A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



at present, I believe, in the Calcutta Zoological 

 Gardens. From our camp, near the junction of the 

 Polakonka and Indus roads, we started next day, 

 and soon reached the valley of the latter river, but 

 how different to the same valley lower down ! 

 Here the river is a broad, and occasionally shallow, 

 stream flowing between grassy flats, a strong 

 contrast to the furious torrent that rages through 

 the gloomy gorges of Baltistan ! Up this valley we 

 marched till we reached a camping-ground opposite 

 the district of Nyuma Mud, where there is a village, 

 and, unless eyes and glasses deceived us, a tree ! 

 This encamping-ground is used as a pasture by the 

 Chang- Pa during the winter months, and following 

 the river you may see the road to Lhassa and 

 Chinese Thibet, that country so attractive, but 

 alas, at present so inaccessible, to the British 

 sportsman ! 



There is no harm in saying now, as it never came 

 off, that H. and I had an idea of camping near the 

 frontier and making a dash into Chinese Thibet, 

 shooting our nyan and wild yak and returning. 

 A man had even been engaged who had promised 

 to guide us to the forbidden land, and was to have 

 met us at Nyuma ; but I suppose that his courage 

 failed him at the last moment, as he never turned 

 up. There is an amusing story of an adventurous 

 young officer who endeavoured to get into Chinese 

 Thibet by various means, but had always been 

 stopped by the frontier guards, and who was 



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