82 AFOOT THROUGH THE 



" Ho ! ho ! " he laughed, for he was vastly enter- 

 tained by my dilemma, "will the Sahib let me carry 

 her across, or will she mount my pony ? " The pony, 

 I thought, had the steadiest gait, so on to his back I 

 climbed on top of the great bags of salt; it was an 

 uneasy perch, in spite of wedging in my feet under 

 the pack on each side. But the pony was firm in spite 

 of the swift current and the slippery boulders, and in a 

 few minutes I was safely landed on the further side. 

 I had not the wherewithal to reward my Charon, my 

 purse being in charge of the headman, but a pice 

 (about equal to a farthing), found lurking in the corner 

 of my pocket, apparently was satisfying backsheesh. 

 It would buy him a breakfast two of the native barley- 

 meal rolls being sold for that sum and with many good 

 wishes to the " Huzur " and more chuckles over the 

 adventure, the old man went on his way. Breakfast 

 under a giant walnut made a pleasant interval, and then 

 I pressed on quickly, for clouds were gathering, a cold 

 wind had sprung up, and occasional claps of thunder 

 warned that the storm was not far off. A few miles of 

 very rough walking on a track that switchbacked with 

 a violence that forced one's knees into the condition of 

 a cab-horse's of several seasons' wear, and Revel was 

 reached, a tiny camping-ground at the mouth of the 

 nullah, with a good reputation for bear. The hills here 

 formed an angular shelter, for which I was very 

 thankful, for the tempest swept down the valley, 

 bringing with it a wild raffle of rain, and tent ropes 

 and poles were strained to their last capacity. The 

 river roared as it rolled along the burden of added 

 waters; wildly shrieked the wind, snatching and 

 tearing at our little canvases, houses, and earth, and 



