“ Ho! ho! ” he laughed, for he was vastly entertained
by my dilemma, “ will the Sahib let me carry
her across, or will she mount my pony ? ” The pony,
I thought, had the steadiest gait, SO' on to his back I
climbed on top of the great bags of salt; it was an
uneasy perch, in spite of wedging in my feet under
the pack on eaoh side. But the pony was firm in spite
of the swift current and the slippery boulders, and in a
few minutes I was safely landed on the further side.
I had not the wherewithal to reward my Charon, my
pHrse being in charge of the headman, but a pice
(about equal to a farthing), found lurking in the corner
of my pocket, apparently was satisfying backsheesh.
I t would buy him a breakfast—two of the native barley-
meal rolls being sold for that sum—and with many good
wishes to the “ Huzur ” and more chuckles over the
adventure, the old man went on his way. Breakfast
under a giant walnut made a pleasant interval, and then
I pressed on quickly, for clouds were gathering, a cold
wind had sprung up, and occasional claps of thunder
warned that the storm was not far off. A few miles of
very rough walking on a track that switchbacked with
a violence that forced one’s knees into the condition of
a cab-horse’s of several seasons’ wear, and Revel was
reached, a tiny camping-ground at the mouth of the
nullah, with a good reputation for bear. The hills here
formed an angular shelter, for which I was very
thankful, for the tempest swept down the valley,
bringing with it a wild raffle of rain, and tent ropes
and poles were strained to their last capacity. The
river roared as it rolled along the burden of added
waters; wildly shrieked the wind, snatching and
tearing at our little canvases, houses, and earth, and
they were blurred and blotted out as if with a wall of
smoked glass. Inside my tent things were not so bad
as they might have been, for the flaps were firmly laced
up, a deep trench dug round to carry off the water, and,
curled up in all my warm wraps on my bed, I read
contentedly, merely wondering if the pole did give way
whether it would brain me, or if I should be painlessly
smothered in the sodden sides of my dwelling!
By dawn the skies were clean swept, and when I
was ready for my start at half-past six the sun was
shining on a rain-drenched world, clear of every dust
mark, decked by nature with her brightest hues,
stainless and joyful. I t was impossible to feel fatigue
on such a day; every living thing moved with fresh
energy, every leaf and flower was imbued with a new
beauty and brilliance. The path wound about the side
of the cliffs, carried over the stream from time to time
by the most insecure of light bridges, that had to be
used with infinite care for fear of sudden precipitation
into the wild torrent below, the yawning spaces being
more strongly marked than the connecting planks! I
passed many herds of goats, some of them consisting of
vast numbers. Their presence was too strongly marked
by their sickening smell to be altogether pleasant, but
they were handsome animals, many extraordinarily tall,
with curious Roman noses, wicked yellow eyes, and
shaggy grey beards. Their coats seemed marvellously
silky, and it was not difficult to understand the beauty
of the dresses manufactured from them when it was
seen how perfect was the raw material. Some of the
women in charge were of a very handsome, uncommon
type, with tall, well-knit figures, handsome straight
features, fair skins, and dark eyes. These Balti women