i66 THE JOURNEY TO LADAKH 



fifteen kiangs were disporting themselves within my view. 

 A high wind began to blow from the west, and there was 

 a great rise in the temperature at once ; at 5 p.m. the 

 thermometer was G8° in the tent. 



Next day I crossed the Polokonka Pass, 16,500 feet 

 high ; but the ascent was so gradual, and the actual 

 dividing line so invisible, that I should certainly not have 

 noticed it but for the usual large mane, or cairn, by the 

 path. Many horns and skulls of nyan and napu in 

 addition to the flag on this cairn, but no large horns. It 

 is much more profitable to sell them to the wandering 

 sportsman than offer them to the local deity. I was 

 told that the Ovis ammon horns came from the Tin valley 

 to the right of my route. They were all votive offerings 

 by successful local shikaris — a sure sign that game was 

 near. The sun was very hot during this portion of my 

 march — in fact, it was unendurable, and I had to take 

 refuge under a rock, where luckily I found some water, 

 and therefore stayed for breakfast. This descent from 

 Polokonka-la in the direction of Pi'iga is much more 

 marked, and a stony pathway winds down to the plain. 

 The Puga valley is the place where sulphur is collected 

 for the Maharajah of Kashmir. The people of the adjacent 

 country are impressed to do this work, and each person 

 is paid one anna per day for the four months during 

 which the operations last. The Puga valley is an ugly 

 bit of country, shut in by high mountains. "We camped 

 about a mile and a half below the sulphur works, at a 

 stream of sweet water. The distance from last camping- 

 place was not less than eighteen miles, I should say. 

 During this march I met at three different points men 

 returning from Sahibs who were out shooting in various 

 directions. Sahibs were getting pretty thick as I 

 approached the game ground — the usual thing. 



