390 VALLEY OF THE DOULEE. 



that, although up here you are in the midst of vast snowy 

 mountains, the higher white peaks and ridges are only now 

 and then visible from the bottom of the valley, either through 

 lateral gaps or when they seem to terminate the glen you are 

 in. The river, too, now becomes more impetuous, as it leaps 

 furiously down among huge masses of rock in a succession 

 of roaring cataracts. Altogether the scenery here begins to 

 assume a more savagely grand character. Soon after crossing 

 the Eeni bridge over the Eishi gunga (river) a wild torrent 

 fed by the snow-fields and glaciers around Nandadevi where 

 it flows into the Doulee, the eye is at once attracted by a 

 remarkable cascade on the north side of the latter river. The 

 water pours down from a tremendous height, in a narrow 

 white stream, over a perfectly smooth and nearly perpen- 

 dicular face of dark rock. It has only one break in its long 

 descent, where it falls into a deep receding cavity evidently 

 hollowed out by the constant action of the water behind a 

 ledge on the cliff; thence it leaps forth and continues its 

 precipitate course in an unbroken line for many hundred 

 feet. When in flood, this waterfall, which is called Bin- 

 gareebeyl, has a singularly fine effect. As we trudged along, 

 Puddoo beguiled the time with a wonderful legend about 

 this place, which was, as near as I can translate it, to the 

 following effect: 



" In the village of Lata, on the opposite side of the Doulee 

 to Bingareebeyl, there once lived a big strong fellow named 

 Deena. From his constant bullying and overbearing ways, 

 he had made himself so thoroughly objectionable to his 

 fellow-villagers that they at last resolved to dispose of him. 

 The difficulty, however, was as to how they should accom- 

 plish this, for they all dreaded him ; besides which, they did 

 not wish it to appear as though they had actually committed 

 murder, until one day the long-wished-for opportunity pre- 

 sented itself. 



" Some men who had been hunting among the crags above 



