antities of gazelles had streamed across the border； creating excitement among leaders of the various Mongolian banners。 Purchasing stations made space in their storerooms for the carcasses。 Officials； hunters； and herdsmen were like fishermen who had been told the fish were schooling。 Nearly all the hunters and herders had saddled up the fastest horses and were heading out with hunting dogs and rifles to kill as many gazelles as possible。 That did not include Chen Zhen； who had his hands full with his sheep and； of course； had no rifle and no ammunition。 Besides； a shepherd was given only four horses； while the horse herders had seven or eight； and as many as a dozen for their exclusive use。 So the students could only look on enviously as the hunters went out。
A couple of nights before； Chen had visited the yurt of the hunter Lamjav。 The gazelles had only been in the region for a few days； yet he had already bagged eleven； once bringing down two with a single shot。 For a few days of hunting he had earned nearly as much as a horse herder made in three months。 Proudly he told Chen that he’d already taken in enough to supply himself with liquor and cigarettes for a year。 After a few more days out on the grassland； he planned to buy a Red Lantern transistor radio； leaving the new one at home and taking the old one to the herders’ mobile yurt。 That night； for the first time in his life； Chen had a true taste of the wild grassland。 There is no fat on gazelles； and the leanness of their meat； which tastes like venison； can be attributed to their perennial battle with wolves。
Once the gazelles had migrated onto the Olonbulag； the Beijing students were demoted to second…class citizens。 In their two years on the grassland； they had learned to tend cows and sheep by