56 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



able ] Here he may change his climate at his 

 pleasure, and choose the temperature that best 

 suits his constitution ; whilst the contents of his 

 larder may be as varied as if he had at command 

 the produce of many lands. Lastly, is he sports- 

 man ? If so, he need wander no further. Here 

 are the happy hunting-grounds of earth, such as 

 the Red Indian believes will be his paradise here- 

 after, when the voice of the Great Spirit Wah- 

 condah calls him to his presence. Such is the 

 Himalaya. Zeada ch\ (What more can be added 1) 

 About eight o'clock one gloriously cold morning 

 in the end of January I was sitting performing my 

 toilette at the door of my palanquin, which my 

 bearers had laid down in the verandah of the tra- 

 vellers' bungalow at Kheeree, after having travelled 

 through the night and the greater part of the 

 previous day en route from Meerut to Mussoorie, 

 when I heard the monotonous song of a second set 

 of bearers in the distance. Selon la regie Indienne, 

 the first comer is always the host, so I ordered my 

 head bearer to kill a table (or fatted) sheep, and 

 prepare a burra hazree (great breakfast), whilst I 



