^lARCH UP DAMOT VALLEY 51 



lip ; the men ran away across the border, which is, here, 

 only a few miles off, and settled in villages beyond the 

 influence of this tyranny. The Wazi'r complained bitterly 

 of the difficulty of his position. On the one hand, he had 

 to satisfy the constant demands for carriage ; on the other, 

 he had to see to the cultivation of the fields by means of 

 the men he had to send away as porters. The system of 

 compulsory labour is very oppressive in every part of 

 Kashmir, and it is greatly aggravated by the numbers of 

 English travellers who wander about this country for eight 

 months of the year. Kozi Kh;in of Astor was also very 

 bitter on this subject. Every head-man I met and spoke 

 to brought it forward at once as the grievance of the 

 people, and I myself have been witness more than once of 

 the hardships they endured through it : for instance, the 

 coolie difficulty at Marmai. 



The Damot valley is easy going along the streams for 

 some distance. I passed the family mansion of the Wazir 

 in a shady grove of fruit-trees, surrounded by a stone wall, 

 water sparkling and murmuring in every direction — a 

 pleasant spot. Mulberry trees and cultivation were 

 scattered along the waterside all the way, flocks of goats 

 were feeding about, wild rose trees were in full bloom, 

 and a gentle breeze blowing in my face brought the fresh 

 scent of the flowers. The morning was cloudy and cool, 

 and I enjoyed the walk immensely. The valley is narrow ; 

 steep, rocky hills on either side, without a trace of 

 vegetation on them ; the green bits along the water's edge 

 are real gems in a very rough setting. Our camping 

 place was about four miles from the village, and on 

 reaching it I sent back three coolies, reducing the party 

 to six — Sharafa, Ghariba, Mirza Khan (local shikari), 

 breakfast coolie Jamala, and two others. I left the tent 

 and heavy baggage behind, also the khidmatg;ir. All my 



