A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



bank. Fifteen miles up the Sooroo I found Colonel Ward 

 vainly endeavouring to get the Baltis, at Chalaskat, to 

 bring in material to try and bridge the river there. The 

 fact is alluded to to show that the presence of the British 

 Joint Commissioner on the spot is absolutely necessary on 

 a crisis of this description occurring. The villagers at that 

 time stated that bridges could only be built at low water 

 in winter, and that it was hopeless to try and place timber 

 in position over an impassable river from one bank only, 

 especially as the central pier had gone. Such materials 

 as were available at Kargil, and several hundred 

 labourers, were collected at once. Two days afterwards 

 an urgent message was shot over the river, wrapped round 

 the shaft of an arrow, empowering two officers, delayed on 

 the opposite bank, to take any requisite measures to 

 compel the inhabitants to work, and a second was sent 

 to summon the road darogha from Ladakh. The roar of 

 the river prevented verbal communication, but a heavy- 

 headed arrow took a fishing-line across, and so connected 

 the pier-heads now under construction. Along this a 

 double rope, capable of carrying a manual weight across 

 the river, was formed into an endless chain at the bridge 

 heads, and the mails were safely passed from side to side. 

 I now knew the extent of the damage done, and that 

 every day was of the greatest importance. The inhabi- 

 tants worked with a will, the whole of my Staff and 

 several officers with my camp being busy from daybreak 

 to dark. 



On July 23rd the cantilevers were successfully connected, 

 and I crossed on the two poles to place in position the third 

 on which the strength and utility of the structure depended. 

 Next day this was got over, and an officer, who had been 

 detained on the right bank, proceeded down to India. 

 On July 26th the bridge was opened to the traffic awaiting 

 its completion on both banks. Two photographs of the 

 Sooroo bridge are attached. The central span is one hundred 



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