A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



camp I was lucky in finding but few who suffered 

 for long, as most of them speedily got acclimatised, 

 though curiously enough the Kashmiri shikaris, and 

 notably Salia, suffered much at times, particularly 

 from pains in the head. According to Drew, the 

 best authority on this country, the area of Rupshu is 

 4,000 square miles, and there are but five hundred 

 indigenous inhabitants. These inhabitants, Chang- 

 Pa as they are called, do not seem to feel the climate 

 much, but will never undertake any violent exercise 

 such as carrying a coolie's load, all the porterage 

 being performed by yaks, ponies, or sheep. These 

 Chang- Pa are a curious people. They live in tents 

 made of skins, which are about twelve or fourteen 

 feet long, eight wide, and not more than about four 

 feet high. These tents are open at the top to 

 admit of the escape of the smoke from the fire 

 inside, and also, let us hope, of ventilation ; they 

 are also made more roomy, and at the same time 

 fortified against the diurnal visitation of the Ladakhi 

 gale, by ropes fastened to them at intervals, and 

 pulled taut by means of small poles (what the 

 interior of these habitations may be like I cannot 

 say, as I could never summon up the courage to 

 enter one of them). They are ornamented, as is 

 the case with most dwellings in this country of 

 Lamas, with rag banners and yaks' tails on long 

 poles. The Chang-Pa seem to be- a hardy, cheery 

 race, rather smaller in stature than the Ladakhis, 



but with the same Mongol-features (perhaps a trifle 



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