A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



It was during this march that my retainers saw 

 for the first time my Etna, with which I used to 

 make myself a cup of Bovril (which I found quite 

 invaluable on these occasions, as with an Etna, 

 Bovril, and a couple of biscuits, you are inde- 

 pendent of other food for many hours). They 

 could not at all understand why the water boiled, as 

 they could not see the spirit-flame, until I induced 

 one of them to substitute his hand for the sauce- 

 pan he understood ! Henceforward they always 

 alluded to the Etna as "jadoo" (magic), and I did 

 not undeceive them, as it gives one a sort of 

 prestige to be a magician ! This night we rested 

 at Tarkutty, and the following day (June 3rd) our 

 experiences were of a similar character, though one 

 circumstance occurred which made no inconsider- 

 able difference to my feelings. Riding wearily 

 along on my wretched broken-kneed pony through 

 the deep sand under a broiling sun (a pony here is 

 not much good, as he refuses to go up the stair- 

 cases over the "parris," and you cannot ride him 

 down them), I came round a corner and met two 

 coolies laden with some of the finest ibex heads 

 that it has ever been my good fortune to behold, 

 and greatly superior to any of the many similar 

 loads that we had encountered on the road. The 

 usual question, " Whose were they, and from what 

 nalah did they come?" u They were W. Sahib's, 

 and from the Hushe Nalah. " Was he going to 

 leave it soon?" (this eagerly). "Yes, in about a 



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