braced by the eye is gradually lessened, till at last, when
we arrive at the base of the mountains, a single valley
with its bounding ranges of low hills is alone visible,
the giant masses, so conspicuous from a greater distance,
being no longer to be seen.
The low sandy or sandstone hills, which form the
outskirts of the Himalaya, are not, on the road from
Firozpur to Simla, anywhere of greater elevation than
a few hundred feet. A few miles beyond the entrance,
the valley, which has a considerable slope, widens as it
approaches the more lofty mountains, and the sandstone
cliffs are replaced by rounded hills, probably of
a more ancient rock, covered with soil and vegetation.
At the very base of the steep mountains is situated the
village of Kalka, at which, as it is the termination of palan-
kin travelling, travellers in general stop, to arrange for
the continuance of their journey. Situated close to the
source of the little stream which I had been following
since I had entered the hilly country, and surrounded
on all sides by low hills, Kalka has an elevation of perhaps
2000 feet above the level of the sea, or 1000 feet
above the plain on the outside of the sandstone hills.
The general aspect of the low hills around Kalka is
barren and uninviting; it was especially so at the season
of my visit, when the great heat had scorched the
herbaceous vegetation, and all nature had a burnt-up
appearance. The subtropical valleys are not here, as
farther to the east along the base of the mountains,
filled with dense forest. They are in general bare, a few
scattered trees only appearing here and there. In the
level part of the valley, at the very entrance, where the
soil was still of some depth, Acacia Arabica and Butea
frondosa, the most prevailing trees of the plains beyond,
were frequent; but the stony water-courses contained
little but a bamboo, and the hill-sides were covered with
scattered bushes of the more ordinary shrubs of the
plains of Northern India, and presented few features of
interest.
Immediately on leaving Kalka, a long and steep ascent
commenced, continuing for about ten miles, to the military
post of Kussowlee, which occupies the crest of the
ridge overlooking the Kalka valley, and can be seen
throughout the greater part of the ascent, overhanging
the winding road, which has been constructed along the
side of the mountain. The elevation of Kussowlee is
about 6500 feet, an altitude at which the climate in the
Himalaya is perfectly temperate, so that during the
ascent a traveller from the plains of India meets with a
complete change of climate, a change, too, which in the
month of May, the period of my visit, is particularly
grateful, the heat below being most oppressive and disagreeable.
As the elevation increases, the view from the road
becomes more extensive. The low ranges of hills to the
south and west, which had obstructed the view, are by
degrees overtopped, and the plains beyond become visible.
Soon after leaving Kalka the road crosses a low ridge,
and enters a receding bay, or steeply sloping valley beyond,
at the upper extremity of which, all along the
crest, are seen the houses of Kussowlee. Winding round
this valley, and continuing to rise, the stream in its
centre is crossed about midway, and the ascent continues