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we'll be here by sunset! At this time it was one o'clock in the day, and the first four miles were up a hill that appeared in the distance to be almost inaccessible to anything but the ibex itself, yet the hardy little mountaineer was true to his word, and returned before sunset with his friend the hunter. He was a black-faced, short, squarebuilt fellow, with scarcely any perceptible eyes, so shaded were they by his bushy projecting eyebrows, and high cheek bones. He was well clad in woollen clothes, and round his waist was fastened a brass chain, from which was suspended a steel, a powder flask, and a long sharp knife. He was a hardy looking fellow, and from his frank and easy manner evidently one who could boldly look danger in the face, and who knew how to meet it like a man. He was as keen and anxious for a brush with the ibex, as I was to obtain one, so that powder and balls being furnished, he declared his readiness to start by break of day. As to my attempting to go with him, he laughed outright at the idea, and said at once, unless I staid where I was, he would not go, for I should infallibly break my neck, and spoil his sport into the bargain.

The chase of these animals is one often attended with great danger, from the inaccessible nature of the cliffs among which they love to roam, and there are few who are hardy enough to follow it. Often the hunter is obliged to crawl on his hands and knees along some ledge of rock projecting over a glen or chasm of several thousand feet in depth, and from such a spot laying on his belly, snake-like, he draws himself along, takes aim, and fires on the unsuspecting herd. If the shot be successful, it is still a matter of much difficulty and danger to procure the quarry, from the steepness of the rocks among which it lies, and too often the last struggle of departing life causes it, when almost within the hunter's grasp, to slip off the ledge, and fall headlong with thundering crash down into the yawning gulph, a prey to the vulture and the crow. These animals are sought for chiefly for their skins, which are either sold or made into shoes, &c. and the horns are presented as an acceptable offering to the deity, and nailed upon the walls of the temples.

Matters being soon arranged, my sturdy friend departed to the hunting ground, accompanied by a shikarree whom I had brought with me from Kotgurh, promising to do his best, but saying that most likely he would get nothing, as the summer season coming on, caused the animals to retire to the last ridges of the mountains, where no man could follow them.

About sunset on the following day, my own shikarree returned

with a long and rueful countenance, and announced the unsuccessful termination of the day's sport. They had found a small herd, chiefly of females, and had each a shot, but with no other effect than that of scaring away the game, and nearly throwing the Leepee hunter over the cliff, for the English powder I had given him caused his matchlock to recoil so violently, that both were nearly taking flight to the depths below. On inquiring for my flat-faced friend, it appeared that he was ashamed to face me again empty handed, and therefore had stopped on the hill-side for the night, at a shepherd's hut, from whence in the morning he could easily repair to his sowing in the heights. I sent him next day a large clasp knife, with a message to be ready for me on my return, when I would give him a chance of retrieving his character as a shot. His son, who undertook to deliver the knife, seemed highly delighted with the present, and declared that I should have a specimen of the sikeen on my return, but alas, as will be seen hereafter, these promises were fated to be broken.

On the 6th of June I resumed my journey, somewhat recruited by the day's rest I had enjoyed, and proceeded by a steep ghat to Labrung and Khanum. Descending to these places from the summit of the pass, the road lay through a scattered forest of Neoza and Kayloo pines, intermingled here and there with the cedar of Kunawur, the first specimen of which we saw at Leepee. It appears to be a species of juniper, and sometimes attains a goodly size, though generally it is dwarfish, and crooked in the extreme. The names by which it is known in Kunawur and Hungrung are Lewr," and "Shoor;" its wood is esteemed as incense, and offered by the Lamas to their gods. Small quantities of it are also burned to charcoal and used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The planks obtained from it are used in the construction of temples, and they are sometimes also in demand at Simla, to make boxes with. Scattered over the more open parts, were beds of juniper and tilloo (also a species of cedar used as incense) and the yellow flowering furze already seen near Chini.

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After an easy march we encamped at Labrung, a small and filthy looking place, built on the edge of a shelving hill. The town of Khanum is of goodly size, and stands opposite to Labrung, the two places being merely separated by a narrow glen. In this town many Lamas reside, but at the time of my arrival the principal of them had gone to Simla in the train of the Rajah, or in other words, "the chief had put his tail on," and their presence was required to form part of it.

The season here appeared to be far behind those of the lower parts of the district, the barley being yet green and far from ripe, while

below it had long been reaped and housed. Khanum is said to produce the best sooklat, or woollen cloth, of any town in Kunawur; it is made chiefly of the byangee wool, or fleece of the Choomontee sheep, in Chinese Tartary.

From Labrung there are two roads to Soongnum, the next stage, one lying along the base of the hills, which is very bad, and merely a bye path; the other crossing the Koonung pass, which although quite practicable, was represented as being still deeply buried in snow. My people however declined attempting the heights, and preferred taking the lower road, so I started alone with the Churriah and a guide across the mountain path.

The ascent is long and steep, as may be gathered from its crest being 5,212 feet higher than our last encampment; it is however far from difficult, and the road is excellent, but unfortunately at this season we saw nothing of it above 13,000 feet, as it lay buried in the snows, which were spread in a broad white sheet over the whole range. Following the traces of a flock of sheep which some days previously had crossed the pass, we managed to do well enough without the road. From Labrung we first ascended through a forest of Kayloo and Neoza pines, beneath which were spread vast beds of junipers and furze, with here and there a few fine currant and gooseberry bushes loaded with small green fruit, but as yet far from ripe. Farther up, these beds of junipers increased, and were intermingled with another species growing more like a bush, and the same as is known at Leepee by the name of Tilloo.

Gradually as we mounted up the hill, the pines decreased in numbers and in size, dwindling at length to dwarfish shrubs and ceasing altogether at about 12,500 feet of elevation. Here first began the snow, lying in large fields or patches, and uniting at about 13,000 feet into one broad unbroken sheet, from whence to the summit of the pass, or 1,500 feet more, it continued so. The depth generally was not great, though in some places up to the middle or even higher; where it had drifted or had been hurled down in avalanches from above, of course the depth far exceeded the stature of a man.

The only danger in crossing these fields of snow at this season, when the thaws commence, is for loaded people, for if they fall in deep or broken snow, they run a risk of either being smothered beneath the weight of their burdens, or of losing the things they carry. The fatigue however, even to us without any loads at all, was great and distressing, owing to the steepness of the latter part of the way, for the path which winds gradually to the crest being lost to sight, we were

obliged to steer for the top of the pass by a direct line upwards, and the uncertain footing we obtained in the snow, which constantly gave way beneath our feet, caused us to slide backwards down the hill for many yards before we could stop ourselves again. The sheep track too, which had hitherto been our guide, at last failed us, and we journeyed on by guess; we had however the whole day before us, and a bright unclouded sky, so it signified little how long we took in ascending.

About 800 feet from the crest of the pass, I observed in the snow the prints of feet, which at first I thought were those of a man, but the deep holes made by long claws at last arresting my attention, I found on a closer inspection that they were the traces of a bear. Well knowing that in dangerous places the instinct of a brute will often lead him safely through difficulties where man with all his knowledge would fail, I hailed these traces as an assurance of our safety, and at once unhesitatingly committed myself to bruin's guidance; nor was I wrong, for following his footsteps, they gradually led me beyond the snow, and were lost.

The crest of the ridge was uncovered for about 50 feet on the southern slope, and here we again found the road, which was visible just long enough to assure us that we were in the right direction for Soongnum, and then again disappeared beneath the snows on the northern side. I have often been told by shikarrees that there are two species of bears in the hills, a black one which feeds on fruits and grain, and which is the common Thibet species, (Ursus Thibetanus) and another of a reddish sandy colour, which is only seen on the confines of the snow; this species is said to feed on flesh. It is curious that the traces of the bear on Koonung pass should have been exactly on the line of direction taken by the flock, whose dung being scattered occasionally on the snow shewed that they too had gone the way that we afterwards by bruin's direction followed. It would seem at least to give some colour to the assurance that this bear lives upon flesh, for from the foot of the pass on either side, that is, from 12,500 feet to its crest, which is 14,508 feet above the sea, there was not a blade of grass perceptible, and only here and there, where the snows melted or slipped away, were a few plants of a species of "Potentilla" beginning to show themselves. If then this bear lived upon vegetables, he had nothing here but the junipers and furze. It could scarcely be possible that he had scented the grain with which the sheep were laden. The Churriah who accompanied me from Rampore, and who lives near Nachar and Tranda in Kunawur, declared that the two bears were of the same species, and that both lived on flesh as well as vegetables,

often attacking the flocks and even cows during the severity of winter, and that he himself possessing flocks, knew it to his cost. In this case it is most probable that the animal had left the forest below the pass and traced the sheep by the scent they had left on the snow.

On gaining the summit of the pass, the thermometer only indicated a temperature of 45° at 10 A. M., and a cold keen wind was blowing from the southward. From this elevated spot we looked back over the snow-clad mountains, beneath whose summits or along whose sides we had for several days been travelling.

Viewed from this height they appeared to be nearly on a level with ourselves, and wearing a look of cold and dreary solitude, which gave a sternness to the scene not altogether pleasing to behold, as one could not help experiencing a feeling of loneliness and melancholy at the thought of losing the way, or being benighted on their hoary summits. Rising conspicuously above the rest were seen the mighty Kuldun peaks, presenting in the glare of noon a dazzling whiteness that pained the eye to view; beneath this group we had encamped at Chini.

"Far as the eye could reach, or thought could roam," all was one broad unvarying waste of snowy peaks, unbroken by a single shrub or tree, except in the depths of the darkly wooded glen, which stretched along the bottom of the pass where we were standing. Not a sound nor a rustle even caught the ear, save the rushing of the keen wind that was drifting the snow in wreath or spray before it; not a living thing was seen to stir amidst this wild and majestic scenery. All was so calm and still that it chilled one to behold it, and but for the ragged and shattered peaks around, which told of the fearful warring of the elements upon their crests, the traveller might almost suppose that the elevation had carried him beyond the strife of storms, to which this lower world is subject. It is amidst scenes like these, where words cannot be found adequately to describe the grandeur and magnificence that every where delight the eye, that man is lead involuntarily to acknowledge his own comparative weakness and insignificance, and as he views the stern cold majesty of the wintry and never fading waste of snows by which he is surrounded, spite of himself his thoughts revert to Him, the impress of whose mighty hand pervades the scene, and by whose merciful care alone, he is guided safe through countless and undreamed of dangers.

From the crest of this pass, looking north-easterly, we beheld far below us, at the depth of 5,000 feet, the town of Soongnum, to attain to which we had still before us a tolerable day's journey. On making

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