292 MAKING A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY. 



mutilated head, I was reluctantly forced to sacrifice a good 

 hind for this purpose, as well as to provide venison for our 

 camp larder. 



By this time I was getting near the end of the tether of my 

 leave, and was in daily expectation of the Cashmere Govern- 

 ment authorities sending me notice to quit. Indeed, I won- 

 dered they had not done so already, for all visitors were in 

 those days expected to be out of Cashmere by the 15th of 

 October, and it was now November. Had I not taken the 

 precaution to keep on good terms with the head-men of the 

 villages by making small pecuniary gifts and sending them 

 haunches of venison, they doubtless would, long ere this, have 

 taken steps to rid themselves of my presence among them, 

 by informing against me. Instead of this I had no difficulty 

 in collecting as many willing beaters as I required. More- 

 over, they were always marshalled by a great hulking fellow 

 who, on my first arrival at Nouboog, with my full approbation 

 when I had duly inquired into the case, administered condign 

 punishment to one of my Hindustani servants for having 

 abused him. 



On my return to " the vale," how changed in its aspect had 

 it become during the short period since I had left it ! A 

 dense smoky haze from the burning grass on the surround- 

 ing mountains rendered them quite invisible. The bright 

 greensward was now all withered and dry from the effects 

 of frost, which made the ground so hard as almost to ring 

 under one's tread ; and the few remnants of foliage that still 

 clung to the grand old chenar trees were sear and brown. 

 In fact, "the vale of Cashmere" was, at that season, quite 

 destitute of its romantic beauty. At the first place I en- 

 camped in the valley, I was met by a posse of Government 

 officials. I well knew for what purpose they had been 

 sent. But their leader, who was a polite-mannered indi- 

 vidual, on learning that I was about to leave Cashmere, 

 pretended to make a virtue of necessity by saying he had 

 come to inquire if he could do anything to assist me. 



