around to get out of the bamboo clump that had been his hideout. As he turned, the sight in front of him made his blood run cold. An icy blanket-like feeling covered him entirely. He could not believe what he was seeing. The lone white wild yak was standing just outside his bamboo hideout, and was watching him quietly. It must have crossed over the grassland by walking through the forests and had come over to the thicket and had been standing nearby, all this while.

Old man Dawa was in a bad state of panic. He could feel his heart pounding very loudly. His legs and hands refused to move. He felt very thirsty, but he could not get his hands to sip from his bottle of water. He looked at the white wild yak and remembered the moments in the night from the Choku Gompa. Inside this forest area, and in the shadows, the white wild yak did not look white. It looked grayish and speckled. But, it was enormous, extremely enormous. It stood still and kept watching him. The tail did not move. The eyes were still, focused, and watching Dawa. The old man wondered about the situation. What could he do? Could he run? That was impossible. There was only one opening in the bamboo clump, and the white wild yak was standing right out there, in front of it.

He moved about in the bamboo clump. The white wild yak stood still. He did not seem to get angry. Encouraged and calmer, old man Dawa gathered up his food packet and water bottle and his walking stick and stood up. The yak kept watching him calmly. Perhaps, this one was friendly with humans, he thought, recollecting the twelve pilgrims who sat in the circle of stones at the Choku Gompa. He moved about within the bamboo thicket, watching the white wild yak all the time. It seemed quite calm, almost as if it was waiting for him to come out of the thicket. Speaking a silent prayer to the gods, and to the sacred Kang Renpoche, old man Dawa pushed and pulled himself out of the bamboo thicket. He came out and stood silently, barely 4-5 feet away from the enormous, extremely enormous, white wild yak, and waited for whatever was to happen.