chap, x THE TRIDENT 143 



About two A.M. (July 9), we shouldered heavy packs and 

 entered the water with Bergen well laden. The passage was 

 safely accomplished, the only misfortune being that on the 

 far side the pony got rather badly bogged. A good site was 

 found for the new camp (97 feet), and I remained to pitch it, 

 whilst Garwood led back Bergen for another load. My 

 work concluded, and the others not arriving, I went back 

 to see the cause of their delay, and was exactly in time for 

 the show. Trevor-Battye and Garwood were leading the 

 ponies down the opposite bank, Spits with two evenly- 

 balanced packs, Bergen (who before crossed so calmly) with 

 a miscellaneous assortment of goods elaborately attached. 

 All went well about half-way ; then Bergen took fright and 

 began bolting and bucking. He dragged himself loose from 

 Garwood, and began pirouetting around, with his hind-legs 

 or all his legs in the air, making bolts hither and thither, 

 pausing for another series of bucks, and bolting again. At 

 last his load flew in all directions, the whole of it fortunately 

 landing on an island, where my despatch box burst open. 

 Diaries, note-books, envelopes, ink-pots, aneroids, thermo- 

 meters, boxes of photograph-films, and what not strewed 

 the foul ground. By a miracle no important thing was lost. 

 Freed from its load, the pony made off up stream through 

 deep water, and landed at the mouth of Waterfall Gorge, 

 whilst Spitz stood neighing, and the others split their sides 

 with hysterical laughter. It was a comic scene, not unmixed 

 with a tragic element, for it meant much tedious work to be 

 done. I hurried after the truant, who fortunately became 

 bogged and was easily overtaken and brought back, but all 

 attempts to reload him only brought on convulsions again, and 

 we had to do his work. The scattered things were gathered 

 together. The contents of the despatch box were laboriously 

 recovered. The case itself, an old cartridge-box, still grimy 

 with Himalayan and other mountain dust, rubbed into its 



