A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



their existence in a cluster of huts, resembling 

 nothing so much as boxes made of mud. Round 

 the village are the terraced fields, extending from 

 the cliff on the one side to the gorge of the torrent 

 on the other, a stretch of perhaps half a mile of 

 laboriously cultivated ground, producing a crop 

 which mainly consists of "grim," a sort of stunted 

 barley. A certain number of flocks and herds, that 

 is, sheep, cattle, and goats, belong to the villagers, 

 and as the snow melts these are driven up to the 

 higher and better pastures as they become un- 

 covered by the melting snow ; and these little black 

 mountain beasts are literally the btes noires of the 

 hunters of ibex, as these latter of course leave the 

 slopes as soon as the herds with their herdsman and 

 dogs appear. The people themselves are, beyond 

 description, filthy and poverty-stricken, and what 

 their life must be during the long winter months is 

 awful to contemplate. I was told by my servants, 

 however (I did not verify the statement), that these 

 villagers are possessed of an enormous quantity of 

 gold-dust which they obtain from the river ; possibly 

 this might prove to be a veritable Pactolus if 

 properly exploited. These villagers told me th'at 

 they did not care for the ''Sahib Log" coming to 

 shoot, as, though, indeed, they got money by their 

 doing so, yet money could not be eaten, and, as 

 they were only able to grow sufficient food for 

 themselves, it came rather rough on them to have 

 to supply the successive retinues of " Sahibs " who 



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