60 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



half- frozen. He was only revived by the strongest hot 

 whisky and water. We had given him a pony, but he 

 considers it unsafe to ride except on the flat ; and uphill 

 or downhill he at once dismounts, as he considers the 

 situation too dangerous. 



The ayah was a couple of hours behind, followed by 

 the dandy, in which she refused to be carried. <: If I fall, 

 memsahib, I die," was her excuse. And she immedi- 

 ately fled to the fire and wept until she retired for 

 the night. 



When our servants did not turn up. the shikaris at 

 once volunteered to put our tents in order. I thought it 

 better to superintend matters, and help to make the beds. 

 But two handier housemaids it would have been hard 

 to find, and 1 very soon saw they knew more about bed- 

 making than I could teach them. 



These Kashmiri shikaris are the cheeriest, nicest fellows 

 possible. They have several times suggested that we 

 should send away our useless Hindustani servants, and 

 let them wait on us altogether, which of course is not 

 the work they were engaged for. 



Khadra, the second shikari, is rather a dandy, and 

 slightly apes European fashions, on great occasions smarten- 

 ing up his homespun shooting clothes with a coloured 

 English shirt and necktie. He also carries a highly 

 scented pocket-handkerchief very much en evidence, but, 



