ch. xiii. j Rough Riding. 251 



banks of the Tawaran river, a few miles further to the 

 south. Passing the last group of Bacljow houses we 

 came to the river again and found it running rather high, 

 the water being much discoloured by the earthy matter 

 washed down from the hills during rains. This was the 

 beginning of difficulties, for we had to unload the buffa- 

 loes in order to prevent our rice from being wetted, and 

 then we rode them across, while the men carried the 

 packages on their heads, and held on by the saddle -gear 

 or tails of the animals. After piloting across one detach- 

 ment in this way we returned for the others, and so 

 managed to get all the men over safety, and keep the 

 goods dry. Our road got worse and worse, now through 

 tall coarse grasses which, arching overhead, nearly ex- 

 cluded daylight, then through bits of forest where one's 

 face was in danger from overhanging boughs and creepers, 

 crossing dirty streamlets, and clambering over roots and 

 stones, while in places the path suddenly dropped down- 

 wards into a sort of slimy trough or drain, the sides of 

 which were as high as the saddle, and down which one's 

 buffalo slided rather than walked. Of course we were 

 drenched to the skin, and our clothes, which were nice 

 and white at starting, were covered with mud, but there 

 was nothing for it but to keep on, which we did until 

 nightfall, when, finding it impossible to reach the village 

 of Ghinambaur, we "put up " at some field huts, and in 

 the absence of mosquitoes, passed a comfortable night on 

 the floor of one of the huts warmed by a cheerful wood 

 fire. 



August 7th. — Arose at 5 a.m. and took breakfast. We 

 had simmered a piece of beef in a pot over the fire all 

 night with onions, two or three chilies, a bit of fresh 

 ginger, and just a handful of rice for thickening, and the 

 result was a very palatable soup ; boiled beef and biscuit 



