Mountain Journeys 133 



and although something must also be attributed to laziness, their 

 general appearance indicated something more. When they stopped, 

 they threw their burdens on the ground, and lay down sick; generally 

 they went to sleep immediately, and very few thought of eating first; 

 they told us that the next day's stage would be still harder. (P. 440.) 



In fact, the next day, the sufferings increased: 



It was exceedingly cold .... Many of the Mewatees and Goorkhas 

 were almost unable to go on, each one complaining of the bis, or 

 poisoned wind. I thought then that this supposed poison was nothing 

 but the effect of the rarefaction of the air due to our great altitude, 

 which makes it insufficient for our breathing; it cannot distend our 

 lungs; I have been brought to this belief by my own sensations. I 

 was obliged to make tremendous efforts to continue, and could hardly 

 find strength enough to walk. I experienced great respiratory oppres- 

 sion, as if I lacked air. We certainly could not have endured that 

 very long .... 



At last we reached the summit of Bumsooroo-ke-Ghat, where 

 there was nothing but moss and lichens .... As soon as one of 

 those who complained of oppression lay down, he went to sleep, but 

 it did not seem wise to let him do so. Eating a few mouthfuls helped 

 a little, but nothing did much good, and no one was free from this 

 general weakness. This was the highest point of our journey. (P. 442.) 



From there we had to execute a series of ascents and descents . . . 

 along a path which was very difficult and painful on account of the 

 snow and rolling stones; we were cruelly tormented by difficulty in 

 breathing, until we reached Chaiah-ke-Kanta. (P. 444.) 



They were not at the end of their sufferings. The next day, 

 they had to make new ascents: 



We were troubled by the difficulty of the terrain, the poor 

 condition of the road, and above all, by the artificial fatigue due to 

 the oppression which we all felt most severely. (P. 449.) 



When we reached the high gorge of Bamsooroo, no one escaped 

 the baneful influence. It was strange to see those who had laughed 

 at their companions give themselves up, some to fatigue, others to 

 sickness, in spite of their efforts to hide it from the others. I think 

 that I escaped longer than anyone else; and yet, after passing this 

 gorge, a few steps upward seemed to me an impossible labor, and even 

 while I was passing over level places, my knees trembled under me, 

 and I experienced stomachic nausea. The symptoms produced are 

 quite varied; some persons suffer from violent headaches; others have 

 pain in the chest, with oppression; others have nausea and vomiting; 

 many are overwhelmed with drowsiness and fall asleep even while 

 they are walking. 



But what proved that all of this was the effect of our great altitude 

 is that when we descended and reached the region of vegetation, all 

 these violent symptoms, all these sufferings diminished and disap- 

 peared. (P. 459.) 



