MY ROCKY HOME 77 



up, and we moved down to the bottom of tlie next valley 

 and camped under a rock. The rain and snow continued 

 till dark, but I was snugly placed under a huge rock that 

 kept the rain and snow off my bedding ; after a time the 

 water did begin to trickle and drip. We remedied this 

 by an elaborate arrangement of waterproof sheet, which 

 carried off the rain and dropped it just beyond my bedding. 

 This device having been completed with much care and 

 pains, the rain and snow naturally ceased. 



The morning; brought rain and snow aoain, so I sent 

 coolies down for more food and the small khaki tent, as I 

 intended remaining where I was for several days. 



For want of anything better to do, I examined my 

 journal, and discovered I was two days behind time, 

 making the 3rd June the 1st ; a mistake that might have 

 consequences when on privilege leave. When the snow or 

 rain ceased, it became foggy, which was just as bad. The 

 coolies brought up the tent in the evening, but we could 

 find no ground level enough to pitch it, though an eight 

 feet square would suffice. I was obliged, therefore, to 

 spread it on the rock, and to secure it with a couple of 

 ropes tied to a pine close by. This afforded more dry 

 space, but no extra room, as the slope was very abrupt. 

 I made a roaring fire of birch logs under the pine, a few 

 feet from my rock, and toasted myself. I had to stand 

 (there was no sitting room), and, as the wind never blew 

 from one point for more than two minutes together, I was 

 constantly moving to escape the smoke from the wet birch 

 logs, which was most pungent and trying to the eyes. 

 My revolutions round the fire soon became tiresome, and 

 I was driven to the rock again. In this manner I passed 

 the day. My companions were much worse off: Sharafa 

 stowed himself away between two large rocks, roofed in 

 with sheets of birch bark ; Ghariba and Mirza Khtin were 



