Here We Found The Apricot Trees,
Which Were Teeming With Fruit When We Passed, Completely Stripped
And Bare, And It Was With Difficulty We Got A Few From The Houses
For Preserving Purposes.
AUGUST 23.
- Made an early start, and arrived at Suspul after a
pleasant march, a cool breeze from the mountains fanning our faces
the entire way. Here we pitched upon a cool and shady camping-ground,
close to a rushing torrent, where we were soon immersed in ice-cold
water. While making a short cut back to breakfast up a precipitous
face of concrete stone, I very nearly finished my wanderings in Thibet
with an unpleasantly abrupt full stop. I had nearly reached the top,
which was higher than I had imagined, when the treacherous lumps
of stone to which I was clinging, came away in my hands, and, with
a tremendous crash, down I came in a perfect storm of dirt, dust,
and stones, very much to the fright and astonishment of F. and the
mate, who were quietly finishing their toilet below. A broken bone
in such a place as Egnemo would have been a serious misfortune, and
it was therefore a matter of considerable satisfaction to find that,
although half-stunned and doing but little credit in appearance to
my recent washing, I had escaped with no worse injuries than torn
hands and what the doctors would call abrasions of the side and elbow.
AUGUST 24. - Marched as usual, and reached Nurila about noon. From
the hilliness of the road and the laziness of the coolies combined,
they did not arrive until two P.M., so that we breakfasted at three
o'clock. To occupy the time, however, we took advantage of the
products of the country, and set to work upon a quantity of apples,
and having both thirst and hunger to assuage, I think we got through
about sixteen each before the kitchen appeared. While bathing we were
suddenly caught in a pouring shower of rain, which obliged us to snatch
up our only garments and beat a hasty and not to say dignified retreat
into a little den of a water-mill, where we crouched until it was
over. After the rain had stopped, a curious fall of stones and rocks
took place down the precipitous face of mountain which bounded the
opposite side of the Indus to our camp. The noise and the commotion
the stones made in their descent, reminded one exactly of volleys of
grape, and to any traveller unfortunate enough to get in their way,
the results would probably have been quite as disastrous.
Our larder having been low of late, we effected the purchase of a
sheep here, for which we paid two shillings.
AUGUST 25. - Left for Lamieroo. The khitmutgar, having reported
himself sick to-day, we mounted him on a pony, the efficiency of that
branch of the service being of vital importance to the future prospects
of the expedition. Having discovered, by yesterday's experience, that
nature abhors a vacuum, and no apples being forthcoming at Lamieroo,
we halted for breakfast at the village of Kulchee.
Here I tried hard to purchase a curiously contrived praying-wheel
from an old Lama, but without success. My old acquaintance, the gopa,
however, brought me one for sale, but it was in such a dilapidated
state, and so highly valued as church property, that I let him keep
his shaky religious curiosity at his own price. Leaving Kulchee,
we crossed the Indus at a mud fort, and bid the roaring, dirty river
a final good-bye. Near this the bhistie and khitmutgar, journeying
together, lost the path, and found themselves well on the road to
Iscardo before discovering their mistake. The road to-day, like
all our return journeys, appeared twice the length it did on first
acquaintance. The hills, too, were very severe on the coolies, and
it was fortunate we halted for breakfast on the road.
At Lamieroo, we found a great change in the temperature; a strong cold
breeze blowing, and a general winteriness prevailing, which affected
our retainers considerably more than it did ourselves. The Q.M.G. in
particular, not having entirely recovered his health, and being low in
the article of tobacco, still believed himself to be dying, and was
most unusually low-spirited and down in the mouth. As it threatened
rain, we pitched our camp close to an old serai, in order to allow
our servants to ensconce themselves under a roof, and to derive the
full benefit of their wood fire, which they lost no time in kindling.
AUGUST 26. - Exactly a mouth to-day since leaving Sirinugger. The
live stock begin to show signs of time on their constitutions;
the four surviving ducks wandering about, with a melancholy sort of
consciousness that the mysterious fate that has overtaken their late
companions is also hanging over themselves, and appearing entirely
changed in consequence from the joyous birds they used to be on first
starting for their Thibetian travels. To-day being Sunday, we all
enjoyed a rest; and the feeling on waking at dawn, and remembering that
we were not to be rudely turned out of bed, was quite a delightful
and novel sensation. The wind, too, was unusually chill, and as it
made nothing of the trifling obstacle presented by the walls of our
tent, we were some time before we finally emerged from among the
bed-clothes. The people here we found employed in PULLING their corn
crops, and stacking them upon the roofs of their houses. At Suspul,
although much hotter than here, they had hardly begun to take in
their crops, and at Ladak, the harvest was untouched when we left.
In the afternoon, while rambling about the crow's nests of
Lamieroo, I discovered by chance a very curious temple in course of
construction, and a number of Lamas and Zemindars superintending the
proceedings. The principal decorative work was being carried on by a
Chinese-looking, pig-tailed artist, evidently not a local celebrity,
who was embellishing the walls most profusely with scenes, portrayed
in the purest style of pre-Raphaelite colouring.
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