FROM KASHMIR TO KUSSOWLIE. 115 



Buddhists by creed, and the ugliest mortals I ever 

 beheld. Their features are an immortal smash, 

 scarce cognisable one from another, with low vil- 

 lainous-looking forehead and bad eyes. No wonder, 

 since they live half buried in snow during six months 

 of the year ! and have to grind hard for a livelihood 

 the remainder of it. I need hardly say that their 

 language is unfit for ears polite, and undistinguish- 

 able from that of a calf or wild beast. Neither gods 

 nor men could undertake such a task as deciphering 

 it, one would think, yet I believe a romantic Pole 

 or Eussian really did make a vocabulary thereof, 

 and I doubt not the Boden professor would lecture 

 off-hand on the subject." 



On August 4 Lawrence's camp was pitched at 

 Kalsi in Ladakh. " The kitchen," writes Hodson, 

 " is under a neighbouring tree ; and round a fire 

 are squatting our gallant guards, a party of Maha- 

 raja Gulab Singh's household brigade. Some of his 

 people accompany us, and what with followers, a 

 munshi or two for business and their followers, I 

 daresay we are a party of two or three hundred 

 souls of all colours and creeds — Christians, Mussul- 

 mans, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and varieties of 

 each. The creeds of the party are as varied as their 

 colours ; and that's saying a good deal, when you 

 contrast my white face and yellow hair with Sir 

 Henry's nut-brown, the pale white parchmenty- 

 colour of the Kashmiri, the honest brunette tinge 

 of the tall Sikh, the clear olive-brown of the Eajput, 

 down through all shades of dinginess to the deep 

 black of the low-caste Hindu. I am one of the 

 whitest men in India, I fancy, as instead of burning 

 in the sun, I get blenched like endive or celery. 



