io8 BEAR SHOOTING 



came to the spur running down to the village of Mi'r 

 Malik, but there were no urin to be seen anywhere — it 

 was too early for them on this ground, and we ought to 

 have tried above Chhagam ; they had not yet come as far 

 as the valley. I came down to the village at noon, 

 collected all the coolies, getting a couple of extra men to 

 carry supplies and show the road, and started again up 

 the Mir Malik stream. This is a most charming valley — 

 broad and open, the hillsides sloping gently down to the 

 stream ; the vegetation is luxuriant and water abundant ; 

 the ground was carpeted with thick grass, and had a turfy 

 spring under the foot. Hardly half a mile of the patli 

 but we crossed a stream of sparkling water from the 

 snowy slopes above. Flowers of many hues jostled each 

 other in the grass, to get a peep at the sun, especially the 

 yellow crocus, which was in full Hower. These grew in 

 large beds here and there on the hillside, and from a 

 distance glowed like a field of cloth of gold. The main 

 stream runs at the foot of the range bounding the right of 

 the vallev, thus uiving the mountains on the left a gentler 

 slope down to the water's edge. Our path led over this 

 gently undulating ground, and we marched up steadily for 

 five miles, crossing the main stream by a snow-bridge to 

 the right bank, leaving the usual path up the valley which 

 leads to the Shotar Pass, and on to the village of Kel in 

 the Krishganga valley. 



Rain, with a cutting wind from up the valley, set in as we 

 stopped to camp under a rock. It had been drizzling off 

 and on since we left the village, but now it began to come 

 down steadily. The wind increased to a gale, and the cold 

 grew more intense as night came on, I ate my dinner 

 again under difhculties, being obliged to leave the warmth 

 of the fire, and seek shelter under the rock where my 

 blankets were spread ; here, covered by waterproof and 



