202 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD, 



we retraced our steps, and made the best of our 

 way back to our former camp in the Chushul 

 valley. 



After hunting for some days in the mountains 

 between the Pang-kung lake and the Indus, we 

 proceeded in a northerly direction up the Chusul 

 valley, and crossed the range by the Changla Pass 

 (16,500), striking the Sakety river, the downward 

 course of which stream we followed until its junc- 

 tion with the Indus, near the village of Marsilla. 

 Two days' marching along the banks of this river 

 brought us to Leh or Ladak, the capital of Little 

 Thibet, where we found our people rather uneasy 

 at our prolonged absence. Halting here for three 

 days, we visited the rajah's palace and the Buddhist 

 monastery of Hemes, being shown through the place 

 by the lamas, who were rigged out in quaint red and 

 yellow dresses, looking very gay, but disgustingly 

 dirty. We witnessed a very elaborate performance 

 in the way of a religious ceremony, when every 

 priest seemed to make as much noise as he could, 

 assisted by bells, horns, and drums. The praying 

 machine, rather a remarkable institution, is some- 



