CHAPTEE V. 



Camping on the roof — The humours of spear-grass — Native faith in the 

 "sahib" Missionaries and medicine — Field mice at Baler — A 

 mantelpiece and a precipice — A miller's wife cl la Drury Lane panto- 

 mime — The evil eye— A crazy bridge — The Chamba valleys — Lazi 

 ness as a fine art — Looking for tahir — The advantages of roof-life — 

 Starting for the Pass — A letter from the Maharaja of Chamba — 

 Man j ere. 



November 13th. — We started at nine o'clock in the morning 

 along a very bad path, the sun already fearfully hot. It 

 was not cheering to have a great mountain opposite pointed 

 out as our road. After crossing the river Gual, one of the 

 tributaries of the Chenab, we began an ascent like the roof 

 of a house. I thought we should never get to the top. 

 Even luncheon failed to revive me. Worst of all, far 

 below us a little white streak showed the Chenab river, 

 flowing through a smooth valley, along which we should 

 have kept had not the cholera interfered. The path we 

 were taking led up and down every hill in sight. Eoad 

 there was none, only a track, but, curiously enough, at 

 intervals were remains of old carved stone drinking foun- 

 tains. Evidently this was once a highway leading to some 

 important point. 



