Across the Roof of the World. 



always a recommendation in this land where most things suffer 

 troni rough usage. 



x\nother mode of conveyance peculiar to the Shiny Kast, and 

 in great evidence on the Kashmir road, is the " ekka," a small, 

 clumsily built cart with a low covered-in top having the appear- 

 ance of a dome perched on two wheels. An ekka will carry a 

 considerable amount of kit, but to sit in it with any comfort 

 is a matter of some diiftculty, unless one is an expert at 

 contortions and can roll up like a hedgehog. Loading up the 

 light luggage I stepped aboard the tonga, the driver cracked 



his whip, and we 

 were off at a rattling 

 pace towards the 

 hills, changing horses 

 every few miles. For 

 the first i6 miles or 

 so the road lies across 

 the level plain until 

 the foothills are 

 reached. Thence en- 

 sues a steady climb 

 along a well-made 

 road through a vista 

 of pleasant valleys, 

 and forests of tower- 

 ing deodar and fir. 

 As we ascended, the air became keener, the aspect of the 

 scene changed, and beyond Tret snow was encountered, whilst 

 anon we would pass gangs of coolies hard at work repairing the 

 road. Late in the afternoon we ran into Murrce, a well-known 

 hot-weather station and sanatorium, commanding magnificent 

 views over the Himalayas, whilst to the south, as far as the eye 

 could reach, stretched the vast plains of the Punjab. I stayed 

 the night at Chamber's Hotel, the only hostelry then open, all 

 the bungalows at this early season of the year being empt}-. 



14 



CHANGING TONGAS ON THE ROAD TO SRINAGAR. 



